The battle had already begun.
There was no clear signal that marked its start.
No bell rang nor flag was raised. Simply, the air changed.
Something invisible tensed in the coliseum, as if the world itself held its breath, aware that two sins were about to measure themselves.
Viridia, without wasting time, made a huge floating mirror appear beside her, almost the same size as her.
It emerged with a brief, silent flash, as if it had always been there waiting to be called.
Its surface was smooth and shiny, polished to the point of not only reflecting the physical image of the surroundings, but something deeper.
The arena, the stands, the combatants… everything was reflected in it with an unsettling sharpness, as if the mirror observed even what could not be seen with the naked eye: intentions, desires, repressed emotions.
The mirror rotated slowly, obedient, staying at Viridia's height like a personal guardian.
Dormius, for his part, held in his left hand the same pillow he always carried with him.
It wasn't big or flashy. It was a simple pillow, made of dark fabric, visibly worn from constant use. In the center it had an engraved inverted moon symbol.
Dormius seemed out of place in that battlefield.
And yet, he imposed a strange presence.
There was something unsettling about him and his pillow.
Not because of its shape, but because of the way Dormius held it, with an almost affectionate familiarity, as if it were an extension of his own body.
He didn't wield it like a weapon, but like someone who clings to the only thing that allows him to rest.
Both remained motionless.
They waited.
No one moved.
Not even a finger.
The silence stretched so long that some spectators began to shift uncomfortably in their seats.
It wasn't the silence before an immediate explosion, but a heavy, dense one, as if time had stagnated.
It seemed as if neither of the two had any hurry to attack, as if the battle were trapped in an infinite loop, waiting for someone to break the monotony.
Dormius was the first to speak.
—This is boring… —he murmured, bringing a hand to his face while yawning—. I want to go to sleep. Why don't you move and make this end?
His voice had no provocation. There was no mockery in his words. It sounded genuinely tired, genuinely annoyed at having to be there.
His eyes closed little by little while he remained standing in the middle of the battlefield, swaying barely, as if he were really about to fall asleep right there.
Viridia clenched her teeth.
A slight tremor ran through her jaw.
Dormius's indifference didn't just irritate her: it humiliated her. For her, every battle was an opportunity to prove her worth, her superiority, her existence.
Seeing her opponent treat her like a trivial annoyance was like a direct blow to her pride.
Her reflection in the mirror seemed to distort slightly, as if the weapon reacted to her emotions.
Suddenly, she stretched her arm forward with rage. Her fingers closed in the air, and her gaze filled with frustration and resentment upon seeing that Dormius still wasn't taking the fight seriously.
—You make me so irritated…! —she shouted—. Suffocating jealousy!
The mirror vibrated.
Immediately, chains began to shoot out from its surface, piercing the air with a sharp, almost painful metallic sound to the ears.
They were long, dark, covered in engraved symbols that glowed faintly.
They moved like snakes, fast and precise, heading straight toward Dormius without hesitation.
He didn't react.
He didn't even open his eyes.
The chains wrapped around his entire body: arms, legs, torso, neck. They held him firmly, completely immobilizing him.
As soon as they closed, they began to glow with an intense, pulsing light, draining his energy, his strength and his magic without mercy.
The air around him became heavy, laden with a feeling of absolute exhaustion.
A few seconds passed.
The audience watched in silence, some holding their breath.
Viridia's technique was clear: she wasn't looking for immediate damage, but to completely empty her enemy, leave him with nothing before delivering the final blow.
Just when it seemed the drain was about to complete…
Dormius opened his eyes wide.
There was no shout. No explosion.
Just a cold, awake gaze, completely opposite to the sleepiness from before.
With a simple movement of his fingers, he made his pillow return to his side.
It had fallen to the ground during the attack, but now it flew back as if obeying a silent call, breaking one of the chains as it passed.
—How dare you wake me from my nap…? —he said in a low, dangerous voice, completely different from his previous tone—. Now it's time for you to pay for that. Shared nap!
The chains stopped for an instant.
And then it happened.
Around Dormius's body, huge humanoid shadow arms began to emerge.
They didn't have a completely defined shape; they seemed made of liquid darkness, with elongated and twisted fingers.
They rose from the ground, from the air, from nothing itself, as if the world's shadow responded to his call.
The arms lunged violently toward Viridia.
They advanced with hunger, with a clear intention: to trap her, hold her, drain her resistance and strength until she was left empty, just as she had tried to do to him.
But Viridia wasn't naive.
—Copy talent.
The mirror shone with blinding intensity.
For barely a few milliseconds, Viridia observed Dormius's ability reflected on the mirror's surface.
That was enough. Thanks to her weapon, it didn't matter how powerful or complex the technique was: seeing it once was enough.
In the next instant, identical shadow arms also began to emerge around her.
The arena filled with moving darkness.
The battle transformed into a clash of identical techniques, a strange and dangerous exchange. Shadow arms collided with each other, intertwined, broke and rose again. It was like watching two reflections fight in a broken mirror.
Dormius was visibly annoyed.
His brow was furrowed, his posture firmer. However, even so, his eyes showed no signs that he was fighting seriously.
There was no desperation in him. No urgency. Just a slight discomfort.
From the stands, Kael watched the battle completely surprised.
—Tell me, Serenna… —he said without looking away—. Are these two really just fighting at a distance?
—You're right, my king Kael —she replied—. But this fight is exciting precisely because of that. Even if it's not like the previous ones, which were hand-to-hand with weapons, this one is more tactical… and above all, magical. Everything depends on how they use their abilities.
Kael nodded slowly.
—It's true. I think I've realized something: each sin has a total of four abilities. I don't know why, but I've come to that conclusion. Although, honestly, I think they're still not fighting seriously. It's more like they're getting to know each other… like a casual chat between them.
Serenna smiled slightly.
—My lord, that's the most normal thing. In the end, they are all sins. I don't think they want to really hurt each other.
—You're absolutely right.
In the arena, Dormius watched how Viridia kept copying every technique he launched. His expression changed barely, showing a hint of genuine interest.
—So you're using what's mine against me myself… —he said with a faint smile—. You're clever.
The atmosphere seemed to tense.
—But let's see if you can copy this —he added—. Tomb bed!
The area changed immediately.
The light dimmed partially, as if someone had lowered the brightness of the world.
The ground seemed to become heavier, the air denser. A feeling of extreme exhaustion fell over everyone present.
Legs began to fail.
Some spectators clutched their stomachs, feeling sudden nausea. Others had to lean on their seats, as if simply staying awake was a titanic effort.
It was a cruel, silent, absolute ability.
Everyone was being affected.
Except one.
Dormius.
He walked without any difficulty, immune to his own ability, advancing calmly while the world around him dragged toward absolute fatigue.
In the distance, Viridia began to feel the effects. Her breathing became heavy, irregular. Her arms trembled.
The mirror beside her lost stability, oscillating in the air.
Dormius advanced toward her with slow and sure steps.
One step.
Another one.
Viridia tried to move, tried to resist, but her body didn't respond.
Until finally, her strength abandoned her completely.
Her body gave way.
She fell to the ground, fainted, unable to continue fighting.