The Capital of MARU pulsed with energy.
From the shining towers of tech conglomerates to the ancient spires of the elemental academies, every eye was glued to one singular point—
The Obsidian Vault Arena, glowing like a crown at the center of the city.
Overhead, dozens of floating cameras and holo-drones cast the spectacle across the skyline. A massive 360° holographic screen hung suspended above the coliseum, replaying scenes from earlier battles, each met with a thunderous reaction from the audience.
The Tournament of Kingdoms had begun.
This wasn't just a tradition—it was war without bloodshed.
Every few years, the allied kingdoms assembled here not only to settle disputes but to scout the generation that would inherit command over the magical and military domains of the world.
> "They're sharper. Wilder. Hungrier," muttered Zoey Lyuii, monarch of the northern kingdom, as she observed from a private aerial suite.
"This new crop... They're not just born stronger—they were born angry."
She was right.
---
🎖️ Grand Prizes Announced – Holo-Speaker Projection
> "PRIZE POOL FOR CHAMPIONS OF THIS ERA:" boomed the golden-voiced AI.
1st Prize: Blade of Fire & Crimson Moon
Recovered from a corrupted forest in outer MARU. A weapon of duality—solar flames bound to lunar blood sigils. Feared. Cursed. Coveted.
2nd Prize: Combat Suit – Prototype GWD-4
A successor to the GodWar series. Adaptive shielding, motion prediction AI, and kinetic dampeners. Not for sale. Not reproducible.
3rd Prize: Royal Pendant of Elden
An ancient relic that detects hostile aura and bloodlust. Once worn by the lost kings of the Elden Dominion.
The crowd nearly lost its mind.
---
🎯 MATCH 1
Xanthia Solaris (TIER-3, Light Elemental, Sword)
Vs.
Theo Ryunn (TIER-3, Earth & Fire Elemental, Knuckles)
⏳ Duration: 8 minutes, 34 seconds
As the gong rang, the field erupted into motion.
Theo's knuckles slammed into the ground, erupting a wave of molten stone toward Xanthia.
But she was already moving—light wrapped around her legs, blurring her into a golden streak.
She vanished.
Reappeared behind him.
Slashed.
Theo barely blocked with a flaming guard, spinning into a counter that shattered part of the ground.
Chunks of the arena rained skyward. His fists burned with runes—fire and earth, woven together. Weight and explosion.
But Xanthia danced. Her blade left trails of white plasma as she unleashed Radiant Bloom: Form 5 – Sundrop Waltz.
Theo covered up, his knuckles crossing into an X-guard—but the impact pushed him back ten meters, skidding through rubble.
He grinned. "You're annoying."
"You're slow," she snapped, smirking.
In a finale, Theo unleashed Volcanic Pillar Burst, sending up twin magma towers while leaping forward for a meteor-fist.
But Xanthia met him midair, both spinning in a collision of light and flame, falling into a crater that swallowed half the battlefield.
When the dust cleared, both were unconscious. Their bodies crackled with residual power—but neither had landed the killing blow.
⚔️ Result: Draw.
The crowd howled at the tie. A fitting start. A brutal balance.
---
🎯 MATCH 2
Rilac Jura (TIER-3, Wind Elemental, Dual Knives)
Vs.
Erame Kozak (TIER-3, Lightning & Water Elemental, Twin Pistols + Spear)
⏳ Duration: 5 minutes, 2 seconds
Rilac opened the match like a phantom—vanishing into a cyclone and appearing behind Erame.
His dual knives shimmered with wind pressure, cutting in silence.
But Erame had no intention of staying still.
Twin pistols roared—blue lightning exploding from the barrels, forming arcs that bent toward Rilac mid-dodge.
Rilac swerved, his air cloak distorting space as he charged—
His left knife clashed with a burst shield, right blade slicing Erame's thigh.
Erame grunted. Activated water mist emitters on his boots, instantly covering the arena in a conductive fog.
Then came the flash.
Lightning Pulse Grenade—a timed detonation that lit the mist like a nebula of pain.
Rilac screamed, caught mid-leap.
When he dropped to one knee, Erame dashed forward—his spear forming from condensed liquid metal in his backplate—and plunged it forward.
Rilac parried. Almost. But he can't win against fastest Speedster on planet with his lighting ability.
But the electro-spear surged, driving through the knife and pinning his shoulder.
He was down.
⚔️ Winner: Erame Kozak
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🎯 MATCH 3
Sam Archeon (TIER-3, Tech-Ups Specialist – Mech Gloves, Drones)
Vs.
Misa Minata (TIER-3, Fire Elemental, Twin Pistols)
⏳ Duration: 6 minutes, 47 seconds
Misa started wild.
Each shot from her pistols sent blazing whips of fire twisting toward Sam, lighting the arena with streaks of heat.
But Sam had no intention of playing fair.
He crouched and deployed four micro-drones, which fanned out instantly, forming a hexagon lattice shield above his head.
As Misa advanced with a fiery spiral-kick, Sam countered with a seismic punch—his mech gloves converting kinetic tension into a ground shockwave.
Misa stumbled.
He didn't wait.
"Pulse Mode: Zero Friction!"
His boots ignited as he dashed across the field, his drones mimicking him like ghosts, landing body shots and scrambling her aim.
She managed to trap him briefly in a Flame Chain Hold, but he activated EM Disruption Circuit—short-circuiting her pistols and blowing them from her hands.
When her second strike missed, Sam grabbed her wrist mid-spin—and slammed her into the ground.
⚔️ Winner: Sam Archeon
---
🏛️ Backstage – The Calm Before Rio
Far from the roaring crowd, in the cool marbled hallway beneath the arena, Rio Ryunn sat quietly, one leg crossed, eyes half-shut.
He wasn't nervous.
He wasn't excited either.
He was… calculating.
Across from him, Xanthia leaned against a pillar, sipping from a small nutrient bottle, sweat still clinging to her neck from her fight.
"You watching the matches?" she asked.
"I don't need to," Rio said, slowly opening one eye. "They haven't seen real monsters yet."
From the shadows, Theo limped in, half-shirted and bruised.
"You planning to show them one tomorrow?"
"I'll show them a storm," Rio muttered.
The lights above them dimmed slightly.
Outside, the crowd cheered for the next matches. But in here, in this brief quiet before chaos, something darker stirred behind Rio's gaze.
Tomorrow...
He'd step onto the field.
Not as a challenger—but as a reckoning.