The moment the whistle of energy from Mavran faded, the battle erupted.
Vyom stood tall, centered, almost relaxed — a black storm coiled quietly beneath his skin.
Kyle moved first.
No dramatic charge.
Just — vanished.
FWOOOSH.
The ruler of Zyphorion blurred into a golden-black streak, warping around the Colosseum at breakneck speeds — each dash carving faint trails of gold-tinted afterimages in the air.
To any normal observer, he would seem like a storm of lights, impossible to follow.
Then—
"GOLD RUSH PUNCH!"
Kyle's voice boomed mid-motion.
In a heartbeat, he reappeared —from Vyom's blindspot —fist cocked back, momentum insane,ready to smash a meteor into Vyom's spine.
It should've been unavoidable.
It should have landed.
But Vyom?
Vyom didn't even flinch.
With casual, almost lazy smoothness —he tilted his body sideways, sliding away in a perfect, fluid motion.His armor shimmered slightly as he slipped just out of the punch's killzone.
WHOOM—!!
Kyle's fist cut through empty air — creating a shockwave that shattered the Colosseum floor behind Vyom into molten debris.
Kyle's eyes widened mid-strike.
'He dodged that?!'
Before he could react, Vyom moved.
Lightning-fast.
In one swift motion, Vyom caught Kyle's extended arm —his black gauntlet clamping around Kyle's golden forearm like an iron vice.
In the same motion, Vyom yanked him forward—
—and drove a brutal knee straight into Kyle's gut.
BOOM!
The impact was monstrous.
Shockwaves rippled outward in violent concentric circles, kicking up a tsunami of shattered marble and dust.
Kyle's body bent around Vyom's knee like a ragdoll for half a second — before getting blasted away like a comet.
BAM—!!CRASH—!!
He tumbled across the Colosseum grounds, cratering the ground in multiple spots before he managed to stop himself, panting heavily.
From the audience seat, Mavran chuckled, resting his chin on one hand.
"Tch. Told ya, kiddo... ruler or not, you ain't taking that monster lightly."
Meanwhile, Vyom cracked his knuckles, standing amidst the debris cloud — dark veins of unstable energy swirling menacingly around him.
Glitch floated above him, arms crossed.
"Now that's the boss I know."
Across the ruined field, Kyle straightened up — spitting blood with a grin.
"Not bad," he said, golden eyes burning even brighter.
"Looks like I'll have to get serious after all."
Kyle wasn't the type to stay down.
The second he skidded to a stop, he exploded forward again — without hesitation.
Same technique.Same blitz speed.Same blindspot angle.
A normal opponent would have panicked.
But Vyom?
Vyom reacted exactly as before.
His body flowed sideways —fluid, effortless —evading the incoming rush with that same nonchalant grace.
Kyle smirked.
'Exactly as planned.'
Because this time—
—CLANG—!!
From Kyle's extended hand, a golden scythe bloomed into existence, materializing from swirling gold-black energy.
The weapon's curved blade arced with deadly precision, aimed directly at Vyom's exposed spinal cord.
A perfect trap.
Kyle's smirk deepened.
'Gotcha.'
Except—
FWOOOSH—!!
Vyom disappeared.
Not a teleport.
Not a blink.
Just raw, terrifying footwork and acceleration, vanishing from Kyle's senses in an instant.
Before Kyle could even process it—
CRACK—!!
Vyom reappeared below him, like a shadow snapping into existence —and drove another devastating knee into Kyle's gut.
BOOOOM—!!
Kyle's body launched upwards, breaking through multiple sound barriers, rocketing toward the stormy ceilings of the Colosseum.
Debris followed in his wake like a reversed meteor impact.
Down below, Vyom stood — one hand still raised, black armor flickering with suppressed energy, looking like a king who never needed to move more than necessary.
His voice, low and cold, reached Kyle even mid-air:
"Predictable."
Vyom stood below, breathing slow and steady.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
'...Strange.'
He replayed the last exchange in his mind — the perfect connection of his knee into Kyle's gut —but something felt off.
It wasn't the hit.It was the result.
Kyle had taken the blow head-on — but instead of rupturing inside like a water balloon, he only got launched.
Vyom's gaze sharpened.
Hidden in those few milliseconds, Kyle had tightened every fiber of his core, reinforcing his body with black-gold energy, creating an armor-like shield inside his muscles.
