The collision did not explode outward.
It imploded.
Silver and blood crashed together at the point where Arin's blade met Varik's gauntlet, and for a fraction of a heartbeat, the world folded inward—sound crushed into silence, light bent unnaturally, and even the wind seemed to hesitate.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!
The arena shook violently.
A shockwave erupted from the point of impact, tearing across the stone platform like a tidal wave. Cracks spiderwebbed outward, tiles ripping free from the ground and launching into the air like shattered teeth.
Disciples screamed as the stands trembled.
Elders rose to their feet.
Silver light burst outward in a blinding crescent, slicing through the dust cloud—
—but crimson blood Qi answered, roaring like a living beast, swallowing the silver arc and crushing it inward with overwhelming density.
Arin felt it instantly.
Pressure.
Not impact—pressure.
His sword screamed as the Silver-Light coating it was forced back, compressed tighter and tighter by the blood Qi grinding against it. His arms trembled as the vibration traveled through his grip, into his shoulders, into his core.
Too heavy—!
Varik's gauntlet pushed forward another inch.
Then another.
Arin's boots skidded backward, carving twin trenches into the arena floor as he was forced back by sheer force.
The crowd stared in horror.
"Arin is losing ground—!"
"That blood Qi… it's overwhelming him!"
"No—look—he's resisting!"
Arin gritted his teeth.
Silver Light flared violently around his body, thickening into overlapping layers as he poured Qi into reinforcement. His eyes burned bright silver, pupils spinning with rapid rings as Infinite Sword Analysis screamed warnings into his mind.
Force output: exceeding Drevin by 412%.
Qi density: abnormal.
Blood element compression: escalating.
Varik leaned forward, veins bulging visibly along his neck and arms, blood Qi roaring around him like a crimson storm.
His grin was feral.
"Good," he growled. "That resistance—that fear—it tastes incredible."
Fear?
Arin realized something then.
It wasn't fear.
It was restraint.
His Silver-Light reacted instinctively, begging to surge higher, to flood his body, to unleash the teleportation at full output—but his mind hesitated.
If I lose control here…
I won't just lose the match.
I'll expose everything.
That hesitation cost him.
Varik felt it.
His eyes widened with savage delight.
"There it is," he hissed. "That pause."
Varik slammed his other gauntlet forward.
Blood Qi detonated outward—
CRACK!!
The silver aura around Arin shattered like glass.
The force slammed into his chest, launching him backward. He flipped midair, barely managing to twist and land on one knee—but the impact drove the breath from his lungs.
Pain exploded through his ribs.
Arin coughed, blood splattering onto the cracked stone.
The arena fell dead silent.
"He's bleeding—"
"Arin—!"
"Get up—please get up—!"
Varik straightened slowly, rolling his shoulders as blood Qi thickened further around his body. Crimson threads coiled around his arms and legs like living veins, pulsing with violent power.
"You see now?" Varik said calmly. "Talent is meaningless without cruelty."
Arin forced himself to stand.
His legs shook.
His breathing was ragged.
Silver Light still glimmered around him—but weaker, less stable, flickering as his Qi circulation stuttered.
His abdomen screamed in pain.
Internal damage.
Varik continued walking forward, footsteps heavy, deliberate.
"You analyze techniques."
Step.
"You read intent."
Step.
"You teleport."
He stopped a few meters away.
"But you've never fought someone who wants to destroy you."
The elders watched grimly.
Elder Miaro clenched his fists.
"He's pushing Arin into a corner. That Blood Element… it feeds on pressure."
Elder Soren's jaw tightened.
"And Arin… he's holding back."
Elder Lishen whispered, barely audible:
"If he unleashes everything here… the arena won't survive it."
Down below, Arin steadied his sword again.
His hands trembled—but his gaze did not waver.
"You're wrong," Arin said hoarsely.
Varik tilted his head.
"Oh?"
"I've fought intent like yours before," Arin continued. "Just not in the open."
Varik laughed.
"Then let me remind you what the world looks like when intent wins."
He stomped forward.
The stone beneath his foot exploded as blood Qi surged upward, spreading across the arena floor in branching crimson lines—like veins crawling across flesh.
A disciple screamed.
"The ground—!"
"That's Blood Dominion Field—!"
Within the field, Varik's presence multiplied.
Arin felt it immediately.
Pressure pressed in from all sides, his movement slowing as blood Qi tugged at his circulation, interfering with his meridians.
Teleportation range reduced.
Reaction speed decreasing.
Qi consumption accelerating.
Damn it—!
Varik blurred again—
But this time, Arin couldn't follow him fully.
A split-second delay.
A fatal delay.
Varik appeared to Arin's right, fist already mid-swing.
Arin raised his sword—
CLANG!!
The impact rang sharp—but Varik's strength didn't stop.
The gauntlet slid along the blade, blood Qi wrapping around the steel like chains—
—and yanked.
Arin's sword was torn from his grasp.
It flew end over end, embedding itself deep into the arena wall with a thunderous crack.
Gasps erupted from the stands.
"He lost his sword—!"
"Arin—!"
Varik slammed his knee upward.
Arin barely managed to twist—but the blow still connected with his side.
CRUNCH!!
Pain detonated through his ribs.
Arin was sent flying again, crashing across the arena floor, tumbling until he struck the boundary barrier.
He slid down slowly, leaving a smear of blood on the stone.
Silence.
Total silence.
Varik walked toward him, blood Qi raging, eyes burning with savage satisfaction.
"Still breathing," Varik said softly. "Impressive."
Arin struggled to push himself up.
His vision blurred.
Silver Light flickered weakly, struggling to maintain cohesion as his Qi flow destabilized.
His heart pounded painfully.
If I teleport now…
I might tear my meridians apart.
Varik stopped a step away.
He raised his gauntlet.
"This ends now."
The crowd erupted.
"STOP—!"
"That's enough—!"
"ELDERS—!"
The elders tensed—but did not intervene.
This was a tournament match.
And Arin was still conscious.
Varik's gauntlet glowed intensely as blood Qi compressed into a razor-dense edge.
A killing strike.
Arin lifted his head slowly.
Not in fear.
In acceptance.
So this is it…
My first loss.
Silver Light pulsed weakly in response, dim but steady.
Arin exhaled.
Then—he smiled faintly.
Varik paused.
"…What?"
"You're strong," Arin said quietly. "Stronger than me. Today."
Varik's brow furrowed.
"But this isn't the end."
Varik snarled.
"You think words matter now?"
Arin met his gaze.
"I think memory does."
Varik swung.
But the strike never landed.
A powerful pressure slammed down—
"ENOUGH."
The elder's voice thundered across the arena.
A massive barrier descended between them, blood Qi and silver light dispersing violently upon contact.
Varik staggered back, snarling in frustration.
The head elder stood, eyes cold.
"Match over."
The announcer's voice trembled as he shouted:
"VICTOR—VARIK KALON!"
The arena exploded into noise.
Arin collapsed backward against the barrier, breathing hard.
He had lost.
Cleanly.
Decisively.
But as medics rushed forward, as Varik turned away with a snort of contempt, Arin's silver eyes remained clear.
Not broken.
Not shaken.
Only… focused.
This defeat would carve itself into his bones.