Chapter 114: Rising Stakes

Chapter 114: Rising StakesThe crowd's initial cheers gradually turned to murmurs of discomfort, with some spectators beginning to demand that the officials stop the fight.

"Enough!" one shouted. "This isn't a fight; it's a massacre!"

Back in the locker room, the other challengers watched the scene with worry in their eyes, a mix of fascination and discomfort on their faces. Even Gabriel swallowed hard, unable to look away.

Sia, however, was unmoved. She kept her arms crossed, her gaze steady as she observed the brutal display.

"You reap what you sow," she said, her voice cold and matter-of-fact.

Mercury was still in the center of the arena, and with her foot planted firmly on Jaden's stomach, she tilted her head slightly, as if pondering why her finishing touch wasn't working the same way she'd seen before with Eratz on Melcin.

"Did you eat something this morning?" she asked flatly, almost as if she were sincerely curious. But Jaden could only manage a pained groan in response, his body wracked with agony.

The announcer, sensing the growing unrest among the crowd, quickly intervened. His voice echoed over the arena, almost trembling.

"And the victory goes to... the Raging Wave, Mercury Banks!"

Mercury looked up, momentarily surprised. Then she rolled her eyes with mild annoyance. "Barely started tearing the wings off this fairy," she muttered under her breath.

Still, she let her shoulders relax and, with an almost dismissive wave, deactivated her field spell.

She turned to leave, walking slowly under a mix of hesitant applause and uneasy murmurs from the audience.

But then, a faint voice croaked from behind her.

"C-come back..."

She paused, hearing Jaden's strained attempt to call her back. His voice was barely audible, a weak, pained whisper that wavered between desperation and anger.

"Y-you... come back...," he managed, tears glistening in his eyes as he struggled to rise, his whole body trembling from the pain.

His face was etched with frustration and humiliation as he lay on the ground, unable to pull himself up.

Mercury turned, her expression calm almost mocking. She took a step closer and looked down at him, her voice cold as ice.

"You messed with my brother," she said, her voice low and steady. "So that gets you a life sentence. Anytime you want to fight, I'll be there to give you a correction. But right now? It's over. Because You're not even worth it."

Jaden's fists clenched weakly, his eyes narrowing, but his body was too broken to respond. She gave him one last, look, then paused.

"You need more time?" she asked, her voice carrying an eerie calm. "There's no 'getting better' for people like you. You don't belong here. You'll always be a loser, no matter how hard you try. Quit now, before you make even more of a fool of yourself."

The words struck him like a physical blow. Only he could hear her, but the impact of her words was as devastating as any attack.

Jaden's eyes widened in a mix of rage and despair, his breath hitching as her words echoed the exact insults he had thrown at Milo.

Mercury turned away without another glance, striding out of the arena, her place in the quarter-finals secure.

In the locker room, the moment she walked in, every gaze turned her way, a mix of respect and concern in their expressions.

She gave them a curt nod and made her way over to her friends. Catarina, sweating bullets, greeted her with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"Nyyaa, here she is, our queen of destruction!" Catarina cooed, her voice tinged with a little panic. "Water bottle? Massage? Or maybe a back rub in the bath, nya?"

Mercury rolled her eyes, but a faint smile tugged at her lips. Kaida joined her, hands on the hips with a wide grin.

"That was impressive, Mercury. I respected you before, but now?" She shook her head, grinning. "You're my favorite."

Mercury chuckled softly, shrugging.

"If you're looking for a monster to look up to, you'd better stick with Eratz."

Eratz, who had been watching her with an unreadable expression, gave her a slightly sad look.

She noticed, her eyebrows knitting with worry. seaʀᴄh thё nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"What's up, Eratz?" she asked, half-expecting him to comment on her cruelty.

He tilted his head with a teasing grin.

"Oh, just realizing you've had your mind full of another man all this time."

She blinked in surprise, then laughed, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Idiot."

The remaining matches passed without much fanfare, each favorite quickly dispatching their

opponent.

The crowd barely had time to settle in before the fights ended. The favorites advanced one after another, each in their unique styles.

In his match, Eratz relied on pure physical strength, delivering a single explosive punch that sent his opponent sprawling, the fight over before it truly began.

His decisive, almost effortless victory earned him a roar of cheers.

At sunset, the day's events came to a close, and the ceremony to mark the end of the round of

16 began.

The eliminated fighters lined up with stoic expressions, though the mix of frustration, disappointment, and anger was evident in some of their eyes.

Jaden, with bandages wrapped around his head, face, and torso, refused to leave the infirmary, avoiding the humiliation of facing the crowd in his state.

Among the spectators, murmurs spread as the realization hit that the upcoming quarter- finals would consist only of the strongest competitors.

Some began to speculate that the draw had been rigged, purposely designed to create a final showdown between the best of the best.

The crowd erupted into cheers as the defeated fighters exited the arena, acknowledging their efforts with an ovation.

