The stadium roared. Blinding neon lights strobed across the massive arena as the announcer's voice echoed.
"Now entering the stage,the Neon Nomads!"
The crowd erupted. Holographic banners shimmered with their inages this time, something about the air felt heavier. Even Radellei could sense it. The Lone Nomad wasn't the same. He stepped forward with his faceless mask gleaming under the radiant floodlights,
Radellei walked beside him. She glanced at Phaser.
"Hey. You okay?"
Phaser tilted his head slightly toward her. Even with the mask, she felt a stare that pierced through armor and straight into the soul.
"I'm fine."
Radellei felt it before she could even put it into words. The Phaser she fought alongside all these weeks, the calm, strategic, sometimes even goofy in his own deadpan way, was gone. The Xana he radiated now was scary. Before she could ask, the arena lights dimmed and a thunderous bass dropped. The opposing gate opened.
"And facing them are The Death Twins, the ruthless duo from South Africa! They are the very ones who brought the Neon Nomads their only loss this season!"
Two figures strode out from the opposite gate. The Death Twins, Varek and Lurana, were dressed in black armor streaked with glowing crimson veins. Their movements mirrored each other perfectly. They were siblings, born with the same Flux pattern, rumored to share one soul across two bodies. The last time they fought, they utterly crushed Phaser and Radellei. Radellei's defenses had been dismantled and Phaser's speed countered at every turn. They'd left the arena humiliated, bleeding and defeated. That loss had haunted Radellei for weeks.
But now, Phaser was different.
As they took their positions in the circular ring, Phaser stood at the front.
"Rules remain standard, two-on-two elimination. Victory by knockout, surrender, or incapacitation. Winner ascends to Diamond Rank!"
A wave of anticipation washed through the stands. Phaser suddenly lifted his arm slowly, his palm open toward the Death Twins. His voice cut through the quiet spectators now.
"Surrender now. Walk away and you'll leave unharmed."
The words echoed for a few seconds before the crowd laughed. Varek snorted. Lurana smirked.
"You're joking, right?" Varek said, cracking his neck. "You're the guy we flattened last time. What, think you had a little glow-up and now you can talk big?"
Lurana joined in. "Yeah, Neon Nomads, more like Neon Nobodies."
The audience laughed with them. Radellei frowned, whispering sharply.
"Phaser, what's with the mercy talk? We're supposed to take this seriously."
He turned his head toward her. Even though she couldn't see his eyes, her body tensed. Something radiated from him.
"Support me this time. I'll deal the major blows."
She opened her mouth to argue but something in his tone shut her up. She nodded.
The match began.
The Death Twins struck first. Their synchronization was flawless. Varek lunged forward, his scythe wreathed in black lightning, while Lurana vanished into shadows, reappearing behind Phaser.
"Already trying that trick again."
He didn't even move. His hand lifted slightly. The scythe froze mid-swing. Lurana's shadow strike halted like she ran into an invisible wall. Then a low hum vibrated through the arena. Radellei felt it first. It was a deep resonance pulsing through her bones. Phaser's Xana flared faintly. The ground beneath him cracked in perfect circles.
"He fully mastered the Void Element…"
Phaser's voice carried across the arena.
"You rely on symmetry. But that is easy to shatter."
He vanished out of pure speed. He reappeared right in front of Lurana and struck. He gave a light punch.
The impact detonated across the arena. A shockwave rippled through the Flux barrier. The crowd gasped as Lurana was hurled backward, crashing into the barrier so hard the light around it flickered. Varek roared, charging forward with both scythes now crackling. Phaser didn't flinch.
"You're too loud."
He thrust his palm forward.
A burst of void erupted. It slammed into Varek, sending him tumbling across the stage. The twins regrouped, staggering but not broken. Their Xana pulsed violently now, as their twin bond activated which they called Requiem Tandem. Their eyes turned the same shade of scarlet.
Radellei leaped in beside Phaser.
"Alright, Varek's on me. You take the girl!"
Phaser shook his head. "No. Stay back. Watch."
Radellei blinked. "What? Pha... Lone Nomad!"
But it was too late. The twins attacked in perfect unison with Varek from the front and Lurana from behind, the scythes crossing for a killing strike. Phaser caught both blades with his bare hands.
The entire stadium went silent. A faint shimmer of Xana coated his arms. His muscles flexed subtly, glowing with that same faint Void hue. He looked up at them both.
"I told you to surrender."
And then he moved.
The next second, everything blurred. Phaser twisted his grip, sending Varek flying upward. His elbow snapped backward, slamming into Lurana's chest so hard the sound cracked like a gunshot. She crumpled to her knees, coughing blood. Radellei could barely track his movements.
He inhaled slowly as he used Roborare. His energy felt alive. The ground beneath him glowed faintly with fractal patterns. The Death Twins tried to rise but Phaser appeared before them again, stepping through the air like it was water. He clenched his fist. Radellei knew what was coming.
"Oh no…"
Phaser's punch struck Varek's chest.
The barrier shivered. The arena walls cracked. Varek's body was flung like a ragdoll, hitting the far barrier, already unconscious. Lurana screamed, charging again but Phaser turned. He raised one finger. Xana condensed at the tip, forming a small orb of Void.
"Nice knowing you."
The orb expanded, swallowing her mid-charge and exploded silently. When the smoke cleared, she lay flat on the ground, unconscious but alive.
"The w–winners are the The Neon Nomads! They advanced to Diamond Rank!"
The crowd went insane.
Radellei just stood there, trying to process what she'd just seen. Phaser stood motionless with void fading from his arms. He turned to her.
"Told you to support me. You just stood there in shock."
Radellei exhaled, half-laughing in disbelief.
"Yeah, well… remind me never to question you again."
Phaser walked past her toward the exit gate. The lights flashed around him, his silhouette framed by the broken walls of the arena.