A deep, eerie silence settled over the pit. The chaos from before seemed to still, if only for a moment. The tension in the air thickened, every breath feeling heavier.
Ash stood tall, his body still dripping with poison, but this time, it moved with intent.
It coiled around his arms, shifting, twisting, hardening. The dark, toxic sludge crystallized into a jagged, shimmering sword. The blade pulsed with an unnatural gleam, reflecting the dim light of the pit like a gemstone.
Ronny's smirk widened.
"Well, now," he mused, rolling his broad shoulders, his thick hide gleaming under the glow of Ash's weapon. "Didn't think you had it in you."
Ash didn't answer.
He lunged.
Even injured, his movements were fast. His sword struck out with precision, aiming for the gaps in Ronny's defense. But each slash—every strike—met an impenetrable wall.
Clang!
Ash's blade skidded against Ronny's arm, sparks flying as the hardened metal-like skin deflected the blow.
Clang!
Another strike, faster this time, aimed for the side of his ribs. Yet Ronny barely flinched. His sheer mass, his unnatural defense, rendered Ash's attacks meaningless.
Ash gritted his teeth, his breathing heavy.
Ronny only chuckled, blocking another blow with ease. "What's the matter? That the best you got?"
Ash moved again, pushing past the ache in his body. His sword sang through the air, slicing toward Ronny's shoulder—
But Ronny caught it.
One massive hand wrapped around the crystallized blade, stopping it mid-swing. Poison hissed against his skin, but Ronny didn't even wince.
He leaned In, his grin turning sharper.
"That girl behind you would put up a better fight than this."
Ash's stomach twisted at the taunt. His jaw clenched as he tried to yank the sword free, but Ronny held firm, his strength an unshakable force.
Behind them, Meave stirred.
She coughed, the impact from her earlier fall sending fresh pain rippling through her already battered body. Blood dribbled from her lips, her grip tightening on her staff as she tried—desperately—to push herself up.
Her vision blurred. The world around her spun. Every breath felt like knives in her ribs.
But she wouldn't stay down.
Not yet.
Not when Ash was still fighting.
A small hand reached out toward her.
Kelly stood beside her now, eyes wide and uncertain. She fidgeted, watching as Meave struggled to sit up.
"You're…?" Kelly hesitated, glancing between Meave and the battle raging ahead. Her small fingers trembled as she clutched the hem of her sleeve. "You're… Mista Ash's friend?"
Meave blinked.
Then, despite the pain, she smiled.
A small, weak thing, but a smile nonetheless.
"I—" She coughed again, more blood staining her lips. "—I'm not but … Something similar, kid."
Kelly's eyes studied her face carefully, her young mind trying to understand.
Meave was hurt.
Hurt badly.
But she wasn't dangerous.
Kelly nodded, stepping closer.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pit, Uren finally stirred.
His hands pressed against the hard stone beneath him, his body aching from being thrown back. His vision swam for a moment before snapping back into focus—And what he watching is not good.
Ash was struggling.
Ronny had completely overwhelmed him.
Uren's fingers curled into a fist, his nails digging into his palm—hard. So hard that blood dripped between his fingers, staining the silver cross pendant in his grasp.
His breathing quickened. His pulse pounded.
I can't just stand here.
Uren closed his eyes, focusing everything he had left.
A pulse of magic spread through the air—
And space twisted.
Ronny, mid-movement, felt it first. The invisible shackles clamped around his limbs once again, locking him in place. This time is not use of manifestation of pure Shaktih but almost as if space around ronny's limbs has jammed. His smirk faltered as he tried to move—only to realize that he couldn't.
His arms, his legs—held in place by nothing at all.
Ronny's eyes flared red, his beast will roaring to life in response. His muscles strained, veins bulging as he fought against the unseen force.
And standing behind him, panting heavily, was Uren.
His grip on his cross remained tight, blood still seeping from his palm. His face was pale, sweat dripping down his brow from exertion.
But his voice was steady.
"Ash," Uren gritted out, locking eyes with him.
"Move."
The pit crackled with tension.
Ronny stood frozen mid-stride, his muscles bulging as he fought against the invisible shackles binding his limbs. His red eyes glowed with barely contained rage, veins pulsing as he strained against Uren's magic.
Ash, battered and bloodied, didn't hesitate.
Now's my chance.
He moved.
Poison coursed along his arm, shifting and hardening in an instant. The crystallized blade in his grasp pulsed with toxic energy as he lunged, aiming straight for Ronny's chest.
But—
Crack.
The spatial hold on Ronny fractured.
A violent ripple spread through the air as his raw power shattered Uren's magic in an instant. The force of it sent Uren stumbling back, his breath hitching as he coughed violently, blood splattering onto the stone beneath him.
Ronny grinned.
"You really thought that'd work?" he sneered.
Ash's strike came down, the poison blade gleaming under the flickering torches. But Ronny shifted—his thick arm swung forward, intercepting the attack at the last second. The moment the sword touched his skin, a sizzling sound filled the pit.
Poison ate away at his flesh, burning, corroding— But Ronny didn't flinch.
Instead, his other hand shot out, grabbing Ash by the throat.
The impact knocked the breath from Ash's lungs. His vision blurred as Ronny's grip tightened, hoisting him off the ground like he weighed nothing.
"Pathetic."
Ronny's grip crushed against Ash's windpipe, the pressure building— A blur of movement.
Kelly.
She ran aside far from ronny, her small frame barely noticeable amidst the chaos.
She wasn't thinking—just moving.
But someone else was faster.
Meave.
With the last reserves of her strength, she forced herself up, staggering toward Ronny. Her staff trembled in her grip, magic flickering weakly at its tip.
"Let him go."
Ronny barely spared her a glance. "And why would I do that?"
Meave's fingers twitched. She was too weak to summon another spell. Too drained to properly intervene.
But she wasn't alone.
A sharp whistle cut through the air—
And Ronny's smirk disappeared.
His instincts screamed at him as something shifted.
A pulse of magic—not from Meave, not from Ash, not from Uren but from above.
He barely had time to turn before a shadow loomed over him.
A figure descended from the edge of the pit, moving faster than the eye could track. A blur of motion, of steel and power—
And then.
BOOM!
Ronny was gone.
One moment, he was standing there, clutching Ash's throat—
The next, he was sent flying backward, his massive frame crashing through the stone walls of the pit with thunderous force. Dust and debris exploded outward, obscuring everything in a thick cloud.
The Impact shook the entire arena.
For a moment, silence.
And then—
Footsteps.
Steady, deliberate.
Emerging from the dust, a tall figure stood, their presence alone radiating undeniable power.
Norman.
His expression unreadable, he dusted off his coat, barely sparing a glance at the destruction he'd just caused.
Kelly's breath hitched. Even Meave, despite her pain, tensed at the sight of him.
Ash, gasping for breath, barely managed to lift his head.
Norman's gaze flickered down to him, then to the crumbling section of the pit where Ronny had disappeared.
Without a hint of urgency, he turned his attention toward the settling dust.
His voice was calm.
"Alright, Ronny."
He took a step forward, adjusting his gloves.
"I said my work is done here, don't die I need my payment."
A shift in the rubble.
A low growl rumbled from beneath the debris.
Then— Two glowing red eyes pierced through the dust.
Ronny stepped forward, his body cracked with raw energy, his smirk now twisted into something far more sinister.
He rolled his shoulders, shaking off the damage like it was nothing.
"Heh."
His eyes locked onto Norman's with something close to excitement.
"then stay aside, you think I need your favours?"
The air grew heavy. The pit trembled.