The air felt thick. Every breath tasted of metal, blood, and static. The crowd was no longer cheering—they were holding their breath.
Yug vanished again, using a final Mirage Stone.
This time, he struck Harsha clean in the ribs and spine—two brutal blows that made Harsha grunt in pain.
But when the third strike came, Harsha raised his bangles.
CLANG! He caught the rod barehanded and drove his fist into Yug's throat.
CRACK! Yug reeled, gasping.
Harsha didn't give him time to recover.
Yug, desperate, crushed two stones at once—Graviton Pull and Push—unleashing a magnetic storm that whipped Harsha around the cage like a rag doll, slamming him into the electric walls.
ZAAAP!
Harsha's scream echoed....
> "Thanks," he coughed, "for the recharge."
Yug tried to leap back—but Harsha hurled a metal shard at him, slicing open his cheek.
> "Your dance is getting sloppy."
Snarling, Yug pulled out a forbidden stone—black, cracked, pulsing.
Zara gasped:
> "Is that a Shadow Surge Gem?! That's very dangerous!"
But Yug crushed it anyway.
The cage reacted violently—its size halved in seconds.
Now, they were trapped in a twenty-meter circle of death.
Harsha panted, steam rising from his arms, body smoking from voltage and rage. The bangles gleamed white-hot.
> "You really want to die in here?"
> "I want to end you," Yug answered, "and I will."
They charged one last time.
BAM! A fist to Harsha's jaw.
CRACK! A knee to Yug's ribs.
BOOM! Harsha ducked, lifted Yug, and slammed him into the electric wall.
ZAAAAAAP!
Yug screamed.
Again.
Again.
Slam—Zap. Slam—Zap.
Then Harsha twisted, launched Yug into the floor like a meteor.
BOOM! The tiles shattered.
Yug wasn't moving.
Harsha knelt beside him. Panting. Chest heaving. Blood on his knuckles.
> "You said this was a cage…"
"To me—it's a crucible."
But Yug twitched.
A shard glowed in his mouth—a hidden Graviton Push stone.
He bit down.
BOOOM!
Harsha was thrown backward again.
Yug stood, blood running down his face, ripped the bent iron rods off his wrists.
> "Don't get cocky, little shit. I'm not dead yet."
Harsha laughed darkly, rising like a monster reborn.
> "Neither am I."
The arena crackled. Sparks danced off the electrified cage, shrinking with every passing minute.
Blood streamed down Harsha's chin, dripping onto the cracked floor beneath him. His knees trembled, lungs screaming with every breath—but his eyes, wild and unyielding, never left Yug.
Across the shrinking arena, Yug stood—not unscathed, but surging with relentless force. Bruised, bleeding, but composed. His stance carved into the ground like a warrior who refused to retreat. Focused. Merciless. Ready to finish what he started.
Up above, Zara leaned into her crystal mic, voice oozing mockery with a twist of thrill.
"Oh, what a lovely picture this paints! Our poor Bangle Boy—on his last breath, still pretending he's got claws. But tell me, my dear bloodthirsty audience…"
She grinned as the cage crackled louder behind her,
"Do you really think this boy can survive what's coming next?"
The cage shrank again.
Electricity hissed across the bars, a living storm. It was no longer a battlefield—it was a coffin slowly closing around them.
Harsha and Yug stood inches apart, faces smeared with blood, muscles twitching from voltage and exhaustion.
They didn't need weapons now.
Only will.
Yug struck first—his fist crashing into Harsha's jaw.
CRACK!
Harsha staggered, lips torn open—but retaliated with a savage punch to Yug's side, then an uppercut that snapped his head back.
WHAM!
Yug tackled him—shoulder slamming into Harsha's gut, driving him into the cage wall.
ZAAAAP!!
A jolt surged through both boys. Their screams echoed together—painful, primal, human.
In the control booth, Zara leaned forward, eyes wide with wicked delight.
> "Another shock like that…" she purred into the mic, "…and neither of them will walk out alive." "They've reached their threshold. Muscles fried. Hearts racing. One more pulse—and it's over."
Back in the cage, Yug tried to hold Harsha down, gritting through the pain—but Harsha's hand slipped past him.
Found the pouch.
Tore it off.
Fingers scrambled inside—and closed around a glowing stone: the White Trap Core.
Harsha clutched it.
Yug stumbled back, breathing hard. He saw the stone and sneered.
> "What now?" "Gonna amplify your tears, Bangle Boy?"
Harsha didn't respond.
His knuckles clenched tighter around the gem.
No witty comebacks. No rage.
Just quiet intent.
The electricity in the cage snapped louder. A warning. A countdown.
The boys stared across the broken floor, unblinking.
