The ground beneath them crumbled, forming a massive crater under the pressure as Karn's body was launched backward at blinding speed, tearing through the air.
Atticus's hand ascended, and his katana responded instantly, the blade snapping back into his grip.
Without missing a beat, he shot forward, a streak of crimson trailing behind him as he closed in on Karn at blistering speed.
Karn's vision blurred as his brain rattled from the blow he had just taken. His entire face sizzled from the flames, smoke rising from the seared flesh.
But unlike the earlier cut on his cheek that hadn't healed, this new burn began to heal at a visible pace.
The Nullites were a physical race. Without mana, they focused on improving their power, mainly using their aura of negation. Because of this, they had undergone gruesome training and trials. That ouch wasn't enough to put him down.
Karn shook his head slightly in mid air, regaining his composure. His gaze remained steady, not a flicker of pain showing on his face.
His eyes locked onto the charging Atticus, and he muttered, "Void Wave."
A surge of brown energy erupted from his body, expanding outward in every direction.
But as the wave approached Atticus, his will flared, forming into a drill-like construct that pierced through the wave with explosive force.
Karn's eyes widened in genuine shock. How was this possible?
The Void Wave was a concentrated burst of his aura of negation, designed explicitly for situations where an opponent had significant willpower.
It was meant to disrupt and disorient the opponent's will, even if just momentarily. Yet, Atticus had pierced through it effortlessly.
Since when could people manipulate their will in this manner?
Karn tried to regain his footing mid-air, but Atticus was already upon him.
An orange flag suddenly materialized in Atticus's hand, and with a swift motion, he activated it. The flag transformed into motes of light, igniting upward as an intense orange barrier surrounded them both.
The entire crowd fell silent, and even the paragons watched with confusion. Why would Atticus trap himself in a confined space with a Nullite who could negate mana? It seemed like a reckless move.
But none of them had time to ponder his actions; Atticus wasn't done. A cyan flag appeared in his other hand, and he hurled it towards Karn before leaping back.
The flag burst into cyan light, and in an instant, an army of rabid beasts materialized within the orange dome.
Each creature had glowing crimson eyes, drool dripping from their mouths as they set their sights on Karn, who had just skidded to a halt at the dome's edge.
With a primal roar that echoed like thunder, the beasts charged forward, the ground quaking beneath their stampede.
Karn's eyes narrowed as his vision was suddenly filled with the approaching beasts, obscuring his sight of Atticus.
His expression remained calm as he raised his hammer and muttered again, "Void Wave."
The brown aura burst from him, phasing through the beasts, each one staggering as the wave sapped the very essence that gave them their strength.
The beasts, despite their wills, were shattered by the Void Wave.
Without hesitation, Karn slammed his hammer into the ground with a force that felt apocalyptic.
A shockwave tore through the dome, the ground splitting and imploding as the beasts were crushed and obliterated.
Dust clouded the air within the dome, masking everything in a shroud of uncertainty.
Karn had no intention of allowing it to linger. He quickly swung his hammer, releasing a powerful gust that cleared the dust in seconds.
His eyes immediately scanned the area, searching for Atticus. But as the dust thinned, two words suddenly pierced the silence like a blade, making the hearts of everyone watching tremble.
"Vorpal Nova."
An intense crimson light bathed the dome, and a massive crimson arc tore through the air, heading toward Karn with world-ending speed.
Karn's expression turned serious. This attack… it was dangerous.
His aura erupted like a nuclear blast, dark brown energy enveloping his hammer. The ground beneath him cracked and crumbled as he took a powerful step forward, swinging his hammer to meet the crimson arc.
The moment they collided, a titanic explosion erupted.
The impact was like a bomb going off, the force of their clash blasting through the dome and shattering the earth beneath them. The shockwave ripped through the air, sending violent tremors throughout the arena, dust engulfing the battlefield.
The intense dust clouded the area, but it soon cleared as Karn unleashed another gust of force.
Karn's attire was completely shredded, his clothes torn, but he appeared uninjured.
However, no one was focused on his condition. Karn, along with everyone else, had wide eyes as they looked at Atticus, high in the sky.
His form had transformed—he appeared like a flaming deity, his body engulfed in a blazing inferno. His eyes, glowing crimson like molten fire, burned with an intensity that pierced through the arena. His very presence radiated power.
"Fire Domain Fusion."
Atticus's body blazed as he swept his katana to the side, the flames around him roaring louder.
In the blink of an eye, Atticus vanished, his form moving at a speed that left a streak of crimson fire in his wake.
He appeared like a flash, one second in the air and the next, right in front of Karn, his katana slashing forward like a bolt of lightning.
Karn's instincts screamed, alarm bells ringing in his mind like blaring horns.
His eyes widened as he forced his hammer up to block, but something unexpected happened.
The slash on his cheek, the small wound that had refused to heal despite the time that had passed, suddenly erupted with a burst of crimson light.
The shockwave from the explosion snapped his head to the side, throwing off his balance just enough to divert his hammer away from the incoming strike.
The entire coliseum erupted into a frenzy. The humans leapt from their seats, roaring, while others bit their nails in anticipation.
Hearts pounded, but for different reasons as Atticus' katana appeared inches away from Karn's neck.