The roar of the half-giant shakes the arena to its bones.

Dust plumes from cracked stones as the mutated fighter stamps forward. He rips a stone column from the ground, swinging it in a blur. Crimson mist hisses from his flesh as his veins pulse like writhing worms beneath his skin, muscles bulging with unnatural fury.

Pip leaps backward, his feet skimming the air. Water surges beneath him like twin jets, launching him skyward. He twists, spins midair, and lands behind the giant with a whisper of steam.

He beams brightly, his chest glowing with pulsing divine energy.

Another roar. The giant spins, blindly swinging his concrete club with terrifying speed. Pip ducks the blow, then catches the follow-up in one arm. The stone weapon crumples like clay in his grasp.

From the spectator booth above, Vuvi screams, nearly falling over the railing.

"Pip! Be careful! He's thrice your size! He's… he's mutated! He's berserk!"

Veena grips Vuvi's shoulders. "He knows. Just breathe, woman!"

Sera sits on the edge of the railing, grinning. "Just look at him go... he's playing with the guy."

Lula and Penelo held hands, clutching Zora tightly between them as the skeleton mage whimpered dramatically. "Oh, yes yes… please hold me!"

In the arena, Pip snaps both fingers. Verdant roots burst from the ground, coiling around the half-giant's legs. He slams his palms into the earth, and water shoots up from cracks in the stone, pinning the giant's arms like vines of liquid steel.

The giant bellows, straining. Muscles crack, bones reknit, and more mist billows from his skin. The bindings began to snap.

Pip beeps in alarm.

He raises both hands and pushes them forward. The vines surge tighter, thorns erupting from the coils to dig into the giant's skin. Water swirls around the titan's chest and froze solid in a burst of elemental magic.

But it still wasn't enough.

The half-giant screamed. A roar so loud, it shatters windows in the upper balconies. His eyes blaze crimson. The bindings explode as his body mutates again… spines bursting from his back, his arms bulking into monstrous proportions.

He swings.

Pip barely ducks, his torso twisting unnaturally to avoid the clawed swipe. He lands on all fours, green energy dancing across his chassis.

Mika watches silently from the shadows of the crowd, sipping from her oversized goblet.

Her golden eyes sparkle.

"He's surprisingly good," she murmured, eyes narrowing. "Very good."

She takes another sip of her goblet and turns her gaze slowly across the arena, scanning the thinning crowds. Sat near the stone wall were two hooded figures, unmoving, eyes fixed on the fight.

Their mouths moved in steady rhythm, clearly muttering incantations as their hands glow with a dull red light.

Mika tilts her head.

"So damn obvious…" she groans to herself.

One of the figures glances up. Then froze.

Their eyes meet.

Mika's lips curl into a slow, unimpressed smile. Her irises shimmer with golden light, her divine nature barely restrained.

The cultist nudges his partner, panic flooding his face.

Mika sips her drink again, slowly.

"Typical."

She reaches into her coat, pulls out her golde, glowing halo, and with a slow breath... slips it over her head.

It sparks and flares as it rotates into place.

A wave of holy energy explodes from her form. The cultists gasp, bolting to their feet… but it was too late.

Mika's wings burst out in a flash of radiant light, and with a single step, she vanishes from her seat.

In a blink, she reappeares beside them, her bare feet hovering just above on the stone tiles.

The nearest cultist turns, stammering a spell.

Mike simply reaches out a hand, forming a blade of holy light.

With a single swift swing, the cultist collapses in two directions under a spray of blood.

The second figure screams and tries to run, but Mika catches him by the collar, hoisting him into the air with one hand.

"Sit. Down."

She drops him like a sack of potatoes, planting her toes on his chest. "And wait. My boss is gonna want a word with you."

Back in the arena, Pip tackles the giant, slamming him into the dirt.

He straddles the berserk brute, slamming his fists into pressure points with mechanical precision. The giant howled and tried to rise, but Pip flooded his joints with water and twisted vines, locking him down.

The crowd held its breath as the giant's body shuddered.

The crimson mist began to fade. His monstrous features softened. His fingers trembled.

Then, silence.

Pip stepped back, chestplate hissing as he vented steam. His eyes glowed softly. He reached out, laying his palm against the giant's forehead.

A cascade of green magic spills out like water.

Nature's light, rich and pulsing with life.

The giant spasms... then collapses, unconscious.

The team sprints into the arena, Zora trailing behind with exaggerated gasps and flailing limbs.

Veena drops to her knees beside the half-giant as his eyes flutter open. "I can sense it. Demonic magic. They berserked him... this wasn't his fault."

The man blinked, tears welling in his eyes. "I-I couldn't stop myself. I almost killed…" He turned, looking toward the shattered railing, the blood-streaked stones, the crowd still recovering.

"I almost—"

Vuvi stepped in and shoved a flask into his trembling hand. "You almost did. But you didn't. Thank Pip."

The giant turns to Pip, who stands gleaming under the light of the arena, water droplets still dancing across his frame.

He drops to his knees and presses his forehead to the dirt. "Thank you. Thank you for saving me... for saving them."

Pip beeps quietly, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

Behind him, Penelo and Lula both burst into happy tears. Sera clutches her chest and whispers something like, "That sexy metal hero..."

Even Veena's stern expression softens to a smile.

Across the arena, Mika sat quietly over her captive, the wind brushing against her wings and she finished her drink.

She watches Pip kneel beside the giant, healing him and reassuring him with gentle thoughtwaves.

Her lips purse.

"Full of surprises," she murmurs.

She crosses her legs as the demonkin mage whimpers beneath her foot. Mika lifts her goblet, takes a long sip, and smiles faintly.

"Now that's a sex-golem worth babysitting."

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