The dust gradually settled. And everyone, including Titanforge, froze in shock.
Almost half of the desert had been flattened. In the midst of the destValed landscape, the only thing that remained was a single tower of ice. Its silverish-blue walls shimmered in the sunlight as if completely unaffected by the previous attack.
Suddenly, cracks appeared on the surface of the ice, followed by more and more.
Holding their breaths, everyone watched as the pristine tower collapsed and the lone figure of an ice mage came into view.
Everyone, including Titanforge, watched in shock, not knowing what to say. How could a Diver from Silver League even survive that?
"Wait, what is that?"
The giant screens floating above the rift quickly zoomed in on ArcticBlaze—or rather, the swirling mana that had begun emerging all over his body. Another hush fell over the crowd. Some were filled with anticipation, while others were gripped with dread, but those were mainly with Titanforge's name painted on their faces.
"Ice Phoenix transformation!" someone in the crowd screamed. "He's transforming into the Ice Phoenix!"
It was as if a seal had been broken. Millions of people in the stands went ballistic. The live chat online froze as hundreds of thousands of users typed simultaneously. Even those sitting in the VIP cabins instinctively straightened their backs.
Down in the rift, Titanforge reacted immediately, retreating his giant, battered mech several kilometers back.
At the same time, the entire mech began to shift as, one by one, all of its parts disassembled, falling down into the sand. They then continued to separate, disassemble, and then reassemble. A figure jumped out of the falling mech, covered in an impressive obsidian exosuit from head to toe. In only a couple of seconds, the disassembled mech behind him transformed entirely from a giant hundreds-of-meters-long machine into about 50 tech suits, similar to Titanforge's obsidian one.
Another cheer passed through the crowd. Even the MC was speechless for a moment.
"All this time, Titanforge was trying to deplete ArcticBlaze's mana. He was never in trouble, after all. It seems like Titanforge had come prepared for the Ice Phoenix transformation," the MC spoke, her virtual avatar now standing beside Titanforge's multiple tech suits.
"Even though the Ice Phoenix transformation is strong, it's going to have a hard time contending against so many of Titanforge's exosuits, especially since he'll first need to figure out who the real Titanforge is."
Her voice was interrupted by a giant boom in the distance. A shockwave spread through the entire rift. ArcticBlaze walked out from the center of a crater amid dust and debris. His previous armor was nowhere to be seen; he carried a silver spear in his hand, and his body was covered by many blue scales seemingly made of ice. Even the frozen wings behind his back seemed to have gained more luster.
"Yes! Let's go, ArcticBlaze!" fans screamed at the top of their lungs.
"Kick that tin scrap's ass! "
"Take the title!"
"ArcticBlaze, I love you!"
The screams wouldn't stop. Even though the seemingly new contender had appeared out of nowhere, participating in this cycle's annual Diver Championship, through his flawless victories and several high-grade techniques that would even astonish higher-level players, ArcticBlaze had managed to gain a huge fan following among the masses, even rivaling that of Titanforge, the current three-time champion of the Silver League. Everyone, including those from high above, was curious—which World of existence had ArcticBlaze come from?
"Kill him, Titanforge!"
"Teach that kid a lesson!"
"Pluck that bastard's wings!"
Titanforge's fans wouldn't take this insult lying down, either. A man over 15 feet tall stood up from his seat and walked closer to the railings, carrying a giant drum in his arms. Two others followed behind him, each carrying a large hammer in their hands. The giant placed the drum at the edge of the railing, and the men followed, striking it from either side.
Aware of what was happening, the longtime members of Titanforge's fan club began to chant, "Titanforge,
"Titanforge"
"Titanforge"
Soon, even the neutral fans joined in.
"Titanforge"
"Titanforge."
ArcticBlaze's fans also doubled down, screaming with all their might, trying their best to overpower the loud drumming noise.
"ArcticBlaze!"
"ArcticBlaze!"
"Titanforge!"
"Titanforge!"
Oblivious to everything happening above, both divers walked closer to the center, staring at each other's faces.
"Any last words?" Titanforge asked from one of his exosuits.
ArcticBlaze didn't speak and instead gave Titanforge a deep look before sighing. "After I finish with you, I'll be moving on to conquer the Gold League,"
Titanforge paused and then chuckled. "So arrogant," all of his exosuits spoke simultaneously.
"Do you think conquering the Gold League is only a matter of strength?" One of his exosuits raised his arm in the air, his hand holding a switch.
"You, who fights like a mad beast, relying on pure strength, without an ounce of strategy or mindfulness, think you can conquer the higher leagues."
Several exosuits shot up in the air, and the rest of the exosuits began moving, arranging themselves into a standard battle formation.
"You will be lucky if you manage to keep your head after today."