"VICTORY: ORION!"
The crowd erupted.
Thunderous cheers poured like a tsunami across the stadium. The energy was electric, his name already on thousands of lips.
Orion stood tall, arms at his sides, breathing hard. His fists clenched as he looked up at the crowd, a small but defiant smile forming across his face.
I did it.
Up in the stands, Leiza jumped up, hugging Azzy tightly. "He won! He actually won!"
Azzy gave a quiet smile, letting her wrap around him, their hands interlocked. His eyes shone with pride.
But only for a moment.
Suddenly, his expression changed to a sharp, focused intensity washing over his features like a storm cloud.
He pulled away slightly, looking upward into the sky. His pupils narrowed. "Something's wrong…"
"Rael?" Leiza asked, concerned.
He didn't answer.
In the next instant, Azzy vanished in a black flash, reappearing high in the upper atmosphere, far above the stadium and invisible to all below.
Wind screamed around him.
And there, waiting amid the clouds and golden rays of the sun, stood a figure of radiant brilliance, clad in silver-white armor with a burning halo. His wings stretched out behind him, wide and motionless like blades of light.
The skies above Graena City fell into silence, for all except two.
Azzy hovered in the upper atmosphere, his cloak fluttering wildly behind him. His crimson eyes narrowed.
"What were you doing here, Uriel?" he growled, divine pressure bleeding off his form. "Get out of my planet."
Uriel, serene as ever in expression, replied, "I've come for the Supreme Angel Shard. You know that it doesn't belong to you."
Azzy's fists clenched. His voice dropped low. "I believe Michael already said that it no longer matters. You want it now?"
Without warning, he snapped his fingers.
The world around them shattered like glass.
Instantly, space twisted, and the two were pulled into a new realm. A pocket dimension conjured in an instant.
It was a swirling void of colors and stars, where Earth's natural laws held no dominion.
Uriel looked around briefly and smirked.
"You've grown strong. Stronger than before…" He drew his radiant blade, glowing with condensed law of light. "But it is still foolish… to fight me without restrictions."
"Try me," Azzy said, summoning his death scythe. His wings erupted behind him.
The two collided.
BOOM!
CLANG!
SHRAKKK!
Uriel moved with holy aggression, his every strike like a divine verdict crashing down.
Azzy grunted, weaving through attacks with speed and instinct honed over the years. But the archangel's strength was monstrous. A blade strike cut across Azzy's chest, spraying divine ichor.
Azzy flew back, tumbling, but twisted mid-air and lunged back in, his scythe spinning like a black tornado
"RAAHHHH!!"
He fought back with aggression, deflecting each holy slash with violent precision. The scythe locked Uriel's blade while a plasma scythe summoned from the storage ring punched into his side, cracking the archangel's armor.
Uriel grimaced, first time in eons he'd been wounded.
Azzy exhaled heavily. Bruised, bleeding, but his stance was strong.
Uriel floated back, hand over his ribs. His breathing is slow. The light around his blade dimmed a fraction.
"Enough," he said at last, lowering his weapon. "This serves no purpose. I did not come to destroy you."
Azzy stayed silent, his scythes still humming with energy. He didn't even reveal the fraction of his powers at all. Yet, Uriel is already admitting defeat? He couldn't help but wonder.
Uriel added calmly, "You've truly grown, Azrael. Stronger than we fought last time. Strong enough to protect the shard now. That means... it is fine to leave the shard with you as long as you stay in this world protected by the laws."
Azzy's breathing slowed, the glow from his scythes dimming as he stood upright, silent but alert.
Uriel continued, voice echoing through the remnants of the distorted space.
"Thanatos has made secret contact with some of my brothers. They're being swayed. United by different goals, some want the Supreme Angel Shard. Thanatos… he wants your head."
Azzy's eyes sharpened. He remained still, but his aura surged just slightly, a silent, instinctive reaction to the name of the death god.
Uriel raised a hand lightly.
"They may not come themselves. They'll send their emissaries. Apostles. Agents. Perhaps even lesser gods with blessings, hunting you while bound to mortal form."
He paused, then added gravely,
"You may be strong, but not enough to face them all. Next time, do not isolate yourself in a pocket dimension. You deny Earth's laws to them, yes… but you also deny them to yourself."
Azzy gave a scoff at that. "Worried about me? When you conspired so much…"
Uriel didn't answer. But his gaze remained serious.
