Lois was ruthless, her palms blazing with thick golden flames entwined with the sharp echoes of lightning, both seeking to pierce Samael's defenses and paralyze him on contact.
But Samael's ice remained immovable—unyielding. It dispersed everything hurled at it, the flames and lightning vanishing into a growing mist that thickened around him like a shielded fog.
Lois was explosive, quick, wild, and vicious. Each of her strikes carried lethal intent, aiming to tear the guts from his stomach, gouge his eyes from their sockets, or rip the jaw from his face.
Everything she did radiated hate and spite. Her flames burned with ridiculous intensity, and her lightning grew so fast, so potent, it seemed to accelerate even her thoughts.
Empowered by the Crown of Fire, her stamina knew no limit. Her qi replenished faster than she could burn it, allowing her to cast with reckless abandon.
But Samael simply was—if there were no better word for it—the elements themselves: water and earth, bound and bridged by ice.
His defenses were impenetrable. His attacks, as smooth and unpredictable as the flow of water.
And his mind—sharp and glacial—dissected her every move, learning from each pattern, slowly beginning to predict and box her in.
SHAH!
Samael ducked under a lasso of lightning, flipping backward to avoid an imploding orb of fire that chased after him. As he landed, he stomped the earth, and a wave of ice surged forward, jagged blocks racing toward Lois.
With a wave of her hand, the blocks were reduced to mist—but in a blink, the mist condensed into spiraling drills of water that sliced toward her like fangs.
Her body shimmered, transforming into a bolt of lightning that zipped between the incoming attacks. She reformed in a blink, appearing directly in front of Samael.
Flames coiled around her crown, forming fiery runes as she began casting relentlessly, her qi igniting like a never-ending inferno.
From the icy ground, spears of fire erupted, sharp and unpredictable. They bobbed and stabbed in erratic patterns, aiming to skewer Samael where he stood.
But he danced through them, agile as a seasoned performer. He weaved and spun, still passive, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he tested Lois's capabilities.
What she displayed was… interesting.
Suddenly, the fiery spears linked together. Tendrils of lightning crackled between them, blotting out the sky and transforming the entire coliseum into a luminous cage.
Immediately, Samael sensed the nature of the qi shift. Where once it had been docile and neutral, it now became unstable, wild—hostile even. Controlling qi within the domain was all but impossible.
For everyone but Lois.
Samael's expression shifted. He sighed, his interest visibly deflating.
'Boring,' he thought.
At first, when Lois had spiritualized, his excitement had surged. Her control over her elements and her qi had appeared masterful, enough to convince him she might be one of the rare true Awakened—those who walked the path of perfect awakenings.
But the domain spell she cast changed everything.
If she were truly awakened, she would have known about the Qi Ring—a supreme tool of qi control. She would've understood that no matter how wild or corrupted the surrounding qi became, the Ring would remain unaffected.
And if she wasn't awakened, then it meant everything she had displayed so far—her power, her precision—had come from a bloodline and a collection of external treasures.
Samael's gaze dulled.
In an instant, he shattered the ice beneath him and vanished, reappearing before Lois in a blink.
She grinned, drawing more flame around her body, preparing to reduce him to ash. But Samael merely flicked a thought through his mind. The Qi Ring spun once, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.
The flames extinguished. Gone—snuffed out like candles in a blizzard.
Before she could react, her own blood reversed its flow. Her veins ruptured, her flesh began to freeze from the inside out, and all movement ceased.
Hands of ice surged from the earth, wrapping tightly around her form, locking her down. Layer after layer enveloped her, unrelenting and absolute.
By the time Samael stood face to face with her—just a blink later—Lois had been completely disarmed and restrained.
Just as she dared to hope that her allies might intervene, her pupils dilated. She caught sight of them in the distance, frozen in place—bound by similar constructs of ice.
The realization hit hard.
This entire time… Samael had been playing with them.
'Or… was he stalling for time?' The thought barely formed before Samael's hand clamped around her throat.
She screamed in agony, his cold touch burning her more viciously than fire ever could.
His eyes met hers, heavy with a blend of pity and disappointment.
'Three…'
His grip tightened. Her scream turned guttural. Her eyes bloodshot. Her spiritualisation shattered.
BANG!
'…two…'
In the far distance, the four others began to scream as well. The ice that bound them twisted into vines—moving, writhing. It burrowed into their flesh, unraveling them thread by thread.
The pain was so profound that none of them could comprehend the sheer level of control needed to achieve it.
To turn an element as rigid and unyielding as ice into something supple and dexterous?
Utterly ridiculous.
'…one.'
A hand gently settled on Samael's shoulder.
He turned. His gaze met that of Head Merchant Leroy. In the old man's eyes lingered the faintest flicker of greed.
'Predictable.'
"The rules of the Elemental Cauldron are clear. None shall die. Fatal wounds must be avoided."
Head Merchant Leroy's face contorted into a furious mask of righteousness.
"Had I not intervened, you would've committed the unforgivable. How dare you!"
A wave of terrifying pressure burst from his body, aimed squarely at Samael. The stands fell silent, all eyes locked on the unfolding scene.
Samael's voice pierced the quiet.
"Do you know the color of your own blood?"
Leroy frowned at the strange question—but inside, he rejoiced. The more arrogant Samael was, the easier it would be to—
Wait.
Why would Samael ask that?
"Young man, lower your head and—"
His words halted. Not because of Samael, but because of the blood that suddenly spilled from his mouth.
Samael smiled, lifting his left hand into view. It was coated in blood and bits of flesh.
In it, a beating, pulsating organ pulsed faintly.
A heart.
"Isn't it a beautiful crimson? Doesn't its color ensnare you?"
Head Merchant Leroy looked down at his chest.
His heart… was gone.