The shockwaves of the arena had barely settled when the Lone Nomad lowered his stance, both hands tightening on the hilt of his chokutō. The Frost Beetle stomped closer, its mandibles clicking like swords unsheathed. Even the audience seemed to hold their breath.
Phaser could feel the ache in his bones. He had been holding back too long. The Ecliptarch's interference had made this thing too dangerous to toy with. If he didn't end it soon, he'd be forced to use something that would reveal how identity. Phaser exhaled slowly through the mask.
"All right. If I can't show them who I am, I'll show them what I can do."
He reached his right hand behind him, the fingers of his left hand running along the flat of his blade. The steel began to hum. Sand stirred around him, spiraling upward as though gravity itself had forgotten what to do.
White light began bleeding out of the chokutō's edges. It wasn't silver like before. The Lone Nomad was known for his white Xana. This one was white. It was the Xana signature he had chosen for this persona. His original Xana was silver.
The crowd erupted the moment they saw it. Some who had watched his fights in the CATF knew that him using his Xana meant serious business.
"White Xana. He's using the white Xana!"
"Evocatio! He's invoking Evocatio!"
The commentator nearly tripped over his own words.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Lone Nomad has summoned Xana into his blade! We are witnessing Evocatio, a Xana technique!"
The Frost Beetle shrieked in answer, its entire body glowing red. Frost spears erupted from the ground, seeking his blood. But Phaser stood at the same place, his sword humming louder. The Xana poured off him like a storm, whipping his kimono sleeves in violent bursts.
"Augere."
The moment he said it, the light tripled in intensity. The sand cracked beneath his feet. Shockwaves rolled outward in concentric rings, shaking the ring's foundations. The Frost Beetle hesitated just for a second but that was enough for Phaser to vanish from sight.
The blade moved. One swing. Then another. Then a third. Each slash was faster than the beetle's movements, each one carving glowing arcs into the arena air. The Frost Beetle tried to counter with a massive claw swipe but the shockwave from Phaser's presence alone threw it off balance.
The air itself caused a shockwave when he swung upward.
A surge of raw Xana roared through the Amphitheatre, the sand exploding in a white cyclone. The Frost Beetle was thrown into the air like a ragdoll, dozens of meters high, its gigantic limbs flailing helplessly.
Every spectator in the stands was on their feet with their jaws dropped.
"He just—he—he sent it flying! He's lifted a Class 5 Fluvium with nothing but raw force! The Lone Nomad, what is he?!"
Phaser bent his knees. The white Xana coated him like flame. Then, with one move, he leapt. The sand formed a small circular crater where he'd stood. In a blink, he was above the Frost Beetle, both hands gripping his chokutō tight. The Beetle, enormous even now, looked up at him.
"Let's see how you like this."
He thrust the sword. The chokutō pierced through the Frost Beetle's skull. And in that single second, the blade unleashed everything it had absorbed.
A white beam erupted from the impact point, pure Xana slicing through the monster's body. Chunks of steaming armor, crimson vapor, shards of frost, everything was obliterated into that thrust. The beam cut all the way through the arena, causing shockwaves across the entire Flavian Amphitheatre.
A figure descended after a few seconds.
Phaser landed lightly in the center of the arena, his white kimono flaring gently around him. His mask gleamed, the blade of his chokutō resting on his shoulder. He looked down at the smoking remains of the Frost Beetle and reached out.
The Fluveheart was still intact. It was a glowing blue, pulsing with crimson light, about the size of his palm. Fluvehearts of Class 5 Fluviums and above grow even bigger depending on their class. He crouched, picked it up, and turned it over in his hand. The energy still felt hostile but the Ecliptarch's influence was gone. He smirked faintly beneath the mask.
"Not bad. Who knew the Ecliptarch would make it twice as strong?"
Then, without ceremony, he raised the Fluveheart high into the air. The crowd cheered. The entire Flavian Amphitheatre roared with cheers that shook the air.
"LONE NOMAD! LONE NOMAD! LONE NOMAD!"
Flags waved. People cried. Some threw flowers from the upper levels. The sound of celebration rolled through the streets of Rome itself, broadcast live to every continent worldwide.
The commentator dropped from the booth and landed beside him, microphone trembling in his hand. His voice was cracked but electric.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what we have just witnessed defies every expectation and limitation of the Commoner Fluxers! The Lone Nomad has defeated a Class 5 Frost Beetle alone! And with this victory, his twenty-second straight, he now qualifies for the Noble Fluxer Tournament this August!"
He turned to the masked figure beside him.
"Lone Nomad, the world is watching! You've just made history tonight. Tell us, what do you think right now?"
Phaser turned his head slightly, the mask glinting under the arena lights. The crowd chanted his name again. The commentator offered him the microphone with both hands, bowing slightly in reverence. Phaser looked at the microphone for a long moment, then at the audience. Every pair of eyes waiting for his words.
