Rawna raised the Spear of Destru high into the air and jumped up to the sky.

  “SPEAR, OF, DESTRU!”

  Rawna hurled the deadly artifact downward. As it desded, a cataclysmic whirlwind of destructive power maed. It’s force toe through everything in its path. The moment it made tact with the ground, a deafening explosion echoed across the arena.

  The Grand Arena, once a symbol of grandeur and petition, bore the full brunt of Rawna’s assault. The structure crumbled and disied before the might of the Spear of Destru. Debris and dust were sent hurtling in all dires.

  Str’s protective barrier suffered another crader the assault.

  The audience, caught in the wave of the Spear of Destru’s power, felt the pressure down upon them ing through the barrier. Panic spread through the stands. Some began to shout and scramble for safety.

  Amidst the chaos, the southern announcer boomed, ““Y’all, listen up! There’s o panic. I repeat, stay put and keep yer seats! The protective barriers are holdin’ strong and keepin’ us safe. Just sit tight!”

  The ed Vuldo fangirls in the audience couldn’t tain their worry any longer. One of them, the young woman holding the “Marry Me, Vuldo!” sign, spoke up with a tremble.

  “Oh no! Is Prince Vuldo okay? This is so scary!”

  Another fangirl added, “I ’t believe what just happened! Please, let him be all right!”

  They were not alone in their . Whispers of ay spread throughout the audience, as maheir breath, hoping for some sign of the prince’s safety.

  Roselle stared at the spectacle with widened eyes. Risebelle mirrored her sister’s shock, though she quickly regained her posure. “That’s unbelievable… they probably destroyed the entire ring with that one move.”

  The words hung in the air, but Roselle remained silent. Risebelle raised an eyebrow and then waved a hand in front of her sister’s face. “Roselle? Are you okay? Earth to Roselle!”

  Roselle blinked, snapping out of her daze. “Oh, sorry! I just... I’ve never seen anything like that before… The power behind that spear... it’s terrifying.”

  The destructive whirlwind began to subside around the arena. Flower petals, seemingly summoned by Rawna’s dark magied a carpet along the entire arena floor.

  The petals reached into the dying whirlwind and pulled Prince Vuldo, who had suffered signifit damage, out of the chaotic tempest. With a cruel force, the petals flung him aside, and he nded heavily on the now-devastated arena. Vuldo was shrouded in the crimson glow of Rawna’s malevolent magic.

  With immense effort, Prince Vuldo mao push himself up from the shattered arena floor. His body bore the visible signs of the brutal battle, marred with bruises and bloody wounds. He took deep, ragged breaths.

  With a pained face, Vuldo said, “You almost had me... If Str’s barrier hadn’t been here, this ey might have been obliterated. Rawna, you weren’t holding back at all....”

  Kintovar shrieked from the crowd. “That is a terrifying thought.”

  Juliana nodded in agreement. “Indeed, it’s all the more reason for us to obtain that Spear from Rawna ter and examis properties. Uanding its capabilities could prove invaluable.”

  Raroached Vuldo and took a few heavy breathes. Vuldo looked at her with .“Now I know how far you’re willing to go with that on.”

  Raced one hand over her eye and gritted her teeth.

  Prince Vuldo, with visible effort, k in a deep bow before Rawna. He sheathed his bde and said, “I cede, Rawna. You’ve bested me this time, but mark my words, at the Eastern Annual Tour, I’ll be the one ready to take you down.”

  The annouammered out, “The winner... is Rawna.”

  Rawna cast o look at Vuldo, and without another word, she turned and walked away, her ominous presence gradually fading as she left the arena.

  The crowd, instead of bursting into cheers, murmured in amazement. Meanwhile, Prince Vuldo’s fangirls in the audience couldn’t hold back their tears.

  The one holding the “Marry Me Vuldo” sign stepped forward with fideher than sadness. “Don’t wirls, Vuldo will win the Eastern Annual Tour for sure! This was just practice for him. And remember, he didn’t even use his Full power this time!”

  The fangirls tio cry. The girl with the “Marry Me, Vuldo!” sign sighed and began to pack it away.

