Ethan quickly pieced together who the haggard woman that had joined him was.

"So you’re that barrier bitch?"

"Barrier bitch?!" she snapped, recoiling slightly as if personally attacked. "What kind of name is that?!"

Clearly, no one had ever spoken to her like that before, which was to be expected as a revered A Rank. She looked genuinely offended and confused, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Before Ethan could say anything else, she stepped forward and grabbed his arm tightly, her fingers digging in with surprising strength despite her exhausted state and small frame.

"You need to get your two friends to stop fighting right now," she said, her voice lower now, more urgent.

Ethan looked at her, then at the arena, then back at her.

"How do you expect me to do that?"

His tone was flat.

"This is way beyond me."

She froze.

"Then everyone needs to run!" she snapped. "Now!"

Her voice dropped.

"They’re just playing around right now. But when they get serious..."

She swallowed.

"The whole city will feel it."

Ethan’s expression hardened slightly.

That definitely wasn’t an exaggeration, and as she said, the two monsters in the arena were still just playing around.

The small woman pointed sharply across the arena.

"You need to get to the announcer. Get him to call for an evacuation immediately!"

Ethan exhaled.

"For fuck’s sake."

And then he nodded his head and made his move.

’Partial Assimilation: Talon.’

He leapt from the shattered suite, wind rushing past him as he glided through the air.

Then he landed gracefully before sprinting forward.

His body blurred as he dashed across the outskirts of the arena, weaving through debris, cracks, and the lingering shockwaves of the ongoing battle nearby. Each clash between Kaela and Elara sent tremors through the ground beneath his feet.

He didn’t look at them or slow down.

’Just get to the announcer.’

That’s when he felt a sudden gust of wind.

With Talon’s field of view, he didn’t even need to turn his head to see who was there. Running beside him, like she had always been there, was a woman with pink hair and a calm expression.

"Hey," she said casually, matching his speed effortlessly. "You’re that mystery opponent, right?"

Ethan didn’t respond.

"You’re also the guy from the gym that time. You’re pretty fast, aren’t you? Weren’t you supposed to be an E Rank? What are you up to? And how do you know those two?"

She said it all in one breath while keeping up with him effortlessly.

Ethan barely processed half of it.

"Can you get the announcer to evacuate everyone?" he cut in. "Before those two get serious."

She blinked once, then smiled slightly.

"Sure."

There was no hesitation or concern as she burst forward in a pink blur.

Ethan slowed slightly, watching her disappear.

’She’s fast as fuck, especially for a B Rank.’

Moments later, the announcer’s voice rang out again.

But this time, there was no excitement or theatrics.

"Attention! All spectators are to evacuate the stadium immediately!"

The tone had changed completely and was now urgent and sharp.

"There is a high-risk situation; this is not a drill! Please exit in an orderly manner..."

He paused.

"...Actually, just run!"

Then the announcer himself bolted, vanishing from his position, which only added to the panic of the crowd. They surged toward the exits at once, chaos breaking out as the reality of the situation finally hit them.

The two monsters paused just for a moment.

Kaela tilted her head slightly, "Evacuating them? Took them long enough."

The demon’s crimson gaze flicked toward the fleeing crowd, then back to her, a slow smile spreading across its face.

"Good."

The air shifted, somehow even more dangerous.

"Now we can stop holding back."

-

The moment the announcer’s voice cracked through the chaos with a desperate order to evacuate, everything fell apart in an instant. Thousands pushed toward the exits as screams filled the stadium.

This wasn’t the excited kind that came with bloodsport, but from fear and sheer desperation.

"Move!"

"I can’t!"

"I’m being pushed!"

People stumbled, fell, and even got trampled.

It was everyone for themselves.

Those closest to the exits fought like animals just to stay on their feet, while others - stronger, faster, or simply more ruthless - forced their way through the crowd.

And then there were the ones who didn’t move.

The ones who stayed.

All of them were Titled, watching curiously, interested to see how things would turn out. The barrier was gone and there was no invisible wall to contain the destruction, but they still couldn’t look away.

Every clash and impact sent shockwaves rippling outward.

Chunks of broken concrete tore through the air like shrapnel, and gusts of wind slammed into the stands, knocking people off balance. Cracks spread further across the arena floor, climbing up the walls like fractures in glass.

And worst of all, nothing was hiding it anymore.

The barrier that surrounded the stadium and concealed what was within was gone. Whatever was happening here, the outside world could see and feel it. And this was before the two A Ranks had even begun to fight seriously...

-

In the centre of the ruined arena, red and purple collided again and again in violent flashes. They had stuck to close-quarters combat, but there was nothing "simple" about it.

Every strike carried overwhelming force, and every movement defied logic.

The Blood Demon disappeared and appeared as it pleased, striking from impossible angles and blind spots that shouldn’t exist.

Kaela laughed every time it happened.

"I fucking love that!" she shouted, skidding back across the cracked ground before launching herself forward again.

Boom!

Their fists collided again.

The impact alone sent another shockwave ripping through the arena, tearing up chunks of the already-destroyed floor.

Kaela fought like a lunatic.

She didn’t dodge, hesitate, or seem to care about the damage she sustained. Taking every attack head-on, she smiled through them all with blood running down her lip.

One moment her shoulder was bent at an unnatural angle, the next it snapped back into place. She would heal and recover, and each time she would return stronger and continue fighting.

Watching from the stands, Ethan saw it clearly now.

’That isn’t just regeneration.’

It was something worse and far more dangerous.

Her purple aura was growing thicker, wilder, and more violent, fueled by every injury and drop of blood. The demon noticed too, but that only seemed to add more fuel to the fire...