Cassian grinned broadly, feeling as though he had placed the ultimate winning bet. Despite the Guardian's immense power, he hadn't noticed everything about Cassian—or he wouldn't have made such a losing wager. The old man had overlooked one of Cassian's key abilities.
Now, all Cassian had to do was bide his time until it was his turn to fight. He just needed to survive the challenges and emerge victorious to claim the best reward the old man could offer.
Cassandra, too, was beginning to show signs of struggle as she faced the eighth wave of monsters. The sheer number of them made it increasingly difficult to handle the massive creatures all at once. Small wounds had started to appear on her body, including a shallow cut on her face—a mark from narrowly dodging the sharp tail of one of the Impasi Tigers.
Despite the mounting difficulty, Cassandra's domain glowed brighter and brighter, radiating an intense energy. Her movements became faster, almost transforming her into a silver streak darting across the arena. She weaved through the chaos with precision, dodging attacks while dealing devastating blows. Cassian, observing her fight closely, realized she was focusing on two monsters at a time, likely trying to reduce their numbers as quickly as possible.
Her strategy soon began to pay off. The two targeted monsters started to slow down, their movements becoming sluggish. Their stone-like skin began to crack and crumble, revealing a gush of oozing, mushy liquid—presumably their blood. The revolting substance dripped down their bodies, reminding Cassian of the bile-like spit he'd seen people cough up. He could see Cassandra's disgust as well, her hand stained with the foul liquid from stabbing the creatures, blood splattering onto her with each strike.
Cassandra's expression hardened as she spotted the wounded tigers struggling to stay upright. Without hesitation, she surged forward with blinding speed, her movements leaving streaks of silver light in her wake. She closed the distance in an instant, her spear poised like an extension of her will.
With a sharp cry, she thrust her weapon forward, shouting, "Celestial Barrage!"
The arena seemed to shudder as a flurry of spear strikes erupted, each blow radiating an otherworldly brilliance. The strikes landed with pinpoint precision, targeting the already weakened monster. The silver light of her domain amplified the attack, each hit slicing through the creature's metallic skin like it was paper.
The wounded tiger let out a guttural roar, stumbling back as its body was riddled with glowing wounds. Cassandra didn't let up, her strikes relentless, her spear dancing in her hands as she unleashed the full force of her technique.
Cassandra wasn't worried about the others closing in; they were too far to pose an immediate threat. Only the nearby injured monster remained, sluggish and struggling to move. Confident in her assessment, she focused on finishing the fight—until she suddenly felt a bone-shaking force slam into her side.
The injured monster, using the last of its strength, had bashed its still-sturdy body into her with surprising speed. The impact sent Cassandra flying across the arena, blood spraying from her mouth as she hit the ground hard. She skidded to a stop, groaning as she clutched her shoulder, which was clearly dislocated. Meanwhile, the injured monster collapsed after its final effort, its body going still as it succumbed to its wounds.
The other six monsters, undeterred by the deaths of their companions, charged at Cassandra, their focus razor-sharp. Blood dripped down her face from a gash on her forehead, and pain wracked her body, but her eyes burned with an unyielding fire.
Clenching her teeth, she forced herself to stand, her spear trembling in her grip. With a primal scream, she swung it in a wide, horizontal arc, yelling, "Aaaaah!"
A massive wave of glowing silver energy erupted from her spear, spanning the width of the arena and surging forward like a tidal wave. The energy was too large and fast for the monsters to dodge. The first few were hit head-on, their bodies exploding into grotesque bursts of gooey liquid as the wave tore through them. The others fared no better, their remains smashing into the arena walls, where the force of the energy embedded them into the stone.
The wave left deep gouges in the arena floor, the silver glow fading as Cassandra staggered, breathing heavily. Despite her injuries, she stood tall, her fiery gaze fixed on the remaining enemies—or what little was left of them.
The Guardian's voice echoed across the arena, filled with amazement. "Now that's what I call a proper fight!" he said, clapping his hands together. "But tell me, Cassandra, how much longer can you keep this up?"
The Guardian smirked as he tapped on one of the glowing transparent panels, summoning another wave of monsters. This time, there were nine. But what immediately caught Cassian's attention was the presence of one noticeably different creature among them. His eyes narrowed as he shot an angry glare at the old man and exclaimed, "What is this? Why is there a different monster in this wave? That's cheating!"