  “The things I do for the girls,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head with a small smile. As the leader of the fangirls, she wore a Vuldo cheerleader shirt with pride.

  Reag int, she pulled out her phone and tapped a button. Instantly, the familiar jingle of ice cream music pyed through its speakers. The sound was a siren call for the fangirls, who perked up at the promise of sweet sotion.

  “Ice cream!” they chorused. They followed their leader out of the stands, leaving the arena behind.

  As Rawed the arena, Roselle’s gaze followed her ily. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment. The aura of power surrounding Rawna was both awe-inspiring and daunting.

  Roselle thought to herself, ‘This is the type of power I’m going to have to deal with. If I want to protect those I care about, I o reach that level.’

  Roselle ched her fists. ‘I will use everything I’ve experienced here to grow stronger.’

  In her mind’s eye, she envisioned herself standing in the arena, fag off against the one figure who haunted her thoughts—Dark Whirlwind. They shared her face, a twisted refle of her own visage, cloaked in darkness, their presence apanied by a swirling vortex capable of shaking cities.

  Roselle remembered the st time she and her sisters had faced Dark Whirlwind. The memory was etched in her mind like a scar. They had beeed, utterly and pletely. Dark Whirlwind’s power had left them all in ruin, but Risebelle had suffered the worst. She gained a gaping hole in her body that had taken immense effort to repair.

  ‘They are the most powerful mage ience’, Roselle thought. ‘But that won’t stop me.’

  Her vision solidified, and she saw herself fronting Dark Whirlwind once more. But this time, she would be ready. This time, she would stand her ground and fight back with everything she had.

  Roselle raised one fist up infront of her. ‘I will get stronger. I will beat them the ime we fight.’

  The announcer was heard through the mic.“Alrighty, folks! We’re gonna take us a quiinute break so we get this Grand Arena all spiffed up and ready for more a. Now, don’t y’all worry, ‘cause Str’s on top of it and has assured us that everything’s just fine and dandy. So go ahead and grab yourselves some grub and drinks, stretch ys a bit, a ready for more thrills and spills when we e back. Oh, yall won’t wanna miss what’s in’ soon!”

  During the 10-minute break, the atmosphere in the arena was one of excitement and anticipation. The audience was a sea of fans from different ers of the world. They filled the stands with chatter and discussions about the matches they had just witnessed. Vendors scurried around, selling a variety of refreshments. They had everything from colorful cotton dy to steaming hotdogs. The sweet aroma of pop and the sizzle of grilli wafted through the air as well.

  Roselle, Risebelle, Runebelle, and Dr. Kintovar made their way through the crowd. The group first ventured into the food court, where they were greeted by the entig aroma of various treats. Roselle’s eyes widened upon spotting a vendor selling adorable Tourhemed pastries. Risebelle’s attention was drawn to a stall serving spicy takoyaki. Runebelle, observed the surroundings with gloom.

  Roselle let out aed squeal. She poi a pair of girls who had perfectly captured her and Risebelle’s appearan their es. The cospying girls beamed with delight, and Roselle exged a few words with them.

  The group then made their way to the merdise booths, where they found an array of posters, keys, and art prints adorned with the characters they had created.

  Dr. Kintovar stood proudly at a bustling merdise booth, selling Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle-themed memorabilia. His table was crowded with fans eager to purchase a figures, T-shirts, and plush toys of the beloved characters. Each sale added to the rapidly growing stack of bills in Kintovar’s till, and his grin widened with every transa.

  “Step right up, folks!” Kintovar called out with enthusiasm. “Get your official Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle merdise here! Limited edition, exclusive to the Grand Arena tour!”

  Juliana, Kintrandmother, stood beside her, eyeing the colle with amusement. She pointed out some Kintovar-themed merdise, whicluded an a figure in a b coat and suhe figurine was depicted with a wide grin, mimig Kintovar’s enthusiasm.

  “Why, look at this,” Juliana said with a twinkle in her eye, holding up the a figure.

  Kintovar chuckled at her figure, however, some of the nearby fans raised their eyebrows in fusion, whispering among themselves.

  “Who’s that supposed to be?” one onlooker asked, gng between the real Kintovar and the merdise.