Then, as the excitement settled, the chairman took to the stage, his voice booming through

the stadium.

"And now, it's time to announce the quarter-final pairings!"

The big screen flickered, the names shuffling rapidly. One by one, the quarter-final matchups

were revealed:

1. Sia Verizion vs. Mercury Banks

2. Eratz Pandora vs. Gabriel

3. Kaida vs. Raya Kobayashi

4. Bastian vs. Catarina

The quarter-final matchups flashed across the screen, and excitement rippled through the

arena as fans absorbed the intense lineup.

Each pairing promised explosive clashes, heightening the thrill and anticipation.

On the field, the fighters faced their assignments in silence, processing the battles awaiting

them.

Sia's composed expression briefly faltered, showing a hint of surprise as her name appeared beside Mercury's. Gabriel muttered to himself in disbelief,

"... The Apex Predator?" His eyes landed on Eratz, who looked at the screen with a dangerous

smirk.

Mercury raised her eyebrows, glancing skyward with a quiet sigh.

"Really?" she muttered. "Someone's definitely doing dark magic on me this week."

Kaida gave her a sympathetic look.

"Hey, at least you get to warm up against one of the best. I've got Raya straight off the bat."

She exhaled, shaking her head. "What luck..."

Eratz chuckled.

"It's perfect. Think about it, now you can show everyone you're the strongest, if you win."

"Yeah, I'll do my best too, let's show them who we are!" a cheerful voice broke in.

Everyone froze, looking around until their eyes landed on Catarina, who blinked back at them,

smiling innocently.

They exchanged a quick nod with her, almost dismissively, before something clicked.

Suddenly, their heads whipped back toward her, then to the screen, then to her opponent's

name again.

Finally, their eyes darted to Bastian, her opponent, who looked like a nobody genuinely

worried.

"How in the what?" Eratz murmured, in shock.

"Wait... how did you even make it this far?" Mercury asked, incredulous.

"Seriously, you're about to reach the semi-final Kaida added, genuinely baffled.

Catarina frowned heavily, her tail flicking.

"You wanna know? It's easy... I ate Mercury's luck, nyahaha!"

They rolled their eyes.

Up in the stands, Ryder leaned forward, wide-eyed.

"Did you see those matchups, Zara? It's going to be insane... All the top favorites are going

head-to-head."

Zara folded her arms, her gaze intense.

"This is the kind of lineup that makes tournaments legendary, Ryder. Tomorrow's going to be

a real showdown."

Victoria, seated beside them, watched her fighters with a gleam in her eye.

"Perfect," she murmured. "Nothing better than a challenge to see what everyone's really

made of. This will be so intense."

In the stands, Cassie, Roger, Colin, and Milo observed the board with mixed emotions. Cassie

bit her lip, her hand protectively on Milo's shoulder.

"They've got tough opponents... each one," she murmured. "I hope they're ready."

Roger placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"They're strong. They'll handle it."

Colin nodded quietly, Milo, however, was practically bouncing with excitement.

"They'll make it through, I know they will!" he said, clenching his fists with determination.

As the arena emptied and the fighters headed back to prepare, Eratz slipped out alone, making his way to the tall building where he'd waited the previous night.

The city was quiet below him as he climbed to the top, the cold night air biting as he waited, hoping to see that familiar figure in the shadows.

But this time, the rooftop remained empty. He sighed, settling into the silence, waiting for

his meeting. Elsewhere, in a dimly lit park, Raya wandered, asking for directions.

She was talking to a man who was engrossed in his phone, his expression annoyed.

"It's a little hard to describe, it's not my hotel room," she said calmly. "I'm trying to find a

tall building... the one I was on top of yesterday."

The man gave her a puzzled look, glancing around.

"You're gonna have to be more specific," he said, sounding a bit impatient.

"There are a lot of tall buildings around here. What's it called?"

Raya tilted her head, her expression unreadable.

"Hm... I can't say."

The man raised an eyebrow, clearly frustrated. "What, are you blind or something? Can't you read the signs?"

Raya opened her eyes, her uneven gaze catching the light in an eerie way. The man's annoyance instantly faded as he took in her gaze, stumbling back in surprise.

"Oh... ohhhh," he stammered.

Meanwhile in a quiet restaurant across town, Gabriel arrived slightly out of breath. He

scanned the room before spotting his companion at a corner table.

"Sorry I'm late," he said with an apologetic smile. "Things got a bit hectic with tomorrow's

prep."

The person across from him smiled softly.

"Not a problem, Gabriel. I know you're a busy man these days."

Gabriel took his seat, letting out a small sigh as he adjusted his collar.

"Yeah... tomorrow's going to be intense. Not sure I can stay very long... so, what did you want

to talk about... uh..."

The person leaned forward.

"Crystal," she replied with a teasing smile. "It's Crystal."