The arena was unrecognisable, now overgrown and destroyed.

Cracked stone lay scattered beneath twisted roots and splintered wood, while thick vines crawled across what remained of the battlefield like living things refusing to die.

And still, the two B Ranks fought.

Even Ethan had to narrow his eyes to keep up.

’That speed...’

It wasn’t just raw movement, but control and precision, timing so sharp it bordered on unnatural.

Rowan, the Verdant Warden, adapted again and again.

Each exchange forced him to evolve his approach: better positioning, tighter control, more layered defences. He wasn’t just reacting anymore; he was anticipating her movements, which was the only way to keep up.

At one point, the ground beneath him erupted.

Trees spiralled upward in an instant, thick trunks twisting together as branches interlocked overhead with vines coiling between them, weaving into a dense lattice.

Rowan had formed a fortress of nature.

"He had her locked down!" the announcer roared.

The crowd surged with excitement, thousands of voices rising as his domain consumed the arena.

It seemed like it was over.

Seraphina was slowing down and had yet to land a decisive blow on the man in tune with nature itself. Plants shrouded her, the crowd no longer able to see her among them all.

Then, a pink glow pulsed from within. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

It was faint at first, but grew bright and sharper, piercing through the shrubbery.

Ethan leaned forward slightly.

"What’s she doing?"

Inside the forest, the Pink Flash stood completely still amidst the suffocating mass of wood and vines. Her body lowered slightly, and her stance tightened as she gathered and condensed more of that pink energy.

She pulled inward instead of bursting outward like before, wrapping it around her body in tight spirals, compressing into something dense, something violent.

’That’s not just speed...’ Ethan realised.

’That’s everything she’s got - focused into one point.’

Rowan sensed the spike in energy, feeling the threat, and didn’t idle. Every instinct screamed at him to reinforce further despite completely consuming the arena with his natural weaponry.

’I need to crush her before she can unleash that attack.’

More roots surged forward, more layers formed, thicker, denser and stronger, bursting them towards her in a powerful attack of brown and green.

But it didn’t matter.

For a single heartbeat, everything went quiet.

Then, the Pink Flash made her move.

A spiralling blur of pink tore straight through the battlefield like a runaway freight train, tearing apart everything in its path without slowing for even a fraction of a second.

Trees shattered, vines obliterated, and layers of defence erased.

And at the very end of that unstoppable line force was the impact.

BOOM!

The entire arena shook as Seraphina drove straight through Rowan and into the far side of the arena wall.

Stone cracked, then caved.

Dust and debris exploded outward as Rowan’s body was embedded deep into the reinforced structure, a spiderweb of fractures spreading around him.

The pink energy dissipated slowly.

It revealed Seraphina standing there, facing forward while breathing steadily. Across from her, Rowan hung limply on the wall, his staff snapped in half, his bark-like armour shattered and barely holding together.

For a moment, nothing moved.

Then his body slackened, and everything around him began to crumble: vines collapsed, trees withered, and the entire overgrown battlefield seemed to perish with him.

The crowd exploded into deafening cheers.

"And that’s it!" the announcer bellowed. "The Pink Flash takes the victory spectacularly!"

Ethan leaned back into the sofa, exhaling slowly as the roar of the crowd washed over him.

That had been something else.

His mind lingered on that final charge - the way she had turned herself into a living projectile, compressing all that speed and power into a single, unstoppable line. It was similar to his Beast Impact while assimilated with Talon, but was less refined and more destructive.

’Her speed while using her ability...’

He shook his head faintly, a small grin forming.

’It has to be easily over 200, maybe even higher.’

The gap was undeniable.

C Rank wasn’t even in the same conversation as that, not even close.

Using Mace as an example, Seraphina could literally run laps around him before taking him down at any point she pleased. Meanwhile, Rowan could already replicate his rocky exterior with his own abilities, let alone everything else he was capable of.

He had no chance...

’And honestly, I don’t think I have much of a chance either.’

Of course, his pride and confidence told him that if it came down to it, he could come out on top. But nine times out of ten, that was very unlikely.

Still, there was no frustration in his expression.

Only satisfaction.

That fight hadn’t just been entertaining; it had been a perfect display of what high-level combat looked like when everything came together. One had pure speed and power; the other had incredible control and abilities that definitely made him invaluable in gates.

Ethan tapped ash from the cigar between his fingers, relaxing further into the seat.

’Yeah... I’ll get there.’

Once he unlocked Complete Assimilation and evolved his beasts further, he would be a force to be reckoned with. Just imagining the level of speed he would have when assimilating with a higher-ranked Talon was enough to set something alight in his chest.

Beside him, Kaela let out a low chuckle, swirling her drink lazily.

"What’s with that look?" she said, glancing sideways at him. "And how much do I owe you now? Is it nine grand?"

Ethan smirked, but before he could respond, the announcer spoke again.

"And now..."

The tone shifted, and the energy in the stadium changed with it, the cheers dulling into murmurs as they listened closely.

"...for something special."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly, Kaela leaned forward, and even Elara was curious.

The pause stretched deliberately, then...

"We will have an additional fight tonight! It truly is March Madness, and we will have a rare A Rank bout in this very arena!"

The reaction was immediate.

The crowd erupted again, even louder than before, but underneath it there was tension. As great as that sounded, Ethan couldn’t help but have a bad feeling, one that quickly came to fruition...