Dust and mana settled in the center of the arena and revealed itself to be the least chaotic section of the crumbled stadium.

Alex’s mind catalogued his surroundings, multiple minds working in concert as he descended into the stands. [Feather Step] carried him lightly to solid ground, though he kept the movements short, unwilling to be stuck in a set trajectory with Kinley’s ability to hurl stone walls.

To his right, where the VIP section of the arena stood, Alex saw several men frantically bounding padded sticks on hide drums.

Between the bloodthirsty war cries of the freed humans and the ominous song of the Koru’qai that had amassed outside, the drummers were too flustered to sync up their beat and create the rhythm Alex had heard after the bout several days before.

To his left and at the far side of the arena were pained cries and yells of confusion coming from near the base of the wall.

Uniformed guards in Kinley’s colors scattered clear from the rubble, their plans to ambush anyone attempting to enter the arena backfiring because of the Koru’qai’s powerful magic.

Despite the danger to the situation and the looming fight, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Weeks on the road, experimenting, and monitoring things in the city had him feeling stifled.

Breathing deeply, he slid to a stop, allowing his forward momentum to carry him through an easy step to the stadium bench in front of him. Crouching, he leapt clear of the open space, moving at an angle to his right, avoiding several arrows and another boulder sent in his direction.

His footing slipped due to the impact, but he recovered quickly and drew the wand from his ring.

More attacks began to flow his way, though he noted that almost none of them were magical in nature, allowing barrier spells raised by his off-hand to stop most of them. Dodging absurdly large projectiles from Kinley was easier than blocking them, and he continued his zig-zag movement toward the arena at his normal speed. He was acutely aware of his mana expenditure and the fact that revealing a card like his Swift Spell too early in a fight could prove detrimental.

Before he’d made it halfway down the stands, several of those who’d been attempting to head him off were suddenly intercepted by Koru and other humans storming in through the walls. Frenetic sounds of combat joined the chaos.

From where he stood, Alex could see Kinley turn and begin yelling at his men. The distance was too great to hear what was being said, but looking to his right, Alex saw some loose rubble. He let the grin on his face grow and chuckled to himself.

Using the momentary distraction, he used his movement skill to dash to the pile before ducking behind it. Peeking around the side, he saw Kinley was still distracted, shouting at his men.

Forming a directional spell circle, he used the new control nodes to power it with two runes. When the spell was ready, he let it hang in the air near his body while moving into a squat. Stat-enhanced muscles flexed as he lifted a fallen section of the wall that would normally require a piece of heavy machinery to move.

In a fluid motion, he leaned back and made the motion to “grab” at the spell circle, holding it in his palm before taking the weight of the wall in the same hand. He sprang forward, making the awkward motion of throwing a several-ton baseball, while activating the spell just as it left his hand.

Breeze and Empower runes worked in concert, creating an overcharged blast of wind to slap into the back of the rock.

It connected with such force that the resounding thump could be heard over the clash of combat.

Several eyes, including Kinsey’s, turned in his direction, just in time to see a medium-build wizard holding onto his hat while hurling a stone three times his size across the arena.

As his robes settled, Alex looked up to see the stone hit the sand and embed itself into the wall a few meters from a completely stunned Kinley.

The unreasonable reality of the feat sank in, and Alex couldn’t keep the wild smile from turning into a slightly crazed cackle.

The feeling in his chest, the one that pumped with the natural chemicals through his muscles, reminded him of the first time he’d cast the oversized lightning ritual into a horde of monsters.

Elation and fear mixed with the nerves of pre-battle jitters to form a feeling he was starting to think was close to euphoria.

“We’re going to have a long talk after this is over, kid,” Maelis said from inside his mind.

What do you sound so skeptical for?

“Because I’m starting to question your sanity!”

Alex laughed a bit harder and pushed the thought aside while dashing forward.

Nah, that can’t be right. I’d happily lock myself away in my office and mess with magic if people would just leave me to it.

He slid under a thrown spear, using a single-rune spell to anchor his foot and stand up unnaturally fast.

As he popped up, he threw several normal wand bolts at a nearby cluster of fighters with their backs to him, focused on the Koru fighters attempting to push in.

He dropped a partially siphoned mana stone into his offhand and began refilling his reserves before closing the last bit of distance to the wall around the arena proper.

