Silence lingered for a moment.
The air within the Celestial Colosseum seemed to hold its own breath. The two figures standing in the center of the arena faced one another like two worlds refusing to bow.
Tiago slowly rolled his neck. The loud crack of his joints echoed through the unnaturally quiet space. The wind lightly brushed through his short black hair, and from the corner of his lips appeared a small grin that was difficult to read—half arrogance, half genuine readiness to die.
Asterion remained silent. His gaze was sharp, but not cruel. It was as though he was evaluating rather than hating.
His large hand slowly rose to cover his chest before he bowed slightly as a sign of respect toward his opponent.
"For the honor of the forest, and for the brave soul before me."
Tiago merely raised two fingers to his temple—a drunken barroom salute that could have carried meaning or simply been mockery.
Yet somehow, in that moment, everyone watching could feel that he was not joking.
The scent of heated marble began spreading through the air.
Small tremors crawled across the arena floor, a sign that the physical energy of both fighters was beginning to rise.
Asterion stomped heavily against the ground beneath him, creating thin cracks across the marble. A thunderous rumble emerged from deep within his chest.
Meanwhile, Tiago still made no grand movements.
He simply rolled his shoulders, slapped his cheeks twice, and muttered quietly,
"Alright then… let's dance, big horse."
The human faction held its breath.
The President was now standing, both hands gripping the edge of the metallic table before him.
Meanwhile, Libra sat upon the central throne, observing them with her usual neutral gaze.
The scales in her hand slowly tilted left and right, a sign that their energies were balancing—at least for now.
The soft glow from her purple hair flickered gently like candlelight.
Tiago began circling Asterion slowly, maintaining at least ten meters of distance. His eyes studied every detail of the centaur's strange anatomy.
Half horse.
Half man.
His lips moved faintly. His pupils shifted up and down as though searching for weaknesses.
Asterion remained silent while observing Tiago, who no longer looked as relaxed as before. One of his front hooves dug deeply into the ground, instantly shattering part of the floor.
Whether it was intimidation or simply reinforcing his stance, no one could tell.
Their battle had not even begun yet, but the world already knew.
For the first time, the Colosseum felt far too small for the clash of two predatory instincts.
Tiago spat once.
His gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Mind if I start?"
He burst toward Asterion with sudden speed—not nearly as fast as Hayama, whose movements once made even the wind tremble.
His speed was human.
But the way he ran radiated absolute conviction, like someone who had never learned the meaning of retreat.
The mythology faction immediately began mocking him.
"He's slow even when running!" shouted an orc.
"And he came without a weapon too? Hahahaha!" laughed a satyr nearby.
Asterion lowered his posture.
All four legs rooted themselves against the marble floor, forming a flawless defensive stance.
"Come," he said calmly.
Tiago leapt high, but his trajectory was far too obvious. His right fist shot directly toward the centaur's face.
Boom!!
His arm was instantly caught within the massive grip of both of Asterion's hands.
"Far too predictable!" Asterion mocked.
Yet Tiago's grin did not fade.
"I'm not done yet!"
One arm was restrained.
The other remained free.
Tiago twisted his waist, spinning like a human torch.
His left fist lashed forward.
By reflex, Asterion raised his elbow to block the strike aimed at his head.
Once again, Tiago's attack was neutralized.
Asterion smirked.
But Tiago had no intention of stopping there.
Using the same rotational momentum, Tiago's leg suddenly whipped upward. His body spun higher, his boot flying toward Asterion's head to continue the assault.
Asterion's grip loosened slightly beneath the relentless pressure.
And within that split-second opening—
Tiago's boot slammed directly into the centaur's face.
Boom!
The entire hold broke apart.
Tiago rolled once across the marble floor.
Behind him, Asterion merely slid a single step backward. He did not stagger, though marble dust crumbled from his brown hair.
He wiped the area struck by the blow.
Slightly surprised.
Slightly amused.
Meanwhile, Tiago landed lightly on one knee before rising again and brushing dust from his shoulder.
"That animal…" he muttered quietly.
"His defense is ridiculously solid."
From atop her throne, Libra leaned forward slightly. Her purple hair shimmered softly while her violet eyes gleamed with fascination.
"So his nonsense actually has reason behind it," she whispered quietly.
She realized every attack Tiago launched was deliberate.
Each movement resembled pieces of a puzzle carefully arranged to unravel his opponent's patterns.
Asterion clicked his tongue in admiration.
"You adapt quickly, Human. But not quickly enough to defeat me."
He straightened his posture and lifted one front hoof before slamming it into the floor hard enough to make the surrounding air pulse.
Tiago exhaled slowly. His head swayed lightly.
"Then let's switch styles a bit."
He lowered himself, dropping his center of gravity before charging forward again.
This time his movements carried rhythm, almost like a dance familiar to some humans watching from the stands.
His feet bounced in zigzag motions while his arms swayed before his body. His posture remained low, yet every movement steadily brought him closer to Asterion.
Asterion tried analyzing the strange pattern.
But before anyone realized it—
Tiago suddenly slipped beneath the centaur's legs.
Both his legs snapped upward like scissors, instantly locking around one of Asterion's front legs.
Asterion flinched briefly.
But he was no weak creature.
One leg was trapped, yet the remaining three supported his balance perfectly.
His remaining front leg stabilized him instantly.
Without hesitation, one of his rear legs lashed backward toward Tiago beneath him.
Tiago immediately released the hold.
Then he escaped with a flawless backflip, landing lightly against the marble.
"Wait… isn't that—?" shouted someone from the human stands.
"That's a capoeira stance, right?!" exclaimed an MMA fighter watching from above.
"Can a dance like that really break a centaur's defense? Isn't it just fancy footwork?" another muttered skeptically.
Tiago ignored them completely.
His focus never left Asterion.
He returned to that same unusual dancing stance. His body swayed while his hands and feet moved rhythmically.
Asterion narrowed his eyes.
That dance again.
"Is that a defensive style… or a dance?" he wondered silently.
Never in his life had he seen a creature fight with movements so synchronized between hands and feet.
Not to cast magic.
Not to perform rituals like Caelendir's Aurora Sancta.
Tiago charged once more.
Asterion braced himself, planting all four legs firmly against the floor.
But Tiago suddenly rolled past the centaur's right side and slipped beneath his body.
"He's attacking from underneath!" someone shouted.
Realizing the danger, Asterion instantly raised one front leg high, preparing to crush Tiago with overwhelming force.
But Tiago continued rolling beneath him.
Asterion's massive body jolted wildly as his hooves smashed repeatedly into the marble, trying to crush the human darting below him.
Tiago dodged every stomp.
Then—
Thud!
He twisted his body, building momentum.
His leg swung violently upward and struck the centaur's lower abdomen with full force.
A deafening impact thundered throughout the arena.
Still focused on stomping him, Asterion instantly lost balance.
His body was hurled several meters sideways, crashing against the marble floor hard enough to shatter it apart.
For the first time since entering the arena—
The centaur fell.
Human cheers exploded across the Colosseum.
Some who had mocked Tiago earlier were now standing and shouting his name.
Tiago slowly rose to his feet.
He brushed dust from his chest before flashing a wide grin, almost like a child proud of knocking down a giant.
"I call that move…"
He spun slightly and winked toward the human stands.
"Capoeira Breakdance."