Two and a half meters of pure muscle, his charcoal-gray skin covered in ritual scars that glowed faintly. He wielded a warhammer that was easily as large as Jack himself, the massive weapon's head wreathed in hellfire that never quite extinguished.

"Interesting choice," Kaedor murmured. "Vox is known for his... enthusiasm in combat. Very well, that leaves me with..." His eyes scanned the yard before settling on another figure. "Korr."

Korr was smaller than Vox but no less dangerous-looking.

A Deathfrost Demon, his pale blue skin marked him as one of Pho's own kind. Frost-tipped claws covered his hands.

"A brute," Loryn said, his skeletal smile widening. "This should be fun."

Rynath's gaze fixed on Jack again. "Don't make me regret this."

Jack said nothing. Just watched as Kaedor began moving through the training yard, calling out orders, organizing the impromptu contest.

Other demons began to take notice, their sparring slowing as word spread.

A fight. Backed by three of Pho's generals.

Entertainment was rare in the fortress. This kind of spectacle would draw attention.

Within minutes, a circle had formed. Demons pressed shoulder to shoulder, creating a makeshift arena in the center of the training yard. Their voices rose in excitement, bets being placed, predictions being shouted.

Vox stepped into the circle first, his massive warhammer resting on his shoulder. The hellfire wreathing the weapon's head cast dancing shadows across his scarred face.

Korr entered from the opposite side, his frost-tipped claws gleaming in the light.

The Deathfrost Demon moved with fluid grace, his pale eyes scanning both potential opponents with cold calculation.

Jack walked into the circle last, his black and crimson armor drawing appreciative murmurs from the crowd.

Through his helmet's T-shaped visor, those red eyes that had once been yellow swept across his opponents with careful assessment.

Jack's plan formed in seconds. He couldn't use magic. Lightning would be too recognizable.

But he still had Demonhand and Abyssal Steps. Transformation and mobility. That would have to be enough.

The crowd's noise reached a crescendo, demons shouting and cheering for their preferred fighter. Then Loryn's voice cut through the chaos, carrying an authority that silenced everyone immediately.

"Silence!"

The training yard fell quiet. All eyes turned to the gaunt demon as he stepped to the edge of the circle, his skeletal form somehow commanding despite its apparent fragility.

"This is a three-way bout," Loryn announced, his hollow voice carrying clearly. "Last demon standing wins. No rules and no surrendering." He paused, letting the words sink in. "The victor receives a promotion. Direct assignment with a general and appropriate compensation."

That changed everything. The crowd's murmurs intensified. A promotion like that was the kind of opportunity demons killed for. Literally.

Vox's grin widened, his grip on the warhammer tightening. "Finally. A real fight."

Korr said nothing, just stared at Jack. He was blatantly announcing who his first victim would be.

Jack remained motionless, his red eyes moving between his two opponents. This was going to be interesting.

"BEGIN!" Loryn's command cracked through the air like a whip.

For a heartbeat, none of the three fighters moved. They stood in a triangle, each one assessing the others, calculating who to target first, who posed the greater threat.

Then Korr exploded into motion.

The Deathfrost Demon launched himself at Jack with blinding speed, his frost-tipped claws aimed directly for Jack's throat.

Ice trailed behind him like a comet's tail, the air itself freezing in his wake.

The crowd roared.

And Jack's hand began to transform.

Korr's frost-tipped claws carved through the air toward Jack's throat, the Deathfrost Demon moving with speed that left trails of ice crystals in his wake.

Behind Jack, an ice pillar erupted from the ground with explosive force. The blue ice shot up three meters in an instant, blocking any retreat, trapping Jack between the frozen wall and Korr's approaching claws.

The crowd roared its approval.

Jack activated Abyssal Steps.

Reality folded. Jack disappeared from between the pillar and the claws, reappearing two meters behind Korr in the span of a heartbeat.

Korr's claws struck empty air, his momentum carrying him forward into the ice pillar he'd created. His eyes widened as he realized his target had vanished.

But Jack didn't have time to capitalize. His senses screamed at him as something massive carved through space toward his head.

Vox's warhammer descended like divine judgment, the hellfire wreathing its head leaving a trail of flame.

The weapon was impossibly large and fast for something that size, aimed with the precision of someone who'd spent his life gratifying this one strike.

Jack activated Abyssal Steps again.

He blinked ten meters to the left, appearing in a crouch as the warhammer crashed into the ground where he'd been standing. The impact was catastrophic.

Ice shattered in a radius of five meters, chunks of frozen ground flying through the air like shrapnel. The shockwave rippled outward, forcing nearby demons to stumble back.

Korr barely avoided the blast. His survival instincts saved him, hisnlegs coiled and launched himself upwards just as another ice pillar erupted beneath his feet.

The frozen column shot him into the air, carrying him above the destructive radius of Vox's attack.

The Deathfrost Demon landed twenty feet away in a crouch, his frost-tipped claws scraping against the ice as he slid to a stop. His pale eyes moved between Jack and Vox, recalculating his approach.

"Did you see that?"

The voice came from the edge of the arena, where the three generals stood watching. Kaedor leaned forward, his merchant's face creased with confusion.

"That movement technique," Kaedor continued, his eyes fixed on Jack. "The way he just... displaced. I haven't seen anyone use spatial manipulation like that since..."

He trailed off, his expression darkening.

Rynath's scaled skin rippled with something that might have been concern. "Since who, Kaedor? Finish your thought."

"No one," Kaedor said quickly. Too quickly. "I'm just saying it's unusual. Most demons don't have access to that kind of magic."

"It's not just spatial manipulation," Loryn observed, his hollow eyes never leaving Jack's armored form. "Look at his hand."

All three generals' attention shifted to Jack's right arm, where black scales had begun spreading across the surface. The transformation was subtle but unmistakable, demonic flesh replacing whatever had been there before.

"Transformation magic," Loryn said with interest. "He's using physical augmentation alongside teleportation. That's... not a common combination."

"Is that legal?" Kaedor asked.

"There are no rules," Rynath reminded him, though her gaze remained fixed on Jack with an intensity that suggested she was reassessing everything she thought she knew about this soldier.

In the arena, Vox wrenched his hammer from the crater it had created. Hellfire flared brighter around the weapon's head, responding to his rising anger.

His scarred face twisted into something between a grin and a snarl.

"Running away?" Vox's voice boomed across the training yard. "Coward!"

He raised his hammer skyward, and the ground around him began to glow with internal heat. Runes carved into the ice started to smoke.

"PILLARS OF FIRE!"

Magic erupted from Vox's position in a wave of destruction. Columns of flame shot up from the ground in a circular pattern, each one three meters wide and reaching toward the crimson sky.

The fire pillars formed a deadly perimeter around Vox, creating a ring of flames that would incinerate anything that came close.

But Vox wasn't done. He slammed his hammer into the ground, and more fire pillars erupted randomly across the arena.

One after another, flames burst from beneath the black ice, transforming the training yard into a hellscape of burning pillars.

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