Lee froze, staring at Sebi like he'd grown a second head. "You're kidding me, right? You don't know what Shen is? How the hell are you even here if you don't know what that is?"
Sebi laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Uh… uh… uh…" He smiled sheepishly.
Lee looked absolutely stunned. "Unbelievable. Alright, listen up, genius. Shen is the energy inside of you that lets you use your abilities. It's the foundation of everything you've seen so far. Without it down there, you're toast. Think of Shen like… chakra."
"Wait," Sebi said, his eyes lighting up. "So Wang used Shen for that blood thing? And Jack for that smoke trick?"
"Exactly," Lee said. He stretched out his hand, palm facing upward. Suddenly, sparks of lightning began to dance around his fingers, crackling and popping as they moved from one finger to the next. The air around his hand smelled like ozone. "This is my Shen. It grants me the talent of lightning manifestation. And that differs based on everyone. Some people have fire. Some have ice. Some have weird stuff like controlling shadows or making things heavier."
Sebi's jaw dropped. "You're amazing!"
Lee ignored the compliment and continued, his voice serious. "If you can't manifest Shen, you won't last a minute down there."
Meanwhile, at the far end corner of Room 10, Draven had been listening to their conversation the whole time. His eyes turned slightly to observe them, but he didn't say anything. He just watched.
Down below in the arena, the commentator's voice boomed through the speakers again. "HOORAYYYY! THAT WAS ONE HELL OF A BATTLE!"
The massive screen above the stadium displayed the results. Wang's name was highlighted in green with a check mark next to it. Jack's name was crossed out in red.
Then two new names appeared on the screen.
DRAVEN VS. SEBI
The commentator continued. "And now for our next fighters Sebi versus Draven!"
Draven had already seen the screen. Without a word, he turned and walked toward the exit door.
Sebi wasn't expecting his name to pop up in the second fight already. His head whipped around to stare at the screen. "Wait, WHAT?!"
The commentator's voice called out again. "Sebi, please report to the arena immediately!"
Lee's eyes widened. "What the… they're calling your name!"
Sebi laughed nervously. "Yeah… you heard that too, right?"
Lee grabbed his shoulder and stared him dead in the eyes. "You're gonna die, you idiot—"
But before Lee could finish his sentence, Sebi was already out the door, grinning as he called back over his shoulder. "Don't worry, Lee! I've got this!"
The door slammed shut behind him.
Lee stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door. Then he sighed and muttered, "He's dead."
Sebi shuffled through the long hallway leading to the arena. The walls seemed to stretch endlessly in front of him. With each step he took, he got closer to the entrance of the arena fighting ground. The crowd's noise grew louder and louder until it felt like the sound was pressing against his ears.
He muttered to himself, trying to calm his nerves. "I just have to fight very well to get recognized by one of the Hunter scouts. That's all. The rules said be brave and strategic. All I have to do is do that… and stay alive."
He reached the edge of the entrance and finally stepped out into the fighting zone.
The crowd wasn't as loud as they had been for Jack and Wang's entrance. There were a few scattered claps, but mostly people were just talking amongst themselves, wondering who this random kid was.
The commentator grabbed his microphone. "Well, uh, this is not unusual, folks! In the red corner, we have a complete newbie no record at all! His name is Sebi! But remember, this is how every great Hunter starts!"
The crowd chuckled and murmured, unsure whether to take him seriously or not. Some people were already getting up to grab snacks, thinking this fight would be over quickly.
The commentator continued. "And in the blue corner, we have another newcomer to the tournament but with a reputation of chaos outside the ring… DRAVEN!"
The crowd hushed immediately.
Draven stepped into the fighting area from the opposite entrance. He moved with a calm, controlled grace that made Sebi's stomach twist into knots. His black coat flowed behind him like a shadow. His eyes were cold and focused.
The commentator on the floating platform raised his right hand high into the air.
Up in the VIP section where the Hunter House scouts sat, another man in a black suit walked into the room. His presence immediately drew attention from everyone around him. But then all eyes were dragged back down to the arena as the commentator's hand dropped.
