The entire city, the entire coliseum—overflowing twice over.
Everyone was waiting for one thing.
Mira Helvard.
The undisputed champion.
Queen of Fire.
Phoenix of the Kingdom.
Against her—the one who shattered a demonic army.
Monster. Horror. Madness.
Her younger brother—Zenhald Helvard.
The crowd roared as if the heavens were collapsing:
HELVARDS!
HELVARDS!
GODS IN HUMAN FLESH!
The judge, his voice shaking:
— We… ask the fighters… not to destroy the arena.
Mira laughed.
Loudly.
Beautifully.
With challenge.
— No promises.
— One!.. Two!.. THREE!
We collided—fist to fist.
BAM.
A shockwave rolled across the arena.
Sand erupted.
Stone cracked beneath our feet.
Second strike.
Third.
Each one—an explosion.
Each one—a miniature earthquake.
Step by step, Mira pushed me back.
She smiled—a predatory, satisfied smile.
— Like that… like that… show me a real fight, Zen.
I teleported behind her—
but her fist was already at my face.
CRACK.
I flew backward.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
I caught the inertia with wind—
and returned a kick straight to her chin.
She staggered slightly.
For a split second, her eyes flared.
— Now… it’s your end.
I understood:
that’s what she thought about me.
We broke into a speed ordinary people couldn’t even see—
only flashes of light and trails of blows.
Thousands of strikes per second.
Hundreds of magical detonations.
The arena’s stone walls began to sink, cracks crawling upward.
People in the lower rows started fleeing higher,
trying not to die from a stray wave.
I leapt to the far side of the arena,
raised my palms—and created a massive electrical field.
Hundreds of lightning bolts slammed into Mira.
But she…
walked toward me.
Calmly.
Touched my shoulder with a single finger.
And all the electricity… flowed into her.
Gathered.
And crashed back into me.
BAM.
I redirected the current into the ground,
but the pain still tore through my bones.
She nodded.
— Nice trick… but weak for me, little brother.
I caught a moment—her side was open.
There.
I lunged—
and in the same instant Mira grabbed me by the collar.
Simply.
Easily.
Like a kitten.
— Caught you.
BOOM.
She hurled me into the arena floor so hard
the sand shot up to the ceiling.
I lay there for twenty seconds, thinking:
How did she react that fast?..
That’s when I felt a prick in my neck.
Mira snapped around,
grabbed someone from the crowd by the scruff.
— Aha… got you.
Someone tried to inject poison?
Or a demonic concoction?
But I was already fading.
My mind began to cloud.
Chest tightened.
First sadness.
Then cold.
Then aggression.
Pain.
Resentment.
More aggression.
My heart accelerated.
Too fast.
I opened my eyes—
and everything around me exploded.
A black vortex of mana swallowed the arena.
I didn’t feel air.
Didn’t feel ground.
I wanted to jump, tear, destroy.
But Mira was faster.
She grabbed my leg and threw me back to the center.
— STOP, ZEN!
I teleported behind her—
and kicked for the back of her head.
She dodged,
and the strike landed in my own thigh.
PAIN.
The bone cracked—and fused instantly.
My rage grew faster than my body.
Mira tried to strike—
I caught her arm.
CRACK.
My bones shattered—
and fused again.
— Zen… stop!
Her voice shook.
— It hurts me to hurt you… but I will if I have to!
I didn’t hear her.
Only the animal rhythm of my heart.
Her leg came toward my back—
I grabbed it, hissed mockingly:
— Caught you.
My arms snapped.
As easily as twigs.
She leapt back
and with one furious blow sent me into the wall.
Cracks spread in every direction.
She jumped after me—
and punched me in the head.
Instant darkness.
Hands caught me.
Mira was saying something—
her voice drowned in the roar of blood.
— …sorry, Zen… I’ll heal you… hold on…
Her fingers touched my chest.
I felt her place a new seal—
heavier, deeper,
as if binding the rage itself.
Warmth spread through me…
calm…
peace…
And I fell asleep.