Killian arrived at the center of the stage, and locked eyes with his opponent, who he had never met. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The opponent stepped away, his eyes shaking with something Killian couldn’t identify.

The only thing in Killian’s head was escaping that scenario but just then as an excruciating sound rang in his head, and oddly silenced his panic.

"Whatttt Annnn Entraceeee!!"

The sound from the microphone sent painful vibrations through Killian’s sensitive ears, and he pulled his headphones down.

His red eyes quickly scanned the area for the commentator and glared at him.

The commentator froze, a wide smile forming on his tanned face. He continued, with even more gusto than before.

The crowd were now whispering and he needed to give them a show. Even if the show had already arrived by itself.

"Our fighter is finally hereeee, dripping in blood and promising even more carnageeeee! Let the match startttt! Or is his opponent going to make a runnnn for ittttt!"

Killian sighed, looking back at the boy that sincerely looked like he would make the run for it. And Killian couldn’t blame him.

He would also make a run for it if someone he never knew arrived looking like he murdered a family for fun.

’Which, again, I can’t truthfully ascertain if I didn’t.’

Killian kept his head away from the arena, while genuinely hoping he would wake up and realized he had dreamt all about this and he was still asleep within the entity’s soft hair.

"Um," a referee climbed into the stage, his eyes swept over Killian and then at the ground that had blood marks. He dragged his eyes to the opponent who he sorely pitied.

He looked back at Killian, asking. "Are you from the Olpha region?"

When Killian whipped his head to face him, the man jolted slightly. Killian nodded once. The referee cleared his throat, and ticked a name on his book pad.

He moved closer to the opponent, breathed out before asking. "D-Do you wish to continue the match or should you exercise kindness to your opponent and let him clean up first?"

The man forced a smile, as if begging the opponent to agree so that they could all breathe properly.

The boy opened his mouth to speak.

"It’s fine," Killian added firmly. "I will make it quick and leave."

The temperature in the arena dropped and only Killian didn’t notice. He sighed, hoping his words had comforted them but their pale expressions told otherwise.

"He said... he will make it quick..." someone whispered in the crowd. "Ah... his opponent might actually die..."

Killian furrowed his brows, wondering how that conclusion came to be. The referee raised a hand, stepping back. He passed the opponent a sorry glance before dropping his hand.

"Start!"

The stage fell silent. So eerily silent that Killian looked across the stage to be sure they were still people seated.

He still hadn’t noticed Evelyn or Juda, or even the man who put him in this predicament, George.

His opponent’s posture shifted, and his scared expression flatlined to determination as if he knew he couldn’t change the situation.

Killian stepped forward, preparing to defend. He needed to know the boy’s first move that might reveal his element and fighting style.

He flexed his fingers, about to drop his Void-Bat but remembered that it was still a Void-Bat.

He clicked his tongue, frowning slightly. ’I might need to get a new weapon.’

Meanwhile his opponent didn’t move from his position, reconsidering his next action.

He had hoped to run back when Killian had stepped forward, and when the opponent heard Killian click his tongue, his confidence dropped. Still, he remained on the stage.

Killian looked at the weapon in the boy’s hands, a typical two-edged axe. It might be that the opponent was an Earth User but Killian wanted to see it, to be sure.

Yet as the boy made no move, Killian decided to close in. ’Perhaps he thinks I’m being arrogant expecting a first move when I came late.’ Killian sighed internally as he sped forward.

The opponent rushed back suddenly, confusing Killian. The boy’s weapon was the first to be thrown out as he made a bail for it. Killian’s eyes formed a slit, as he clasped his hands together. <Piercing Scorch>

Someone yelled out in the crowd. "Joey! He’ll kill you!’

Killian released the weapon against the dropping axe that was falling on its wielder and likely split his head in two. The fire dug through the steel weapon, snapping it in two.

The axe fell to both sides of the frozen opponent, who couldn’t make it past the stage. Killian breathed in relief, and smiled.

"If you want to drop your weapon to fight fair, that’s okay. Just be careful."

Killian spoke honestly, believing the opponent had carelessly thrown the weapon to match him who fought without one.

The opponent’s mental state was obvious from his heaving chest. He nodded, barely understanding what Killian had said.

All he remembered was a blurry figure rushing toward him, blood cascading down their face and clothes, with orbs of flame trailing behind them.

He looked down at his legs and swallowed hard. "<Stone... Fall>"

Killian smiled, confirming that it was an Earth Skill. He flicked two fingers weakly, knowing he had the perfect counter for a wide range skill like that.

"Just combat wide range against wide range," he muttered to himself, flicking an orb towards the opponent.

A light firmament glowed below the ceiling above him, and Killian froze, angling his head up. "Wait, right above me...?"

"Shower!" The boy ordered.

BOOOM!

Killian sidestepped multiple times as the small pebbles fell overhead, some landing softly on his shoulders and back. His lidded eyes swept through the explosion in front of him, casually noting that the other half of the stage had been destroyed from one orb of scorch.

At one point, he stopped moving. He folded his arms across his shoulders, and let the light shower of stones pour on him.

’And I thought it was an upgraded version of Emilia’s skill. This showers are even weaker than hers.’

His opponent was darkened by soot and sprawled on the floor. The referee walked in cautiously and pointed at Killian, then quickly moved away.

The commentator took it from there. "Our Winnerrrr is Olphaaaa Regionnnn!"

The stage was still quiet and Killian preferred it. He quickly took himself away from the place, looking around to find his friends.