"Nyx..." Noah smiled, blood glistening on his teeth. "Awaken."
The words hung in the air for a heartbeat before a dark purple portal materialized in the center of the arena. Red mist poured from its depths, quickly filling the enclosure and obscuring everything within.
The crowd's collective gasp echoed through the stadium as they rose to their feet, straining to see through the red haze.
"What's happening?" someone shouted from the stands. "Is this part of the match?"
In the operations center, technicians frantically worked their consoles as alarms blared.
"Sir!" A technician called to the head official. "We're detecting a massive energy spike from within the arena. It's... it's off the charts!"
The official leaned forward, brow furrowed. "Classification?"
The technician swallowed hard. "Preliminary readings suggest Category 5 beast-level energy, sir. But that's impossible—there are only human contestants in there."
"Which contestant is causing it?"