Now let’s focus and kick the shit outta this guy so I can take his item and go home.

With that, he crushed the mana-drained mana stone in his hand and flung the dust over the side before bracing his hand on the side and lightly hopping over.

Landing in the sand with a dull thud, he found a small, growing group of black and red dressed men and women. Most of them had taken the time to don armor, most made from steel or hardened leather that only protected the most vital parts of the body.

They looked at him nervously, eyes darting to the space surrounding the sands where bulky, rock-born Koru’qai swarmed inside.

There were three ground-level entrances into the arena, closed off by heavy metal gates. Fighting could be heard echoing from the tunnels beyond.

“Pull back to the arena!” Kinley shouted.

Now that Alex could hear his tone, he was surprised to note that the man sounded more frustrated or tired than angry, though this time he didn’t take his eyes off of Alex.

Getting his first real look at the man, Alex tried to scan him. He was surprised to find a thin veil surrounding his status, preventing the scan from working. Recognizing the blocking function of an item, Alex simply pushed against the block, crumbling it.

Kinley winced as whatever enchanted item gave him feedback of the intrusion.

At the same time, Alex’s eyes went wide at all the information that was revealed. The lack of information alone was telling, in a way, about the rest of his stats numbers.

Most shocking was that the three visible stats were astronomically high and didn’t fit at all with what Alex expected from a level 40.

Kinley was closer to the bottom of D Rank than C Rank, yet the man’s stats were four times higher than his own, even with the overwhelming number of titles he had.

Jesus Christ.

He took an unintentional half-step backward, absorbing the information once more. Some of his earlier manic excitement was chilled as the reality of his opponent’s power settled on him like a bucket of cold water.

“Go on then. Go get him,” Kinley said casually, still watching Alex.

Several of those around him looked at him once before moving forward without question or complaint.

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The move surprised Alex enough to pull his attention away from the title and a brief memory of something Aisha had said.

He flowed forward, wand in his right hand, pulsing mana while his left hand spun several more passive spells. Alex was conscious of which spells he used and found his normal fighting style difficult to manage in the arena’s sand.

He swept a foot in an arcing movement to the right, heel of his boot dragging in the sand where it might slide across a solid surface. Adjusting, he finished the movement in time to sway from the axe that someone swung at his head.

Scanning several of those around him, he noted their levels were closer to Robert and his group.

He ducked one blow while moving forward and placing his wand tip on the upper part of a man’s knee, just above his metal shin guard. A quick pulse of mana sent him tumbling and screaming to the ground.

Whipping the wooden wand across his stomach to point to his left, he fired another unaspected bolt at a man who was approaching cautiously with a shield. Two shots at the shield had him focused on protecting his face, and Alex shifted his weight before sliding to the left in an attempt to get into his blind spot.

Without warning, the shield jutted forward with force, connecting with his offhand and shoulder. Alex was able to lean his head back just in time to avoid it colliding with the large slab of metal, but the blow was jarring enough to send him stumbling back several feet.

He cursed, struggling to regain his footing on the shifting sand.

A barrier ward appeared in the space just before him, a heartbeat before a spear thrust connected with his midsection.

Recovering, he empowered his leg and himself with mana, stepping forward and sending a straight kick at the man. The unsuspecting shield bearer was sent sprawling ten feet back, even after bracing for the blow, completely unprepared for the extra oomph that the mana gave his movements.

Catching movement from his right, he was able to create a breeze spell circle just in time to change the trajectory of a weighted net spinning in his direction.

Alex backed up, eyes flicking to the slowly encroaching fighters.

Heart thumping, he took the offensive and decided to show another one of his cards.

Threads of mana spun into shape over his hand, creating one of his earliest creations. The alteration circle hovered in the air for several seconds, allowing him to send a quick volley of mana darts at his opponents.

Having seen a dozen or more mana bolts come from the wand, several of them began to move, while the others prepared to block the light blow.

However, as the bolt passed through the circle, it took on the lightning aspect from the Spark rune. Crackling bolts of power slammed into several of Kinley’s men, doing significantly more damage than they were prepared for. Metal armor hindered some of them further, cries of pain ringing out before the arcing lightning connected with the sand and dissipated.

