Dominion of The Beast Masters

256  The Monster's Way

The timer on the giant screen flickered to life, displaying the ominous countdown.

[Time Remaining: 5m 8s]

[Infinite Twilight: 7

Golden Cosmos: 4

Azure Blades: 1

Blazing Horizons: 0]

Amidst the rubble and chaos of the battlefield, Eratz and Raya stood tall beside Ryder, who lay on the ground, battered but alive. The scene was both a miracle, a reward for Ryder's desperate endurance, and a nightmare for the fighters.

Eratz knelt slightly, lightning crackling across his fingers.

"Good job, pal."

Raya leaned forward, her eyes and katana glowing crimson.

"Now, rest. Leave the rest to us."

The fighters, scattered across the battlefield, looked on in anguish. Their earlier confidence had crumbled into an uneasy silence. Each of them felt the weight of the shift, their gazes darting nervously between the towering figures of Eratz and Raya.

In the Golden Cosmos locker room, the team began to recover their hope. Zara's lips trembled into a soft smile as she murmured.

"Good job, Ryder."

In the Infinite Twilight room, the reactions were starkly different. Leonidas was frozen in place, his eyes wide with disbelief. Sia's jaw clenched tightly, her teeth grinding audibly. Rex, standing in the corner, slowly dragged his palm down his face, groaning softly.

Back on the battlefield, Arin's trembling gaze darted across the battlefield. Panic welled up in her chest as she took in the scene. The scoreboard mocked them; despite their desperate attacks and all the time they had, they hadn't scored a single point just because they focused on an unkillable target.

Everyone was still standing. Her voice cracked as she whispered to herself.

"Damn it…"

Eratz straightened his posture, his movements deliberate and confident. His eyes gleamed with a predatory light as he scanned the fighters.

"You guys had a lot of fun," he said, his tone conversational, almost casual. Then his eyes glowed red. "Now, it's praying time."

A heavy pressure radiated from him, rippling outward like an invisible wave.

It bore down on the fighters, leaving even the strongest among them struggling to breathe.

The air grew thick, and every instinct in their bodies screamed danger.

Silver groaned under the weight, his fists clenching.

"Damn monster," he spat through gritted teeth.

Nyx tilted her head, a crooked smile forming on her lips. She licked the edge of her claws, her demeanor playful yet edged with tension.

"It's less fun than chasing prey," she admitted, her voice low and teasing. "But I'll admit… I'm curious about the power of the Pharaoh."

Without hesitation, she began advancing, her claws gleaming in the faint light.

A flash of light split the air, so sudden and blinding that it took a moment for everyone to process what had happened.

When the light cleared, Eratz was already in front of Caius, his hand open and pressed against Caius' face.

The battlefield seemed to hold its breath as Eratz spoke.

"I heard no prayer."

A blast of energy erupted from Eratz's palm, engulfing Caius' head in a blinding beam of light. The explosion was deafening, shaking the arena to its very foundation.

Fighters scrambled to move back, shielding their faces as the shockwave rippled across the battlefield.

Debris flew in every direction, and a thick cloud of smoke swallowed the area.

As the dust began to settle, the battlefield revealed the aftermath.

Eratz stood unmoving in the center of a devastated crater, his eyes glowing with an eerie brilliance. Slowly, he turned his head toward Nyx.

"Satisfied?" he asked.

A chill ran down Nyx's spine.

The fighters of Infinite Twilight scattered, their movements frantic as they leaped and dashed to create distance from the overwhelming pressure radiating from Eratz and Raya.

Each fighter's breath puffed out in visible vapor as if the very air had turned frigid.

Raya's voice broke through the stillness.

"Hyoujin Hane." In an instant, an invisible slash tore across the battlefield, accompanied by agonized screams.

Bastian and Kiora fell, their bodies riddled with relentless icy slashes.

The two dropped unconscious as the remaining fighters scrambled to dodge the onslaught.

Nyx groaned, her lips curling into a feral grin despite the chaos. Her thoughts raced, fueled by a mix of frustration and exhilaration.

"If I can just land a hit, just one," she told herself, gripping onto the fleeting hope of turning the tide.

She rushed at Eratz with a wild gleam in her eyes, determined to test the limits of his strength, no matter the cost.

Their gazes locked, but in the next instant, the world spun.

A thunderous impact exploded against her face. Her scream was muffled as her body was sent hurtling into the ground, crashing with a sickening thud.

Eratz had moved in a flash, intercepting her mid-attack with monstrous power. As her vision blurred, he disappeared, reappearing directly in front of Silver.

Silver barely had time to react before Eratz's knee drove into his stomach with brutal force.

