The air inside the Colosseum of Judgment didn't just hang heavy; it screamed.
Saber stood defiant, his body humming with the potentially suicidal power of his "Resonant Loop." By reflecting his own life force inward, he had turned himself into a living bomb of kinetic energy.
"Come on!" Saber roared, blood spraying from his lips. "Strike me, Kaine! If you touch me, the feedback will shatter your bones!"
Resonance Kaine watched him for a second, then sighed. It was a sound of genuine pity. He raised his jagged blade, tapping the flat of it with his finger.
Ting.
A single, pure note rang out. Kaine adjusted the frequency of his own body, matching Saber's vibration perfectly. He walked forward, stepping right through the pressure waves radiating from Saber as if they didn't exist.
Saber’s eyes widened in horror. "No..."
Kaine placed his hand gently on Saber’s shoulder. "Disrupt."
He introduced a single, dissonant vibration into the loop. Because Saber was amplifying everything inside him, that single dissonance was multiplied a million times in a fraction of a second.
BOOM.
Saber was blasted backward by his own power, crashing into the arena wall with enough force to leave a massive crater. He slid to the ground, smoke rising from his body, his Saber of Reverberation shattering into pieces beside him.
"SABER - ELIMINATED."
The crowd erupted. Kaine sheathed his jagged blade, breathing heavily.
Captain Daichi walked onto the field, his staff tapping against the black stone. He looked at the crater where Saber lay, then at Kaine.
"Teacher killing student," Daichi said cold. "Is that the 'justice' you sought?"
Kaine turned to face Daichi. "It was mercy."
Daichi spun his staff. "Well, you're exhausted, Kaine. Let's finish this."
Daichi prepared to engage, but before he could take a step, a ripple of distortion appeared high above the arena—directly in front of The Judge.
The space warped, and a figure stepped out of thin air, landing softly on the railing of the Council’s platform. He was young, dressed in loose, casual royal garb, his hands in his pockets.
"I've arrived," the figure said simply.
The Twelve Elders recoiled in shock. Elder Corvus Myrik stood up, his hand going to his weapon. "Insolence! How dare you appear before The Judge in such a manner!"
The figure ignored the Elders completely. He looked at the silent Judge, then vanished.
POP.
He reappeared instantly in the center of the arena, standing right next to Resonance Kaine.
Daichi narrowed his eyes, looking between Kaine and the newcomer. He let out a dry, cynical laugh.
"A 2v1. Of course," Daichi mocked, spinning his staff. "I expected nothing less from you cowards."
The figure looked at Daichi with a bored expression.
Daichi didn't wait. He activated "Strategic Convergence Field," his speed amplifying instantly. He vanished, reappearing right beside the newcomer, his staff aimed for a knockout blow to the temple.
"Too slow," Daichi whispered.
But the strike never landed.
The moment Daichi entered the figure's personal space, an overwhelming, crushing force slammed into him. It wasn't magic. It wasn't a physical blow. It was a pressure so intense it felt like the sky had collapsed.
WHAM.
Daichi was dragged instantly into the ground, his face smashed against the obsidian floor. He couldn't move a muscle. The gravity—the resonance—was absolute.
"You talk too much," the figure said, looking down at the paralyzed Captain.
Up in the stands, Seraphina’s eyes flared with rage. Seeing Daichi humbled so effortlessly ignited her temper. Flames of Hellfire licked at her fingers as she stood up, ready to leap into the arena and incinerate this arrogant newcomer.
"That's enough!" Seraphina shouted, her voice ringing out across the stadium.
The figure stopped. Slowly, he tilted his head back, looking up toward the VIP section.
His eyes locked with Seraphina’s.
The flames on Seraphina’s hands died instantly.
Her breath hitched in her throat. Her eyes went wide, the anger draining away, replaced by a cold, paralyzing shock. She stood frozen, her hands trembling slightly as she stared at the face looking back at her.
It wasn't a stranger. It wasn't just another enemy.
It was a face she knew better than anyone else’s. A face from a life she thought she had left behind.
"Impossible..." she whispered, her voice breaking.
The figure offered her a small, malicious smile—a look of recognition that confirmed her worst fear.
Seraphina stood paralyzed in the stands, unable to look away from the New King of the Sound Kingdom.
ns216.73.216.1da2
and then Add to home screen.