Then Azzy said, casually yet clearly, "I didn't even use a tenth of my strength against you, Uriel. You had no killing intent… so I had no reason to fight seriously."
Uriel blinked, and for the first time in centuries, a slow smile spread across his face, genuine, faintly nostalgic. "Good. Then you're ready. Stay alive, Azrael. And remember, don't fight in an environment without any world laws."
With that, the Archangel disappeared in a shimmering pillar of golden light, dissolving into the stratosphere like a dying star.
Moments later...
Azzy reappeared in the upper rows of the tournament stadium, just as another battle was starting below. The crowd hadn't even noticed his brief absence. But Leiza had.
She rushed to him the moment he returned, her brows furrowed.
"You're sweating," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"
Azzy smiled gently, his eyes momentarily flicking to Orion in the distance, still radiant with victory and adrenaline.
"I'm alright," he said softly. "Everything's fine now."
But in his heart, he knew: trouble is going to find him again. And he need to be ready.
After a few hours, the arena quieted as the sun began to dip behind the tall towers of Graena City.
The final echoes of the crowd's cheers died down, and the first day of the Round of 64 concluded with fireworks and fanfare.
Orion had earned his spot through his own fists. And once again, without any surprise, the footage of his match was blown up on the internet.
Later that evening…
The streets of the entertainment district in Graena City were alive with light and noise.
Neon signs buzzed overhead while laughter and music spilled from open doors.
Victory, adrenaline, and pride coursed through Orion's veins like fire.
He ducked under a glowing sign into a modern bar named "Aether's Whisper."
The place was sleek, half magic-tech, half luxury. Floating lanterns hovered above tables, glowing with soft pastel hues. A mystic violin played gently in the corner while servers wove through crowds in enchanted attire.
Orion walked in, battle jacket still on, earning a few glances.
"Whiskey," he said with a grin, sliding onto a barstool. "Something strong."
The bartender blinked, "I think I remember you. Aren't you that person?" With a surprise on his face, he pointed at the TV screen where another battle was playing. "Not now, just a while ago, your battle was played here. You fought that huge dinosaur Arcana spirit beast, right?"
"Yeah, that's me…" Orion raised the glass, laughing under his breath. He turned slightly to look at the holo-screen on the bar wall. Highlights from the day's matches played in rapid succession, combatants flipping through the air, flames and blades clashing, magical beasts roaring.
Then someone slid into the seat next to him.
A girl, tall, with golden hair braided over her shoulder, violet eyes that shimmered unnaturally. She wore a cloak over casual tournament attire.
"Nice punch out there," she said, cool but curious.
Orion blinked. "Uh… thanks. You know me?"
"Of course I do." She replied with a blink. "You don't know me?" She asked, then she sipped a drink of her own and didn't introduce herself.
Orion narrowed his eyes, watching her intensely for a few seconds before realization dawned upon him. "Ahhh… you are her, Elise, right?"
The girl chuckled, "Took you long enough." After a brief pause, she said, "If we win our matches successfully, we might just meet in the semifinals, but that's a long way to go, though."
"Oh…" Orion nodded.
After a brief, awkward silence, she spoke. "So, what are your plans for the night?"
"Eh?" Orion blinked in surprise.
Next Morning
"Fck.**"
Orion jolted awake in a strange room, tangled in sheets that weren't his. A soft groan escaped from the other side of the bed. The girl from last night wasn't anywhere to be seen.
He shot up like lightning had struck him. "What time is it?" he blurted, staring at the phone. "Ugh, almost noon?"
Orion leapt out of bed, scrambled for his pants, pulling on his shirt backward at first, then correcting it. His jacket was half on, his boots missing laces.
"Sht. Sht. Sh*t!"
The sun was high in the sky, the marble steps of the arena glistening with heat. Orion skidded to a halt in front of the main entrance, only to be met with two crossed spears.
"The gate's been closed for over an hour," said the armored guard. "No late entries."
"Wait—no, I'm a competitor! Orion!"
The guards exchanged glances. One of them tapped a crystal communicator embedded in his gauntlet.
"Requesting the supervisor's presence at the entrance gate. A competitor claims to be Orion."
A few tense minutes passed. Orion bounced on the balls of his feet, trying not to let the pounding in his head match the guilt gnawing at his gut.
Then the doors parted.
Leah, draped in silver and violet robes, strode toward him with two attendants behind her. Her presence was cold, refined, and unmistakably disappointed.
"Oh, Sh*t, why does it have to be her?" Orion's face turned ugly.