The arena fell silent.
Only the wind drifted through the shattered stone battlefield left behind by the previous rounds.
Ren stood shoulder to shoulder with Jonah, Darius, Sofia, and Gareth.
Across from them, Team Four spread out without a word.
The five competitors had clearly fought together before.
They immediately took positions instead of hesitating.
Ren studied each one.
A lean young man wearing silver bracers bounced lightly on his feet, arcs of electricity snapping between his fingers.
Next to him stood a woman carrying a long wooden flute engraved with ancient runes.
A large man rested a stone hammer across one shoulder, his skin already beginning to resemble granite.
Another fighter wore dark leather armor, six glowing knives floating around him without touching his hands.
The final competitor stood at the center.
A girl no older than Ren.
Tiny glowing flowers slowly bloomed around her feet before dissolving into shimmering dust.
Ren frowned.
Five completely different legends.
Great.
The Emperor stood.
"The second round..."
His voice echoed through the stadium.
"...begins now!"
A massive horn shook the arena.
Both teams exploded into motion.
The lightning user vanished first.
A streak of blue shot across the battlefield.
Ren barely had time to duck before a bolt ripped through the air where his head had been.
The strike blasted apart a pillar behind him.
"So much for introductions."
Ren drew his revolver.
The lightning user zigzagged unpredictably.
Most people would have missed.
Ren fired anyway.
Bang.
The bullet curved.
The man twisted away—
The round still struck his shoulder.
The lightning user stumbled.
"What?!"
He looked down in disbelief.
"I dodged!"
Ren smiled.
"You almost did."
Meanwhile, Gareth charged straight toward the giant with the hammer.
The stone-skinned man roared and swung downward.
The hammer crashed into the arena with enough force to leave a crater.
Gareth wasn't there.
He had already shifted into speed.
He blurred around the giant.
A fist slammed into the man's ribs.
Another into his jaw.
Then another.
The giant barely reacted.
His skin had hardened into solid rock.
"Strong," Gareth muttered.
"But slow."
The giant grinned.
"We'll see."
He slammed both fists into the ground.
Stone pillars erupted beneath Gareth.
The enhanced fighter barely escaped before another pillar burst upward where he'd landed.
The battlefield began changing shape.
Elsewhere—
Sofia calmly placed two fingers against the tattoo wrapped around her right forearm.
Golden light spread across the ink.
A longsword slowly emerged from her skin.
Not summoned.
Created.
The weapon slid free as though it had always existed beneath the tattoo.
Its silver blade gleamed beneath the sun.
The woman with the flute smiled.
She played a single note.
The sound spread across the battlefield.
Invisible waves struck Sofia.
Her balance faltered.
Another note followed.
Then another.
The music wasn't hurting her.
It was disrupting her movements.
Sofia narrowed her eyes.
"A support legend."
The melody continued.
The floating knives joined the attack.
Six blades shot toward her simultaneously.
She spun.
Steel rang against steel.
Each precise swing knocked another knife away.
The crowd erupted as sparks flew across the arena.
On the opposite side—
Jonah still hadn't moved.
The floating-knife user noticed.
"So you're just going to stand there?"
Jonah nodded.
"If that's what you want."
The man laughed.
"Works for me."
Every knife shot forward at once.
They struck Jonah from every angle.
Chest.
Shoulders.
Back.
Legs.
Metal clanged.
The knives bounced harmlessly away.
Jonah exhaled.
"Done?"
The attacker blinked.
"What?"
Jonah took one step forward.
The kinetic energy stored from every impact surged through his body.
He punched.
The air cracked.
The floating-knife user disappeared.
He skipped across the arena floor like a stone across water before smashing into the outer wall.
The horn sounded.
Eliminated.
The audience erupted.
Jonah calmly returned to where he'd been standing.
Across the battlefield—
Darius had finally entered the fight.
The flower-covered girl rushed toward him.
More glowing blossoms spread across the ground.
Beautiful.
Until the first one exploded.
A blast of green spores filled the air.
Darius immediately jumped backward.
Poison.
Interesting.
She smiled.
The flowers continued blooming.
Every step became dangerous.
Darius sighed.
"I was hoping not to use this."
He bit his thumb.
A single drop of blood fell onto the stone.
The crimson droplet didn't splash.
It floated.
Then another.
Then another.
Thin streams of blood rose into the air around him.
The audience gasped.
The droplets twisted together.
Long crimson ribbons formed.
They circled Darius like living serpents.
Jonah watched carefully.
His instincts had been right.
Blood.
Not simple blood manipulation.
The crimson ribbons shot forward.
The flower user tried to dodge.
The blood changed direction mid-flight.
One ribbon wrapped around her wrist.
Another around her ankle.
She struggled.
The restraints tightened.
Darius closed his hand.
The blood hardened.
The girl could no longer move.
The officials rushed in.
"Eliminated!"
The crowd applauded.
Ren fired another shot.
The lightning user barely managed to redirect it.
The bullet grazed his cheek.