"My name is the Lone Nomad."
The audience roared again, echoing his title back at him like a chant from a thousand hearts. He raised a hand lightly, and they quieted once more.
"I am a Commoner Fluxer supported by the House of Rameses."
A stunned wave of gasps swept through the crowd. Even the commentator's eyes went wide.
"The House of Rameses? The strongest elemental House in the world?"
Phaser nodded slowly, his white mask glinting.
"They took me in when I had no name or power. The House trained me and taught me what it meant to control Xana, to survive, and to find a place in a world that has none for the forgotten. In the CATF Spring Season, I was partnered with Princess Radellei of House Rameses. Together, we were called the Neon Nomads."
The crowd's energy exploded again. The commentator stumbled over his words trying to catch up:
"Wait wait, the Neon Nomads?! They won the Nairobi Spring Season as the Sapphire Rank duo! This means… the Lone Nomad is that Nomad!"
Phaser smiled beneath the mask but said nothing to that. He paced slowly across the arena, sword still in hand as he spoke:
"When I entered the Duel of Champions, I didn't come here for glory or a title. I came to make my name known, to show that even a Commoner can stand at the summit of a Noble's stage. I wanted to prove that perseverance could echo louder than pedigree."
He stopped near the center of the arena again and turned toward the commentator, who was still trembling with awe.
"And now that I've done that, I will not be joining the duels of the Noble Fluxers in August."
The crowd froze. Confused voices rose everywhere. The commentator blinked, lowering his mic.
"Wait—what? You—you're declining the invitation? You've earned your place!"
Phaser nodded once.
"My objective is done. This journey ends here. The next one begins elsewhere."
A murmur rippled through the spectators, disbelief and admiration mixing like two tides. Even those in the private boxes leaned forward, waiting for more. The commentator hesitated, then stepped closer and asked.
"Lone Nomad, what can you say to the Commoners watching right now? How can you advise those who dream of becoming like you someday?"
Phaser fell silent for a moment. Then, he lifted a hand to his face and slowly removed the white faceless mask. Gasps filled the arena.
His skin was pale. His brown eyes carried that same quiet fire that made even the strong waver. And his long, dark hair tied to a ponytail caught the soft wind that ran through the Flavian Amphitheatre. He had revealed his face in the CATF but the world wasn't watching it as much as the Duel of Champions was. The crowd had expected a warrior but what they saw was someone that was beautiful in an unearthly way.
The commentator was speechless.
"He's—he's… you're—"
Phaser raised a hand to silence him, then turned toward the crowd.
"To all the Commoner Fluxers out there, don't give up. Not because it's easy or because someone will give you power. Do not give up because perseverance is the only truth this world respects."
He lifted the sword slightly.
"The House of Rameses saw something in me when I had nothing. They shaped me yes, but it was my endurance that kept me standing. Your effort, your persistence, your belief in your own worth… that's what makes you more than Commoners. That's what turns weakness into legacy, even if you're not a Noble Fluxer."
The silence of the stadium was reverent now.
"If you fear the Houses, then don't, especially not the House of Rameses. They take in those who have potential and those who have the will to fight for their future. They did that for me. And if they can do it for me, they can do it for you."
The light breeze brushed against him, carrying dust and applause that was about to erupt again. He smiled faintly, lowering the sword and glancing at the Fluveheart glowing faintly in his hand.
"I am the Lone Nomad, a wanderer exploring the world, fulfilling my objectives one by one. May our paths cross again, spectators across the world."
For ten long seconds no one made a sound as he walked out of the ring. He gave a polite nod toward the stands, then toward the commentator, and turned to leave the arena. The crowd was frozen in awe. And then, like an ocean breaking against the shore, the cheers began. Voices screamed his name until the ancient walls themselves seemed to tremble.
"LONE NOMAD! LONE NOMAD! LONE NOMAD!"
The commentator, barely able to keep composure, shouted into his mic.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what a speech! The Lone Nomad might be perhaps the most inspiring Commoner Fluxer the world has ever seen! He's a man who's changed the spirit of this tournament forever!"
In his mind, behind the composed smile and graceful posture...
"Commoner Fluxer… House of Rameses… what a beautiful lie."
He knew who he truly was. He's a Noble Fluxer through and through, born of legacy, but the world didn't need that truth tonight. The world needed hope.
"Objective complete. Fluveheart acquired and persona secured. Took me a lot of time but I finally did it."
The next time he would wear the mask of the Lone Nomad, the world would remember the night a Commoner made spectators cheered his name in Rome.
Somewhere in the upper stands, a cloaked woman with crimson eyes smiled faintly, murmuring under her breath.
"So that's your name huh. You really are a pain."