The old man chuckled, clearly amused by Cassian's outburst. "Cheating?" he repeated with mock innocence. "No, no. Just... raising the stakes."
Cassandra, battered and exhausted, stepped out of the crater she had formed when slammed into the ground. Her legs wobbled, and blood trickled down her face, but her gaze remained fixed on the monsters. Her attention zeroed in on the one at the center—a massive creature, more than twice the size of the others. Unlike its companions, whose dark, metallic bodies glinted under the arena lights, this one bore a distinctive white stripe running down its otherwise black, armor-like skin. The metallic sheen of its body seemed even more formidable than the others, as if forged from the toughest steel.
But contrary to what one might expect, Cassandra's expression wasn't one of defeat or even anger as she faced the towering monster. Instead, her face lit up with a wide, excited grin. Straightening her posture, she took a deep, steadying breath and bent her knees into a battle stance—one leg forward, the other firmly planted behind. Her torso twisted slightly to the side, spear arm drawn back, while her free hand extended forward to steady her aim at the largest monster.
"The star dance..." she muttered, her voice barely audible over the tension in the arena.
With an explosive burst of energy, she launched herself toward the monster. But just as quickly, she veered to the side, then to another side, zigzagging unpredictably. The sudden movements caused a shockwave with each shift, echoing through the arena like a series of bombs detonating. Cassian's eyes widened in astonishment as the speed of her movements created deafening bursts of sound.
The monsters, now fully on edge, shifted into defensive stances, their heads snapping from side to side as they desperately tried to track her movements. But Cassandra didn't engage them head-on. Instead, she weaved in and out of their reach, darting from one direction to another with blinding speed.
With her movements too fast to predict, the monsters hesitated, afraid of striking one another as they stayed too close together. The disorienting pattern of her attack kept them off balance, leaving them unable to anticipate where she would strike next.
Cassian's initial confusion deepened, but soon the purpose behind her actions became clear. The frequency of the explosive sounds increased, the arena reverberating with a near-constant barrage of noise, like the rapid pounding of war drums. One by one, the monsters began to falter, their massive forms slamming into each other as they stumbled under the relentless pressure of her movements.
And then, as if completing a perfect arc, Cassandra returned to her original position. Her spear remained aimed squarely at the colossal monster. The other creatures, disoriented and thrown off balance, were forced to slide aside as if an invisible force had shoved them away.
Cassian's gaze sharpened as he saw the unmistakable glow of her domain taking shape. A massive, shimmering spear tip extended outward from her weapon, its radiant energy illuminating the arena like a beacon of destruction.
Cassandra dashed toward the monstrous creature, her spear aimed directly at its core. To her surprise, the massive beast wasn't in a defensive stance. Instead, its gaping maw was wide open, and within, a swirling orb of dark energy began to form.
The ball of energy pulsed ominously, growing larger by the second, its shadowy surface rippling with an unsettling, almost liquid-like texture. The once-white stripe along the monster's black metallic skin turned an inky black, a stark contrast that made the creature look even more menacing.
Her eyes narrowed as she realized the enormity of the energy building within its mouth—it was as large as she was, a swirling vortex of pure destruction. But Cassandra didn't hesitate. With the same blinding speed and arena-shaking force she'd displayed before, she charged forward, her spear tip glowing with the brilliance of her domain.
The sheer power of her movements cracked the ground behind her as she was like throwed spear, sending tremors rippling across the arena. Each step left destruction in its wake, but she remained focused, her eyes locked on the orb of energy.
As she closed the distance, the radiant tip of her spear aligned perfectly with the heart of the dark, swirling mass. The moment of impact created a fleeting yet striking clash of forces—light and shadow intertwined for an instant, dividing the arena in two. One half glowed with a brilliant silver light, while the other was consumed by an ominous, inky darkness.
Then, with a thunderous crack, the darkness split apart at its core as the radiant energy surged forward. A beam of dazzling light erupted from the spear, piercing through the massive monster and illuminating the entire arena with its brilliance. The intensity of the glow momentarily turned the space into a blazing spectacle, casting away every shadow as it lit up the battlefield like a radiant star descending to earth.