The sky above the main arena of shimmered in the fading gold of the mid morning sun as tens of thousands of spectators filled every corner of the stadium. The massive holo-banners floating above projected vivid symbols of the crest of The House of Rameses, the Ankh, and The Lone Nomad.
This was no ordinary fight. The Five Rameses Challenges had been officially sanctioned by the CATF Committee. It was a consecutive five-day duel series between the mysterious "Lone Nomad," and each daughter of the renowned Rameses House.
The host's voice thundered through the speakers, his enthusiasm rippling through the sea of people.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! The moment we have not been expecting for this entire spring season is finally here!"
The crowd roared. Flags waved. The arena trembled. The host pointed toward the metallic gate on the far left.
"In this corner, we have the youngest of the Rameses sisters! The prodigy who wields black lightning and has never lost a duel in her division! The Fifth Daughter of the House of Rameses, Vilythe Ahmose Rameses!"
A surge of electricity swept through the ring as the gate opened. A burst of black lightning cracked the floor in a dazzling display, and a small figure stepped through the storm.
Vilythe stood poised at the center of the arena as her black combat suit gleamed under the lights. The black lightning danced between her fingers, crawling up the twin sickles she held in both hands. Her almond-blonde hair was tied up into a messy ponytail and her deep raven eyes locked forward. She looked young but the power that emanated from her body was something that silenced even the loudest cheers for a moment.
"Vilythe! Vilythe! Vilythe!"
She gave a small smirk, lightning flaring in rhythm with her heartbeat. Her expression carried that dangerous mix of youth and supremacy. The host grinned, holding up his microphone again.
"And in the opposite corner, we have the challenger. The man who rose from ranks in record time, who defeated dozens without showing his face! The one who challenged the entire House of Rameses, The Lone Nomad!"
A gust of black void energy rippled across the arena floor. From the black mist that formed in the center, Phaser appeared. The crowd gasped.
For the first time, they saw him without his mask.
He was absurdly tall compared to Vilythe. His physique was lean yet packed with sharp definition that spoke of relentless combat. His skin was a deep tan that glowed under the artificial sunlight of the arena. His hair, now long and dark, was tied neatly into a loose ponytail that hung over his shoulder, and his light brown eyes carried an uncanny calm. He wore a white kimono. When he lifted his hand and waved at the roaring audience, the stadium went ballistic.
The screams were immediate. Girls in the front rows were recording.
"He's so hot!"
"Take me, Lone Nomad!"
"He SMILED! Did you see that smile?!"
Phaser couldn't help but chuckle. He wasn't one for crowds, but seeing how the entire arena erupted just from his grin was something else. He turned toward Vilythe, standing across the arena, her lightning crackling louder now. Her face was slightly red, though whether from annoyance or surprise, he couldn't tell. The height difference between them was ridiculous. Phaser tilted his head, folding his arms casually.
"You're tiny."
The words echoed through the speakers, followed by a collective gasp-then a wave of laughter.
Even Vilythe froze for a second. She didn't even get angry. Her grip on her weapons tightened, and for a moment, her composure cracked.
The host almost lost his balance laughing.
"W-Well, folks, I think the Lone Nomad just started with a critical hit before the fight even began!"
Vilythe exhaled sharply, refocusing her aura. Black lightning surged, twisting around her sickles like dark serpents. Phaser smiled again, lowering his gaze slightly. He wasn't lying. He was 195cm and she was 158cm. He had no intention of mocking her-well, maybe a little-but this was also part of his strategy. He wanted to throw her off emotionally before the battle even began.
The referee projected two floating windows before them, holographic screens showing the duel contract terms:
[No killing intent.]
[No outside assistance.]
[No banned items or interference.]
[The fight ends upon unconsciousness, surrender, or barrier break.]
Both reached out and accepted the rules. Phaser's fingertip glowed faintly as the screen pulsed blue, confirming the match initiation.
"Combatants ready!"
Vilythe crouched.
"You're going to regret calling me tiny."
Phaser cracked his knuckles lazily, then raised his right hand. Void rippled through the air like oil in water, forming seven floating obsidian needles, each one humming faintly with the pulse of anti-matter. The crowd's energy turned from laughter to shock.
"What the hell is that?"
"Void-type manipulation...?! At his level?!"
"Isn't that an Element reserved for high-tier Fluxers?!"
Phaser didn't move. The seven void needles rotated around him, orbiting like satellites. He didn't even summon his signature strings yet. he didn't want to show all his cards. This was just the beginning. Vilythe's eyes narrowed.
"So, that's your trick, huh? Void manipulation?"
"Something like that," Phaser replied, lowering his hand. "You'll see soon enough."
The energy in the arena spiked. Lightning hissed. Void pulsed.
"BEGIN!"
Vilythe moved first.