  “She must be important if he’s with the sisters,” another specuted.

  The group then paused for a moment to watch the highlights of the earlier matches on the rge s in the ter of the arena. Cheers and gasps from the audience mirrored the excitement they had witnessed earlier.

  After the 10-minute break, the Grand Arena had been expertly repaired, and the stage was set for the round of thrilling matches. Str’s magical prowess had worked wonders i the arena to its flory.

  The announcer’s boomed throughout the arena. “Alright, dies as, we’re ba business! Thanks to Str’s magical handiwork, this Grand Arena’s lookin’ fihan a new set of spurs! We’ve got everything fixed up nid shiny, and we’re all set for the round of high-oe battles. Y’all feel the anticipation cra’ like a campfire, ’t ya? Get ready to witness some more jaw-droppin’ a!”

  Roselle, Risebelle, Runebelle, and Dr. Kintovar returo their seats.

  In the sixth match, Alder faced off against Faen. The battle began, and Alder activated his Beast Strength ability. His muscles bulged with newfound power. He charged toward Faen with incredible force, ung a flurry of powerful blows. Faen summoned his unique prowing a set of wings ahers that allowed him to evade Alder’s attacks

  The battle quickly became heated. Alder roared in frustration as Faen effortlessly dodged his strikes, fpping his wings to stay just out of reach.

  The crowd, caught up in the spectacle, began to t “Olé!” each time Faen evaded Alder’s charge.

  After a while, Alder paused, catg his breath. His eyes locked onto Faen. The two batants circled each other.

  Alder, frustration evident in his voice, shouted, “Stop moving around, you little bastard! Fight me properly!”

  Faen, uurbed, eyed Alder with a calm gaze before closing his eyes. “Very well,” he said with a sereone. “Let’s end this. We won’t move from this spot in the air. Try to hit me.”

  Alder, fueled by anger, roared, “Gdly!” and leaped up toward Faen with renewed determination.

  Faen’s wings spread wide. He decred, “Feather Dance!”

  In respohousands of sharp, glistenihers erupted from his wings, filling the air with a deadly storm of pointed projectiles. The feathers swirled around Alder in a relentless barrage, slig through the air with precision. Alder tried to dodge, but the sheer number of feathers overwhelmed him. The sharp points pierced through his defenses, and he dropped to the ground with a loud thud.

  Faen desded gracefully. His wings folded ly behind him once he was on the ground. Alder y on the ground with his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

  In the seventh match, Myra faced Toren. Myra possessed a captivating charm that drew Toren in from the moment they locked eyes. Toren, however, didn’t eve a ce to use his powers. Myra’s ethereal beauty and alluring presence had him entranced, rendering his abilities useless.

  The audieched in amazement. In the end, Myra’s enting powers overcame Toren, and he could do nothing but cede defeat.

  The final match of the first round pitted Sis against Kael. Sis had the power to trol pnts and took on a pnt-like appearance herself, while Kael was a neancer who anded undead zombies. His eyes had a vat, almost lifeless gaze, and his skin had an unnatural paleness.

  Sis gracefully swayed her body and summoned her pnt children, who began to surround Kael. She anded, “Keep him busy, my darlings.”

  Kael spoke for the first time with a lifeless toell me, pnt dy, have you ever danced with the dead?”

  After he asked the question, a barrage of seed bullets from Sis’s pnt children came flying toward him.

  Kael raised his hands and gathered a dark energy around it. Suddenly, the earth beh him began to tremble, and from the ground emerged a massive Undead Giant hulking from the remains of long-fotteures.

  The Undead Giant’s maw opened wide, and it devoured the oning seeds. With a guttural groan, the giant lurched forward.

  Sis maintained her posure while the creature approached them.

  Roselle watched the unfolding battle attention. She leaned over and whispered to Kintovar, “This battle looks iing, doesn’t it?”

  Kintovar nodded and replied, “Indeed, it’s quite a uchup. The csh between life ah alresents fasating dynamics.”

  Juliana, sitting nearby, joihe versation. “Undead creatures are intriguing from a magical and biological perspective. They challehe boundaries of life ah, often defying our ventional uanding. It’s a realm where sd magitersect.”