The beast master was now preparing for the next wave of attacks. Ben cautiously looked at him and at the bird circling above. His eyes gleamed with determination. The beast master sensed something had changed. That was when he noticed it—the dust had settled too quickly. He raised an eyebrow. 'Wasn't this guy a Shamanic meridian wielder? Does he also have power over earth?' But he couldn't afford to be lost in thought. One second, a person was standing in front of him. The next, it was a majestic lupis, its eyes fixed on the beast master. Both the beast master on the ground and the strigil flying high above were taken aback. Before he could respond, the Aether lupis disappeared with a sonic boom. Both the beast master and his companion strained their senses to locate where it had gone. Suddenly, something fell to the ground at high speed. The shockwave sent huge amounts of dust flying. Immediately after, the beast master felt a pang of pain followed by dizziness. When the dust settled a few seconds later, he saw the lupis standing with his strigil lying unconscious beneath its paws.
Before the beast master could even feel anger, an impact struck him, sending him crashing into a wall. Ben staggered back, looking at both of them. His aura reserves had hit rock bottom; he was at his last legs. But the strigil was still unconscious. The beast master gradually woke up. Ben wanted to pin him down and finish the fight, but he couldn't—he was too exhausted. The beast master began to refresh his aura; some of it was flowing into the beast as well. Ben wasn't going to allow that. He used Impact Pulse on both of them. The strigil was struck square in the body, sent flying more than three meters. But the beast master defended against it. Afterward, he moved toward Ben—not fast, not slow, but steady. Ben quickly readied himself. The beast master attacked using his nails and legs; he was proficient in close quarters combat as well.
Ben was also keeping an eye on the strigil as well. In a few he sensed a change in its aura. That was when the realization dawned on him. It was had regained its consciousness. It was now cultivating to regain its aura pretending to be unconscious. The beast master suddenly moved back. Before Ben could do anything, the strigil crashed on his back, sending him, wincing with pain, towards the beast master. He punched Ben on his face & struck with his poisoned nails on his chest. Both disoriented Ben, one by rattling his brain & the other by poison. Ben fell down. He lost consciousness for a moment. The countdown started on the arena:
"10!!! … 9!!! ... 8!!!…."
Ben was unconscious. Within his mind the image of a lupis cub came in. Something he was familiar with. This time however, it was not a happy memory.
The aether lupis cub found itself cornered by a pack of predators—wild terra canis—circling with hungry, vicious anticipation. The cub trembled; fear clawed at its heart, yet beneath that fear burned a stubborn spark of defiance. It growled at the canis, who licked their jaws, already imagining the taste of its flesh. The cub knew its end was close. Death was moments away. But then, a memory flickered- a ritual or a tradition that happened every full moon night. Yesterday also was a full moon.
Standing beneath the moonlight, its father and mother beside it, nudged the cub gently, to raise its voice to the moon, against the heavens, against the fate.
They howled- happy, courageous, defiant. Their howls had intertwined with the small, trembling howl of the cub, filling it with warmth, with belonging… with strength.
That memory ignited something.
The cub lifted its head. Fear fell away. It howled.
Not a desperate cry—but a howl from the member of the ancient origin beast. The ground quivered. The air trembled. The predators stepped back. The howl was a combination of high decibel sound, infrasonic and ultrasonic soundwaves reinforced with aura. The terra Canis' could not defend from such an attack. They were affected in and out.
One by one, they collapsed, convulsing on the ground, blood trickling from ears, nose, and mouth.
The aether lupis cub stood alone, trembling not from fear—but from awakened power.
The count down was still continuing.
" 3!!!.....2!!!!....1!!!..."
Suddenly there was a spike of power form Ben. Then, in a split second, there stood an ethereal lupis in place of Ben. The ethereal lupis grew more defined by the second—its form no longer a hazy apparition but something bordering reality. That was what Ben's opponents thought at first… until they realized it was more than material. It was presence itself.
The beast master and the strigil froze. The lupis was looking down at them—not with hostility, but with the cold, effortless dominance of a regal monarch surveying lesser beings. Every strand of hair, every feather on their bodies stood upright. The air thickened, heavy with ancient authority. Even the arena's dust seemed to hesitate mid-air.
Power radiated from the lupis in steady waves, each one rolling through the battlefield like a silent storm. The ground vibrated. The arena pillars groaned. Spectators, even those far away, felt their hearts tighten as its aura pressed against their chests.
Before anyone could fully understand what was unfolding, the lupis opened its mouth.
The world seemed to pause.
Then it howled.
A sound both majestic and terrifying tore through the arena—
"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!......"
The howl wasn't just heard. It was felt. It was a combination of high decibel soundwave combined with infrasonic and ultrasonic sounds reinforced with aura. The sound wave slammed into the walls. The beast master and the strigil instantly collapsed to their knees, hands flying to their ears as the sound burrowed into their skulls. But covering their ears was useless. The howl resonated through bone and blood, bypassing physical defense entirely. Both the beast master and the strigil collapsed unconscious.
The ethereal lupis stood tall, its glowing form unwavering— a reminder that what they had seen was not an illusion. Then all of a sudden it disappeared, like it was and illusion. There stood Ben in a haggard. He was exhausted but still standing. He had won. The voice of the commentator was electrified, " Aaaand we have a …. "WINNERRRRRRRR!!!!!"