The obsidian arena once again shimmered to life, its glyph-lined walls glowing like molten veins. Leon stood alone at the center, his breath even, his presence heavier than before. His aura shimmered subtly—like the sky before a thunderstorm. The crowd of Obsidian Ants buzzed in hushed anticipation. After defeating Rank 39's Dreambane, all eyes were now fixed on the human challenger.
A deep voice thundered across the arena:
"Rank 38 Champion: Va'torr the Weightless!"
From the far gate, silence.
Then a whisper of wind.
Then—boom.
A figure shot into the arena so fast the air cracked around it. It was not an Ant. Not in the conventional sense. Va'torr was thin, sinewy, covered in a silken carapace that seemed weightless, translucent. Every motion he made displaced nothing—no echo, no gust, no thud. He stood barefoot, armored only in flowing exo-fabric that fluttered despite the still air.
Leon narrowed his eyes. A phantom?
