The Legacy's second round ended in a spectacular manner as both fighters displayed their unmatched power, which caused the arena to shake violently.
The audience maintained their excited state until the silence returned to the arena.
The announcer's powerful voice echoed throughout the enormous arena as she delivered each word with intense energy.
So the third round began...
[ Arena Announcer ]: "WITH THE SECOND ROUND ENDING WITH A QUICK AND INTENSE FIGHT! NOW LET US REJOICE AGAIN FOR THE THIRD ROUND!!!"
[ Arena Announcer ]: "NOW LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR THE THIRD ROUND OF THIS MATCH! DARIUS VERMILLION VS DEVON ASHBOURNE!!!"
Once again, the audience erupted into wild cheers as they shouted and pounded their feet, which created thunderous sounds that reverberated off the arena walls.
A massive holographic display flickered to life above the battlefield...
[ Round 3 ]——[ Legacy Clash ]
[ Darius Vermillion: S-Rank "Shockwave Pump" ]
VS
[ Devon Ashbourne: S-Rank "Umbral Chains" ]
The massive steel gates on the arena rumbled open...
As always, the participants entered the arena from opposite ends while their footsteps produced a deliberate rhythm.
Devon Ashbourne entered the arena with controlled movements while his presence exuded an icy atmosphere.
His height at 6'0, with a lean and wiry build, steel-gray eyes, and ash-gray hair slicked back with a few strands falling loose.
The assassin-like suit he wore fit his body perfectly while maintaining an efficient design.
The Ashbourne family crest served as his only decorative element which he displayed on his chest.
His hands rested inside reinforced gloves while his fingers moved with a subtle motion that suggested he required no additional tools to finish a battle.
On the opposite side, Darius Vermillion emerged in stark contrast—his heavy tank-like battle suit gleaming under the arena lights, built to endure punishment.
Standing at 6'5, broad and muscular build. His jet-black hair styled in a top knot undercut. His eyes are a piercing dark blue.
A massive gauntlet braced his right arm, radiating a sense of raw and crushing power.
He looked every bit the warrior for direct combat, yet his steps betrayed a flicker of hesitation.
The air between them was thick, the clash of styles and legacies already drawing a storm of anticipation from the roaring audience.
[ Darius Vermillion ]: "Tchh.. Why do I have to fight this crazy fucker..."
Darius uttered his voice rose into a mixture of growl and mutter, which revealed the nervousness inside him.
A brief unease appeared in his eyes when he saw Devon Ashbourne because Devon is one of the most feared mercenaries.
At his current age of eighteen, the man exuded an unquantifiable dangerous presence through his calm demeanor, which people measured by his whispered and feared reputation.
[ Devon Ashbourne ]: "This is going to be a hassle... Darius..."
Devon talked with a faint smirk tugging at his lips, his voice calm yet edged like a blade.
[ Devon Ashbourne ]: "I must end this quickly..."
He uttered before his body launched forward at an alarming velocity...
A soft light emerged from the base of his throat where his Sigil rested in the hollow of his adam's apple.
His Sigil, etched at the base of his throat, took the shape of a hollow black circle rimmed with jagged, faint chains curling inward toward its void, and from it pulsed a dim purple glow.
[ Umbral Chains ][1]
Black shadowy chains emerged from his palms as his hands twisted, while the links released a smoky aura.
[ Darius Vermillion ]: "SHIT! Already?!"
He exclaimed, caught off guard by the sheer suddenness of Devon's assault, Darius braced himself, slamming his boots into the arena floor.
[ Shockwave Pump ][2]
He struck his gauntlets together with a powerful fist bump that produced a loud metallic clang.
The metal started to vibrate as shockwave energy started to accumulate with each pulse.
He stood with his arms raised while his muscles remained tight as he prepared to release the accumulated shockwave against the approaching collision.
As Devon reached mid-range distance, Darius let out a fierce grunt.
Before slamming his gauntlets onto the ground, which caused the arena floor to shake as violent shockwaves spread through the air, rippling cracks ran across the stone.
The intense force from his attack produced jagged bursts of dust and debris, which caused the audience to roar in excitement.
Devon saw the attack beforehand and displayed an unsettling elegance in his movements.
He narrowed his eyes while his body moved with precision before he launched himself into the air above the disturbed ground
He rotated his body in mid-air while the shockwaves roared beneath him before he used his momentum to propel himself toward Darius.
The dark chains coiled around Devon's arms, writhing with faint dark violet smoke.
With a sharp motion, he whipped them down into the fractured ground, the links digging deep into the roaring shockwave-torn stone.
The arena shuddered as the chains anchored themselves, and in the next instant, Devon gripped it forward, propelling himself even more.
The force propelled him through the air like a launched spear as his body gained speed toward Darius with each successive momentum.
Devon looked at Darius with a steady gaze from his steel-gray eyes as the chains produced loud crackling sounds while they dragged through the stone floor to create deep scars across the battlefield.
Darius's eyes widened in panic as he stomped back, shockwaves bursting from his boots to hurl him in retreat.
He transformed his desperation into aggressive behavior by using his gauntlets, sending a barrage of shockwaves that exploded across the arena like powerful cannons.
But Devon met the shockwaves with ease...
