Jabber sat upright in his bed, his back straight, eyes staring at the empty space in front of him."Loki."He said the name quietly, not out loud but in his mind, directing it inward to where the dragon resided.The response came immediately, lazy and almost bored."Yes, Jabber?""Did you feel that?"Silence for a beat.Then Loki's voice came back, dripping with sarcasm."I'm the dragon of chaos and mischievous doing. Not the dragon of feelings. You want emotional support, talk to a therapist."Jabber's jaw tightened."I know you're the dragon of chaos and mischief."He said, matching Loki's sarcastic tone perfectly. "But…""Keep quiet for a minute."The command was sharp. Unexpectedly.Jabber's mouth snapped shut, his eyes widening slightly.The sudden shift in Loki's tone,from mocking too seriously in a heartbeat,made something cold settle in his stomach.He sat there in silence, listening to nothing, feeling for... whatever it was that had woken him.Ten seconds passed.Twenty."D

Daichi's blade came down in that devastating arc,the exact same movement Brick had used, the exact same technique."MOLTEN CORE BLADE TECHNIQUE—MAGMA BREAK!"The sword cut through the air with terrifying speed, aimed directly at Matthias's exposed back.But Matthias's body was already moving.Not consciously. Not because he'd seen the attack coming or heard Brick's warning in time.Pure survival instinct.His body twisted sideways at the last possible second, the blade passing so close to his shoulder that it actually grazed his uniform, leaving a scorched line in the fabric.Matthias threw himself forward into a roll,once, twice, three times,his body flipping through the air with acrobatic precision.He landed fifteen feet away, immediately dropping into a defensive stance, his flame sword held ready, his entire body coiled and alert.His eyes were wide, his breathing sharp and fast.That had been too close.Way too close.Back in the contestants' area, Asta was staring with his mout

‘"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THAT FIGURE!"’Loki's voice exploded through Jabber's mind with such force it almost made him stumble.‘"NOW! RUN! MOVE!"’Jabber's body reacted before his brain caught up.His hand shot out, grabbing Flora's arm, and he pulled her backward."Wait…" Flora started to say, taking a step toward the cloaked figure. "Who are you? What are you…""No time!" Jabber yanked her harder, spinning them both around. "We need to RUN!"And they ran.Their footsteps pounded against the stone floor, echoing off the corridor walls.Flora stumbled slightly, caught off-guard by the sudden sprint, but she recovered fast and matched Jabber's pace."What…" She was breathing hard already. "What did…why are we…""My dragon!" Jabber gasped out between breaths. "He told me…that figure…whatever it is…we can't…we can't be near it!"Flora's eyes went wide.She nodded once, sharply, and they both put on more speed.Behind them, back where they'd been standing, the cloaked figure hadn

The referee's voice rang out one more time, making absolutely sure both fighters heard him."BEGIN!"And they moved.Both of them.Simultaneously.Like they'd rehearsed it.Mira launched forward, her body low and fast, a flame dagger materializing in her right hand.Akari did the same from the opposite direction, her own blade forming,slightly curved, more like a short sword.They met in the center of the ring.Their weapons clashed with a sound like thunder.CLANG!And then the world exploded.A massive wave of flame erupted from the point of contact,orange and white and blindingly bright,spreading outward in a perfect circle.The shockwave hit everything.The referee, who'd been standing maybe fifteen feet away, got picked up and thrown backward. He flew clear out of the ring, tumbling through the air, and landed hard in the dirt outside with a grunt.The waves kept expanding.It rolled over the contestants' area, forcing everyone to throw their arms up to shield their faces.The he

"Oh." His mental voice softened slightly. "You're definitely right about that."He glanced around, trying to figure out where the woman had gone.The arrow barrage had stopped about ten seconds ago, but he couldn't see…His eyes went wide.She wasn't there anymore.The spot where she'd been standing was empty."Where did she go?!"‘"JABBER! BEHIND YOU!"’Loki's mental shout came a fraction of a second too late.Jabber spun, his hands coming up…The woman was right there, already mid-attack, coming down from above in a diving kick wreathed in blue flame.Jabber managed to form a small shield…The kick connected.The impact shattered the shield and sent Jabber sprawling backward.He hit the ground hard, the air knocked out of his lungs.Before he could recover, the woman landed gracefully and materialized a spear in her hands,long, sharp, that same cold blue fire.She started walking toward him, slow and deliberate.Jabber scrambled backward, his hands and feet pushing against the flo