Ae'zard plummeted from the skies, swooping Ae'ark's completely battered body into his arms.
His expression was both serious and deeply saddened as he stared down at his grandson.
"You're going to be okay,"
He whispered as mana enveloped them both, healing Ae'ark's brutal wounds.
Despite hearing his grandfather's voice, Ae'ark could barely register the words. However, he felt the familiar warmth and allowed the mana to flow deep into his body, healing him as he closed his eyes to rest. At the very least, he had survived.
Even as multiple lights ignited in the middle of the arena, Ae'zard focused solely on his grandson. The other paragons, however, were the opposite.
Multiple heavy presences soon landed in the arena as the blinding lights started to disperse. All eyes turned toward the figures that had appeared.
In the middle of the arena, exactly four figures lay on the ground with pools of blood forming around them:
Lirae Bloodveil of the Vampyros race
Kynara Flux of the Evolari race
Maera Nihilus of the Obliteri race
Torren Vialis of the Regenerari race
Each of them was terribly battered and injured. Their individual battles had been intense and were very close calls.
It was as though their matchups had been ordained by the heavens. They all had abilities that perfectly countered their counterparts. Aside from the battles of Atticus and Carius, and Karn Voss and Ae'ark, the other two apex pairs had drawn.
If it hadn't been for the sudden rule change, they all would have died.
Many of the paragons couldn't help but sigh in relief as they instantly carried their respective apexes and began healing their wounds.
The killing intent that had blanketed the entire space significantly diminished, giving the crowd a chance to fully comprehend the events.
Out of the eight apexes that began the second round, only two remained, while the others had drawn.
Many couldn't help but reflect on the battles that had unfolded. For the second round, the Vampyros apex, Lirae Bloodveil, had fought the Evolari apex, Kynara Flux. The battle had been intense, too intense. However, neither seemed able to gain the upper hand.
It had been utterly shocking to those watching, especially the people and paragons of the Angel race, when Lirae had somehow demonstrated and used the ability of the Angel race!
The people and paragons were stunned, but the paragon of the Vampyros race showed no surprise. She, of all people, knew what Lirae was capable of.
Despite utilizing the powers of both the Angel and Vampyros races, Lirae still couldn't gain the upper hand over Kynara.
The latter had the absolute power of evolution. As the battle went on, she kept evolving and adapting to countless situations.
The Evolari race was feared in battle for this reason, and Kynara was in a league of her own compared to others of her kind.
A stalemate was reached, eventually ending in a draw as both parties were on the verge of ending their lives.
The next pair, as many would have guessed, was between Maera Nihilus of the Obliteri race and Torren Vialis of the Regenerari race.
The latter had the ability to regenerate from a single drop of blood, while the former could disintegrate or obliterate anything out of existence.
It was an iconic matchup, and Maera definitely had the upper hand, constantly unleashing attacks that obliterated everything in their path. However, Torren chose to play the clever route.
He hid parts of his body throughout different areas of the arena. No matter how many times Maera obliterated him, he always regenerated fully, and the battle would resume immediately.
This particular ability was something only Torren could achieve in the entire Regenerari race. However, it did have some drawbacks. Each body part had a time limit, and there was also a limited range within which Torren could utilize them.
The battle became one of death and revival, with many wondering if each attack would be the one to finally take down Torren.
As the battle raged on, Torren gradually began to gain the upper hand, and soon they reached a stalemate that ultimately ended in a draw.
The seconds ticked by quickly, and the arena soon cleared as each paragon had already picked up their respective apex; however, none of them left the arena.
The paragons of the three superior races who had lost their apexes still radiated killing intent, filling the space with their rage, but none of the others paid them any attention.
Most of the apexes had already healed enough, and they, along with the paragons, turned their focus toward the massive screen that had appeared in the center of the coliseum.
Unlike before, when there had been multiple split screens, there was now only one battle about to start.
A battle that, if anyone had told the onlookers this would be the final match of the tournament, they would have been called mad and taken to the hospital.
It seemed impossible.
However, reality never lied.
In the Verietega Nexus, an event that occurs only once every 10 years, this season's final battle would be Karn Voss of the Nullite race against Atticus Ravenstein of the human race.
A human in the finals of the Verietega Nexus. It was unprecedented in the history of the event, something no one had ever thought possible.
Because of the unfolding situation, many hadn't paid attention at first, but now, the mid-races and even the superior races couldn't help but turn their focus toward the human paragons.
Magnus and the others felt the weight of their stares, with Thorne, Luminous and Seraphina feeling a tinge of discomfort.
However, Magnus remained seated, still and unwavering, his gaze fixed forward. He showed not the slightest regard for any of them.
Many eyebrows instantly rose.
When the human paragons had entered the coliseum, the others hadn't given them any recognition. Was this Magnus's way of paying them back?
Some felt a tinge of anger but chose to say nothing, shifting their gazes away from the humans and back to the screen.
This time, it wasn't just the affected parties watching; this time, the entirety of the collective races—from the arena to each of their respective domains—was watching.