Two hundred meters beneath Times Square, the Dark Arena was filled to capacity.
The underground coliseum throbbed with noise and heat, the air buzzing with anticipation. Tonight's main event had ignited unprecedented excitement—Lin lan, the mysterious skeleton who had risen like a miracle through the ranks, was about to face Iron Mantis, the seventeenth-ranked Dark Gladiator, in a no-holds-barred fight to the death.
By now, Lin lan had become the arena's hottest name. Nearly half the crowd had come solely for him, eager to witness whether this skeletal anomaly could once again defy all expectations and crush a veteran monster like Iron Mantis.
"You're going to win," Nancy said calmly as Lin lan prepared to step into the arena.
Lin lan glanced at her. "And what do I get out of it?"
Nancy lit a cigarette with practiced elegance and exhaled a thin ribbon of smoke. "The official prize money is mine, per our contract. But if you win, I'll generously give you a bonus." Her lips curved. "Of course, the cost of repairing the training room comes out of that."
Lin lan snorted. "Cheap. But at least you still have a conscience."
Before Nancy could snap back, he sprinted forward and leapt into the arena.
The moment his feet hit the ground, the crowd exploded.
"LIN LAN!"
"MIRACLE SKELETON!"
"DESTROY HIM!"
The roar surged like a tidal wave.
The announcer seized the microphone, his voice shaking with excitement.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight, the Eastern Miracle returns! Lin lan—an existence that has rewritten the rules of the Dark Arena—steps onto the battlefield once more!"
He gestured dramatically.
"His opponent—ranked seventeenth, a veteran among monsters—the terrifying Iron Mantis! This will be a life-or-death clash!"
"Will Lin lan continue his miracle? Or will his legend end here tonight? Let's find out!"
The referee raised his arms as the arena descended into madness.
From her private booth, Nancy watched quietly, her expression unreadable.
"A new star has risen," she murmured. "But the real obstacle has already appeared. He just doesn't know it yet."
She smiled faintly. "We'll tell him after the fight."
The announcer's voice boomed again.
"And now—entering the arena—RUAN XIONG! THE IRON MANTIS!"
The crowd erupted anew as Iron Mantis stepped forward.
He had already completed his transformation.
His massive five-meter-long body gleamed beneath the arena lights, coated in a dark metallic sheen. His arms had fully morphed into enormous mantis blades—jagged, serrated, and lethal. When he casually stabbed one into the ground, the granite floor shattered as if it were paper.
A seasoned killer.
Iron Mantis ignored the crowd completely. From the moment he entered, his eyes locked onto Lin lan—cold, focused, predatory.
Lin lan felt as if he were being stared down by a venomous snake.
"Yeah…" he muttered, drawing his Bloodslaughter Bone Blade. "This one's dangerous."
The bell rang.
Iron Mantis hissed sharply and lunged.
Despite his colossal size, his speed was terrifying. In an instant, he crossed the distance, a mantis blade cleaving down toward Lin lan.
Lin lan twisted aside just in time.
The blade slammed into the ground behind him, punching two massive craters into the arena floor.
Before Iron Mantis could recover, Lin lan stomped forward and counterattacked. His Bloodslaughter Bone Blade arced through the air, releasing a violent crimson slash.
BOOM!
Iron Mantis was sent flying, tumbling across the arena before crashing to a halt ten meters away. A deep, jagged crack split his armored shell.
Both fighters froze.
Lin lan stared in disbelief.
Even with a full-powered strike from the Bloodslaughter Bone Blade, he had only managed to crack the armor?
Across from him, Ruan Xiong was equally stunned.
His exoskeleton—refined through countless battles—had never failed him. And now, it had been damaged by a single blow from a skeleton?
"Damn it."
They cursed in unison—and charged again.
Iron Mantis pressed forward relentlessly. His defense was suffocating, his mantis blades moving with ruthless precision. Every strike whistled through the air, generating overlapping waves of blade shadows.
Lin lan couldn't evade them all.
Gritting his teeth, he poured spiritual energy into his weapon and met the assault head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The clash of steel and bone echoed like thunder. In mere seconds, they exchanged over a thousand blows.
Their power was nearly equal—but Iron Mantis's sheer mass gave him a slight edge.
In the Dark Arena, even the smallest disadvantage could be fatal.
Lin lan felt the pressure mounting.
Iron Mantis sensed it too. His eyes gleamed with savage confidence as he intensified his assault, determined to end the fight in one overwhelming burst.
At that moment, the deep crimson flames in Lin lan's eye sockets flared violently.
Enough.
With a roar, he forced Iron Mantis back and snapped his fingers, condensing dark mist into an ancient sigil.
"Bind Soul—Restrain Spirit!"
The symbol slammed into Ruan Xiong's body.
His soul trembled.
Panic surged through him as memories surfaced—of Bloody Polar Bear's demise.
Ruan Xiong struggled desperately, his power surging outward. Far stronger than his fallen predecessor, he shattered the binding after a brief struggle.
But that single moment was enough.
Lin lan had already begun chanting.
Azure-green flames ignited in the air, spiraling together into a jade-colored fire dragon that coiled around him, radiating terrifying Yin energy.
The audience fell into stunned silence.
Eastern magic—this kind of magic—was something they had never seen.
Iron Mantis's instincts screamed danger.
He braced himself, pouring all his strength into defense, trusting his exoskeleton to endure.
The fire dragon completed its form.
Lin lan raised his arm.
The arena seemed to shrink beneath the pressure of his presence.
"TAIYIN SOUL INCINERATION!"
The fire dragon surged forward.
BOOM!
Iron Mantis's armor shattered instantly.
The flames burned inward—straight into his soul.
Ruan Xiong screamed, thrashing wildly as jade fire consumed him from the inside out. Terror flooded his mind. He tried to beg—
But emerald flames burst from his mouth, incinerating his organs to ash.
His screams faded.
Only crackling fire remained.
Silence fell over the arena.
The referee snapped out of his shock and grabbed the microphone.
"Victory! Once again, victory goes to the Eastern Miracle—LIN LAN! By sheer strength alone, he has proven himself the undisputed ruler of the Dark Arena!"
He roared, "Bow before the SKELETON KING!"
The crowd erupted.
"LIN LAN!"
"SKELETON KING!"
Those who won their bets cheered until their voices broke.
Those who lost cursed bitterly—but none cursed Lin lan.
In the Dark Arena, strength was law.
And tonight, a king had been crowned.