Yug raised his fists again.
Harsha stepped forward.
They collided like titans.
A punch to Harsha's ribs.
A knee to Yug's chest.
A headbutt. An elbow. A blur of blows.
Their bodies barely held together—held only by spite and pride.
Every breath came with fire. Every hit left bone aching.
Then—
They froze.
Just a few feet of space left between them.
Bloodied. Barely standing.
Then—
Harsha smirked.
> "You're good," he rasped. "Too good."
Yug didn't respond. His gaze was locked, calculating every breath, every shift in stance.
Just as he launched forward for the final strike, a shadowy whisper curled inside Harsha's head — low, cryptic, almost inhuman:
> "Think, outsider… if you can't defeat him… let him defeat himself."
"Trap the predator. Even if it costs you everything."
Harsha's eyes widened — not in fear, but clarity.
He stepped back, slammed his palm into the electrified cage wall—
All of the lightning surged into his body first, coursing through him like a living conduit — his veins lit blue, muscles twitching, every nerve screaming —
And with the other hand, he crushed a White Trap Core Stone.
> CRACK!
The stone disintegrated, amplifying the current flowing through Harsha — and blasting it outward into the cage like a divine lightning pulse.
Blue light blazed. The floor trembled. Sparks turned into blades of electricity.
> ZAAAAAAP!!
A burst of lightning exploded outward, engulfing both boys.
But Yug, with battle instincts honed beyond his years, activated a Forest Green Elemental Stone just in time.
Earthen armor formed across his skin, transforming him into a creature of rock and mud, dampening most of the shock — but not all.
Harsha, unshielded, took the blast raw.
Both bodies were hurled across the arena, smoke rising, silence thundering.
From the upper terrace, Zara leaned forward, eyes gleaming with morbid thrill.
> "Now that's a match! No rules, no mercy.
In this game, there's no draw. One admits defeat… or one dies."
Sixty seconds left. The cage shrank tighter with a mechanical hiss.
Ten seconds passed. Then twelve.
Finally… a groan.
Yug.
Blood dripping from his nose, armor crumbling, arms shaking… but his legs held.
> "I told you…" he rasped. "That brat can't beat me…"
Harsha, lying near the cage wall, managed a weak smile.
> What a monster…
I gave it everything… and he's still standing…
His vision blurred. His breathing slowed.
> Sleep… for now…
And his eyes slid shut.
---
But Yug wasn't done.
Every step he took away from the ring looked like it might be his last. His knees buckled, his breaths ragged. But pride wouldn't let him fall in the arena.
He reached the gate…
Stepped out of the ring…
And kept walking.
The orphans watched in stunned silence as he stumbled toward a strange, lone piece of furniture tucked into the wall — a dusty old leather sofa.
Applause broke out — timid at first, then louder, as the realization sank in.
Their undefeated warrior was still on his feet.
Still walking.
Still standing.
Yug stopped in front of the sofa.
His hands trembled.
Then, with defiance still burning in his chest, he crushed the tiny green vial in his fist — the healing potion burst in his hand, liquid seeping into his skin.
And he whispered through bloodied lips—
> "I won't fall…
Not in front of my brothers."
He slumped down, falling onto the sofa like a warrior claiming his throne — not collapsing, returning.
Thump.
That was all it took.
The moment he touched the seat, the arena erupted — thunderous cheers, roars, stomps.
The orphans shouted his name, some weeping, others punching the air.
Behind him, the cage deactivated. Sparks faded into silence.
---
Zara laughed, leaning back lazily.
> "Told you, Zogo… my Yug never falls before the bell."
Zogo watched as Yug slumped onto the old throne-like sofa, barely conscious — yet undefeated. The orphan chants roared like thunder, echoing through the walls. A rare, fleeting glint of pride touched the old goblin's eyes.
> "He fought like a warrior. No tricks. No shortcuts. Just raw grit…"
But as he turned away, his tone hardened — cold, resigned.
> "Still… there goes another deal. Another client scared off. Another loss I can't afford."
His sigh lingered in the air, heavy with conflict — pride in his blood… but weighed down by the cost.
As Harsha lay unconscious, his bangles gave a faint pulse.
Just once.
Then again—brighter.
A silent screen shimmered for a heartbeat above his wrist, visible only to Harsha.
> 🔓 New Weapon Unlocked
[Transformation Enabled]
Then… darkness again.
The arena stayed still.
But something… had changed.
One fighter fell.
One power rose.
Harsha's bangles responded—without his command.
Next Chapter 15:
Author's thoughts...
What do you think triggered the transformation?
If you were in Harsha's place…
Would you be scared—or excited?
👇 Tell me in the comments.