Cheers of excitement were roaring throughout the arena.
"That was amazing!!! Let's continue with the next match! Let's welcome Kuldeep of the turtle tribe and Katar from Musk Ox tribe," Sushant the snake announced.
Both participants enter the arena at the same time but both were different from each other.
Standing across each other, both did not said anything just stare at each other.
HORN!!!
The horn sounded.
And thunder answered.
Katar moved first.
He didn't walk. He didn't test the ground. He charged like a beast just uncaged—head down, horns glowing red with aura, sharp and growing longer with every stomp. The earth cracked under his hooves. Dust rose in his wake.
Kuldeep stood his ground.
His shell was cracked from the last battle, streaked with black and white fractures like lightning caught in stone. His breathing was slow, measured. One arm hung slightly heavier than the other. But his stance was steady. Eyes forward. A mountain waiting for the storm.
Katar roared.
He lowered his head.
And struck.
Horns met shell with a sound like a mountain exploding.
BOOM.
Kuldeep was thrown back—lifted clean off his feet and sent flying across the arena. He crashed through a stone pillar, debris raining around him. The crowd gasped.
Katar didn't stop. He pivoted and charged again, faster this time. His horns pulsed red, trailing steam.
Kuldeep pushed off a slab of stone and turned just in time.
CRACK.
Another hit. This time it was lower—near his side. Kuldeep spun from the force, skidding across the ground like a tossed boulder.
He coughed once. Blood stained the corner of his mouth.
But he rose.
"He still wants to continue?"
"He should stay down."
"He is going to die like this"
The crowd murmured.
Katar narrowed his eyes. "Still standing?"
He backed up, stomped his hoof on the dirt, and then the fire began.
STOMP
Aura flooded his body—not just his horns now, but skin, fur, and muscle. An angry orange glow engulfed him. Heat rolled off in waves. The arena floor hissed beneath him.
"Oh no, he is going to use his special move," someone in the crowd said
"You mean the one in which he became a fireball himself?"
"This is bad, what is the referee doing? he should stop this match!"
Hearing this, Sumit turned to Jack and asked, "Is it really that dangerous? Isn't he just wrapping his whole body with aura?"
"No, it just looks like he is covering his body with aura, but he is changing it. It is normal for you not to have heard of it, but some aura users can change the property of aura if they get a deeper understanding of aura." Jack said in a normal and relaxed tone
"What? So you are saying that his aura can actually burn. So you mean Kuldeep will lose?" Asked Sumit.
"Don't be so sure, just watch," Jack said while leaning back.
Back in the arena, Kuldeep's eyes narrowed.
STOMP!!!
Katar launched.
Not a horn strike.
A full-body tackle, cloaked in burning aura.
He moved like a comet.
WHAM!!!
It felt like the world exploded. Cracks on Kuldeep's shell deepened, after which his whole shell shattered, leaving only the burned body and smoke behind.
At least that's what Katar expected, but unlike his expectation, he was even unable to touch Kuldeep. It felt like he had slammed into a wall.
"What are you?" Katar asked in shock.
When the dust settled, Katar saw Kuldeep not in flames but covered with green aura that was not fluctuating but was stable and covering every part of his body.
Katar snorted. "It's see how long you can keep this up for."
STOMP!!!
He came again, burning aura cloaking him like wildfire, horns gleaming. Another tackle. Another blaze of brutal momentum.
Kuldeep didn't wait this time.
He stepped into the charge.
Aura flooded his arms—dense, rippling, alive. A smaller shield formed around his fists—a rare technique among his tribe. He moved sideways at the last moment and struck Katar's flank with both shielded fists mid-charge.
The ox grunted, stumbling from the redirection.
Kuldeep twisted his body and with full force, slammed his shield into Katar's ribs.
CRACK.
The sound echoed like a falling tree.
Katar didn't go down. Not yet. But his knees bent. His aura flickered. He lashed out with a horn—wild, desperate. It scraped Kuldeep's arm, tearing skin.
Blood hit the dirt.
But the turtle only stepped closer.
He caught Katar's horn with one hand.
His aura surged.
A glowing ring of green energy enveloped his shoulders, channeled into his spine, then into his shell. His eyes flashed.
Then he yanked Katar forward and spun, the full weight of his body and aura-enhanced shell slamming into Katar's midsection.
This time, the ox flew.
He smashed into the ground. Rolled.
Tried to stand.
But Kuldeep didn't give him the chance.
He advanced with terrifying calm, aura condensing into a compact barrier over one shoulder. With precision, he dropped low, dashed forward, and used the shield like a battering ram, slamming it square into Katar's chest.
Katar coughed. His breath left him in a violent gasp.
He got to a knee.
Then Kuldeep grabbed his horn again, leaned in, and headbutted his chest—once, twice—each impact like a drumbeat of finality.
Katar's body jerked.
Then sagged.
Stillness.
The referee moved fast.
Checked for movement. Waited.
Then raised his arm.
"Winner: Kuldeep of the Turtle Tribe!!"
The crowd didn't scream immediately.
There was silence—heavy, awed silence.
Then the eruption.
Cheers. Shouts. Roars.
But Kuldeep didn't lift his arms. Didn't celebrate. He just stood. Shell scorched. Skin bleeding. Aura fading to flickers. But eyes steady.
He didn't fight for glory. He fought to survive. And he won.
"That's the special technique of the turtle tribe's aura armor technique," said Jack
"Amazing, I didn't expect Kuldeep to fight like that, and in the end it looked like he wanted to end it quickly," said Sumit.
"Because he had to win fast," said leo
"What do you mean?" Sumit asked
"The technique of the turtle tribe has a flaw; when used, it will consume aura like oil in fire, which means the user will soon be out of aura," Jack said while counting his prize money.
"That explained it, but it still is a useful technique. I wonder if he will be willing to teach me," Sumit said with a spark in his eyes.