Outside the coliseum, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement as the audience watched the slowed replay of Denwen's one-shot of the martial bunny. The crowd's awe was palpable, murmurs blending with thunderous cheers as the moment played over and over from multiple angles. Each replay captured the sheer velocity of Denwen's spin, the crackling intensity of his aura-imbued gauntlet, and the clean, brutal snap of the bunny's neck—all in stunning high-definition essence projection.
"Wow! The captain of the 3rd squad just proved his strength! A mere mid Rank 1 disaster couldn't even withstand a single blow from the Crimson Academy's rising prodigy!" Cyra exclaimed, her voice full of excitement.
"But unfortunately," Cairo added, shifting the focus, "it looks like they're getting outnumbered. Three more martial bunnies—early Rank 1—are surrounding them, and from what we've seen, more are lurking in the forest shadows. The real challenge has just begun."
Up in the stands, Vahn glanced sideways at Varek and Racheal, who looked unusually calm considering their son's situation.
"Hey, aren't you guys even a little bit worried about what Den is facing right now?" Vahn asked.
Varek grinned, his arms crossed proudly. "Worried? No. If anything, I'm concerned for the bunnies. Poor things have no idea what they're dealing with."
Racheal just laughed and nodded in agreement, eyes glued to the screen.
________________________________________
Meanwhile, in another quadrant of the Martial Bunny Dungeon, Melissa's squad was locked in a high-speed battle.
The air was tense, thick with the heat of essence flares and the pungent scent of burnt grass. The soft crunch of pine needles underfoot was barely audible beneath the rapid thumping of heavy bunny feet. These weren't the massive ones—they were smaller, faster, more like aggressive shadows darting through the underbrush.
The forest was vibrant—towering trees with thick green leaves rustling gently above, while colorful birds and glowing butterflies scattered to escape the conflict. Despite the beauty, the atmosphere was charged with danger. The scent of ozone clung to the air, a telltale sign of magical clashes.
The martial bunnies—sleek, furred creatures with large muscular limbs and glowing eyes—darted from shadow to shadow, delivering hit-and-run strikes with precise, thudding punches before hopping away in bursts of wind.
"Steve, use your shield! Protect Zain like your life depends on it!" Melissa shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.
Steve—a broad-shouldered boy with a rune-etched tower shield—grunted in affirmation. Sparks flew as a bunny's kick slammed into his shield, causing him to skid backward, boots dragging through soil.
Zain, a slender boy , was breathing heavily, falling into a defensive position behind the shield.
"Jexar, sheathe your blade and stand back. Vireya, buff my mana reserves up. Let's end this nonsense." Melissa snapped.
Jexar, a dark-haired youth with sharp eyes and a hesitant stance, did as told, slipping his blade back and stepping behind Vireya—a soft-spoken girl in flowing crimson and gold robes.
Vireya's hands moved in practiced fluidity, red runes glowing around her palms. The moment her enchantment settled over Melissa, the very air around the captain shimmered.
Melissa raised her hand, placing two fingers in front of her face. Her other hand drew a swift, circular motion through the air, forming a blazing red sigil. The heat radiated outward, causing the leaves around her to wilt.
"This took me a while to master. If you survive this... it would be a shame to my effort."
With a sharp clap, the sigil expanded into a fiery ring, slicing outward with a sound like shattering glass. It passed through the forest like a divine blade—tree trunks split, glowing lines burned through bark and wood, and the air itself seemed to tremble.
The martial bunnies—fast as they were—were still caught in the expanding radius. Sizzling essence flared, and the air filled with the acrid stench of burning fur. Ash fell like black snow.
Those that barely avoided the ring scurried toward the outer forest—until Melissa, eyes narrowing, exhaled slowly.
"EXPLOSION."
The word triggered a chain reaction. Every trace of her flame ring ignited violently, and massive eruptions tore through the area. The once-thick canopy was shattered, trees exploded into embers, and an inferno surged outward in concentric waves. Shockwaves ripped across the clearing, kicking up leaves and dust into a swirling hellscape.