Sweat rolled down the man's face.
"What kind of shooting is that?!"
Ren answered with another bullet.
The fighter jumped.
The bullet curved upward.
It struck his boot.
The lightning user lost his balance.
Jonah happened to be standing nearby.
"You fell."
Jonah punched him.
The stored energy from dozens of attacks exploded outward.
The lightning user rocketed into the sky before crashing through a stone pillar.
Another horn.
Eliminated.
Team Four was down to two.
The flute player stopped smiling.
She changed songs.
The melody deepened.
The stone giant suddenly moved twice as fast.
His muscles swelled.
"So that's your real role," Gareth muttered.
"You buff your teammates."
The giant roared.
His hammer descended.
Gareth crossed both arms.
This time—
He shifted to defense.
The hammer struck.
The impact echoed across the arena.
The stone beneath Gareth shattered.
His feet sank into the ground.
But he remained standing.
The crowd erupted.
The giant stared.
Impossible.
Gareth smiled.
"My turn."
He switched.
Strength.
His muscles expanded.
One punch.
The giant staggered backward.
Another.
The hammer slipped from his hands.
A third strike landed directly beneath his chin.
The massive man collapsed.
The officials signaled immediately.
Eliminated.
Only one remained.
The flute player lowered her instrument.
She looked around.
Every teammate had fallen.
Five against one.
She smiled sadly.
"I suppose this ends here."
She played one final note.
A violent sonic wave exploded outward.
Everyone shielded their eyes.
The attack struck all five members of Team Three simultaneously.
Ren slid backward.
Jonah took the hit without moving.
Gareth stumbled.
Even Sofia was pushed several steps.
Only Darius remained rooted.
The sound finally faded.
The flute player lowered her weapon.
Ren looked toward his teammates.
No words were exchanged.
None were needed.
Sofia moved first.
Her tattoo of a chain came alive.
Golden links burst from her arm.
The chains wrapped around the woman's legs.
She tried to cut them apart with another sonic wave.
Gareth was already moving.
Speed.
He appeared behind her.
A quick strike knocked the flute from her hands.
She reached for it.
Darius's blood ribbons wrapped around both arms.
Ren calmly pointed his revolver.
"You surrender?"
The woman looked at the five surrounding her.
Then sighed.
"...I surrender."
The horn sounded.
"The winners..."
The Emperor rose to his feet.
"...Team Three!"
The coliseum exploded with applause.
Ren exhaled.
That had gone far smoother than he'd expected.
Not because they were stronger.
Because they had adapted quickly.
The Emperor raised a hand.
"The team round has concluded."
Golden light descended once again.
Every surviving competitor returned to the arena floor.
The temporary teams stood together one last time.
"You have all proven yourselves capable of working alongside strangers."
He smiled.
"But legends are ultimately carried alone."
The arena quieted.
"The alliances forged today are dissolved."
Darius laughed softly.
"Guess we're enemies again."
Sofia shrugged.
"It was fun while it lasted."
Gareth offered Ren a handshake.
"Try not to shoot me when we meet again."
"No promises," Ren replied.
The Emperor continued.
"The remainder of the tournament..."
A massive bracket slowly rose from beneath the arena.
"...shall be fought one against one."
The crowd erupted louder than ever.
One-on-one battles.
This was what everyone had been waiting for.
Ren looked across the arena.
Team Two stood together.
The mysterious man who had recognized Jonah still hadn't looked away.
Their eyes met.
For several long seconds—
Neither moved.
Then the stranger smiled.
Not warmly.
Knowingly.
Ren felt a chill.
Something wasn't right.
The scene shifted away from the roaring arena.
Back through the streets of Athens.
Away from the cheering crowds.
Elise and Mara hurried through narrow stone roads toward the abandoned house where Cal had remained.
Neither had heard from him since earlier that day.
His communicator had gone silent.
Elise knocked once.
No answer.
She pushed the door open.
The room inside looked like a battlefield.
Frozen walls.
Melted stone.
Broken furniture.
Paint covered nearly every surface.
Cal sat alone in a wooden chair.
His shirt had been removed.
Bandages wrapped around one shoulder.
Fresh cuts crossed both arms.
His brush rested across his knees.
He slowly looked up as the two entered.
"You took your time."
Mara's eyes widened.
"What happened to you?"
Cal remained silent for several seconds.
Then he looked toward the shattered window.
"Grekos is dead."
The room fell silent.
"He was killed before he could tell me who leads the cult."
Elise frowned.
"Who killed him?"
Cal gripped his brush.
"I don't know."
"I fought them."
"They controlled temperature."
"They destroyed my communicator."
"They knew exactly why Grekos had to die."
Mara's expression hardened.
"You lost?"
Cal closed his eyes.
"...They escaped."
He stood.
Winced.
Then faced them.
"They weren't here for me."
"They came to silence Grekos."
Cal looked toward the distant coliseum.
"And if they'll kill their own messenger to protect their secrets..."
His voice grew quiet.
"...then Ren and Jonah are in danger."