Hearing several impacts behind him, Alex cursed and half turned to see those who’d arrived in the arena, prepared to activate a skill and reposition.

“Get ‘em!”

Those scarcely dressed humans who’d landed on the sand were accompanied by three Koru’qai, and they charged forward at the prone and off-balance group Alex had been engaging.

His eyes flicked up at the stands and saw dozens, if not hundreds, of Koru watching the sand quietly. Some of them were making their way to the wall along with other humans, prepared to join the fight in the arena.

“Looks like you’ve got some back up now,” Maelis pointed out.

Alex saw Aisha and Robert at the edge of the wall, their backs to him, and waving arms at those descending the stands. It was impossible to tell what they were saying, but their arms waved frantically as if trying to stop traffic at a busy intersection.

A scream of pain from the fight near him drew his attention away just in time to see Kinley walking forward from his position near the pillar with two hammers in hand.

His pace was slow and deliberate at first; his eyes seemed to look lazily at the clash before him. Alex saw him sigh, clean-shaven face looking almost sorrowful.

Up close, Alex guessed Kinley was in his mid to late thirties when he’d gone through his Awakening. Regardless of his physique from before, his frame and shoulders had broadened with the immense influx of stats, though Alex noted that this was the first person he’d seen with stats as high as his, and there was a diminishing return on the growing size in relation to the stats.

Alex prepared his first two rune spell circle since he’d entered the arena.

Only, when Kinley moved, the speed and direction were unexpected. He pushed off with a burst of speed that caused the sand to splash up from where he’d stood, though he moved diagonally. Positioning himself near the wall and then heading at the side of the clashing Koru’qai from the side.

He moved so fast that the first three blows with his hammers had no hope of being blocked.

The Koru didn’t even realize he was there until the second of them fell, and by then it was too late to react.

Alex did his best to slow the man down, dropping his prepared bolt spell for a barrier spell. Hammer blows connected with the barriers, cracking them before a flurry of blows connected with the victim on the other side.

Alex grunted as he felt his mana draining rapidly with little to show for it. The Koru continued to fall under Kinley’s assault, and with them in the way, he had little hope of launching a full offensive at the enemy leader.

Streams of mana flowed from the fallen Koru toward the pillar, and the leaking power from around Kinley’s body grew in time.

His movements grew crisper, and the tired look on his face shifted to one of alert interest.

Realization dawned on Alex as he watched the one-sided fight; this was Kinley’s power. His trump card and why Robert and Aisha were trying to stem the flow of people eager to join the fight for their revenge.

Turning, he saw that most of those attempting to join the fight had been stopped. Robert and Aisha continued to try to talk logic into them, though some couldn’t be stopped.

“Kid, you need to get out of here.”

What are you talking about?

Alex grabbed the back of an escapee’s collar, yanking him off his feet and sending him sliding back toward the wall just in time to avoid a hammer blow to the side of the head.

Stepping forward, he lashed out with another kick and flicked a wand bolt at Kinley. The man, only an arm’s length away, stepped back and watched him closely.

He created distance and moved several pairs of fighters away, keeping a careful distance between them.

Confused by the move, Alex shadowed him, watching the leader carefully. After spending so much time fighting against overly aggressive brawlers and warriors like Rylan, the idea that Kinley wasn’t moving forward to engage seemed wrong.

“I mean that you saw those stats, and I bet if you check again right now, they’re only continuing to climb. The more of your people jump in here to get swatted down, the stronger he’ll get. Worse, even if his own men fall, they’ll also power him up. That stat gap is too big.”

Alex groaned in frustration, wondering if his goal was even feasible at this point. The item seemed important, but he didn’t necessarily need to get it on this first trip into the Rift.

The arena had fallen. The Koru and other humans were freed, with most of Kinley’s men dead or in a state of panic.

He looked at the fight once more, Kinley’s hammers breaking bones and reaping the lives of the E Rank Koru like he was on a Sunday stroll.

Fine. We come back with more Hunters, or at the very least, if he follows us, he won’t get the same benefits of the arena.

Alex ground his teeth but had to concede that the risk did not outweigh the reward in this situation. Patience and planning could make up for lost time without risking more lives.

“Robert!” he called to the wall.

