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Queen Spectria sat upon her towering golden throne, one long leg crossed elegantly over the other in a deliberate, sensual pose. She gazed down at the vast arena below with a slightly bored expression that had become almost permanent after so many years of repeating the same spectacle. She had done this countless times already. What could possibly make this tournament any different from the ones that came before? Nothing, really. Or at least that was what she told herself.
Then she narrowed her glowing eyes and looked more carefully at the contestants gathered on the bloodstained sand. There were far more of them than usual this time. Over fifty fighters had managed to pass the brutal first entrance battle and now stood waiting for the main event to begin.
The announcer's booming voice echoed across the coliseum, filled with theatrical excitement.