When the smoke cleared, the battlefield was unrecognizable. Tree stumps smoldered, and glowing bunny cores rolled across the blackened earth.
"Hey Melissa," Jexar said, voice full of awe, "when did you start using explosion magic?"
Melissa flicked her hair back, expression calm. "It's just an offshoot of fire magic. Not that hard to pick up."
The team began regrouping, collecting dropped cores, when from the treeline…
"Melissa watch were you release your attacks, last I checked we aren't the dungeon bunnies" Jay said approaching with a fuming face, his team covered with a layer of ice, the ice mage on his team sweating.
"Well, it isn't my fault you were caught up in my range" she replied folding her hands
"What do you mean it wasn't your fault, if I hadn't picked Soren here because Denwen had picked up Carl, do you think we would have still be unscathed" Jay said fuming but Melissa just began walking away uninterested her teammates following right behind.
Steve turned back quickly bowing to apologize silently until...
BOOM. BOOM.
Thudding impacts vibrated the ground.
Branches shook. Leaves scattered.
And then it emerged.
A 9-foot-tall martial bunny, its fur matted with streaks of essence lines, eyes glowing with fury. Its arms were thick as tree trunks, knuckles dragging the ground slightly as it exhaled through its twitching nose. On its back, a glimmering red crystal.
Its presence distorted the air. The pressure was immediate.
It flexed its massive front limbs—paws clenched like boxing gloves—and slammed them together, producing a thunderous crack that echoed for miles.
Jay and his team—still recovering from the collateral damage of Melissa's spell—were the first to respond.
"Shit. You've gone and done it now, Melissa," Jay muttered, stepping forward. His hand reached behind him, drawing out a sleek rod.
The rod pulsed with dark green essence as he channeled his power. The energy surged, crackling. With a shimmer of light, the rod transformed—its end expanding and twisting into the head of a massive sledgehammer, the metal gleaming with runes.
________________________________________
"Looks like Team 4 and Team 5 are in a bit of a pickle," Cyra said, the main screen splitting to zoom in on both teams' perspectives.
"Team 5 Captain, Melissa Ignisclade, made short work of multiple martial bunnies using high-level explosion magic," Cairo commented. "But that seems to have attracted the dungeon boss—the Martial Chief."
The audience's excitement dimmed into nervous murmurs. Many recognized what a dungeon boss meant. This wasn't training. This was survival.
"Oh?" Cyra's voice rose in surprise. "It seems Team 4's Captain, Jay, has a trump card of his own. His aura just flared to Peak Rank 1! Looks like he was hiding that breakthrough for the right moment."
Back in the dungeon, the wind picked up. The Martial Chief took a single step forward, and the earth cracked beneath its foot. The force of its aura pressed down on everyone—Steve dropped to one knee, Zain stumbled backward, and even Vireya gasped, clutching her chest.
"Jexar, keep our rear clear," Steve growled, sweat rolling down his temples as he re-positioned his shield.
"I'll try!" he shouted, spinning to defend their flanks. Two low-ranked bunnies were closing in, likely drawn by the energy.
Vireya closed her eyes, reaching deep to channel another essence buff—her fingers trembling as the very environment resisted her.
Jay's hammer hit the ground with a quake, kicking up a ring of dirt and aura as he lowered into a combat stance.
The Martial Chief grinned—yes, grinned—and launched forward with an explosive leap.
It vanished.
And then—
BOOM!
It reappeared mid-air, its paw arcing downward like a falling meteor.
The ground shook.
Fire, ice, and essence collided.
And the true fight began.
________________________________________
"Now, with two Peak Rank 1 students going head-to-head against the Dungeon Boss, we might witness something truly unprecedented," Cairo said, gripping the edge of the desk.
"Everyone expected Roy Clifford to take the win," Cyra said, the screen briefly flashing to a montage of Roy's dominance—three green crystals, two blue, martial bunnies flattened like pancakes.
"But it looks like fate has different plans."
Back in the coliseum, the chants had faded.
The space had gone quiet.
All eyes were now locked on the battle.
Two teams. One Dungeon Boss. And a red crystal that could end it all.