The arena went silent like a graveyard.
It wasn't the quiet of boredom or waiting. It was the kind of silence that pressed down on the chest, thick and suffocating. The kind of silence that meant everyone knew what was about to happen mattered.
I stood in the center, staring across at Denji. His energy alone weighed on me like a mountain. Even before the referee raised his hand to start the match, my knees wanted to buckle.
Denji tilted his head, eyes narrowing. "So you're the Alpha Killer, huh? I've heard about you."
His golden eyes glowed faintly. Predatory irises, slit like a beast's. For the first time, I realized what it felt like to be prey. His voice was calm, but carried the edge of certainty. "Look… I don't like hurting those weaker than me. Quit now, before things get serious."
For a moment, my chest tightened. The weight of his aura was unlike anything I had felt. But then — Fearless Tenacity activated. The fear evaporated, burned away by the stubborn fire that had carried me this far. My lips twisted into something between a smirk and a grimace.
"Thanks," I said, "but I'll take my chances."
Denji exhaled softly, like a teacher disappointed in his student. "Your choice."
The referee's hand cut the air. "Begin!"
I activated Echo Sense and Void Sense immediately, sharpening my perception to the limit. And yet —
Nothing.
Denji vanished.
Even with my boosted senses, he was beyond me. The next moment, my back hit the ground with a hard thud. My vision spun. It wasn't a strike. He had simply brushed my legs, tripping me with casual ease.
Too fast. Too simple. Too humiliating.
I looked up at him — standing calm, relaxed, as if this fight was nothing more than stretching before training. He hadn't even used aura to defend when I scrambled back up and lunged with Dash. My strike landed, but it was like punching against a statue. He didn't move. Didn't flinch. Didn't even acknowledge it.
The crowd was silent as a graveyard. The qualifiers stared with blank faces. No one was impressed. No one believed I had a chance.
Denji finally spoke, his voice cutting through the dead air. "That's enough."
Yellow lightning crackled across his body, arcs sparking against the arena floor. His serious aura flared for the first time.
"I'll use five percent," he said, eyes glowing brighter. "Be glad you made it this far. You're strong."
Strong?
Before I could even process it, he moved. His fist came, wrapped in yellow lightning, tearing the air apart as it surged toward my face. My body refused to move.
BOOM.
The impact was deafening, thunder echoing through the stands. Pain exploded across my skull, rattling my teeth, my ears ringing as though the heavens had cracked. My knees buckled. My back bent. The world tilted.
"It's over," someone in the crowd whispered.
"Poor kid," another muttered.
Denji turned away, already convinced I was finished. My legs trembled, my back tilting toward the ground.
Then—
[Ding!]
Beastline Sample Detected: Snake (Broodscale Matron).
Activating…
I couldn't even see straight. My mind was fading, slipping toward unconsciousness. Regret burned hotter than the pain.
Strong? He called me strong?
What strength? I couldn't even touch him. One hit and I was done. Rage boiled in my chest, helplessness clawing at my ribs.
Pathetic… weak…
"I am strong," I hissed through bloody teeth. My vision dimmed. "I AM STRONG!"
The system's voice cut through the darkness.
> Snake Beastline Sample evolving…
Viper Aura Armor — Activation Complete.
The world around me vanished.
I was standing in the white void again. Empty. No alphas watching this time. No guidance. Just me — and a faint, endless hissing and then silence.