As soon as Little Eagle announced the news, everyone assumed a combat stance, except for Niko, who was completely exhausted.
Sami raised his sword with both hands and took an offensive stance.
Meanwhile, Aasia gripped her sword with her left hand, her head bent downward. At first glance, she seemed negligent, perhaps even shaken, but the exact opposite was true.
Anxiety hung in the air, tension crept into everyone's hearts, while Little Eagle struggled to get up from where he had fallen.
Sami and Aasia focused their gazes on the door, appearing ready for any emergency... But unfortunately, they weren't.
Suddenly, the iron door of the communications room shot forward with insane speed, cutting through the air like a giant sword fired from a colossal bow.
It collided head-on with Sami's sword, which was pointed forward, partially absorbing the blow. But the violent recoil pushed him backward into the devices behind him, completely smashing them.
Then came the door itself, delivering a second blow directly at Sami, crushing him under its devastating weight.
Thus, the team lost a member before the fight even began.
The strike was too fast to see. No one could notice what happened or react to it.
Their bodies froze in place, a primal fear of the unknown washing over them... the unknown that broke the door, and they weren't really keen on finding out who it was.
And from behind the door, a single man entered, with bright red hair, dressed entirely in black, wearing a black mask that hid his features.
Without any preamble, he shot forward at lightning speed towards Aasia, delivering a lethal blow.
Luckily for her, she spotted it at the last moment and managed to parry it thanks to her ability [The Duelist's Body].
Iron clashed with iron, and Aasia was violently thrown back, also slamming into the iron door.
But she didn't weaken. Instead, she shifted her center of gravity with astonishing speed and launched herself back, striking her opponent's face with her sword.
The man showed no fear. He lowered his sword, skillfully blocking the attack, causing Aasia's sword to embed itself in the ground.
But in the next moment, she performed a graceful flip and delivered a kick with her heel to his face.
The man quickly retreated, and a thin crack appeared on his mask, cutting through the white zigzag line.
He didn't know Aasia possessed the ability [Sword Master], which allowed her to turn anything into a lethal weapon, even her shoe.
But no one uttered a word; the situation didn't allow for talking.
Aasia pulled her sword from the ground, while the man assumed a low combat stance and charged towards her at speed, clashing with her in a violent confrontation.
The entire room shook. The walls danced, the lights flickered, but the Colosseum was designed to withstand this kind of impact.
Both duelists displayed terrifying skills, leaving Niko and Little Eagle with no choice but to watch.
They exchanged several blows, creating a whirlwind of swords and sparks, until the man exploited an opening. A quick spin brought him to Aasia's neck.
He struck her violently, sending her flying to the ground, then crashing into the shattered devices.
But he didn't escape unscathed.
As soon as his foot touched her neck, she quickly lowered her chin and stabbed his foot, causing blood to gush forth profusely.
He moved slightly, then lowered his foot and looked at her.
She was leaning against the devices, blood dripping from her mouth, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
The man looked at Niko and Little Eagle and said mockingly:
"Won't you fight like your friend too?!"
Niko was in shock, as was Little Eagle. Their team's two fighters were taken out of the battle this quickly... and the enemy was barely injured with a foot wound.
Niko thought about using his abilities, but his body couldn't handle it, and he immediately vomited.
As for Little Eagle, he was injured, and his abilities weren't useful at this moment.
The warrior sighed and said coldly:
"Tsk... just failures... I thought I'd get some entertainment.
No matter. I'll kill you two, then go back to make sure the other two are dead..."
But before he could finish his sentence, a violent wave of wind struck him from the side, throwing him against the wall with immense force.
Niko and Little Eagle turned towards the source of the attack to find Sami, standing with difficulty, blood flowing from his body, his right leg twisted.
He was leaning on one arm, biting his lip hard, while extending his right hand towards the enemy.
This was his Ability that he had never used before... the aspect he thought was weak, and he had finally decided to unleash it.
But it seemed the blow didn't affect the man much. He got up and charged towards Sami to finish him off.
In the middle of the room, Aasia ambushed him with a decisive strike from behind, causing his blood to scatter across the room.
She possessed the skill [Red Blood], which gave her additional strength the more her opponent bled.
And now, with his blood flowing, she became more dangerous.
It wasn't over yet; a new whirlwind attack from the front threw him off his feet again.
Despite her bruises and pain, Aasia stood up. Her enhanced body allowed her to continue.
The warrior was caught in a vortex: if he attacked Sami, Aasia would hit him from behind; if he attacked Aasia, Sami's winds would strike him from the side.
So he decided to change his plan and headed towards Niko and Little Eagle, speeding up to kill them.
But Aasia was faster. She sliced through his left thigh in the blink of an eye, and a new wave of wind from Sami knocked his sword away.
He moved quickly despite his pain, retrieved his sword, and retreated backward.
He didn't intend to flee; he seemed to be enjoying the fight.
And Aasia wasn't surprised by that, as she too loved dueling.
Meanwhile, Niko and Little Eagle moved towards Sami, despite their exhaustion.
Aasia stood in front of them, confronting the warrior, protecting what remained of her team.
It was ironic that Niko and Little Eagle, though not seriously injured, were hiding behind two completely shattered individuals.
Sami was shattered, barely able to focus, and all he could do was unleash winds at the enemy despite the pain.
And suddenly, the white line on the man's mask lit up.
With that light, he shot off at insane speed, leaving Sami and his team behind, disappearing as he had appeared.
And as soon as he left, a massive explosion reverberated, similar to the one Sami had heard at dawn.
The ground shook for a moment, then calmed...
Did they survive? If these wounds counted as survival, then yes.
Aasia looked at her comrades, and as soon as she saw them, she smiled brightly.
Her red hair, glowing in the sunrise light entering through the shattered door, made her look like the most beautiful thing in existence.
Then she quietly collapsed, losing consciousness.
As for Sami, as soon as the man disappeared, his head fell towards the ground, completely unconscious.
Niko caught him before he fell, and Little Eagle approached them.
Everyone was exhausted... and in a pitiable state.
---