Miraq’s stone aura exploded first.

Gray energy wrapped around his body like a layer of living armor, making his already massive figure look even heavier.

Rovak’s dark-red aura burned around him at the same time.

The two stared at each other for only a second.

Then they moved.

BOOOOM!!!

Their fists crashed together in the middle of the arena.

The shockwave spread outward, shaking the protective barrier and making the crowd roar in excitement.

Miraq stomped forward and swung both arms down like falling mountains.

[Stone Crushing Hammer]

Rovak laughed and met the attack head-on.

[Drakhor Blood Fist]

BANG!!!

Fist and stone arm collided violently.

The ground beneath them shattered.

Miraq gritted his teeth and suddenly twisted his body, his scales glowing brighter as sharp stone spikes burst from his arms.

Rovak’s eyes widened slightly before he quickly crossed both arms.

CRACK! CRACK!

The stone spikes smashed against his guard, forcing him back several steps.

Miraq immediately rushed after him.

[Stone Scale Charge]

His entire body became like a moving fortress as he slammed forward with terrifying momentum.

Rovak’s grin widened instead of fading. "Good!"

His legs bent slightly. Dark-red energy gathered around his entire body.

[Drakhor War Body]

BOOOOM!!!

Rovak’s muscles expanded slightly, and his aura became heavier.

Instead of dodging, he charged straight toward Miraq.

The two collided like two beasts.

BOOOOOOM!!!

For a moment, the entire arena trembled.

Miraq’s stone armor cracked.

Rovak’s feet dug into the ground.

Neither of them backed down.

The crowd went wild.

"This is real close combat!"

"They’re both monsters!"

"Rovak is actually pushing back the Stone Scale Race!"

Miraq roared, gray energy surging into his fist again.

[Stone Titan Impact]

Rovak’s eyes burned with excitement. "Again?"

He pulled back his own fist. "Then take mine too!"

Dark-red energy twisted around his arm like a burning dragon.

[Drakhor Fang Strike]

BOOOOOOM!!!

Their fists slammed together.

This time, Miraq’s stone armor shattered completely.

His eyes widened in shock.

Rovak stepped forward, not giving him even a second to breathe.

His second fist smashed into Miraq’s stomach.

BANG!!!

Miraq bent forward heavily.

Then Rovak grabbed his shoulder, spun his massive body around, and hurled him across the arena.

BOOOOM!!!

Miraq crashed into the ground and rolled several times before barely stopping near the edge. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He tried to stand again, but his legs trembled.

Rovak slowly walked toward him, dark-red aura still burning around his body. "Hahaha..."

He cracked his knuckles. "You’re strong. Really strong."

Miraq gritted his teeth and forced himself upright. "But..."

Rovak suddenly disappeared from his spot.

Miraq’s pupils shrank.

Rovak appeared in front of him with a fierce grin. "I’m stronger."

[Drakhor Final Smash]

BOOOOOOM!!!

His fist landed directly against Miraq’s chest.

The impact blasted Miraq out of the arena boundary and straight into the protective barrier.

The referee immediately raised his hand. "Miraq Veln is out of bounds!"

The giant screen above the arena flashed brightly.

[Winner]

[Rovak]

[Drakhor Race]

The crowd erupted into cheers.

Inside the private viewing room, Garion laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Not bad at all!"

Slifera sighed, though a small smile appeared on his face. "That idiot actually won."

Elisa nodded calmly. "Rovak’s strength is real."

Back in the arena, Rovak raised one fist toward the crowd with a huge grin.

The spectators immediately cheered louder.

After enjoying the noise for a few seconds, he finally turned around and walked out of the battlefield.

His body was still covered in dust, and several parts of his armor had been cracked from Miraq’s heavy attacks, but his expression looked extremely satisfied.

A few minutes later, Rovak arrived at the participant waiting hall.

The hall was much quieter than the arena.

Only the fighters who had already qualified or were waiting for their next matches remained there.

Then his eyes suddenly stopped on one figure.

Dahlia.

She was sitting lazily with one leg crossed, looking completely relaxed as if the tournament had nothing to do with her.

Rovak’s grin widened.

He walked over without hesitation.

Dahlia noticed him approaching and slowly raised an eyebrow. "What’s the matter?"

Rovak stopped in front of her and crossed his arms. "You’re Dahlia Draconia, right?"

Dahlia leaned back slightly. "Yeah. And you’re the loud guy who just won."

Rovak laughed loudly. "Hahaha! That’s one way to remember me."

Then he looked at her more carefully.

During Dahlia’s introduction earlier, he remembered seeing one name clearly.

Garion.

Rovak grinned and asked, "Your master is named Garion, right? The one who likes to grin, has a loud mouth, muscular body, and purple hair?"

Dahlia immediately narrowed her eyes slightly. "Yeah."

Then she stood up slowly. "What’s the matter? Do you have a problem with my master?"

Her voice was still playful, but her aura subtly changed.

Rovak noticed it immediately and laughed. "Of course not."

He waved one hand casually. "You could say I’m one of your master’s new friends in this Cosmic Universe."

Dahlia stared at him for a moment. Then her expression relaxed slightly. "I see."

A grin slowly spread across her face. "So you’re Master’s friend."

Rovak nodded proudly. "That’s right."

Dahlia cracked her knuckles lightly. "But even if you’re Master’s friend, I won’t pull back my fist if we meet in the arena."

Rovak’s eyes instantly lit up.

Instead of being offended, his grin became even wider. "Hahaha! Good!"

His dark-red aura flickered faintly around his body. "That’s even better."

He pointed at Dahlia with excitement burning in his eyes. "I wanted to test Garion’s strength, but since he’s not joining this tournament, I’ll test his disciple instead."

Dahlia’s grin turned sharp. "Oh?"

Rovak clenched his fist. "I want to see just how strong the disciple trained by that guy really is."

For a moment, the two stared at each other silently.

Then Dahlia laughed. "Hahaha..."

She placed one hand on her waist and lifted her chin proudly. "Then you better not lose before reaching me."

Rovak laughed back. "Same to you."

Dahlia’s eyes shone with confidence. "Don’t worry."

Her grin widened. "You’ll see later."