The referee's hand dropped, silencing the crowd with a gesture. His voice rolled across the coliseum, formal yet edged with anticipation.

"The lots were drawn yesterday, we move to the Team Arena Pre-Quarterfinals. Sixteen teams stand at the threshold. Only eight will advance."

A ripple of tension cut through the stadium. The referee raised his hand again, two fingers extended.

"Unlike the Rumble Royale, where the elimination of a single member spelled defeat for the whole squad, these matches are different. Here, victory demands total domination. Every single member of the opposing team must be eliminated, whether beast or handler. Only then will your team claim triumph and move forward!"

The declaration ignited the crowd into thunderous cheers. It was the kind of match spectators craved—no lucky strikes, no single weak link tipping the balance. Just raw, complete battle.

"First match!" the referee bellowed, pointing toward the eastern gate. "Team Eleven!"

The roar that followed rattled the walls. Aston stepped forward with his companions—Marcellus at his side, Ivy clutching her staff, Selene whispering softly to her dove, and Brennar hefting a mechanical case that clicked with restrained power. Gray padded at Aston's heels, Mirage circling above.

"Versus," the referee's hand swept to the western gate, "Team Nine!"

The opposite doors yawned open. Five figures strode out, their beasts matching them step for step. A spear-wielder with a hawk-eyed wolfhound, an armored girl guiding a hammer-shelled tortoise, a wiry boy with twin spirit vipers coiling his arms, a stocky brute whose boar's tusks glinted, and a calm robed enchanter who trailed motes of light around his fingertips.

The crowd erupted again, eager for the clash.

The referee raised his hand. "Remember! The match ends only when one team is completely eliminated. No exceptions. No survivors." His hand cut through the air. "Match One—begin!"

The arena space rippled as the barriers solidified, locking both teams within. The battlefield terrain shimmered into place—a wide, rocky plain with scattered stone pillars, offering both cover and vantage.

Marcellus cracked his knuckles, his beast snarling beside him. Ivy's enchantments flared faintly as sigils spun around her staff. Selene pressed her palm to her dove's feathers, drawing out threads of healing light. Brennar knelt low, mechanical limbs from his case unfolding into position like hungry spiders.

Aston let his gaze cut across the enemy line, his calm voice steady. "We end this fast. No dragging it out."

Gray's claws scraped the stone, Mirage glinting high above in the light.

The signal gong thundered, vibrating through the coliseum.

Both teams surged forward.

Dust exploded from underfoot as Marcellus broke into a charge, his beast—a wolfhound—barreling beside him with a deep-throated snarl. Beside them, Ivy extended her staff, her fox covered with runes pulsed into a protective lattice that shimmered around Team 11 like a translucent veil.

"Shell cast, holding strong!" she cried, breath quick.

The enemy spear-wielder roared, his wolfhound bounding ahead. The ground shook with the pounding of paws, fangs bared like jagged knives. Behind it, the armored girl dropped her hand flat against the hammer-shelled tortoise. The beast rumbled, plates locking into position, before it spat a beam of compressed essence straight across the arena.

"Brennar, wall—now!" Aston barked.

Brennar slammed his construct onto the ground. A segmented barrier shot up in an arc, intercepting the tortoise's beam. Sparks flew as metal screamed against condensed essence, but the barrier held long enough for Marcellus to close the distance.

With a crack of his knuckles, Marcellus hurled his fist forward, aura surging down his arm. His wolfhound mirrored the motion, leaping in tandem—fangs colliding with the wolfhound in a furious grapple.

The two beasts tore into each other, claws raking stone, teeth snapping. Marcellus ducked a spear thrust, muscles flexing as he twisted the shaft and slammed his shoulder into the enemy handler, knocking him staggering.

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"Press him!" Aston's voice cut through the chaos.

Above, Mirage flared its wings. Four frost sigils spiraled toward her allies—Fractured Halo—before crashing down onto the battlefield. The enemy's wolfhound howled as the frost burned into its flank, sluggishness already creeping into its limbs. The spear-wielder cursed, struggling to command both beast and body.

The wiry boy stepped forward then, twin vipers unfurling down his arms. They hissed, mouths parting to spray gouts of corrosive venom.

"Gray," Aston whispered.

