The arena was cleared once more. The demonic champions retreated, leaving behind an atmosphere thick with tension. Warlord Grok of the Primal Beasts stood, his yellow eyes blazing as he surveyed the Human Realm's platform.

"The demons have shown their strength," he boomed, his voice like grinding stones. "Now, it is the turn of the Primal Beasts! Human Realm, you are next! Send your first champion!"

The Human camp was silent, absorbing the brutal display they had just witnessed. The Demons were savage, powerful and their innate abilities countered many standard cultivation techniques. The Primal Beasts were expected to be similar, perhaps even more focused on pure physical might.

"Dargan!" Great Chieftain Korgath roared, his voice filled with gruff pride. "You are first! Show them the fangs of the Ironheart Clans!"

Dargan the Red-Axe (7th-Core) let out a joyous bloodthirsty laugh. He slammed his massive rune-etched greataxe onto his shoulder and swaggered into the arena, his red beard bristling like a boar's hide. He radiated an aura of raw untamed power.

From the Primal Beast side, a warrior who was Dargan's opposite stepped forward. He was also a 7th-Level Core but where Dargan was a mountain of muscle, this one was sleek, sinuous and silent. His skin was a dark mottled green-grey, his eyes yellow slits and his movements were low to the ground, almost quadrupedal. He had no weapon, only his hands which were wickedly curved claws.

"Varg," Warlord Grok announced. "A wolf beast."

Dargan, eager to test the 'Seismic Cleaver's Juggernaut Art' he had learned, didn't wait for pleasantries. The moment the match officially began, he roared and his Martial Spirit, a twenty-foot-tall 'Spectral Berserker' enveloped in crimson battle-light, materialized behind him, hefting a spiritual copy of his axe.

"Seismic Cleave!" Dargan and his spirit swung their axes in perfect, earth-shattering unison. It was not a subtle attack. It was a wave of shattering force imbued with the weight of a collapsing mountain that tore up the basalt floor as it sped toward Varg.

Varg didn't meet it. He flowed. Like smoke blown by the wind he moved with an unnatural blurring speed, the wave of force grazing the air where he had been before. He didn't just dodge; he moved in a low, four-limbed lope that hugged the ground, his speed easily double what Dargan's human eyes could reliably track.

"Hold still, you coward!" Dargan roared, swinging his axe again, sending another tremor-inducing wave of force ripping across the arena. Varg danced around it effortlessly.

"You... are... slow," Varg's voice hissed, strangely for a wolf. The voice however, seemed to come from all directions at once. He was suddenly inside Dargan's guard, his claws lancing out like black daggers.

Dargan's Martial Spirit reacted instantly, bringing its own massive axe down in a crushing blow aimed at the beast-man. Varg ignored it. He took the spectral blow on his back—it passed through him as expected but the spiritual impact visibly staggered him, causing a flicker of pain in his yellow eyes—but his own attack landed true. His claws raked across Dargan's chest. It teared through the thick armor as if it were paper leaving deep bleeding gashes.

Dargan howled in rage and pain, swinging his axe wildly but Varg was already gone, circling him like a predator preparing for the kill.

The fight became a frustrating spectacle for the humans. Dargan was a powerhouse, each swing of his axe carrying enough force to kill but his opponent was a phantom made of shadow and claw.

Varg would dash in, land a series of raking blows targeting joints and tendons and then vanish before Dargan's 'Seismic Cleaver' could land. He was systematically tearing the Ironheart champion apart, piece by piece, avoiding a direct confrontation.

Varg wasn’t just fast, it was clear from his attacks it was incredibly strong as well. The defense that Dragan was proud of before, the defense that let him ignore so many attacks and focus on offense was failing him. Varg attacks were just strong enough to break through and hurt him.

Finally, after a while of this deadly cat-and-mouse game, Dargan was bleeding heavily from multiple wounds. His movements becoming sluggish and his Martial Spirit flickering from the repeated spiritual impacts of Varg's evasive maneuvers.

