(Sky-God Arena — Round of 32)
The atmosphere in the Sky-God Arena had shifted dramatically after Rodova's fourth consecutive loss.
The energy that once favored Rodova now felt cold and uncertain, as thousands of spectators murmured nervously.
"Well, Lee… this is not the Rodova we expected to see," Derek's voice broke through the uneasy buzz, carrying a mix of disbelief and tension. "Rodova, the number one seed, now finds themselves on the brink of elimination — down 4-0 to Button Military Academy."
Lee exhaled deeply, shaking his head. "They've been completely outplayed, Derek. And what's more concerning is that this wasn't just one bad matchup. This was systematic. Boxer, Kohli, Drake — all folded under pressure. It's almost like Button knew exactly how to push Rodova's buttons— ha, no pun intended,"
Derek nodded. "Exactly, Lee. Button Academy came prepared for war today, but Rodova were overconfident and now they're on the backfoot. Imagine if they're eliminated here? What a blow would that be to their reputation—"
The screen zoomed in on Leo, walking calmly out towards the arena, as he stocked weapons into his utility belt.
"And now, it's all on the wildcard, Leo Skyshard," Derek continued, voice steady but carrying the weight of the moment.
"The first-year who was completely unknown before this year's preliminaries. He needs to win five straight fights if Rodova wants to stay alive."
Lee leaned forward. "Five. Straight. Wins. Against opponents who have now tasted blood and can see victory within their grasp,"
The jumbotron displayed the Button lineup, showing all five remaining fighters, including their Captain, Sam, waiting calmly.
"A mountain, Derek. That's what Leo has ahead of him," Lee added. "No Yu Shen. No Su Yang. No Minerva. He's going to have to claw Rodova back into this by himself. It's as bad as it gets."
The camera caught Leo stepping into the prairie grass, as he lightly adjusted his neck and rotated his shoulders.
"And yet…" Derek said, voice softening slightly, "I don't think he looks afraid."
The crowd, sensing the tension, began to buzz louder. Some whispered doubts. Others hoped for a miracle, but all eyes shifted towards the lone fighter about to take his starting position, as the impossible comeback seemed to rest solely on his shoulders.
—------------
As Leo took his starting spot on the battlefield, he could immediately feel it— the sheer weight of attention crashing down on him like a tidal wave.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators filled the Sky-God Arena to capacity, and their collective gaze seemed to drill into his very soul.
The air trembled with anxiety, whispers of curiosity and expectation spreading like wildfire throughout the stands.
The towering bleachers curved high into the sky, seemingly endless, as banners, flags, and academy colors fluttered in the artificial breeze.
From up-top, the duel suns shone brightly in the sky, causing his body to cast two distinct shadows on the grass below.
*Hufff–*
Leo exhaled slowly, his sharp eyes scanning the terrain.
Flat. Wide. Open. The prairie battlefield was deceptively simple, leaving no cover to hide behind. It was the perfect stage for a duel—raw and honest.
But what stood out most to Leo wasn't the arena itself.
It was the realization that all these eyes, all this energy in the arena, was focused solely on him.
'So this is what it feels like to be on the center stage at the circuits…' he thought, adjusting the grip on his dagger as a familiar coldness seeped into his veins, dulling the noise of the crowd.
He was used to operating in the shadows, where his existence was but a fleeting whisper.
But today—there was no hiding.
Not from the crowd.
Not from Button Academy.
And definitely not from his responsibility as a Rodova team member, to somehow find a way to push his team over the line.
'I can do this—' Leo said to himself, as he pointed towards his descending opponent, with nothing but cold indifference in his eyes.
"Bring it!" He said, short and simple as a small grin played out on his face.
Unlike the others from Rodova to come out before him, Leo wasn't nervous of what opponent he would face, nor did he have a rigid strategy to take them on.
What he had was the confidence to take on any opponent he faced, no matter the matchup, and hence, as his first opponent Dianne took the stage, Leo greeted her with nothing but a cold smile.
—-----------
"Begin—" The referee signalled, as Leo pounced upon Dianne, the same way Boxer did before him, however, unlike Boxer who could not cover the distance of 30 meters before Dianne nocked an arrow and took aim, Leo could.
'Fast–' Dianne thought in alarm, as in a blink of an eye Leo was upon her.
She raised her bow to block Leo's incoming blow from height, however, much to her misery, the second Leo's dual daggers met against the solid metal handle of her bow, instead of blocking the attack, it snapped in half, as Leo sliced clean through her weapon.
"What—" Dianne gasped in alarm, as she desperately tried to step back and create distance.
However, Leo activated [Shadow Bind] to trip her as she moved, giving him the opening he needed to finish the match.
*Pow*
*Pow*
*Pow*
Hitting her right on the face without any mercy using the dull side of his dagger, Leo punched the lights out of her, but not before he broke her nose and two of her teeth in what was a brutal knockout.
*GASP–*
The audience gasped in horror when they saw a pretty blonde girl being brutalized in such a way by a black haired dude, before cheering out-loud for the same violence, as they enjoyed the slow-motion clippings of her tooth flying out of her face.
"And that's it for Dianne! The archer is down, the archer is out—" Lee announced excitedly.
"Leo Skyshard pulls one back for Rodova as the score is now 1- 4. Can he keep this momentum up?" Derek asked, as the crowd bit their nails in excitement.
"The match ended before it ever began, what a display of speed and strength by Skyshard…. He is showing exactly why Grandmaster warriors can't lose to Master level fighters, as the realm difference is simply too overwhelming to ignore," Lee added, as the next fighter Pistachio stepped up to face Leo, with the referee guiding Leo back to his initial starting spot.
"I'm not gonna move a single inch from my starting spot here, so come at me and do your worst.
My job is to tire you out, before the next fighter comes in, because even if I can't defeat you, as long as I tire you out, Captain Sam will surely score the final win for us!" Pistachio declared as he took his starting spot, as he decided to play some mind games with Leo before the fight began.
"What's he doing Derek? Why is he telling his opponent his exact plan? Is this a bait? Is he just dumb? Or is this a well planned strategy?" Lee wondered, as Derek chuckled on the mic beside him.
"That's the beauty of the circuit's Derek, genius or dumb, we will know in a few seconds now, won't we?" Derek said, as the referee signalled for the match to begin.