“Dreadful place,” Happy Cloud commented, bending down to grab a handful of gray dust, “May I ask why?”

“I think you can guess why. There’s no sun, nowhere to hide, and enough of this disgusting skin dust that it’s going to be very hard for you to make your invisibility worth anything unless you decide to try your luck at the pure darkness above us.”

“Not leaving me many options, indeed. I am honored you hold me in such high regards, but if your eye can detect my invisibility already, I have to wonder whether that was really necessary.”

“Would be bad if I took no precautions and just happened to lose an eye at the start of the battle, wouldn’t it? I am just making extra sure nothing can stop me from getting to the finale.”

Happy Cloud nodded, “Thorough preparations are always good. Well,” a long dark cape appeared around the elf’s shoulders, covering his entire body, “I am ready.”

Spatial magic not blocked unlike the real place… Was worth a try. Now I know what to expect with the other arenas.

Sofia lightly stretched, activating her armor and waiting for Love to finish talking to the audience which could not be seen beyond the moon’s ambient darkness.

“And there we are! For the first time, the betting rate is a bit split! Can the adventurous gamblers win big with an Executor victory? Let’s find out, Bone Squad versus Happy Cloud! BEGIN!”

The countdown started. Pareth took his position in front of Sofia, while Pestle stood on his head, menacingly waving her golden knife at the elf.

Cloud jumped back a few times, taking proper distance not to get caught up in Sofia’s aura, while Sofia prepared something new, dumping dozens of bone blades in the dust around her.

That many should be enough. Everyone ready? Pestle, don’t forget the battle plan.

The barrier disappeared.

The arena was dead silent. Happy Cloud had ran far enough to be out even of Sofia’s mana senses.

We stand our ground, Pareth, keep the sanctified on the brink of activation. Sofia mentally ordered as she started channeling an explosive bolt. The longer I channel this, the easier I win, you have no choice but to come, Cloud.

Pestle carefully looked around. Her senses weren’t much worse than Sofia’s so she was to act as a spotter.

“Behind!” Pestle warned.

Pareth immediately teleported to the other side of Sofia, shield raised. The elf struck out of nowhere, like black lightning. His long daggers ripped through Pareth’s shield and two armors, but hit his arm’s bones without being able to damage them. This did not stop his momentum however, as the daggers slid against the bones and continued toward Sofia, the elf whirling through the air.

Pestle attacked somehow only hitting the elf’s black cape. He had teleported in front of Sofia. With an instantaneous strike, his dagger pierced straight through her chest and mana heart.

Sofia almost died. With one percent of her health left from VPPV’s protection, she smiled under her helmet, and turned the elf’s skeleton into a cactus. Pestle struck again right after, ripping off the elf’s head, before Pareth’s oversized hammer came down to transform the happy cloud into a happy bloodstain. His remains and equipment quickly turned into a smelly black dust after his death.

Even without invisibility he’s just that fast, huh… Not dead either. That fake had no mana heart. Some kind of clone? Well, now I’m stuck here.

Sofia decided to dispel her bolt. Being at low enough health for her racial [Pillar of creation] to activate while still over 90% of her mana was a pretty rare occurrence. With a 90 times range increase, which included her mana senses and aura, she felt that she should be able to track down the elf’s real location.

Pareth, did that attack on me mark him with Judgement?

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Pareth silently nodded, looking at a specific direction.

That way?

Sofia’s senses scanned the empty plains, her choice of a terrain so devoid of any outstanding features made her job easy. Happy Cloud’s mana stood out like a sore thumb once Sofia knew where to look.

Found him. Pestle, you go. Long way around. I’ll tell you when to strike.

With a silent nod, Pestle disappeared.

Hmm? Two more fakes. I see. They’re hard to distinguish from the real thing…

Wait… Another one from the left! Pareth!

Pareth’s [Flying shields of light] formed a wall covering Sofia’s left side. Just in time, as a dozen thrown knives hit the shields, getting stuck in them.

The fake had to enter Sofia’s close aura to perform his attack, said aura reaching just over kilometer away from her. One attack was all the fake had time to perform before his own bones started to curve and force him into a mangled flesh ball.

That wasn’t all, the knives exploded. Sofia was pretty confident in her resistance to explosions, more so with [Pillar of creation] currently halving the damage she received, negating her twin ruleset malus, but she still spent the mana to [Heat Death] the explosions away. 1% Health just wasn’t much, and with the opponent being a specialised assassin, Sofia was ever so slightly worried that he might be able to truly kill her through her unlife runes somehow, so she was not going to take any risks.

This got him a second Judgement stack, right? Perfect. Let’s finish this.

I’ll distract him, Pestle, Pareth, get ready.

Sofia took control of the bone blades she had dumped on the ground earlier. Under her control, they all flew toward of the two fake she was still tracking, while she prepared her essence cores, drawing Rejection’s rune.

He’s almost in range almooooost…

The bone blades started raining upon one of the fakes. While [Mockery of the divine]’s Rejection blasted the other one into the sky.

Now!

With a flash of light, Pareth [Divine Warp]

ed away.

Out of nowhere, Happy Cloud was surrounded, Pestle behind him, Pareth in front, unleashing a nova of light and ready to strike. Forced to choose, the elf side-stepped Pareth’s sword.

Pestle shot through his chest. She emerged from the front, covered in blood-red entrails, a shining yellow mana heart in hand.

“Time for LEG!”

The mana heart disappeared between Pestle’s jaws.

[ROUND 11/13 - WIN]

Even if you attack me from outside of my aura, that doesn’t mean you can escape my skeletons. Perfect job everyone.

Sofia and the others were not taken back to the waiting room right away, they couldn’t see Love but they could hear her now that Cloud was dead. “Yet another clean win for the skeleton crew! The executor got executed so fast his signature skill failed to even activate! Only two rounds left! And now is my time to remind you that tickets for round thirteen also buys you a seat for the grand finale, so you better prepare your money! Don’t complain later if you miss your chance to buy! Next up is Sun’s saintess against one of Progress’ heroes, betting time is almost over, be quick!”

Love paused for a second, and Sofia’s group was returned to the waiting room.

Mornn against one of the heroes? Is she fighting Ezerid?

Sofia walked around the waiting room, anxious. She wanted to trust Nex and the high scribes for her awakening, but at the same time, even the battle against Happy Cloud had only gotten her up to fifty two percent, one percent closer to completion.

The Leviathan got it up very fast despite the quick encounter so hopefully as long as one fight is sufficiently dangerous, it could be enough… I just need something that will make me truly struggle… Sen is my last chance, basically. Ezerid gets countered too hard by [Heat Death], even if he goes all out I just have so much more mana than he does…

If Ezerid fights Sen before me and beats him I’m just done, I think…

Well. As long as I win I get the grand finale. Still waiting for that damned bell to ring, so it’s safe to assume by now that the grand finale is where it’s at. Increased difficulty is just what I need so, good that I managed to kill the unkillable god… I don’t even care about the extra reward at this point, as long as I manage to awaken properly.

Oh, the defeated list is starting to update… Let’s see… Mornn won her fight against the hero, it seems. Sen and Ezerid still both around. Oh, Kuli failed at the eleventh round… Unlucky. Good run, though. She wouldn’t beat me in a finale so this is just one round shy of her best possible score. I wonder who got her.

Lost in her thoughts, Sofia barely noticed the time, and was surprised when it was already her turn to fight again. The waiting room’s door opened to the white void again.

Oh, hello, Ezerid.