Varg, sensing his opening shot in one last time. He feinted left, dodged under a desperate axe swing and landed a devastating, two-footed kick squarely on Dargan's already wounded chest.

The sound of cracking ribs was sickeningly audible. Dargan, his axe flying from his hands, his eyes wide with pain. He was launched from the arena, crashing in a heap at his father's feet, unconscious.

Score: Beasts 1 - Humans 0

Great Chieftain Korgath roared in frustration and bellowed for healers.

"Their speed... their instincts..." Evandra Vane noted, her voice tight. "They fight with predatory efficiency."

Grand Elder Theron's face was grim. "They are hunters. Masters of instincts." He looked down the line of champions. Evandra tensed but was ready. But Theron's gaze passed her, settling on the white robe. "We need to break their rhythm."

"Commander Little Crab," Theron called, his voice calm but firm. "You are next."

Jian Xuan, who had been practically chewing the scenery with frustration on the sidelines. First he thought he was going to get to fight all these people and show his strength. Then there was no fighting, only a tournament. Then he was told he wouldn’t be able to fight in this tournament.

He’s been sulking since but hearing that Li Yu was about to go fight, he suddenly lit up like a sun. "Yes! Brother Li! It is time! Show these ignorant beasts the true glory and unstoppable might of the Crab God!"

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Li Yu ignored him, giving a simple nod to Theron. He walked calmly into the arena, his expression unreadable.

The Primal Beasts, confident with their first victory sent in their next champion: Krull. An 8th-Level Core Formation expert. He was larger than Varg, though less agile. He was a mountain of grey-skinned muscle, thick grey hide covering his shoulders and back like natural armor – a 'Rhino beast.' He carried a massive crude club made from what looked like a petrified tree trunk studded with sharp rocks. He snorted derisively, stamping a hoof-like foot, seeing his opponent.

"A tiny, soft human?" Krull rumbled, his voice like rocks grinding together. "Break easily."

"He will break you, you overgrown buffalo!" Jian Xuan's voice boomed across the entire plain, making the Demons and Cultists flinch. "Brother Li! Offer this bovine sacrifice to the Great One! Let him be crushed beneath the divine claw!"

Jian clasped his hands, his face alight with fervent joy. "Praise the God Crab, his mighty claw!"

The Primal Beasts looked utterly baffled but among their crowd had a strange look on their face. The three leaders from the Primal Beast side looked at each other and whispered quietly, “Could it be THAT group? Those insane lunatics have started to spread to humans?”

“Silence! Don’t talk about them like that. They might have ears here, do you want to upset them?”

“Make sure not to offend those that are yelling those chants later. You don’t have to like them but don’t make enemies of them either.”

On the other side, the Demons looked confused by Jian Xuan’s words. "That madman again!" someone in the crowd muttered. The Cultists looked furious, as if their entire belief system was being mocked.

A voice echoed Jian's call from the human crowd. It was Torin Stonehand, his face shining. "Praise the God Crab, his mighty claw!" he roared, trying to ignite the same "miracle" from Blackstone Gully. "He draws power from our faith! Chant with us! The more you chant the stronger Little Crab gets!!"

His plea fell mostly flat. A few nearby disciples from back then awkwardly mumbled along but most just stared, confused or disturbed. The near-death desperation of the siege was gone; cooler heads prevailed now. The ragged multi-voiced chanting from before did not materialize.

Li Yu fought the urge to sigh. He could feel the stares of everyone. The Primal Beasts were mostly confused. The Demons were watching with narrowed eyes. The Cultists looked personally offended. Torin's lone zealous cries echoing Jian's felt even more ridiculous than a crowd.

Krull, the Rhino beast, was just enraged by the noise and the perceived mockery. "Silence!" he roared, lowering his head and charging. The ground shook under his thunderous steps. He was a living battering ram, his club raised to pulp Li Yu into paste.

Li Yu just watched the charging mountain of muscle. He wanted to test his own strength, see how his body stacks up against one from the beast realm.

Krull swung his massive club down, an attack that carried the momentum of his charge and the weight of a falling boulder, aimed directly at Li Yu's head.