He called twice more before getting their attention and making the “abandon” hand motion that they’d designated during their attempted mission. He mouthed the words along with the hand sign, but Aisha’s reaction confused him.

Her eyes went wide, and rather than frustration, her face filled with fear.

She leapt over the wall, and only as she reached out her hand in the air did he realize what was happening.

He’d been holding on to the Swift Spell in his left hand for more than a minute, wondering if Kinley would make a move unexpectedly. Pulsing his mana into the spell, the world around him slowed.

Alex turned to fight Kinley, moving at almost normal speed. Despite his augmented perception under the spell, he recognized Kinley was moving inhumanly fast in his direction, hammer raised.

Forming a spell circle over both hands, Alex feigned surprise until his opponent was closer.

As the first hammer descended, he activated the anchor spell in his left hand. The blow slowed to a crawl as the spell took effect, and Alex was surprised that it was still moving at all.

Flushing mana to brace his left arm, Alex used one hand to catch the descending hammer while punching forward with his other hand.

A smaller spell circle formed rapidly around his right fist as it shot forward. The threshold-activated spell base was powered by a Spark Rune, and as his punch connected with Kinley’s stomach, the spell activation was automatically triggered by the punch.

Kinley sank to a knee, the punch itself barely affecting him, but his muscles contracting with the power of the lightning spell.

Alex created a bit of distance, [Mana Threads] weaving from both hands to form a circle around Kinley. Raising both hands, Alex pulsed mana through the lines of power just as his head came up to make eye contact.

The crashing bolt of lightning slammed down onto his opponent, bright enough to leave a spotty white streak in his vision.

Several cries of alarm came from those around them, but Alex watched Kinley. His attention focused fully on the fight.

Another spell was already being created.

Two more bolts of lightning followed, changing the physical nature of the sand around the scorched, kneeling figure.

As the sand cleared, Kinley lay prone on the ground, though clearly still alive.

Mana from the surrounding area funneled into him, and Alex did what he could to pull it into his own reserves with [Mana Siphon].

Alex was thinking of how to end the fight when Maelis’s voice cut through his thoughts, urgent and filled with worry.

“Leave. Now! That mist around his body isn’t just mana. Your eye is picking up on his aura. Get out of here, kid. Count those still in the arena as a loss and get your ass out.”

What?

Confusion filled him, noticing the misty power that seemed to rise from Kinley’s body. He’d assumed it was residual mana from the multitude of spells he’d cast, but Alex hadn’t heard Maelis this serious in weeks. Not since he’d been offered the soul upgrade to his eye’s evolution.

Understanding wasn’t needed for action, though, and Alex trusted his mentor enough to listen. He moved back to the wall, where Aisha had landed, and stared at him with open bewilderment on her face.

“Did you kill him?”

“Nope, we’re leaving. Come on,” he said, pushing her closer to the wall and gesturing where he’d jumped from.

“What? Let’s just finish hi—”

“Fuck!”

“Run—”

“OH Shi—”

Shouts of panic sounded from behind him, and Alex didn’t even look, instead pushing Aisha harder. “Go!” he said.

“You’re seeing his aura, but it’s really just one part of it that is spiking high enough for you to see it. He’s burning life force with a skill or talent.”

What the hell does that mean?

He and Aisha leapt up to the ledge, both using movement skills to clear the twenty-foot-high wall.

Only… when Alex tried to grab the ledge, his fingers met resistance. They never cleared the side, running into an invisible force that prevented them from breaching past the wall.

He slid back down the wall, landing roughly in the sand.

“What the hell?”

Maelis continued to explain, one of his minds paying attention while the other assessed the surroundings.

“Life force is an innate power that all living things have. He’s burning it for a boost in power, though it’s not something normally accessed until C Rank; his Vitality and Constitution stats are clearly high enough to have allowed him access beforehand— similar to your Willpower and auras.”

Okay, no time for a lesson. What does that mean for right now?

“His stats are going to be effectively double or tripled while he burns through the life force.”

What?

Alex's mind froze as Kinley rose from the ground. The man's usually expressionless face now bore a crazed smile as he fixed his gaze on Alex. Wisps of misting mana leaked from his body like smoke, drifting into the air around him.

“He is only going to have a limited amount of it to burn. Get away from him or stall. Those are your only options.”