The deafening buzzer was still echoing off the pitch-black dome when the two Exterminators exploded into motion.

On the blue side, Elise’s body shimmered with a faint, translucent violet light. As she sprinted across the arena floor, she seemed to lose her physical density entirely, gliding over the craters left behind by Valerius as if friction no longer applied to her.

On the other side, Borus, the towering mountain of muscle didn’t immediately rush for the enemy’s pillar. Instead, he summoned two large pieces of rock confusing everyone.

"And they are off!" the male commentator’s voice boomed through the stadium amplifiers. "Look at the incredible speed on Elise! She is a confirmed C-Rank with an incredibly tricky spatial-type talent! But Borus won’t be making it easy for her!"

Borus grunted, his brown mana flared and the chunks of rock around his boots violently trembled, floating into the air before snapping and reforming. Within seconds, three jagged, knee-high stone puppets resembling gargoyles materialized around him.

"There it is! That must be his talent and now its clear why he summoned rocks!" the female commentator chimed in enthusiastically. "That ability is very tricky and advantageous in this round, it is said that his puppets possess the density of a tank and the agility of a hunting hound! Both contestants are C-Rank—this is going to be a brilliant clash of strategy!"

With a sharp thrust of his arm, Borus sent two of the stone puppets hurtling across the arena to intercept Elise, while he kept the third puppet right by his side, slowly advancing toward her blue flag.

Elise didn’t even break her stride. The two stone gargoyles lunged at her, their claws swiping at her waist.

Her body instantly turned completely transparent. The stone puppets passed harmlessly right through her torso, stumbling over their own momentum. The crowd roared in appreciation as Elise rematerialized a few feet away, completely unscathed.

But Borus was a veteran. He anticipated the dodge. As the puppets landed, they immediately rebounded, launching themselves at her back.

Elise smirked. This time, she didn’t phase herself. She spun around and caught the first stone puppet directly by its rocky skull. Her mana violently surged from her fingertips, flooding into the construct.

"Let’s see how you fight without a floor!" she mocked.

Because of her talent, whatever she touched gained her intangibility for a brief duration. The ferocious stone puppet suddenly turned translucent. Stripped of its physical density, the puppet’s own weight caused it to instantly fall straight through the solid floor of the arena, sinking into the subterranean foundations. A second later, Elise released her mana. The puppet re-solidified entirely trapped beneath the bedrock turning into a normal rock.

"Incredible!" the male commentator yelled, the crowd going wild at the tactical display. "She phased his puppet right into the ground! Borus is down to two puppets!"

Up in the VIP box, the Exterminators of the various national teams watched with bated breath. The level of awareness and execution was stellar.

Suddenly, a soft, melodic ping echoed inside Compartment No. 9.

Sora flinched. A small, translucent holographic screen projected directly outward from the armrest of her luxurious stadium chair.

[Match 02]

[Contestant: Sora Maddox - Blue Side]

[Please report to the Blue Gate Staging Tunnel.]

Sora stared at the glowing text, her heart giving a sudden, violent thump against her ribs. She was up next. And her opponent’s name was completely hidden.

A cold wave of nervousness washed over her. What if her opponent was someone whose talent perfectly overrode her wind-attribute? What if she was matched against a defensive juggernaut she couldn’t scratch, or worse, a higher-tier combatant with a higher rank?

The World Tournament was merciless; the matchups were completely randomized.

"You’re up, kiddo," Rol said quietly from the couch behind her.

Sora took a deep breath, forcing the chaotic swirl of anxiety down into her stomach. She couldn’t afford to panic. She needed points. She stood up, gave a sharp, determined nod to Claire and Gideon, and quietly slipped out of the viewing room.

Down in the arena, the fight was reaching its climax. The timer on the holographic dome flashed 04:12.

Borus had completely abandoned the center of the arena. Recognizing how dangerous Elise’s touch was, he had ordered his second puppet to act as a stepping stone, launching him high into the air and allowing him to latch onto Elise’s blue pillar. He was already halfway up to her flag.

Elise gritted her teeth, sprinting toward his red pillar. She needed to be solid to climb, which meant she couldn’t use her Phase Shift while scaling the metal.

She reached the base of the red pillar and scrambled up with impressive agility. But Borus had been cunning. He had secretly divided one of the two puppets and left one hidden behind the pole.

As Elise tried to climb up, the stone gargoyle lunged from the blind spot.

"Ambush!" the female commentator screamed.

Elise’s eyes widened. She tried to activate her Phase Shift, but she was a millisecond too late. The heavy stone puppet slammed its claws into her calf, tearing through her armor and slicing deep into her flesh.

Elise let out a sharp cry of pain. Her grip on the pole slipped, and the golem violently threw her off the pillar. She plummeted toward the ground, desperately activating her intangibility right before impact to avoid shattering her spine, but the damage was done. She tumbled across the arena, clutching her bleeding leg.

At that exact moment, Borus reached the top of the blue pillar. He tore the blue flag from its mount.

BEEP!

"Flag Stolen! Thirty-second placement window initiated!" the male commentator roared.

Borus didn’t bother climbing down. He simply leaped backward off the sixty-foot pole. His remaining puppet on the ground caught him, shattering itself to perfectly absorb impact of his fall.

Borus hit the ground running. He crossed the arena in massive, thudding strides, entirely ignoring the injured Elise, and sprinted straight up the steps of the white marble altar.

He slammed the blue flag down into the central hole.

The stadium lights flared brilliantly, and a massive buzzer signaled the end of the round. The giant digital clock stopped at exactly 05:48.

"He does it!" the female commentator yelled over the deafening cheers of the crowd. "A brilliant display of tactical puppetry! Borus secures the flag and places it within the time limit, claiming a solid 300 points!"

Deep within the underground levels of the stadium, Sora walked through the dim, concrete corridors leading to the arena entrances. The muffled roar of the crowd above vibrated through the walls.

She reached the massive, heavy steel doors of the Blue Gate.

A moment later, the pneumatic locks hissed, and the heavy doors slowly pulled apart to let the returning contestant back into the staging area. Elise limped into the dark tunnel. She looked exhausted and scuffed with dirt. She was bleeding profusely from the wound on her leg, leaning heavily against the wall.

In her hand, Elise was holding a branded energy drink, taking slow, exhausted sips to dull the adrenaline crash.

She stopped, looking up at Sora standing by the entrance. Elise wiped a streak of sweat from her forehead and offered a tired, respectful smile.

"You’re up next?" Elise asked, her voice slightly raspy.

"Yeah," Sora nodded, her dark eyes looking at the bleeding wound on the girl’s leg. It was a stark reminder of how brutal even a non-lethal game could be.

"Good luck out there," Elise said softly. She reached out and tossed the can toward Sora. "The floor is bent a little on the red side. Watch your footing."

Sora caught the can effortlessly out of the air. It was cool to the touch. She looked at the battered, bleeding Exterminator, feeling a sudden surge of profound respect for the warriors gathered in this tournament.

"Thanks," Sora said sincerely.

Without hesitation, Sora lifted the can, completely emptying the already half-empty energy drink in three large gulps. She tossed the crushed aluminum aside, the sweet, metallic taste lingering on her tongue.

Sora stepped past the bleeding girl, walking out of the shadows and directly into the blinding, roaring light of the world stage.