Instead of dodging, Li Yu planted his feet. He gripped the Star-Crusher staff with both hands and swung it upwards in a simple direct block.

BOOM!

The sound was deafening. A shockwave exploded outwards, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and cracking the basalt floor beneath Li Yu's feet.

The crowd gasped.

Krull's club had stopped. It was held fast, inches above Li Yu's head by the black staff. Li Yu hadn't moved an inch.

Krull's small eyes went wide with sheer disbelief. His full-power charging blow had been stopped cold by a human who looked like he weighed less than Krull's leg.

"Impossible!" Warlord Grok roared from the Beast platform leaping to his feet. "No human has such strength!" Earth-Shaker Hurn and Sky-Thane Zera beside him looked equally stunned. There was no fluctuation in aura, that was purely from his physical strength.

Krull roared, putting all his monstrous weight and strength into pushing down trying to crush Li Yu. Li Yu simply pushed back.

Slowly, inexorably, the massive stone club began to rise. Krull's muscles bulged, veins standing out on his thick neck, his feet digging grooves into the basalt but he was being overpowered.

"He... he's stronger?" Dargan gasped from the sidelines where he was being healed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

With a final surge of strength through his arms, Li Yu shoved the club upwards and sideways sending Krull stumbling back off-balance.

"He is STRONGER!!!" Jian Xuan screamed. "THE CRAB GOD GRANTS HIM THE STRENGTH OF THE ABYSS ITSELF! UNBREAKABLE! UNMOVABLE!"

"YOU SEE?!" Torin yelled, vindicated, though no one was listening to him.

Krull roared in fury and wounded pride. He charged again, swinging his club wildly, not with technique but brute force. Li Yu met him head-on again.

Staff met club. Boom! Boom! Boom! Each impact sent shockwaves rippling through the arena. It wasn't a dance; it was a collision. Krull was a berserker relying on raw power. Li Yu was just as strong, no he was stronger. He used the staff not just to block but to also smash it around at Krull’s body, forcing him to block. He was testing the limits of his own body.

He slammed the butt of the staff into Krull's thick knee eliciting a roar of pain. He parried a downward smash and brought the staff crashing onto Krull's exposed knuckles, causing the beast to howl and nearly drop his weapon.

It was becoming clear: Li Yu wasn't just matching the Rhino beast; he was dominating him in a contest of physical might.

Krull, enraged and desperate, abandoned his club. He lowered his head, the thick horn on his nose glowing with earthy energy and charged one last time aiming to gore Li Yu.

Li Yu dropped his staff.

He met the charge head-on, catching the massive glowing horn with his bare hands.

Another shockwave. Li Yu's feet sank inches into the basalt but he held. Krull pushed, bellowing, trying to drive him back to impale him.

Li Yu let out a low grunt and lifted.

The entire arena watched as Li Yu lifted the beast off its feet by its horn, held him suspended in the air for a moment and then with a roar threw him.

Krull flew end over end like a discarded rag doll, crashing onto the basalt with a sickening crunch. He wasn’t unconscious but his pride had been broken and he was confused on how things had gotten here. He knew the fight was over and so did his leaders. They submitted the fight, allowing Li Yu to win.

Li Yu picked up his staff and walked back to the Human platform to the cheering of Jian Xuan, tributing the victory to the great crab god.

Score: Beasts 1 - Humans 1

The Human camp cheered. The cheers were deafening, washing away the earlier despair. The confusion and suspicion from the other factions intensified. "What... what was that?" the Demon Lord Xy'la hissed to Gorgoth. Gorgoth merely grunted his multiple eyes narrowed in concentration.

"It was the chant!" Torin Stonehand sobbed with joy, turning to the confused disciples around him. "Our faith gave him the power to beat the giant!"

Li Yu just ignored the praise, the theories and the stares. Jian Xuan rushed over, practically vibrating. "Brother Li! Glorious! Peerless! The Crab God truly—" Li Yu silenced him with a look.

The Primal Beasts were furious. "It must be them! No way a human has that kind of strength without their inheritance." Sh'ra said from their platform.