Owen's hands were clutching the sides of his head, with his eyes looking down at the floor. He had expected that Will would lose—but not like this.

  The room was silent, except for the low hum of the screen in front of them. No one spoke. No one moved. The match had ended too quickly. Too brutally.

  Five minutes had passed since that match, and now they were preparing the alteration platform for the next one.

  The silence in the room was becoming suffocating. The minutes dragged on as they waited for the next round to begin. Owen’s mind replayed the fight over and over again. He shouldn’t have included a kid in the lineup.

  When the voice of a robotic speaker echoed through the room, Owen's thoughts were interrupted.

  "Second contestant, step into the elevator."

  Kenneth stood up abruptly. But instead of walking towards the elevator, he headed towards the opposite side of the room where the exit was. Grace watched with wide eyes as he went.

  "Kenneth?" She asked.

  Owen’s head looked up as he heard Grace's voice. Kenneth was at the door, where a square red button was next to the frame. It was the forfeit button. If he pressed it, he would automatically lose the match, no questions asked.

  Owen stood up in reaction, his fist clenching. "Kenneth, what the hell are you doing?"

  Kenneth turned his head around. A cold look was on his face. "It’s stupid to go against Arden."

  He then raised his fist and slammed it into the button. The sound of the button clicking echoed in the room, and Owen’s heart sank. He stood frozen, staring at Kenneth, disbelief written across his face.

  "You damn coward."

  Owen’s voice was low but sharp, the anger rising in his chest. He took a step toward Kenneth, his fists clenched at his sides. "Did you not see Will get torn apart out there? And you’re just going to quit? Is that it?"

  Anger also flashed in Kenneth's eyes. "You idealistic fool. Do you think this is some game? You’re not some warrior going against a monster. You’re a maggot trying to stand up to a titan. Wake up and realize what you are."

  The door slid open with a soft hiss, and Kenneth stepped through it without another word. But he did turn back around, taking one last look at Jason before the door closed behind him.

  The room fell into an even deeper silence after Kenneth left. Owen was still staring at the door, his mind a blur of frustration and disbelief.

  He then turned to Jason, who had been quietly observing the entire exchange.

  "Why’d he look at you like that?" Owen asked. He then narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you in cahoots with him?"

  Jason was silent, his gaze steadily looking at him. He nodded and spoke calmly. "Yeah. We were offered by the floor five overseer to forfeit the matches—with the reward being an advancement to the next floor."

  Owen clenched his jaw, but a moment later let out a breath and rubbed his face with his hand. His anger simmered down, replaced by a mix of frustration and resignation.

  "I really could have done with knowing this information beforehand." Owen muttered as he went and sat back down in his seat.

  Grace spoke up. "So are you also going to quit?"

  Jason was about to answer but the sound of the robotic voice cut him off.

  "Next contestant, step into the elevator."

  Everyone in the room turned their attention to the screen. The arena that was prepared for the second match hadn’t been changed. A small city-like environment had been set up, with grey buildings and narrow alleyways.

  Jason stood up and turned to look at Owen.

  "It’ll be important for you to fight in that final match, right?"

  "Yeah, it will be. If I don’t get to take part in my match-up, I won’t be able to reaffirm people’s believe in me, and I won’t get a chance to dethrone the top-dog in this place."

  Jason nodded. "Alright, then. I’ll help bring you there."

  He moved toward the elevator, not sparing another glance at Owen.

  Owen watched Jason move toward the elevator, and once he entered he said, "Thanks."

  The elevator doors closed behind Jason, and the room fell silent once more.

  ***

  Jason stepped out of the elevator into the new arena. The grey buildings loomed over him, casting long shadows across the narrow street he was on.

  Looking at his sides, streets crossed in a grid-like pattern, and the area felt eerily deserted. There was a faint hum in the air, like distant machinery, but otherwise, it was quiet. Jason marched forward, his steps wide and steady.

  His eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for any movement, any sign of his opponent. Then, in the far distance in front of him, a figure was coming into view. Jason stopped, narrowing his eyes.

  The figure was moving slowly. As they came closer, Jason could make out the details—a short skinny young man with pale skin and dark, sunken eyes. A bowl cut of black hair framed his face as he walked toward Jason.

