A massive arena was packed with spectators, all eyes on the battle taking place in the heart of Planet Meta. Kai, sitting among the crowd, cheered for Eugene with all his might.
Inside the arena, Luminous was hit by Eugene's charge—a body propelled like a flaming arrow straight at him, tearing Luminous' cloak to shreds. Luminous fixed his gaze on Eugene, piercing into his mind, and attempted to use his mind-control technique.
Eugene froze for a moment under the psychic assault, then regained his composure and said, "Mind control, huh? That won't work on me. I've trained my mind, and some of my friends can do the same."
Hearing this, Luminous snapped his fingers and swung his hand outward. A massive gust of wind blasted toward Eugene, sending debris and rocks flying in every direction. Standing firm against the force, Eugene taunted, "Is that all? The power of the former Left Hand?"
Eugene then grabbed a flat bottle of alcohol, took a swig, and set himself ablaze in drunken fury, charging at Luminous wildly. Luminous dodged the attacks and leapt back, creating distance between them. Eugene lunged again at high speed, throwing a flurry of punches. Luminous evaded every strike, grabbed Eugene's arm, and swung him away, sending him tumbling across the arena.
"Clunk, clunk, clunk…"
Eugene quickly sprang to his feet and charged again, only to be met with Luminous' repeated counterattacks. Then, Luminous raised his hand to the sky and declared, "I call upon the winds of this land! Sweep forward and destroy all before me!"
Instantly, the wind whipped into a violent storm. Clouds swirled overhead, creating a massive vortex that tore through the arena. The gale slammed into Eugene, who stood ready to attack, knocking him unconscious. Gradually, the winds subsided, and the sky returned to normal.
The arena commentator announced in astonishment, "What was that just now? A gigantic storm on the battlefield! Is this Luminous' power? But first, we must acknowledge the victor… the winner is Luminous!"
The announcement echoed across the arena, leaving the crowd in awe of the immense storm they had just witnessed. Meanwhile, a guardian with earth-manipulation abilities repaired the arena floor, and others brought a stretcher to carry the unconscious Eugene away for treatment.
The commentator continued, "Next up: Kai versus Tosdoll. Competitors, please prepare to enter the arena!"
Amidst the cheering crowd, fireworks exploded with a series of "Whoooosh! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Tosdoll and Kai emerged from opposite entrances, standing face-to-face in the center of the arena. Tosdoll spoke first, "I won't hold back against the one who defeated the dragon!"
Kai thought to himself, "Whoa… he's not holding back at all. Can we handle this giant? And that dragon… it just gave up on its own."
The fireworks ended. Tosdoll screamed and charged at Kai, swinging his massive, powerful arms, shattering the ground beneath him. Kai, using The Vision, anticipated every move and dodged effortlessly. Tosdoll's fists smashed and swung wildly, missing every attack. Charging again, Tosdoll raised both fists above his head and brought them down on Kai. Seeing the opening, Kai leapt and delivered a strong kick to Tosdoll's head, sending him skidding across the floor.
Kai didn't hesitate. He dashed forward, striking Tosdoll squarely in the midsection, then unleashed a rapid flurry of punches, forcing Tosdoll to cough up blood. Tosdoll exclaimed, "What the… this kid is insanely strong!"
Tosdoll swung again, but Kai's The Vision allowed him to predict and evade every strike while continuing his relentless assault. Kai delivered an uppercut to Tosdoll's chin, then a kick to his right leg, grabbed his shirt with his left arm, and struck his solar plexus with a backward elbow. Finally, Kai followed up with a right punch to the chin, sending Tosdoll collapsing to the ground, motionless.
The commentator announced amidst the deafening cheers, "The winner, moving on to the finals, is Kai, the rising star among the guardians!"
Kai raised his right arm triumphantly and thought to himself, "I'll fight on for you, Eugene."