The day everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived.
The Grand Finals.
The arena was completely packed. Every seat was filled, every banner waved high in the air, and the cheers of thousands echoed throughout the stadium. The atmosphere was unlike anything before. This was the final battle that would decide the strongest team in the world.
Standing in the center of the arena, Ifa took a deep breath before shouting louder than he ever had.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... ARE... YOU... READY!!!"
The crowd answered with an earth-shaking roar.
"FOR THE MOMENT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR... THE GRAND FINALE!!!"
The cheers only grew louder.
"FROM THE HOST KINGDOM... THE KINGDOM OF CERO... GIVE IT UP FOR... THE GRAND PARTY!!!"
One side of the arena erupted.
"AND THEIR OPPONENTS... FROM THE KINGDOM OF VRIKTA... GIVE IT UP FOR... HANDS OF KARMA!!!"
The opposite side answered with an even louder roar.
The energy inside the arena reached its peak.
The Grand Finals had officially begun.
---
The opening bout featured Darek of the Grand Party against Vashari of Hands of Karma.
Unlike the explosive battles before, this fight started cautiously. Neither fighter rushed forward. They slowly circled each other, searching for even the smallest opening.
Only brief exchanges took place in the beginning.
Eventually, Darek decided to make the first move. His sword came crashing down again and again, each strike carrying tremendous force. Vashari met every attack with her shield. She wasn't trying to overpower him, only to reduce the damage as much as possible.
The clash looked like an earthquake colliding against an avalanche.
With every swing, Darek's attacks became heavier than the last. But constantly attacking someone whose defense never seemed to break slowly drained his stamina and mana. His movements gradually lost the same power they had at the start.
The moment Vashari noticed the change, she seized control.
She refused to give Darek even a second to recover. Shield in hand, she relentlessly pressured him across the battlefield, forcing him to stay on the defensive.
Even then, Darek waited patiently.
Suddenly, he changed gears and launched a perfectly timed counterattack, catching Vashari off guard. The powerful strike sent her sliding across the battlefield.
But that single hit only awakened her fighting spirit.
The calm defender disappeared.
The Avalanche had begun.
Vashari advanced without stopping, every shield bash carrying overwhelming force. Little by little, Darek found himself being pushed back, unable to regain control of the battle.
No matter where he moved, the pressure only continued to grow.
Eventually, he found himself completely overwhelmed.
With no way to turn the battle around, Darek finally raised his hand in surrender.
After thirty minutes of battle, Vashari claimed the first victory for Hands of Karma.
---
The second bout saw Lilo face Brihav.
As expected, Brihav didn't attack recklessly.
Instead, he patiently observed Lilo, carefully studying every movement and every technique.
Lilo understood what Brihav was doing and responded by testing his opponent with simple attacks, trying to uncover his habits before committing fully.
The battle became one of patience.
Whenever Brihav spotted even the slightest opening, he struck immediately before returning to his calm stance once again.
The constant interruptions frustrated Lilo, but he forced himself to remain calm.
Several unexpected attacks landed, slowly wearing him down.
Realizing he couldn't continue like this, Lilo changed his approach.
He intentionally created an opening, hoping to lure Brihav into attacking.
It worked.
Brihav took the bait.
But Brihav had expected that possibility as well.
Although Lilo's counterattack landed, Brihav narrowly avoided taking serious damage by twisting his body at the last moment.
The battle continued.
Neither side was willing to give in.
Gradually, Brihav once again gained the upper hand, controlling the pace of the fight.
Lilo endured every setback while silently preparing his strongest technique.
When the opportunity finally appeared, he unleashed it.
A raging blizzard swept across the battlefield, swallowing Brihav's forest whole. The dense greenery that had hidden Brihav's movements disappeared beneath endless snow and ice.
With nowhere left to hide, Brihav finally fell.
After eighteen minutes, Lilo equalized the score.
---
The third bout featured Junith against Sarenya.
Junith relentlessly pushed forward with her spear, strengthening every strike with magic, while Sarenya continuously kept her distance, raining arrows across the battlefield.
Again and again Junith forced her way through the endless barrage.
Again and again Sarenya escaped before firing another volley.
The battle became a contest of endurance and precision.
Neither fighter allowed the other a moment to breathe.
After a long and exhausting fight that lasted nineteen minutes, Junith finally managed to break through Sarenya's defenses and secure the victory.
The Grand Party now led 2–1.
---
The fourth bout brought Grauven against Orin.
Grauven charged forward the moment the battle began, unleashing his usual overwhelming offense.
His twin axes blazed with fire while thunder crackled around them.
For the first few minutes, it looked like another dominant performance from the Golden Beast.
But Orin remained perfectly composed.
Rather than meeting strength with strength, he relied on years of experience.
Every step was measured.
Every spear thrust forced Grauven to adjust.
Slowly, the momentum shifted.
Grauven, who had dominated countless opponents through sheer power, found himself being outclassed by superior technique.
His attacks were redirected.
His openings were exploited.
The crowd watched in surprise as Orin steadily controlled the battle.
Grauven smiled.
This was exactly the kind of fight he wanted.
Instead of becoming frustrated, he adapted.
His attacks became less reckless and far more calculated.
Combining his overwhelming physical strength with his growing rhythm, he slowly reclaimed control.
The battle became increasingly one-sided.
Orin continued resisting with everything he had, but the Golden Beast's relentless offense eventually proved too much.
After twenty-one minutes, Grauven emerged victorious, tying the overall score once again.
2–2.
Everything now came down to the final battle.
---
Silence spread across the arena as the two captains stepped onto the battlefield.
Cyrus.
Arveth.
One would lead his team to glory.
The other would fall just short.
The referee signaled the start.
The two captains clashed immediately.
Magic erupted across the battlefield as Cyrus seamlessly switched between his four elements, constantly changing the rhythm of the battle.
Arveth answered every attack with calm precision.
His spear moved like flowing darkness, reading each movement before it even happened.
Neither fighter gained a clear advantage.
Whenever Cyrus appeared to gain momentum, Arveth stopped him.
Whenever Arveth launched a decisive attack, Cyrus answered with another element.
The crowd watched in complete silence.
No one dared blink.
This was a battle worthy of deciding the championship.
Both captains continued pushing each other higher and higher.
The pressure inside the arena kept increasing.
It felt as though both of them were preparing to reveal something even greater.
And then... BOOM!!
A deafening explosion echoed from somewhere outside the arena.
The entire stadium shook violently.
Everyone froze.
Moments later... Thick black smoke began rising from different parts of the arena.
The cheers vanished instantly.
Panic spread through the audience.
Officials rushed through the stands, trying to understand what had happened.
Then, one after another, spectators began collapsing.
The smoke had started making people lose consciousness.
Emergency alerts echoed throughout the stadium.
Royal guards immediately surrounded the royal seating area while medical teams rushed toward the crowd.
The fighters instinctively gathered together.
Then... Someone pointed upward.
At the very top of the arena... Three mysterious figures stood silently upon the highest wall.
Each wore a dark cloak that completely concealed their identity.
Every eye in the stadium turned toward them.
Fear spread among the audience.
Yet many of the world's strongest fighters showed no fear at all.
After all, nearly every elite team that had participated in the Grand Tournament was present to witness the finals.
But that was exactly what made the situation even more alarming.
If someone had dared to attack now...
Then they had undoubtedly come with a plan.
The officials immediately instructed every remaining fighter to stay prepared for combat.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
The entire arena waited...
...for the three mysterious figures to make their first move.