A foot pressed itself on Eo's body. Eo woke up.
"Get up. We're here to greet the newcomer."
A newcomer? Another one? This quickly?
Eo thought he was pretty special, as he was apparently the first one to voluntarily come in four years.
Mister Zetterbard's entire group was led out of the chambers. They went down winding and confusing tunnels until they reached an opening. They were in the spectator's seats of an arena.
This was apparently a rare event. A newcomer volunteer? Eo realized that this was what happened to him as well.
Mister Zetterbard himself was in the announcer's booth.
"Today we have another special fight! However, this one is probably more special than the last one!"
Eo rolled his eyes.
The announcer continued. "This newcomer is not only a volunteer… but also not a Fool! This newcomer has been welcomed in as a Guest!"
Everyone ooh'ed and ah'ed. Eo leaned back into his seat. As if he was going to get interested in this carnal entertainment.
"Everyone, meet… Reya!"
Suddenly Eo was extremely interested in this violent entertainment.
What was Reya doing here?!?!
Eo leaned forwards and squinted. There actually was a Reya. She was suspiciously eyeing the entire arena. She seemed to have not noticed Eo.
"And on the other side, we have our second newest Guest, Yarbim the Crazy!"
A thin boy slowly walked out the other side. His physique looked sickly and weak, but he was grinning crazily. Yarbim synthesized a metal spear and spun it around him.
All the spectators were intently watching, including Eo.
Reya looked up at Mister Zetterbard.
"All I have to do is incapacitate him, right?"
"Yes, then you'll have your first win!"
Yarbim started laughing strangely. His shrill laugh grated on Eo and everyone else's ears.
"Y-you think you can b-beat the me? M-me is actually the bestest! I'll rip your head off and d-drink your blood from your o-own skull bowl."
Yarbim started cackling while running straight at Reya. A spark of electricity danced on her palm. Yarbim seemed to not care, and pointed the spear straight at her.
Eo shook his head sadly. He felt bad for Yarbim.
A giant blast of electricity struck Yarbim. But something was strange.
After the smoke cleared, a metal sheet protecting Yarbim was revealed.
A section of the sheet fell down, and Yarbim's twisted face emerged, cackling.
A tree of metal erupted from his palm, branching wildly and randomly towards Reya's general direction. She was forced to dodge it until she got backed into a corner.
Then Reya sent a blast of electricity through the tree of metal. As the electricity raced along the metal, Yarbim cut the tree in half, halting it.
Eo was surprised. Yarbim was lucky that essence-controlled electricity was slower than real electricity. It had to be controlled mentally, after all.
Yarbim dashed towards Reya, spikes of metal exploding from the ground around him.
Eo could see a general uncontrolled cloud of essence swimming near his feet. It was literally raw power.
Reya ducked, narrowly avoiding a decapitation. Then, she moved to the side… and got stabbed. Straight through the abdomen.
Yarbim laughed even louder, and then leapt forwards to deliver the final blow to Reya.
The spectators were going wild with ecstasy and bloodlust.
Yarbim outstretched his hand, and metal started erupting from his palm.
Reya pulled the spike of metal out of her body and deflected the first few branches of metal that were now coming. She then rolled out of the way and infused the spike with electricity.
Yarbim landed where Reya was in an instant before, metal tool sharply impaled in the wall. He turned his head with a crazy look in his eyes and immediately started creating more metal.
Metal started getting synthesized from his cloud of essence again, and launched itself towards Reya.
Reya deflected them, occasionally grabbing a few pieces. She then infused them with electricity and threw them back towards Yarbim. Yarbim just synthesized shields from the ground, each raising up to block the attacks.
Reya raised her left hand, and a crackling noise could be heard throughout the arena. In her palm, white stuff glowed and tendrils of electricity started snapping towards the overhead cables.
Yarbim seemed to notice, and created a large personal shield for himself. He skidded backwards until he was backed up against the wall.
Eo noticed Reya took out a dagger behind her back—which Eo recognized as the one he gave to her—and electrified it with her right hand.
Meanwhile, Yarbim started synthesizing a Faraday cage from his shield, seemingly in preparation of Reya's smite attack.
Reya let loose a huge electrical strike from overhead. Yarbim's Faraday cage worked perfectly: allowing the extremely large pulse of electricity to conduct all around him, without it actually touching him. Reya threw the electrified dagger.
Yarbim's eyes widened as the dagger flew right through his faraday cage—he had noticed too late.
There was a disgusting popping sound, and the remains of Yarbim's body flew in various directions.