The loud sound echoed through the entire stadium like a bell being struck in an empty cathedral. It was the signal the official beginning of the battle.
The crowd's roar reached a fever pitch. Thousands of voices screaming at once, creating a wall of sound that pressed down on everyone inside the arena.
Jack moved first.He quickly unsheathed both of his swords in one smooth, practiced motion. The blades sang as they left their sheaths, catching the stadium lights and reflecting them back like mirrors. He swung them left and right through the air, the steel cutting through space with sharp whistling sounds. His eyes never left Wang, sizing him up from across the arena floor.
Meanwhile, Wang stood perfectly still at his end of the fighting ring. His massive frame didn't move an inch. Then, slowly, he took his stance.
His legs spread apart, his body lowering into a crouch. His hands came up in front of him, fingers spread wide.Then something happened that made several people in the crowd gasp.
Wang's fingers began to reshape themselves.The bones inside his hands cracked and popped, the sound echoing across the arena even over the noise of the crowd. His fingertips stretched and elongated, growing longer and sharper with every passing second until they looked like razor-sharp claws made of bone and keratin.
His fingernails turned black, hardening into curved points that shined under the lights.
But that wasn't all.Wang's eyeballs started changing too. A faint red glow appeared in the center of each pupil, like embers being blown into flame. The glow grew brighter and brighter until his entire eyes were shining red.
The temperature around him seemed to rise. Heat waves rippled off his body.Up in Room 10, several participants leaned forward, their faces pressed against the glass.
"Is that his ability?" someone whispered.
"Those claws look deadly," another voice said.
Jack's expression shifted. His cocky smile faded just a bit. He tightened his grip on his swords.
Then he vanished.One second he was standing there, twenty feet away from Wang. The next second, the space where he'd been was completely empty. Not even a blur of motion just gone.
A rush of wind swept across the arena floor.Jack reappeared directly in front of Wang, moving so fast that most people in the crowd couldn't even track him. Both of his swords were raised high above his head, the blades positioned for a deadly downward strike. He brought them down with all his strength, aiming to slice Wang clean in half from shoulder to hip.
But Wang disappeared.Jack's swords cut through empty air with a loud WHOOSH.His eyes went wide. His momentum carried him forward, and he stumbled slightly, off balance.The crowd immediately erupted in confused shouts.
"Where'd he go?!" someone yelled from the stands.
"Did you see that?!" another voice screamed.
"He just vanished!"
People were standing up, pointing at the arena, talking frantically to each other about where Wang had gone. Even the commentators seemed caught off guard.
Jack's head whipped left and right, his eyes spinning around wildly as he searched for his opponent. Sweat was already forming on his forehead. His breathing had quickened.
Where was he?
Then Jack felt it.A presence. Right behind him.A cold chill ran down his spine.Jack spun around just in time to see Wang standing directly behind him, less than three feet away. His massive frame blocked out the light. His red eyes were burning like coals.
Wang's razor-sharp claws were already raised high in the air, positioned perfectly above Jack's exposed back.They came slashing downward with deadly accuracy and impossible speed.
"JACK'S IN TROUBLE!" the commentator's voice boomed through the stadium speakers. "IS THIS IT FOR HIM?!"
The crowd held its breath.But Jack smiled.It was a wide, dangerous smile that didn't match the situation at all.
At the last possible second just before Wang's claws could tear through his flesh and spine Jack did something unbelievable. Something that made no sense. Something unthinkable.He spun his sword around backward, reversing his grip so the blade was pointing behind him instead of forward. Then, without hesitation, he aimed the point directly at his own stomach.
And he stabbed himself.The blade went straight through his body, piercing his abdomen from front to back.
Up in Room 10, Sebi's jaw dropped. His hands slammed against the glass. "WHAT?!"
Several other participants gasped. Some covered their mouths in shock.The tip of Jack's sword emerged from his back just as Wang's claws came down.
CLANG!
The sound of metal striking metal rang out like a gunshot.Sparks flew everywhere, illuminating both fighters' faces in brief flashes of orange and white light. The blade intercepted Wang's claws perfectly, blocking the attack completely at the last possible moment.
But that wasn't the end of it.Jack's body started changing.His solid form began to dissolve, breaking apart into thousands of tiny particles. His flesh, his clothes, his hair everything turned into thick, black smoke that swirled and twisted in the air like it was alive.
The smoke drifted backward several feet, moving away from Wang with unnatural grace.Then it reformed.The smoke condensed and solidified, reshaping itself back into Jack's body. He stood there a few feet away, completely unharmed. Not a single scratch on him. The wound in his stomach was gone, like it had never existed.
He smiled wider and swung his blade casually through the air, as if the whole thing had been nothing more than a warm up exercise.
The crowd went absolutely wild.Their cheers were so loud it felt like the entire stadium was shaking. People were jumping up and down, screaming themselves hoarse, waving their arms in the air.
"JACK THE REAPER LIVES UP TO HIS NAME!" the commentator screamed into his microphone, his voice cracking from the effort. "BUT WANG ISN'T DONE YET!"
Down in the arena, Wang looked down at his hand.Blood was dripping from his claws.Just a few drops at first, falling to the ground and staining the stone floor red. Then more. The blade had cut him not deep, but enough to draw blood. Enough to prove he wasn't invincible.
Wang's expression darkened. His jaw clenched. His red eyes flared even brighter, like someone had poured gasoline on a fire.The entire stadium seemed to hold its breath. The cheering died down to a low murmur. Everyone could feel it the shift in the atmosphere. The tension that was building like a storm about to break.
Both fighters stood perfectly still, sizing each other up all over again. Neither one moved. Neither one blinked.Up in Room 10, Sebi pressed both hands against the glass wall, his heart pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears.
He turned to Lee, his voice shaking slightly. "Did that guy just… stab himself to block an attack from Wang?"
Lee nodded slowly, his arms still crossed over his bare chest. His expression was serious now. "Yeah. That's his Special Talent Smoke Manipulation. It allows him to turn his entire body into smoke whenever he wants. Physical attacks basically pass right through him."
Sebi stared back down at Jack, his mind racing. "So Wang's got one really difficult ability he's facing."
"Exactly," Lee said. "But don't count Wang out yet. That guy's survived this tournament for years without getting recruited. There's a reason for that."
Down in the arena, Wang finally spoke for the first time since the match began.His voice was low and rough, like gravel being crushed underfoot. It carried across the arena despite not being very loud.
"Hmm." Wang tilted his head slightly, studying Jack with those burning red eyes. "You were able to strike me even as you blocked my attack."
He paused.
"That's interesting, Jack."
Jack grinned and twirled one of his swords.Wang's eyes narrowed. The red glow intensified even further, and the air around him seemed to shimmer with heat. Steam rose from his shoulders.
"The opportunity you just had?" Wang said slowly, his voice dropping even lower. "You won't be having that anymore."