His chains lashed out in precise, fluid arcs, each strike parrying a shockwave with a resounding crack.
The dark links moved through the air with the speed of living blades cutting through the assault as if it were nothing more than debris in his path.
[ Darius Vermillion ]: "SHIT! He took them all easily?!"
Darius cursed with a panicked, shocked expression.
[ Darius Vermillion ]: "FUCK THIS! I look like a coward right now!"
Darius let out an angry shout before he launched himself forward while shockwaves exploded from his boots with each movement.
The shockwaves propelled him at an unbelievable velocity as he moved...
His gauntlet emitted powerful energy as he lifted his fist toward Devon's chest while the air around him quivered from his intense speed.
[ Devon Ashbourne ]: "Stupid."
Devon uttered coldy, his steel-gray eyes unblinking.
In that instant, time seemed to crawl— the dark chains coiled from his arms like living serpents, wrapping around Darius mid-charge.
Yet the Vermillion heir didn't falter; his momentum carried forward, fist still driving with unstoppable force, his gauntlet now snarling with crackling shockwaves.
But as his arm swung, the black coils tightened, latching onto his strike.
The strike sent Darius flying across the floor as his body moved with violent force until he finally gained control of himself.
His boots released powerful shockwaves, which broke the chains and made them release their hold.
The chains released him from most of their grasp but one persistent length stayed wrapped tightly around his arm like a dark shackle.
Snarling, Darius lifted his gauntleted fist and slammed it forward into the open air. The compressed shockwaves fueling his gauntlets earlier detonated at once, erupting in a violent ripple.
The ground trembled as a torrent of shockwave force shredded across the arena, flinging stone and debris in a roaring wave straight toward Devon.
The blast caught him, forcing him back — but Devon twisted mid-air, his chains lashing outward.
He struck and parried stones and debris with precise whips, shattering slabs of stone before they reached him.
Landing lightly, as the stone and debris covered Darius's location
In that instant moment, Darius poured nearly everything he had left into his Sigil...
Shockwaves exploded beneath his feet in rapid succession, each step booming like thunder as he accelerated beyond sight.
He closed the distance in a blink, his fist crashing into Devon's guard and tearing through it with raw force. The impact cracked the air and drove Devon back.
[ Darius Vermillion ]: "THIS IS MY WIN!"
Roaring, Darius gathered the last of his reserves, channeling it all into his gauntlet.
His fist detonated with a final, devastating burst of shockwave energy as it connected to Devon's body.
Devon's body was hurled across the ground, rolling violently before coming to a halt, unconscious in the debris.
[ Devon Ashbourne ]: "Stupid."
Devon uttered coldly as he appeared behind Darius, Darius's body restrained by shadowy chains tightening around him.
Caught off guard, Darius crashed helplessly to the ground, his eyes wide.
[ Darius Vermillion ]: "IMPOSSIBLE! HOW?!"
His voice broke with disbelief, the shock of defeat twisting across his face.
[ Devon Ashbourne ]: "My chains don't just bind people... The more it stays with you, the stronger the hallucination takes in... Earlier, you were just attacking the air like a crazed guy."
Devon replied while looking down at Darius Vermillion, his large figure chained to the ground.
[ Darius Vermillion ]: "I see... Then... I yield..."
His voice carried the weight of defeat as he looked at the chains earlier that he ignored wrapped in his arms, heavy with disappointment as the chains held him down.
...
Suddenly, the booming voice of the arena announcer filled the arena.
[ Arena Announcer ]: "WHAT A QUICK ROUND!!! WITH DARIUS VERMILLION SURRENDERING, WE COULDN'T SEE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL!!!"
[ Arena Announcer ]: "WITH AN INTENSE STRATEGY AND COLD Manner!!! DEVON ASHBOURNE, RESTRAINED DARIUS VERMILLION WITH EASE!!! CAUSING FOR HIM TO TRIUMPH!!!"
[ Arena Announcer ]: "AND WITH THAT, THIS MATCH COMES TO A CLOSE… THE WINNER OF LEGACY CLASH, ROUND THREE—DEVON ASHBOURNE!!!"
The audience erupted, a thunderous roar shaking the arena...
Cheers and applause echoed from every corner, some chanting Devon's name while others jeered in frustration over the swift ending.
The energy surged like a storm, the crowd divided between admiration for Devon's cold efficiency and disappointment that Darius had fallen so quickly.
[ Arena Announcer ]:"NOW WITH THAT! THIS ROUND HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED IN A QUICK MANNER!!! THIS ROUND THE..."
"Legacy Clash - Round 3."
[1] Summons shadow-forged chains that lash out to bind and restrain opponents. Near indestructible, the chains can phase through solid objects at the sigilbearer's command, allowing them to bypass obstacles or strike from unexpected angles. Their reach is limited, and they weaken in bright light but are very strong at night. Prolonged contact inflicts disorienting hallucinations, clouding the victim's senses until they can no longer distinguish reality from illusion.
[2] Channels condensed kinetic energy into a single point, then releases it in a violent pulse. The resulting shockwave erupts outward in a circular blast, capable of shattering stone, staggering foes, and clearing space around the sigilbearer. The power and radius of the wave scale with how much energy is pumped in beforehand, but charging for too long risks backlash on the user's own body.