The thin man lunged forward, the black mist coiling around his fists, striking with a speed no human should possess. Yandel staggered backward, gritting his teeth in determination, but the arena echoed with the growing tension. Supporters shouted their encouragement, desperation creeping into their cheers. “Yandel! Stand strong! You can do this!”The arena shook with the intensity of the fight. Yandel, towering and powerful, had seemed unstoppable at first — every blow landing with devastating precision. But as the black mist thickened around the thin Saler combatant, it became clear that this was no ordinary fight. Tendrils of demonic energy wrapped around Yandel, constricting his movements. His punches slowed, coordination faltered, and his body, once a fortress of raw strength, seemed suddenly sluggish, as if unseen hands were yanking at his limbs.The crowd’s cheers shifted, tension rippling through the stands. Hadel supporters yelled, urging Yandel to push forward. “Yandel! Don’t

Even some of the Hadel supporters began to whisper nervously, glancing at Ethan’s slender frame. “Is… is he really going to fight? He looks… small… fragile…”Jenna’s hands clutched the edges of her chair, her knuckles white. “Small… fragile… that’s all he is,” she muttered to herself, the shame of her earlier judgment cutting deep. I mocked him. I called him a liar. I thought I was clever. I was nothing but a fool. And now… now he’s about to prove it. Or… die trying.Chris gritted his teeth, his voice low and tense. “Everyone stay calm. Don’t underestimate him… I don’t know what he can do, but he’s our last chance.”John’s eyes narrowed, his jaw tight. “We’ve seen what’s happened to Yandel and Tom. This is… frightening, but we have no other path. We must trust him, as reckless as it feels.”Josh Saler bellowed from the other side of the arena, fists raised. “Come on then, little man! Show us what you’ve got! Or be crushed like the others!”Jenna’s lips pressed together, trembling. He’

“Your tricks won’t save you,” Ethan said, voice low, teasing. “Stop pretending you can intimidate me.”The thin man’s mist lashed out, shrieking across the arena, tendrils striking Ethan. Yet, with an almost imperceptible adjustment of stance and leverage, Ethan disarmed the attack, forcing the man to stumble and fall once more.From the stands, Hadel supporters screamed in unison. “Yes! Yes! Take him down!”Chris leaned forward, voice tight with tension. “Come on… just one more hold… just one more…”John’s hand pressed to his mouth, eyes wide. “Incredible… how… how is he unaffected?”Jenna, seated stiffly, pale and trembling, muttered under her breath. “He… he can’t… there’s no way… it’s impossible…”From the Saler box, Josh Saler’s brother whispered frantically, voice sharp with disbelief. “This… this isn’t right… he shouldn’t—he can’t resist the aura!”Josh slammed his fist against his chair. “No! That’s impossible! That’s not supposed to happen!”A nearby spectator hissed, almost

The thin man’s eyes burned with fury, the dark mist around him writhing like a living storm. Every tendril twisted and lashed out, sharper, faster, more unpredictable. “You… you insolent brat! I am the shadow you cannot touch! I am the power that bends the world to me!”Ethan shifted slightly, almost lazily, his movements deceptively effortless. The mist slammed into him—claws, spikes, coils—but each strike twisted harmlessly aside, redirected subtly, flowing along the contours of his body before snapping back against the thin man himself.From the stands, whispers rose in a crescendo:“Did you see that? He didn’t even move!”“He’s… he’s turning it on him!”“That’s impossible… no one… NO ONE can do that!”Chris leaned forward, voice raw with tension. “Go, Ethan! Just keep him off balance!”John muttered, almost in a trance, “Every attack… neutralized… he’s inside it… inside the flow… controlling the energy itself…”Jenna’s hands shook violently. “He… he… he made me… I… he’s… he’s doin

For a heartbeat, Ethan hesitated. He felt the flow of the dark energy—the thick, corrosive aura emanating from the thin man—twisting and writhing in ways he hadn’t expected. His eyes narrowed, studying it, analyzing the patterns, almost mesmerized.“You’re… using the dark energy…” Ethan muttered under his breath, voice low but audible. “Cheating… that’s how you fight…”The thin man’s eyes snapped open, pupils narrowing to thin slits. Rage erupted from him like a violent storm. “Cheating?! CHEATING?!” he shrieked, his voice echoing through the arena. The mist around him roared, snapping and curling like a living nightmare.Ethan’s focus wavered, his stance faltering for just a fraction of a second.From the stands, Chris’s voice pierced the tension. “Ethan! What are you doing?! Don’t—don’t let him—!”John leaned forward, eyes wide. “He’s… he’s feeling it. The energy—he’s never faced anything like that before!”Josh Saler’s voice boomed over the chaos, dripping with triumph. “Finally! T