The dust from the first round still clung to the arena floor. Broken pillars, scorched stone, and lingering Dark Matter ripples marked the space as a battlefield. Spectators murmured, both human and divine. Whispers ran through the stands: the Apostle of Void had made his mark, and everyone was watching to see how he would handle the next challenge.
Kairis Ash stepped back onto the arena floor, cloak shifting slightly with a controlled flick of gravity. His eyes, brownish-black now, were calm. The faint violet glint—his signature battle state—flickered at the edges, hinting at the destructive potential lurking just beneath.
> [System Update: Round 2 Initiated]
[Opponent Analysis: Number Drawn – Pending]
[Combat Mode: Active]
A single metallic box descended into the arena from the ceiling, suspended by invisible forces. Each fighter stepped forward in turn. Kairis moved deliberately, as if measuring the floor beneath his boots. He extended a gloved hand and drew number 41.
A ripple of tension passed through the audience. His opponent was known—a human awakener with a reputation for brutal efficiency in hand-to-hand combat and elemental manipulation. Her presence radiated both precision and lethality.
Kairis's System interface quietly processed:
> [Name]: Althea Veyrin
[Level]: 8
[Affinity]: Dark Matter – Heat Sub-Affinity
[HP]: 10,800 / 10,800
[MP]: 5,950 / 5,950
[Abilities]:
• Inferno Burst – Projects concentrated heat waves.
• Scorched Step – Leaves trails of superheated Dark Matter energy that burns anything it touches.
• Heat Resonance – Amplifies Dark Matter damage when enemies are struck repeatedly.
Kairis barely flinched. He observed her stance, the faint tremor in the heat signature of her aura, and calculated distances in his head.
> "Heat, huh?" he muttered softly, a smirk brushing his lips. "You'll make a nice test for my gravity."
Althea struck first, sweeping a hand forward. A wave of superheated Dark Matter energy shot toward Kairis, licking the ground and incinerating dust in its path.
Kairis pivoted, bending gravity subtly to lift himself just above the wave, letting it pass harmlessly beneath. He closed distance in a fluid motion, fists trailing slight violet distortion trails.
> [Gyro-Telekinesis – Ready]
[Graviton Edge – Ready]
He swung a fist, but instead of making direct contact, he tugged a large chunk of broken pillar into her path with Gyro-Telekinesis, forcing her to leap and expend stamina mid-flight.
Althea landed gracefully, heat energy sparking around her, but Kairis had already calculated her next strike. With a quick Void Step, he appeared behind her, twisting space to redirect her momentum and slam her into the arena floor. Dust rose in spirals, mixing with the residual heat.
> [System Update: Dark Matter Absorption – 0.3 units]
The arena became a stage of 360° combat. Kairis spun, leaped, and twisted mid-air, combining Graviton Edge with Gyro-Telekinesis, striking from unpredictable angles. Althea responded with heat blasts, scorching trails, and bursts of Dark Matter fire.
Spectators craned their necks. The battle was visually mesmerizing. Gravity distorted around Kairis in faint waves; heat warped the air around Althea.
Kairis landed on a toppled column and flexed his fingers. A micro Black Hole appeared at his palm's center, small but deadly. He knew it would drain his HP, but the calculated risk was worth it.
Althea's heat aura struck him mid-motion, melting stone where it hit, but he twisted, letting the gravitational pull redirect the energy harmlessly, then closed in with a gravity-boosted punch that sent her sprawling across the arena.
> [System Update: XP Gained – 500]
[Level Progress – 9.3 / 10]
[Dark Matter Absorbed – 0.7 units]
Kairis's thoughts were sharp and biting, a running commentary to himself:
> "Strong, precise… not enough. Wasteful movements. Predictable reflexes. I'll need more if the next round is going to kill me."
Althea's eyes blazed, scanning his gravity distortions, trying to anticipate the invisible pulls.
> "You manipulate space like a cheap parlor trick!" she shouted.
Kairis chuckled, voice low and menacing.
> "Parlor trick? I'm about to turn the whole arena into a trap for you."
Kairis summoned a slight gravitational vortex beneath her feet while simultaneously unleashing a rapid series of punches, each strike amplified subtly by gravity. Althea staggered but countered with Inferno Burst, scorching the surrounding air.
> [System Update: Ability Unlocked – Gravity Surge Lv.2]
The combination of small-scale Black Hole and gravity manipulation forced her to expend her last reserves of stamina. Kairis noticed the hesitation, the micro-gap in her defense—a perfect opportunity.
He leapt high, spinning in mid-air, and brought down Graviton Edge in a slicing arc. The blade didn't need to strike her body directly; the space distortion alone was enough to pin her mid-air, forcing her down to the arena floor with crushing force.
She hit hard, dust and scorched stone spraying, and failed to recover in time. Kairis landed silently, hands in pockets, cloak fluttering.
> [Opponent Defeated]
[XP Gained – 620]
[Dark Matter Absorbed – 1.2 units]
[Ability Upgrade: Gravity Surge Lv.3 / Black Hole Efficiency +10%]
The arena was silent for a heartbeat before the crowd erupted. The gods observing through their interfaces tilted their heads in subtle acknowledgment. Kairis didn't move to bask in the attention; he was already scanning the next match, analyzing movements, a predator in his element.
> "Round 2 isn't over," he muttered under his breath, voice flat yet carrying quiet menace. "And I'm only getting started."
His cloak shifted as he walked, leaving faint ripples of gravity in his wake.
> [System Update: New Quest Available – Gather Dark Matter from Fallen Awakeners / Enhance Gravity Affinity]
[Store Refresh Available]
Even as he paused, he felt the subtle pulse of the arena beneath him, ready to feed him more, challenge him further, and push him toward the apex of his Apostle of Void potential.