  As he came, a pink aura spilled out from the young man, and Jason instinctively tensed. He coursed his own essence through his body and prepared himself for the encounter.

  The figure stopped a few feet away, then unexpectedly, he instantly appeared right in front of Jason, teleporting without a sound.

  "I’m Theo," the young man said, with his voice lacking emotion. "And yours?"

  "Jason." he replied flatly, his hands lifting up to guard the sides of his face.

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  "Then let’s get started." Theo’s pink aura flared as he raised a hand.

  Jason prepared to throw out an overhead punch but before he could, Jason felt the street beneath his feet vanish for a second, and he then found himself a couple of buildings down the street away from Theo. He had been teleported.

  Jason’s eyes quickly landed back on Theo. The man had his arms raised pointed to the side. He then crossed them over in front of his chest, and Jason heard the buildings to the side of him shift and groan.

  His instincts screamed for him to move, so he did but he barely managed to take a step before the buildings moved and crashed into him like two boulders smashing into him from both sides.

  Jason grunted as stone and rubble slammed into his body. Heavy stone fell on top of him, and for a moment he was pinned under the debris.

  His chest heaved as he pushed against the weight, struggling to free himself. Jason gritted his teeth, and roared as his muscles were filled with strength. He exploded out of the debris, sending rubble flying in all directions.

  Up in the air, his eyes fell on Theo. Using his insignia ability, Jason strengthened the air particles diagonally behind him, creating a bouncy air-shield, which he pushed off of, launching himself like a rocket straight at Theo.

  Theo’s eyes widened slightly as he came. But at the last moment, Theo raised his hand, and Jason found himself instantly face first on the street.

  His body slid to a halt, as he struggled to push himself up. The impact had been jarring, his head spinning for a moment. He gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing as he looked up. Theo was standing a few feet away, calmly looking at Jason.

  Jason clutched two pieces of debris near him in a hand, and he hurled them toward Theo, using his enhanced strength to send the rubble flying with precision.

  Theo didn’t flinch. He raised a hand and, with a flick of his wrist, the debris vanished into thin air, as though it had never existed.

  Jason clenched his jaw as Theo’s calm demeanour only seemed to make his irritation grow.

  Jason pushed himself to his feet, glaring at Theo. He then clutched his hands and began partially transforming into his beast form. Small horns sprouted from his head, and black sideburns extended down to his jawline.

  His muscles bulged as he crouched down like an animal. With rapid movement, Jason launched himself to the right with him disappearing out of Theo’s view by rounding the corner of one of the buildings.

  Once Jason was parallel to where he thought Theo’s location was, he halted to a stop, and pulled back his arms. He infused his muscles with greater strength and shot out his fists toward the wall of the building in front of him.

  With a shockwave of force, the whole building exploded to the side sending debris flying in Theo's direction. A cloud of dust and rubble filled the air, obscuring everything. Jason marched into the dust cloud, his senses heightened.

  He clapped together his hands and released a shockwave of air that cleared the cloud, sending the dust scattering in all directions. Through the clearing smoke, Jason found that Theo wasn’t there.

  A moment of unsettling silence passed as Jason looked around, but then he heard a subtle noise far above him.

  Jason’s gaze shot up just in time to see Theo hovering above him, suspended in mid-air with his essence swirling around him. His finger was raised above his head, and he brought it down swiftly like he was slicing through the air itself.

  Jason’s enhanced hearing allowed him to hear the words as they left Theo’s mouth. "Divide."

  Instinctually, Jason put up his arms to defend himself. A sharp force split through the air, and Jason felt an invisible pressure tear down onto his arms. The street beneath him cracked in a clean line, splitting apart as if an unseen blade had cut through it.

  Jason gritted his teeth as pain flared through his arms. Jason staggered back, blood trickling from his arms where the force had struck.

  Theo had teleported again, appearing a few feet away from him. He pointed a finger at Jason’s head, and then moved his hand down to point to the ground.

  "Add."

  Jason’s body jerked downward as if an invisible force had multiplied his weight tenfold. His knees buckled, and he slammed into the ground, the impact shaking the street beneath him. His muscles strained under the sudden pressure, and for a moment, he could barely move.

  Jason growled, as he tore himself free from the crushing force with sheer brute strength. Jason pushed himself up, and like the bull he was, charged forward again.