Her black lightning exploded beneath her feet, shattering the concrete tiles of the arena like glass. One moment she was in front of him and the next, she was gone, a bolt of obsidian light ricocheting across the ring with impossible speed. Her twin sickles slashed in arcs that left fissures of pure static behind, curving back toward Phaser's throat from two different angles. Both blades collided with something invisible. Sparks scattered across the air as Phaser stepped back. The void needles that floated behind him rearranged into a fan formation, intercepting each blow in perfect rhythm. She lunged again, twisting in midair with acrobatic movements, flipping upside down and hurling her left sickle in a spiral. It curved around Phaser's flank and met an afterimage.
Her weapon sliced clean through empty space, shattering the illusion with a static flicker.
"An afterimage?"
Three more Phaser images stood around her, surrounding her like shadows. She slashed the nearest one, nothing. The next was gone. Before she could reach the last, a needle zipped by, cutting through her ponytail and grazing her neck. She ducked instantly.
"Fast reflexes."
Phaser's voice came from behind her and she spun with a roar, slashing both sickles in an X-shape. But again, her blades passed through nothing but the mirage of his fading form. The crowd couldn't even keep up.
"What is even happening?!"
"I can't see him!"
"Is he teleporting?!"
Vilythe gritted her teeth, crouching low, lightning building around her in black halos. Phaser's movements were beyond normal perception. The afterimages he created were. Each was so realistic that even her lightning-enhanced senses couldn't tell the difference. And he was using Occultare so she couldn't even sense him at all.
But she wasn't the type to back down.
She closed her eyes and that's when she did something insane. She channeled her lightning not into her muscles but into her brain. Her Xana flared violently, the air around her warping as her neural activity spiked to supernatural levels. Her synapses fired thousands of times faster than any normal being could handle.
Her awareness exploded. When she opened her eyes again, the world slowed down. She could see the subtle distortion in the air when Phaser's afterimage faded. She could predict his footfalls by the faint tremor in the void around him.
"Alright. Let's see how many of you I can slice this time."
She vanished.
A black bolt ripped through the air, zigzagging at impossible speeds, every strike flowing into another. Her twin sickles danced like curved lightning bolts. Phaser dodged with minimal movement, his body bending and weaving through her strikes as if the attacks were scripted in his mind. His void needles countered automatically, swirling and clashing with her blades. Every time they touched, sparks of lightning and void scattered in black arcs, exploding into dazzling patterns. The arena's barrier trembled under the kinetic pressure. Blows exchanged faster than the audience could register. The commentators were screaming but their voices were lost under the deafening sound of crackling thunder.
'Her reflexes are absurd,' Phaser muttered, sidestepping another spinning strike.
She pivoted and swung backward, the blade narrowly grazing his chin. She smirked, landing in a crouch and twirling her weapons. Her grin was smug and confident. She lunged again and for a split second, she hit him. Her sickle struck his shoulder, cutting through fabric and slicing skin.
"Got you-"
But then his hand was already on her face.
"Not quite."
A sudden boom echoed. Phaser's leg twisted at a perfect angle, and he kicked her midsection with bone-breaking precision. The air cracked as she was launched backward, her body folding in midair as if gravity itself turned against her.
The impact silenced the entire crowd.
Her body crashed into the arena wall, lightning scattering like shattered glass. She coughed out air. Before she could regain her footing, something cold and unseen wrapped around her waist. A rope of void yanked her violently, dragging her through the air like a ragdoll.
Phaser blurred forward, Xana rippling from his palms. He didn't hesitate. As she was pulled into range, he clenched his fist.
"Close range lesson number one. Never let me touch you."
His fist connected with her face.
The shockwave tore through the air with the force of a small explosion. Dust and debris blasted outward. The entire arena floor quaked as the barrier flickered from the sheer pressure. Vilythe's body skidded across the concrete, rolling violently several times before coming to a stop at the far edge of the ring.
Gasps filled the arena. For a long moment, the only sound was the faint hiss of black lightning dying out around her body. Phaser straightened, exhaling slowly. The void around him pulsed, the seven needles hovering protectively in orbit. Vilythe groaned, forcing herself up on trembling arms, blood dripping from her lip.
"Heh... I see why Father likes you."
Phaser chuckled, cracking his neck.
"Don't flatter me yet. I held back."
Her smirk widened despite the bruise on her jaw.
"Good. Because if you didn't, I'd be disappointed."
The crowd erupted once again, the commentators losing their minds.
"Vilythe's still standing after that hit! The Lone Nomad's power is unreal!"
"What kind of technique was that?!"
"He's manipulating void and still controlling his afterimages mid-fight!"
The barrier shimmered again as Vilythe slowly stood, electricity flaring brighter than before. Phaser rolled his shoulders.
"Let's go."