The air left his lungs in a wheezing gasp as he doubled over, gasping and choking.

Eratz followed up with a savage kick to Silver's face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The impact was so violent that Silver's head smacked against the earth, leaving him dazed, staring blankly at the sky above.

On his back, Silver pained to breathe, feeling like he could puke at any moment.

He struggled to stand, without understanding why he would want to stay on his feet, his gaze looking for an answer.

The first thing he saw was a ghostly presence sweep past him.

His widened eyes locked onto Raya, her katana glinting ominously as she passed.

Before he could react, icy slashes carved through his body, frost spreading from them, encasing him completely.

Iris attempted to unleash a field spell, her hands trembling as she summoned her energy.

But nothing happened. Panic spread across her face.

"What's happening?" she muttered, her voice quivering.

She flinched as the realization dawned on her. The air felt oppressive, cold, silent, and suffocating.

This wasn't an ordinary battlefield anymore. It was a field spell, way stronger than anything she could produce.

A chill ran down her spine as Raya's voice cut through the silence.

"Hyouken Mai"

Raya passed by her in an instant, her katana glinting in the dim light.

Iris froze in place, her body paralyzed from the legs upward.

She barely managed to whisper.

"How…?" before her entire body became encased in ice, leaving her trapped and immobile.

The frost overtook her entirely, sealing her in an icy prison.

Amidst the carnage, Nyx stood clutching her swollen cheek. The humiliation, pain, and rage boiled within her.

She didn't care about winning anymore; she didn't care about the tournament. All that mattered was that her body had been marked.

She charged again, her scream filled with raw emotion. Eratz was far ahead, standing in the middle of the battlefield. She lunged at full speed, her claws extended, ready to tear him apart.

Then, in a flash, Eratz was beside her.

His elbow crashed into her stomach with horrifying precision.

The force drove through her body, folding her over his arm. Nyx's breath was stolen; her scream choked into silence.

Her eyes went blank as pain overwhelmed her senses, her claws dropping limply.

Before she could even collapse, Eratz's foot was above her. With a devastating stomp, he slammed her face into the dirt.

The ground cracked beneath the impact, and Nyx's body convulsed.

She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. The only thing she could feel was the dirt pressed against her face and the unrelenting weight of Eratz's strength.

The remaining fighters, desperate, began summoning every beast at their disposal.

The battlefield erupted with snarling creatures of all sizes and elements, their roars filling the air. But Eratz's voice cut through the chaos.

"Rampage."

In a blinding flash, the Terrakrus and the Thunder Lycaon emerged.

The two beasts moved with unparalleled ferocity, tearing through the summoned creatures as though they were nothing.

Raya moved with the same deadly precision, her katana cutting through any fighter foolish enough to stand in her way.

Her movements were fluid, almost graceful, each slash deliberate and devastating.

Nyx, clutching her stomach, stood trembling. Tears streamed down her face, a mix of pain, humiliation, and fury.

Her breaths were shallow and ragged as she tried to speak, but no words came. Her anger burned brighter than her fear, consuming her completely.

She screamed at Eratz, her voice breaking with desperation.

"I… won't lose… like this!... Y'hear that?... Pharaoh?!"

Eratz raised an eyebrow

"Just stay down," he said flatly.

But Nyx refused. Her fists tightened, her teeth grinding together as frustration boiled over.

She let out a desperate roar, charging at Eratz once more, her claws gleaming.

Eratz sighed. With a single step, he vanished. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Nyx felt the ground twist beneath her as Eratz reappeared above her. His hand slammed her face into the earth once more, pinning her with brutal force.

She thrashed and screamed, clawing at the dirt, but Eratz's strength was absolute.

"Get…" Nyx choked out, tears streaming down her face. "Get away!… Let me go!"

Suddenly, she felt the weight lift. For a moment, hope reappeared very briefly in her heart as she pushed herself up, only to realize too late.

Frost crept along her limbs, spreading on her body. Her movements slowed as the ice encased her.

Her gaze locked onto Raya, who stood poised, her katana glowing with cold light. Nyx's breaths quickened as despair overtook her.

"No… no, I can't… not like this!" she screamed, her voice raw and broken. "Please, not like this!"

Raya's movements were graceful, almost serene. She raised her katana, performing a fluid gesture that resembled a dance.

"Yukikaze."

The ice surged, engulfing Nyx completely. Her scream echoed across the battlefield, muffled as the frost sealed her form entirely.

She stood frozen, a monument to the gap in their power, her anguish preserved in ice.

Raya lowered her katana, her eyes closing briefly. The battlefield fell silent, the fight over before it had truly begun.