  But still it was a fruitless attempt. Theo teleported again, appearing behind Jason in an instant. Before Jason could react, Theo thrust his palm into Jason’s back.

  Jason then felt himself being pulled forward. The world blurred around him, and before he could recover, he was crashing into a building.

  He slammed through the wall, the force of the hit sending him crashing through the structure's interior, and out through the other side of the building. He landed and then rolled across a street.

  Jason groaned as he came to a stop. His hand came down on the ground to steady himself, but suddenly the street vanished out from underneath him, and he found himself free-falling toward the arena below. His stomach dropped, and his heart raced as he tried to regain his bearings in the air.

  Theo appeared in the air with him and placed a hand on Jason’s back before pushing down, forcing Jason to accelerate toward the ground. Jason gritted his teeth as the wind whipped past him.

  He hit the ground hard, crashing into the street's surface with a bone-jarring impact. A crater formed beneath him, and for a brief moment, everything went dark. His body ached, and his vision swam as he struggled to get back up.

  With a grunt, Jason slammed his fist down into the ground. He needed to get up. He brought himself to his feet, gritting his teeth through the pain.

  Theo was still high up in the air. His essence surged out of him once again, and Jason heard him say, "Multiply."

  Jason’s suddenly felt like his body weight had tripled. His legs buckled under the pressure as he collapsed to his knees, barely able to stay upright. The weight was overwhelming, crushing him into the ground.

  "Divide."

  Jason felt the sharp, invisible force split through him again, slicing through his back like he was some meat in a butcher’s shop. The slices kept, raining down on him relentlessly.

  Jason gritted his teeth, refusing to scream as blood spilled out from each painful new wound. Dust and rubble kicked up as the pressure continued to build.

  Through the haze of pain and blood, and with his hands shaking, Jason pressed against the ground, and tried to push himself up.

  "Enough." Jason muttered through clenched teeth, his voice ragged.

  As the slashes kept raining down, Jason strengthened his voice with his insignia ability. Then with every ounce of his willpower he roared upwards, his voice reverberating through the air.

  Jason noticed that Theo had clutched his head, wincing at the force of the roar. The pressure around Jason lightened for just a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Jason lumbered to an unscathed building and dug his fingers down into the structure. With a powerful grunt, he tore the building from the ground, and hurled the building towards Theo with all his might.

  Theo widened his eyes, his focus shifting just as the massive piece of concrete hurtled toward him. With a snap of his fingers, Theo teleported, vanishing from the path of the projectile.

  He appeared a few meters away from where he had vanished. He took a breather for a moment, but his eyes widened in surprise when he heard Jason's roar again, coming extremely close.

  He turned his head just in time to see a fully transformed Jason leaping straight at him. Theo barely had time to react as Jason's hand grabbed the neck of him, and was dragged through the air.

  Jason pulled back his arm, dragging Theo through the air like a ragdoll, and hurled him down, sending him into the side of the building.

  Theo smashed through the wall and came out the other side of the building, landing and rolling onto the street.

  Theo lay on the street for a moment, stunned by the force of the impact. He groaned as he pushed himself up.

  Jason landed a few feet away, cracking the ground beneath him. Theo gritted his teeth and turned his head towards Jason. He tried lifting his arm but Jason was already charging forward, his body a blur of motion.

  Theo felt the air leave his lungs as he was slammed into the side of a building by Jason’s charge. He was carried through the wall, smashing out the other side, and smashing again into the next building.

  Jason didn’t stop. Like a raging train he kept pushing forward, his momentum relentless. The sound of shattered concrete filled the air as Jason smashed through an endless stream of walls.

  Jason slammed Theo into the next building with such force that the entire structure cracked and collapsed under the impact.

  Dust and debris filled the air as the building crumbled around them. Out through the chaos, a lone figure stood amidst the wreckage.

  Jason, breathing heavily, and slowly transforming out of his beast form, stood over Theo’s motionless body, his fists still clenched. His breaths came in ragged bursts, his muscles aching from the exertion. Blood dripped from the numerous wounds across his body, but he remained standing.

  He had triumphed, but barely.

  He looked up at the sky as he basked in the moment, his chest rising and falling with each heavy breath.

  "I am strength…"