"Enter the arena, Fido and Leo!" Master Eld commands.


    Excited murmurs ripple through the crowd.


    "Oh, this will be a good one," a student in the stands exclaims.


    "Interesting matchup," another adds. "Fido relies on his bow, while Leo fights with just a dagger."


    Master Eld raises his hand. "Begin!"


    Fido conjures three glowing arrows in his hand and fires them off in one swift motion. Leo sidesteps, narrowly avoiding them—only for another barrage to follow.


    The relentless stream of arrows forces Leo onto the defensive, his dagger flashing as he deflects what he can.


    "He can fire off arrows endlessly?" a student gasps, eyes wide as the battle unfolds.


    Leo grits his teeth and pulls makeshift bombs from his belt, hurling them at the ground.


    a large thick cloud of smoke forms in the middle of the arena. Fido narrows his eyes, his target lost in the smoke.


    Suddenly, small daggers whistle through the smoke. Fido reacts instantly, twisting out of their path. Before he can reposition, Leo bursts from the fog, closing the distance in a flash.


    Leo swings—Fido raises his bow just in time to block. But Leo is relentless. He drives a swift kick into Fido’s stomach, forcing him to hunch over.


    Gritting through the pain, Fido materializes an arrow in his hand and slams it into Leo’s left foot.


    Leo lets out a sharp grunt but retaliates immediately, driving his knee up into Fido’s face, sending him stumbling backward. With a wince, he yanks the arrow from his foot—only for it to dissolve into dust.


    Leo wastes no time, launching into a relentless assault. Fido, under pressure, quickly materializes another arrow—this one glowing yellow at the tip. He fires.


    A blinding flash erupts on impact, disorienting Leo. Seizing the moment, Fido delivers a sharp kick to his chest, sending him stumbling backward. He leaps away, creating distance, and looses another arrow—this one piercing into Leo’s shoulder. Before Leo can recover, a second arrow buries itself into his leg.


    Leo cries out in pain. Fido nocks another arrow, ready to end it—


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    But Leo vanishes.


    A rift lingers where he stood. Fido’s eyes widen as realization sets in. He pivots just as another rift tears open behind him—too late. Leo emerges, driving his dagger into Fido’s back. Fido grits his teeth and swipes with an arrow, but Leo is gone again.


    Rifts flicker open to his right. Then his left. Then above.


    Daggers rain from every direction, a lethal barrage. Leo descends from the sky, dagger poised for the final strike.


    Fido reacts in an instant.


    Holstering his bow, he materializes two short daggers. With a swift backflip, he evades the blade behind him—just enough for the others to miss. The moment Leo lands, Fido meets him head-on. Their weapons clash, locked in a test of strength.


    Leo smirks. "Not just an archer, huh?"


    Fido answers with a sudden, brutal headbutt. Leo staggers—just enough for Fido to blur to his right and strike. Leo shifts to block, but it’s a feint.


    In an instant, Fido reappears at his left. His dagger slices toward Leo’s face. Leo barely reacts in time, but the blade grazes his skin, leaving a sharp cut from ear to lip.


    Fido presses forward, relentless in his assault—but in a blink, Leo vanishes into another rift.


    Without hesitation, Fido reaches after him, but the moment his arm touches the rift, a searing pain shoots through him. He recoils, gritting his teeth.


    Then—dozens of rifts tear open around the arena, encircling him.


    Before he can react, Leo bursts from one at blinding speed, slashing across Fido’s side before vanishing into another. A heartbeat later, he reappears from a different rift, striking again. Then another. And another.


    The relentless assault leaves Fido struggling to keep up. He manages to dodge and deflect some of the blows, but fatigue is creeping in—his movements growing sluggish.


    Every attack he fails to evade leaves another mark—fresh cuts and grazes slicing across his arms, his legs, his face. Blood drips onto the sand.


    Leo isn’t letting up.


    Fido, still dodging, swiftly pulls out his bow. Spotting Leo emerging from a rift, he lets loose an arrow—not aimed to wound, but to disrupt.


    The arrow detonates with a deafening, high-pitched ring. Leo recoils, clutching his ears, and the crowd does the same, wincing at the unbearable noise.


    Seizing the moment, Fido fires a barrage of arrows at Leo, but before they can land, a rift swallows him whole. The arrows follow him through.


    Fido''s eyes widen. "The arrows didn’t burn."


    A grin spreads across his face.


    He materializes a massive bow, nearly as tall as he is. With a swift, fluid motion, he begins spinning in place, unleashing hundreds of arrows into every rift in sight.


    One by one, the rifts collapse—except for one.


    Leo stumbles out, riddled with arrows. His knees buckle, and he crashes to the ground.


    Immediately, the magical students on standby rush into the arena, surrounding Leo and beginning their healing magic.


    "Fido is the winner!" Master Eld’s voice booms across the arena.


    The crowd erupts into cheers.


    “These students are incredible!” one student shouts, clapping.


    “The warriors expected to make the top five are monsters. I wouldn’t last a second against them,” another mutters in awe.


    Maria, already healed thanks to the magic students, jumps to her feet, pumping her fist in the air. "Yeah! Let''s go, Fido!"


    Fido spots Maria in the crowd, her face lit up with a wide grin. He pumps his fist in the air, smiling. Then, his gaze shifts toward the doors leading to the waiting area—where he knows Kai is watching.


    "Your turn next."