The kitten was gone in a blink. One moment padding at his side, the next a black streak tearing through the air. Surgical Claw flared—a clean, impossibly sharp strike. One viper shrieked, its head splitting in half before it even realized it had been struck. The boy reeled back, his essence connection snapping like a taut string. He screamed as the backlash hit him, dropping to his knees, eliminated in an instant.

"One down!" Brennar whooped. His construct whirred, firing a bolt of condensed essence into the boar-handler's flank.

But the stocky brute hardly flinched. His boar thundered forward, tusks glowing crimson, plowing straight through Brennar's defenses. The engineer cursed, rolling aside as his construct was tossed like scrap.

Selene moved at once. Her dove burst with silver light, weaving a protective veil over Brennar. The tusks skidded across the barrier, sparks spraying, just barely keeping him from being impaled.

"I can't hold this long!" she cried, sweat breaking across her brow.

"Ivy, now!" Aston commanded.

The enchanter slammed her staff down. From the ground beneath the boar-handler, jagged glyphs erupted, pulsing with runic light. Emerged from the runic light is her spirit beast—the runic fox. Along with the fox comes chains that bound the boar tight. It squealed, thrashing violently as it the chains tighten.

Brennar scrambled up, teeth gritted. His construct, half-shattered, extended its remaining arms and speared the beast's neck with a precision strike. The boar collapsed, handler screaming as essence tore from him, flaring bright—eliminated.

"Two down!"

The crowd thundered, voices shaking the arena.

The enemy enchanter finally moved, light motes condensing into searing arrows. He swept his arm, sending a volley toward Aston's group. Mirage dove, wings spread, unleashing Icy Gale. A blizzard-wind clashed against the light arrows mid-air, shattering half of them. The rest rained down, slamming against Ivy's ward. Her staff shook violently, but she held firm, her knuckles white.

"Marcellus!" Aston called.

The brawler grinned savagely. He spun on his heel, his wolfhound still locked with the other wolfhound. With a shout, he slammed his fist into the ground. His beast mirrored the move, driving its fangs into the enemy's neck. Bone crunched. Blood sprayed. The wolfhound dropped limp, handler screaming as the bond broke. The spear clattered to the ground.

Three down.

Only the armored girl and her tortoise, and the robed enchanter, remained.

"Take the tortoise last," Aston ordered. "It's the anchor."

Gray flickered through the air again, a living shadow. The enchanter gasped, thrusting his staff desperately. Too slow. Gray's claws traced a perfect line across his chest. The man convulsed, eyes rolling back, as essence backlash tore through him. He crumpled, staff clattering to stone. Eliminated.

Four down.

Now only the armored girl and her tortoise.

She bit her lip, drawing her blade. "You'll have to break us both!"

The tortoise reared up, slamming its shell down. A shockwave burst outward, hurling Marcellus and Brennar sprawling. Ivy staggered, blood dripping from her lip. Selene's dove shrieked, wings flooding with healing light as she struggled to stabilize the team.

The armored girl dashed forward, blade glinting. She cut straight for Aston.

Gray materialized between them, eyes blazing. His claws arced upward, catching her blade mid-swing. Metal shrieked against obsidian talons. Sparks rained.

Aston didn't flinch. He extended a hand. "Now, Mirage."

From above, the owl descended. The ring of frost beamed. Fractured Halo locked into place, a circle of chilly air sealing the tortoise and its handler.

The tortoise roared, trying to resist—but frost crept across its shell. The girl screamed, slashing wildly, but her movements slowed, aura sluggish under the frostbite.

Marcellus surged up from the ground, his wolfhound at his side. Together, they struck—a punch like a hammer blow, fangs sinking into the tortoise's throat. Brennar's construct fired its last bolt, striking the armored girl in the chest. She screamed, collapsing as essence backlash ripped her down.

The tortoise shuddered, then fell still.

Silence hung for one brief moment.

Then the referee raised his hand. "Victory—Team Eleven!"

The crowd erupted like a storm, chanting, clapping, stomping the stands. The sound rattled the arena as Aston and his group stood amidst the wreckage, breathing hard but victorious.

Gray flicked blood from his claws. Mirage swooped low, perching on Aston's shoulder. Selene sighed in relief, her dove finally dimming its light. Brennar laughed shakily, clutching his battered construct. Ivy leaned on her staff, exhaustion in her eyes but pride too. Marcellus rolled his shoulders, grin wide, his beast still dripping blood from its muzzle.

Aston looked toward the crowd, toward the teams waiting their turn.

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