A makeshift defense.
'He absorbed and redirected the force... at the moment of impact.'Vyom smirked faintly.
'Impressive. Very impressive.'
Up in the sky, Kyle's body twisted midair, stabilizing like a cat flipping itself mid-fall.
In the thin winds above, he grinned to himself.
"Exactly where I wanted to be."
With a flick of his wrists —
SHIIING—!!
Two golden revolvers manifested into his hands — sleek, futuristic, almost alive with flickering black lightning.
Kyle spun them with expert flair, the chambers clicking like a predator's growl.
Then, without a second's hesitation —
"Golden Rain: Akimbo Style."
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!—!!
A storm of golden bullets rained from the sky, each one streaking down like shooting stars aimed straight for Vyom.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Each bullet distorted the air, leaving trails of molten gold behind.
From the stands, Mavran leaned forward slightly, a glint of amusement in his old eyes.
"Hoh... he's not just about brute force."
Glitch, floating invisibly beside Vyom, freaked out—
"DUDE! THEY'RE GONNA SWARM US—!!"
But Vyom?
Vyom stood there.
Unmoving.
The very image of supreme confidence.
As the first wave of bullets hurtled down, Vyom slowly raised one hand—energy crackling faintly across his armor —and whispered to himself:
"Show me more, Kyle."
The golden bullets rained down —but they didn't strike like ordinary projectiles.
PING—! PING—! PING—!
Each bullet bounced off the ground at impossible angles, ricocheting wildly across the Colosseum's floor.
Vyom's pupils contracted.
'A trap.'
The ground beneath him began to glow faintly — delicate, hidden array circuits coming to life — visible now only because of the constant impacts.
"Golden bullets... planting energy points...!"
He realized it an instant before the cage closed.
The bullets weren't meant to hit him directly.They were herding him, trapping him —creating an ever-tightening golden lattice of ricochets.
But right as the bullets zeroed in —
Vyom moved.
He didn't dodge.
He simply raised both hands.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!—!!
A blur of silver and black —Vyom snatched the incoming bullets with his armored claws —every single one,hundreds of them,each caught at precisely the right angle, absorbing all their momentum.
Kyle's eyes widened from the sky.
"No way—"
But Kyle wasn't shaken yet.
Instead, he grinned.
"Plan C. Activate."
BOOOOOOM—!!!
The ground erupted, a chain reaction of the hidden arrays exploding all at once.
Flames.Shockwaves.Stone shards flying everywhere.
Kyle prepared to capitalize, pulling both revolvers tight—
But his grin faltered.
Vyom wasn't there.
Above, in mid-air, floating through the smoke like a phantom,Vyom stared down calmly —still holding the golden bullets in his claws.
Kyle's instincts screamed.
"PLAN D!! AKIMBO STYLE—!!"
He raised his golden revolvers to fire—but he was a second too slow.
Vyom's hand flicked.
SWISH—!!
The first wave of bullets he threwcollided perfectly midair with Kyle's freshly-fired shots,detonating them into harmless puffs of energy.
Kyle's face paled.
Before he could recover, Vyom flicked the second wave —only four bullets this time —one aimed directly at each revolver.
CRACK—!!
The bullets struck the sides of the guns,sending them spinning wildly out of Kyle's hands.
As the revolvers spun helplessly midair,Vyom's third flick came.
ZING—! ZING—!
Two more bullets —threaded perfectly into the smoking barrel mouths of each revolver.
Inside the chambers —
BOOM—!! BOOM—!!
Both golden guns exploded spectacularly,shattering into raining shards of molten metal.
And through it all —Vyom descended.
Landing silently onto the shattered arena floor —his impact generated a pulse of shockwave,sweeping away all the lingering smoke,flattening the rubble,and obliterating the golden arrays that remained.
When the dust cleared—Kyle was still standing,but dozens of remaining bullets —Vyom's final salvo —struck him one after another,hammering him back with relentless force.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!—!!
Kyle crashed into the far wall,a spiderweb of cracks exploding behind him.
He slumped down, coughing,his black-gold armor cracked but not broken —his eyes burning with respect and disbelief.
From across the shattered field,Vyom slowly raised his head.
No words.No taunts.
Just presence.
Unmovable.
Undeniable.
"Your rain... was pretty.""But in front of a true King...""Even the heavens bow down."