High above the arena floor, massive holographic projections shimmered, displaying the vital statistics of the combatants for the audience to see. It was a merciless quantification of the beating Kael had just taken.
[User_789] Health: 48% Mana: 100%
[The_Red_Viper] Health: 100% Mana: 15%
The disparity was glaring. Kael's health bar was flickering in the yellow zone, nearly cleaved in half by the relentless assault of fire and wood. His golden armor was scorched black in places, dented at the ribs, and covered in grit. He looked like a statue that had been dragged through a war zone.
In contrast, The_Red_Lizard stood tall, his red scales pristine, his health bar untouched. He hadn't taken a single point of damage.
To the spectators, the outcome seemed inevitable. It was a slow, grinding execution.
But Red knew better.
