The gong rang, signaling the start of the fight.
Garrick wasted no time.
With a thunderous roar, the giant stomped his foot onto the ground.
The arena floor shook violently.
In the next second, sharp stone pillars shot up from beneath the earth, rushing toward Kaelus like deadly spears.
The spectators held their breath, ready to see Kaelus' body pierced and soaked in blood.
But Kaelus did not dodge. He moved forward instead.
His hands clenched into fists.
Out of everyone's sight, Kaelus concentrated the water element around his knuckles.
Shaping it into something like a transparent glove.
No one would notice this.
BAM!
Kaelus' fist slammed into the massive stone pillar.
Logically, the bones in his hand should have been completely shattered.
However, the moment his fist touched the stone, the water element seeped into the pores of the earth, destroying the pillar's density from within.
The steel-hard stone exploded into dust and fine gravel before everyone's eyes.
Kaelus shot through the cloud of dust.
He pretended to stumble slightly, then deflected Garrick's next attack with movements deliberately made stiff.
He put on a panicked expression, letting his chest rise and fall as if he were out of breath, even though that last attack had not made him sweat in the slightest.
An enraged Garrick kept attacking, but every time his fists or stone defenses collided with Kaelus, the rock shattered like dried mud.
In the stands, the atmosphere that had once been full of laughter turned into suffocating silence, followed by restless murmurs.
"How is that possible?!"
"A godless trash destroying earth-element magic with his bare hands?!"
Panic began to spread. In their eyes, such physical strength made no sense.
"It must be black magic!" shouted one of the nobles from the VIP seats. "He's using forbidden power! Even the people of Gehenna, the land of the Demon God, would not dare use such bizarre destructive magic!"
Those fearful and hateful gazes quickly shifted toward the edge of the arena.
Hundreds of fingers now pointed at Seraphine, who still stood calmly wrapped in her black robe.
"That witch is doing it! She must be cursing Garrick from outside the arena!"
"Evil witch! She wants to destroy Deadlands together with that bastard!"
"Burn that Void witch!"
In the middle of the arena, Kaelus ducked to avoid Garrick's massive punch.
He clicked his tongue softly.
It was time to end this act before Seraphine truly blew this place apart.
That little girl had no stock of patience for dealing with scumbags like the people of Deadlands.
Taking advantage of the moment Garrick lost his balance,
Kaelus launched an uppercut straight into the giant's jaw.
BUAGH!
Garrick's huge body lifted off the ground, his eyes instantly rolling white, and he crashed heavily onto the arena floor.
Unconscious.
The fight ended in less than five minutes.
Kaelus immediately bent over, bracing his hands on his knees as he panted heavily.
He wiped his forehead, which was actually dry, putting on an expression as if he had just escaped death.
But instead of cheers of victory, the entire arena exploded in anger.
"CHEATER!"
"He must be using dark magic!"
"Disqualify that bastard!"
Hearing all the insults directed at Kaelus and herself, Seraphine's patience finally ran out.
Her ego and pride as a supreme entity were truly torn apart.
"Evil witch... Black magic... These blind ants dare to belittle my masterpiece," Seraphine hissed coldly.
She stepped forward. Her hand gripped the edge of her black robe and with one graceful motion, she threw the dull garment into the air.
A dazzling light immediately radiated from her body.
Every pair of eyes in the arena, from commoners to the Mayor, widened in shock.
It felt as though the air had been sucked from their lungs.
At the edge of the arena stood Seraphine, dressed in an extraordinarily beautiful lace gown.
Her wavy blonde hair shimmered under the sunlight, and her violet eyes swept across the arena with an oppressive aura.
Her unreal beauty made every man hold his breath and left every woman, including Celine sitting in the VIP stands, pale as if she were dirt beneath her shoes.
Yet it was not only her beauty that silenced the arena.
Seraphine raised one hand.
In her palm blazed a fierce red flame.
In the next second, she lifted her other hand, and a holy golden-white light shone brilliantly.
Fire and light elements.
"Two, two elements?!" the announcer shouted with a trembling voice. "That, that's impossible! A person can only possess one divine element!"
Seraphine snorted disdainfully. Her melodious voice, filled with magical pressure, echoed throughout the arena.
"Listen carefully, you foolish mortal humans," Seraphine said arrogantly, her chin raised. "I am not some disgusting Void witch."
"I am a grand master from a distant land. And what he just used was not cheap black magic, but a pure martial technique that I taught him."
"If any of you dare call Caelus a cheater again, I will burn your tongues to ashes."
Absolute silence enveloped Deadlands. No one dared to speak under the pressure of those two deadly elements.
In the VIP seats, Elian trembled. His face was flushed red with anger, jealousy, and humiliation.
The spotlight that should have been his today, the glory he had always enjoyed, all of it had been taken by Kaelus.
On top of that, Kaelus was supported by a woman whose beauty and power Elian had never seen in his life.
Elian's sanity snapped.
With a mad impulsive push, the city's prince jumped from the VIP seats, soared through the air, and landed hard in the middle of the arena, not far from Kaelus who was still pretending to be exhausted.
"Don't get cocky, you trash!" Elian roared, drawing a wind-coated sword from its sheath. His eyes were red as he glared at Kaelus. "You're just hiding behind a woman's skirt! If you're really a man, fight me right now! A life and death match!"
The arena atmosphere, which had been silent, grew tense once more.
Kaelus slowly straightened his back.
His act of exhaustion vanished instantly, replaced by a relaxed yet deadly posture.
He looked at Seraphine's violet eyes at the edge of the arena. The girl merely smirked faintly and shrugged, as if giving him the green light.
Kaelus turned back to Elian.
The corner of his lips curled upward, forming a devilish smile that made the hairs on Elian's neck stand on end.
"Challenge accepted," Kaelus replied coldly. "With great pleasure."