"BEGIN!"
Without delay, Draven pressed his foot into the ground and launched himself forward like a missile. The sound of his takeoff reverberated through the entire arena a thunderous BOOM that made people jump in their seats.
In just a few seconds, he appeared directly in front of Sebi. His leg sliced through the air, aiming to strike Sebi's head clean off.
Up above in Room 10, Lee stared down at Sebi, shaking his head. "Dammit. He's going to get hit."
But then Sebi's legs moved.
He danced backward gracefully, his body swaying out of the way just as Draven's kick cut through empty air where his head had been a split second before.
Sebi quickly performed a backflip, his hands hitting the ground and pushing himself backward to create distance between them.
The crowd erupted. "Oh, really?! This is going to be an interesting match!"
Sebi landed smoothly on the ground, his feet skidding slightly on the stone floor.
But Draven was already acting.
He took a deep breath so deep that his chest expanded like a balloon being filled with air. He quickly channeled his Shen through his entire body. The energy converted into flames that traveled up through his throat, burning hot and bright.
His mouth opened wide.
A giant ball of flames came shooting out, roaring toward Sebi like a comet. As the ball moved, it converted into the shape of a massive dragon made entirely of fire. The dragon roared a sound that shook the air and shot even faster toward Sebi.
Draven muttered the technique's name. "Fire Art: Dragonfly."
The fire dragon spiraled through the air, scorching the ground in its path. The heat was so intense that people in the stands could feel it on their faces. Some covered their eyes. Others leaned forward, watching with wide eyes.
Up above, Lee closed his eyes and shook his head. "I told you, Sebi. If you can't manipulate Shen, you won't survive based on martial skills alone."
The flame raced toward Sebi, getting closer and closer. The heat was unbearable. The dragon's mouth opened wide, ready to swallow him whole.
Sebi's instincts kicked in.
He stretched out his hand and muttered to himself. "Well… I can cut through it, right? With that technique?"
In that moment, something inside him shifted.His eyes glowed faintly. He felt energy surging through his body something dark, cold, and powerful.
He muttered two words.
"The Most Dark."
Suddenly, his entire body erupted in a shadowy aura. Black smoke poured off him like water. His form began to change, morphing into something completely different.
A long, dark coat materialized around him, flowing down to his feet. A mask appeared on his face a sleek, ominous mask with small horns curving upward from the top. In one hand, a massive axe appeared out of nowhere. It was enormous, with a blade so dark it looked like it was made from solidified shadow.
The crowd went silent, staring in shock.
"What kind of transformation is that?" someone whispered.
By this time, Draven's attack had already reached Sebi. The fire dragon's jaws opened wide, ready to consume him.
But Sebi swirled the massive axe in his hand like it weighed nothing. He swung it in a wide arc, slashing through the flame dragon.
SLASH!
The dragon split into two halves. The flames dissolved into smoke and ash, disappearing completely.The ground beneath Sebi cracked from the force of his swing. Then he vanished.It was like he'd simply disappeared into thin air.While Draven's flames still burned on the ground, Sebi had already appeared above him, high in the air. He swung his massive axe downward with both hands, aiming to split Draven clean in half.
Draven's eyes widened in shock. But he reacted quickly.He channeled his Shen toward his feet. Flames burst out from the soles of his boots, propelling him sideways out of danger just in time.
CRASH!
Sebi's axe dropped and slammed into the ground where Draven had been standing. The impact was massive. The ground cracked instantly, spreading spiderweb patterns all across the arena floor. Dust and debris exploded into the air.
The crowd erupted in wild excitement. "DID YOU SEE THAT?! DRAVEN ALMOST GOT SPLIT IN HALF!"
In the VIP section, the new scout who had just arrived was watching the fight intently. He turned to Feng, the other scout, and spoke calmly. "A transformation Shen user. Seems like an interesting fellow."
Feng nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving the arena. "No doubt, Cade. I agree."