The iron door slammed shut behind Zephyr.
The dark chamber felt smaller now.
The scent of dried blood and dust clung to the air inside.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
Then Toa exhaled quietly, "So, only eight of us remain hm?"
Ashur leaned back against the wall, examining the dried blood on his sleeve as if it were paint. "Half of us gone already." He said lightly, "Neat."
Lazarus shot him a look. "You call this neat?"
Ashur tilted his head, "No shit I call it neat, all the matches were quick and efficient."
Silence fell again.
Aron stood a little apart from the others, staring at his hands. There were small cuts along knuckles.
"You did good by sparing him." Lya whispered to him.
Aron didn't answer immediately. "…I'm having a hard time deciding to spare them or kill them, yeah I have killed before back during the forest investigation but that was different.. those people were already too far gone and were going to destroy everyone else with them. But these guys… they still aren't corrupted, they're just fighting to survive like us."
"That's the point," she replied, wrapping her arm around his neck.
Across the room, Zephyr remained silent. His back rested against the cold stone wall.
Ashur's eyes drifted towards him.
"You didn't even break a sweat, let alone even use your powers," Ashur observed.
Zephyr met his gaze, "Neither did you put any effort."
A faint smile tugged at Ashur's lips.
Toa pushed himself off the wall. "Save it."
Above them, the muffled roar of the nobles grew louder.
Then Maurice's voice was heard.
"Congratulations to our remaining contestants! The Quarterfinal matchups will now be decided! Prepare yourselves!"
"The first match will be between Zephyr and Aron Leven! If the participants could please enter the arena, it would be much appreciated!"
Then the door opened.
Inside the chamber, the reaction was instant.
"What the hell!" Aron said sharply. "This is rigged! I can't go against you Zeph! We're friends!"
Zephyr's expression darkened. "This is stupid.. I can't fight you Aron."
Lya's hands tightened slightly, "Oh my god… they— no…"
Lazarus clicked his tongue, "I don't like this. He definitely did this on purpose."
The speaker crackled again.
Maurice's voice came through, noticeably colder and more impatient this time.
"Can the participants please enter the arena."
Knowing they couldn't avoid this, Aron and Zephyr exhaled slowly and exchanged glances.
Both promised in their hearts that they wouldn't severely hurt each other.
They walked through the door, 2 paths opening in-front of them like before, each leading to the opposite side of the arena.
They walked.
The arena opened above them like a giant mouth, as always.
Zephyr stepped out from the Eastern Path while Aron appeared from the Western Path.
Thirty-five or so meters separated them.
The noise of the crowd came down violently like waves crashing.
Both of them stood still for a few moments, clearly unsure and uncomfortable.
Then Aron spoke first, his voice firm.
"Sorry, Zeph. I'm going to try my best."
Zephyr smiled faintly, "Yeah. Same here."
Both of them knew they were lying, yet they began to fight.
Aron raised both hands, "Earth Core: Mountain Press!"
The ground beneath him trembled violently as a massive slab of rock rose from the arena floor with a piercing grind of stone. It was easily several meters in width, height and length. Heavy and crude in shape."
He gritted his teeth and hurled it forward.
Zephyrs eyes brightened slightly, "Lighting Core: Lightning Lash!"
A whip of lightning formed in Zephyrs hand, crackling violently as he swung it.
The slab was split into two massive chunks and crashed past him.
The whip then changed direction and lashed towards Aron.
Aron reacted instantly, placing both hands on the ground.
"Earth Core: Reinforced Wall!"
Multiple Layers of compacted earth rose infront of him in a staggered formation.
The lightning whip struck the wall, dissipating as it smashed through it.
Amongst the dust and rubble, Aron moved again.
"Earth Core: Spire Rain!"
Dozens of stone spikes formed beside him and were launched upward in a quick burst before raining down toward Zephyr.
"Earth Core: Crushing Walls!"
Two massive stone walls erupted from the ground on Zephyrs sides, rushing inward like the jaws of of a beast.
Zephyrs eyes lit up in genuine surprise, "Woah! not bad Aron!"
"Lightning Core: Flashstep!"
His body dissolved into streaks of lightning.
In less than an instant, he dodged all the spires and escaped from the crushing walls and was now moving towards Aron at incredible speeds.
Arons eyes widened slightly.
Zephyr was too fast.
His fist was already coming.
However Aron, out of pure human instinct managed to raise both arms and block it last second.
Aron grunted from the impact of the force, "Gotta be faster than that Zeph."
Zephyr smiled and took this split second chance to hit Aron with a liver shot with his free hand.
The strike landed cleanly and Aron's breath left him in a painful gasp as his guard dropped.
"Lightning Core: Thunder Palm Strike!"
Zephyr struck his palm against Aron's chest, releasing bursts of Lightning.
The shockwave of electricity erupted outward without aiming for lethal damage, throwing Aron backward into the arena wall.
The impact cracked the stone surface.
Aron coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
He forced himself upright.
"Earth Core: Stone Armour!"
Stone plates wrapped around his body, forming a heavy defensive shell.
Zephyr spoke, half teasingly, "That armour won't help you, ya know"
Flashstep.
Zephyrs kick slammed directly into the side of the shell.
The armour shattered like glass under pressure.
Aron suddenly grabbed Zephyrs wrist and punched him once across the face, forcing him backward.
"There ya go you rascal!"
Aron's lips curved faintly.
Zephyr touched his nose and wiped away a thin streak of blood, smirking.
"Looks like you can pack a punch after all!"
Zephyr lifted two fingers forming the shape of a gun and shot out a bolt of lightning forward.
The bolt struck Aron directly.
Aron's body stiffed as electricity flowed through him.
He smiled as his vision darkened before collapsing.
The arena erupted into roaring cheers and applause.
Zephyr let out a small breath.
"You did good Aron, you did good."
He walked forward and lifted Aron carefully from the ground.
The crowd still cheering like crazy.
Maurice's voice sounded almost ecstatic.
"The first match of the Quarterfinals is now over!"
Zephyr carried Aron slowly back towards the chamber path, audience still roaring behind him.