Dontavius

Enopy snapped back to reality just in time, leaping away as Dontavius's heel sliced through the air where his head had just been. With hands calmly clasped behind his back, Enopy wore a smirk—he didn't take Dontavius seriously. And that stung.

"Come here!" Dontavius roared, launching himself off the ground like a missile.

But the chase was brief.

Enopy slipped aside with the grace of smoke, dodging Dontavius's strike and delivering a sharp kick to his ribs, forcing him off balance. Before Dontavius could recover, Enopy appeared at his flank and sent him soaring with a brutal kick—ribs cracked audibly.

Midair, Dontavius's body pulsed with a sharp shift in energy. His aura exploded around him, hardening his body and pulling him back into control. In a blur, he was suddenly beside Enopy.

Too fast.

Enopy saw him—just in time to brace, not to block. The punch slammed him into the transparent arena membrane. His old wounds split open again, pain blinding. He'd used his aura to soften the blow, but even that wasn't enough to escape unscathed.

He pushed himself up—but stopped.

Dontavius was already there.

The warrior raced forward, another attack cocked and ready. His fist came like a meteor. Enopy dodged—but barely.

"HAA!" Dontavius roared. His hands morphed, covered by massive glowing green gauntlets. With a burst of energy, he unleashed a shockwave that blasted Enopy backward.

Enopy recovered, his face twisted in disbelief. "What!?" he thought, vanishing into motion. His swords materialized in his hands—sleek, deadly extensions of his will. Without hesitation, he surged forward.

Steel met aura-charged fists. Clang! The arena echoed with their violent ballet. Blow after blow, slash after punch, neither backed down—flesh bruised, armor cracked, blood spilled.

Enopy leaped back for a fraction of a second, baiting a strike. But Dontavius wasn't careless—his body control was exceptional. Enopy would have to carve his opportunities.

He moved his blades in twin arcs, targeting two different points on Dontavius's body.

The champion reacted a heartbeat too slow. Enopy's blade sliced across his side. Not fatal—but enough.

From the crowd, gasps erupted.

"Aye, look over there!"

"Who is that guy? Matching Dontavius like that?!"

"What?! Is Dontavius actually losing?!"

"Ha! Seems the champ's crown is slipping!"

But Enopy and Dontavius didn't hear them—not in the thick of war.

"Silence!" a shrill voice cut through the noise.

All heads turned.

An old woman stood, her eyes fierce. "Dontavius hasn't even begun to fight. Show some respect."

"Oh... it's his grandmother."

Whispers of reverence followed.

"Quiet," Dontavius growled, eyes never leaving Enopy.

Then his expression darkened. "Tch… I didn't want to use this," he muttered.

His aura erupted—brilliant green flames exploded outward. The crowd staggered back as the energy condensed into a titanic, spiked armor around his body. It wasn't just aura now—it was an extension of him. Enopy could feel it… and he couldn't get near.

But he tried.

Enopy darted in, unleashing a barrage of slashes against the hulking shell. Sparks flew. Dontavius stood unmoving, his eyes watching coldly from inside the green inferno.

Then—BOOM!

His massive fist dropped like a boulder. Enopy twisted away, a blur of motion, barely evading death.

He retaliated instantly, swords plunging toward openings in the armor—but then twisted mid-air, curving unnaturally to stab into Dontavius's thigh and elbow through minuscule gaps.

Blood sprayed.

Dontavius growled, barely flinching. "Hah! Minor cuts. If you can't hit something vital, it's meaningless."

But Enopy wasn't aiming to finish him yet. He was wearing him down.

"That armor is heavy... it limits his movement," Enopy thought. "If I chip away long enough, he'll react—and then I strike."

And so he did—strike after strike, relentless, precise, surgical. Until—

CRACK!

A fracture appeared on Dontavius's shoulder plate.

Dontavius snarled, then moved.

Faster than expected.

WHAM! A kick slammed into Enopy's ribs, sending him skidding across the arena. He hit hard, bones snapping, arm twisted. But even through pain, he focused his aura—pop!—resetting his bones and forcing himself upright.

There was no time to rest.

He charged again.

This time, Dontavius flew at him too. They collided in midair—the force of their impact sending shockwaves across the field. For a breathless moment, they were frozen in time—Dontavius's fist against Enopy's swords, feet digging into the iron floor.

They stayed like this for a few seconds before white flashes flew around the stage, and they disappeared.

"Huh, what's going on? Where did they go."

Various voices full of confusion rang out.

But the higher-ranked people in the audience knew what was happening, and were paying close attention.

"Let me explain you low ranks," a man with long blond hair and sparkly makeup announced.

"Oh, it's him."

"Why is here."

The people who could tell what was happening in Enopy's battle complained.

The man ignored their comments and said, "They are moving faster than the speed of sound; it seems that despite them being in rank one, their power is in the second stage."

"What!?"

"How is this possible!?"

Voices full of surprise resounded throughout the area.

"The kid, uhh, what was his name? Oh right, Enopy would be winning if he had actual techniques; it's a pity, the man said as he put on a pitiful expression."

"Can you shut up, Matics?"

Due to Matics, the voices went from surprise to annoyance.

Meanwhile, the injuries on Enopy's body piled up, putting him in critical health, but that didn't stop him from attacking the thick armor, which now had cracks running through it.

Enopy had not once used the energy in his core that entire time he stepped into the magic knight rank, but he could tell that he needed to use it or there could be fatal consequences.

The endless barrage of attacks went on as Enopy got slower and slower, giving his enemy an advantage, and getting closer to his imminent death.

"Fuck, I have to," Enopy's screamed in his mind as he let himself be flung back by an attack from his opponent. 

He slammed into the transparent membrane and hung there, limp—like a corpse. But the silence shattered as Enopy's aura burst from his body, a storm of raging energy exploding outward and shaking the very air.