Liam was back at the Midnight Circuit, specifically is time, in Mr. Silas' office, dropping off the middleweight belt.
Just before he turned to leave, Silas stopped him. "Quick heads-up, the heavyweight champ, Kai Egnis, he's held that title for three years and not once has he lost a match. No one's even come close and Its at the point that most fighters don't even bother challenging him anymore. They either aim for different titles or just go into retirement."
Liam raised a brow, then smirked. "Hmm. We'll see if the story holds up."
He left the office, calling up his system interface as he walked. Two available stat points blinked at the corner of the screen. These were the ones he gained after defeating all four of his middleweight challengers the previous day.
[STAT UPDATED – CS: 28 → 30]
All stats were now in the 30s.
[EVOLUTION SYSTEM – PLAYER: LIAM VELMONT]
Main Class: None
Sub-Class:
• Combatant
• Caster
Level: 0.75
Authority: Beast Tamer
HP: 400 | MP: 500 | STA: 600
[STATS]
• STR: 39 • AGI: 33
• CS: 30 • PRC: 35
• Stat Points Available: 0
[SKILLS]
• Regeneration
• Contract Summoning
• Contract Borrowing (Lv. 1)
INVENTORY: None
Time rolled into the hour of the fight and since Liam was the challenger, he entered the ring first. The announcer hyped him up, showering the arena with energy, and the crowd of course reacted accordingly. However the crowd truly erupted when the champion was announced.
"The Moonlight Blade! The Severer of Souls, Kai Egnis!"
Kai stepped into the spotlight. He had Tousled white hair, with sharp ethereal features. He wore a flowing kimono, white with soft gold floral patterns, layered over dark inner robes. A long earring hung from his left ear, and a katana lay casually across his lap, gripped loosely in one hand.
He said nothing as he walked the pathway into the ring, with no sort of interaction with the crowd whatsoever.
Liam somehow knew this wasn't going to be an easy fight. He also couldn't even sense Kai's level as though he was concealing it. Soon after, the bell rang.
In a flash of pure motion, Kai vanished and appeared behind Liam, sheathing his katana with a clean click. Blood sprayed from Liam's torso before his mind caught up to the pain and immediately, he dropped to one knee.
[SKILL ACTIVE: REGENERATION]
The wound closed instantly the moment this skill was activated. Kai turned slightly, surprised to see Liam already back on his feet, breathing hard and grinning.
"Oh?" Liam muttered, as lightning surged through him as his hair flared with static. Liam at this point was going all out. He rushed in with a punch whilst lightning trailed behind him, but Kai sidestepped gracefully, slicing across Liam's side with deeper intent. The wound should've floored Liam but then again it healed before the blade cleared.
Kai clicked his tongue. "Tsk." The first sound he'd made. Liam narrowed his eyes. Kai wasn't just a C-tier fighter. He fought like a B-tier, no, maybe even higher and to top it off, close-range combat was clearly his domain.
[SKILL ACTIVE: CONTRACT BORROWING]
A staff appeared in Liam's right hand, it was the Goblin Emperor's. Bone, beads, and trinkets adorned its ancient frame. At the same time, wings burst from his back; this one he borrowed from Pip.
The crowd roared.
Liam took to the air, hovering thirty meters above the ring. He pointed the staff downward and brought forth a massive fireball that exploded across the ring with its heat crashing against the reinforced arena walls. But as the smoke cleared, Kai stood tall, with his katana now glowing with yellow flames, and raised towards Liam.
Liam's eyes widened. "Did he absorb it?!"
Kai smiled for the first time. With one graceful sweep, he unleashed a slash of fire. Liam dodged, although barely. The attack struck the ceiling, causing a low rumble. Panic began to ripple through the crowd as a result but it immediately quelled when the announcer laughed it off over the mic.
Liam's HUD interface flashed
[MP: 500 → 396]
[STA: 600 → 492]
Since the beginning of this fight, He had burnt through mana and stamina pretty quickly. Liam then narrowed his focus, his gaze shifting towards the sword "That sword. I need to disarm him somehow."
He fired a blast of wind soon after from his left hand. Kai caught it on his blade and absorbed it once again. A moment later, it came back at Liam as a slicing gust.
Liam dodged, but the wind behind the slice still pushed him back. The pattern was clear; one-by-one attacks weren't going to cut it cause each time Kai absorbed and reflected. He had to somehow overwhelm him and it was at this point his instincts as a caster came to life.
Liam raised his left hand and four lightning spears formed midair after which he hurled them down. Right behind them, came volleys of flame from the staff as explosions rippled across the ring. The arena turned to chaos, explosions rang out in close succession.
When the haze cleared, Kai stood but his kimono in tatters and steam rising from his skin.
"I didn't think I'd ever need to go full power… for a human," Kai muttered.
Two tiny pushed through his forehead. Fangs protruded from his mouth, his skin darkened and his arms turned scaly with nails elongated
[New Quest: Make the Threat Submit]
"What?!"
Before Liam could process it, Kai appeared midair and drove his fist into Liam's gut sending him flying downwards as Liam crashed hard, leaving a crater in the walkway outside the ring.
The crowd erupted in screams, cheers and shock.
Kai landed back into the ring and spoke:
"You made me go all out and out of respect, I'll give you this one chance. Forfeit now, and I won't take your life."
Liam groaned, getting back up slowly. Regeneration skill mending him.
[MP: 396 → 215]
[STA: 492 → 376]
The staff and wings vanished. Contract Borrowing ended but not because he was giving up, but because he needed to conserve mana.
The message still haunted him:
[Make the Threat Submit]
The system had only ever issued that command for mythical beasts. Could it be? , well there was only one way to know.
He invoked his Authority.
[Authority: Beast Tamer]
• +80% stats when facing mythical beasts
• Emits a subduing aura that weakens mythical creature resistance and forces them to succumb
Lightning burst through him again, nearly uncontrollable, this was the effect of the authority's stat boost. But more importantly, Kai was on one knee with his teeth clenched.
"What… is this?!" he roared. "What are you?!"
Liam didn't answer but stepped forward, walking back into the ring and when he was close enough, he grinned, his form blurred instantly appearing before Kai and slamming his palm into Kai's face and subsequently into the floor.
BOOM!
The impact thundered through the arena and the ring shook.
Liam held Kai down as the aura from the authority of beast tamer pressed on. However, in that moment, Kai heard a woman's voice:
"You are the son of a king."
Kai screamed. "Arghhh!!!" and along with it was his magic energy levels as mana burst from his body. The aura's effect on him weakened as a result after which he grabbed Liam's wrist and hurled him across the ring. Liam landed hard but quickly recovered.
"He was just subdued… How?" Liam whispered.
Kai stood still breathing hard but his eyes radiating differently.
"Ah, fuck this, let's go then!" Liam yelled.
Both men blitzed toward each other and their fists collided causing a shockwave that spread through the ring.
But in that moment...
CRACK.
The air above them split literally. A spatial tear opened overhead and in a second, it widened into a mythical beast breach.
A colossal, monstrous arm reached through first, crushing unlucky spectators beneath it. Screams erupted immediately and people fled in every direction.
Liam and Kai scrambled to their feet, half confused at what just happened.
A winged beast burst through. It was shaped like a pterodactyl but more mutated and twisted. It roared and fired a blast upward, tearing through the ceiling, seeking open sky.
The Midnight Circuit descended into chaos.