Sovereign of The Abyss

Chapter 12

Suddenly, A collective gasp rippled through the crowd as a group of figures in pristine white garments and suits entered the stadium's VIP section.

"The Church," someone whispered, the words spreading through the crowd like wildfire.

"Oh, you don't know who they are?" A female student spoke up excitedly from the stands, addressing the confused faces around her. "Those people are from the church."

"What makes them so special?" another student asked, eyes fixed on the white-clad figures.

"The Church controls everything about healing magic and swordsmen," she explained hurriedly. "They regulate dungeons, monitor mage activities, even decide who gets to be trained as a knight. Those white garments? They're worn by people who have direct authority under the priest."

"I thought the church were just religious figures?"

"No, no," she shook her head vigorously. "They control everything that should be public knowledge. Especially about dungeons. Nobody really knows how dungeons work or why they appear after Abyssal portals close, and the Church wants to keep it that way."

**

The heat of the battle was unmistakable. Miko’s fire swirled around him as he dodged, blocked, and countered Luna and Jace’s attacks. His speed and agility leaving everyone in awe.

Fire danced at his fingertips as he leaped into the air, his body twisting mid-flight to avoid another powerful gust of wind. His fireball shot through the air, narrowly missing Jace as he spun to deflect it with his sword.

“Just like the mysterious man in the abyss did,” Miko thought to himself as he moved like a blur, his body like a comet streaking across the battlefield, leaving flames in his wake.

The commentators were barely able to keep up with the action.

“Unbelievable speed! Miko of Clan Dusk has shown the agility of a seasoned fighter. He’s truly a force to be reckoned with!” the commentator shouted, the excitement in his voice clear as day.

“How is he moving like that?!” one of the spectators gasped, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Miko didn’t respond to the gasps. His only focus was Luna and Jace. “I’m running out of strength,” Miko said as he breathed heavily.

Jace’s face was red with anger, his sword raised as he lunged forward to strike. “You’re nothing, trash!” he shouted, his voice filled with frustration. “You can’t win against me!”

Miko, however, was unbothered. His eyes were sharp, calculating every movement. “You talk too much for a captain, I’ll show you just how wrong you are,” Miko muttered to himself as he deftly avoided Jace’s strike, launching a fireball straight at his chest.

Luna quickly intervened, using her Wind magic to redirect the fireball, but Miko was already on the move again, his feet never touching the ground for long. He was quick, and dangerous.

And just as the tension built to its peak, the commentator’s voice rang out across the stadium followed by a loud beeeeeeepp!!!

“A-A-And in a shocking turn of events, Clan Dusk has captured both the flags of Clan Solace and Clan Aegis! Can you believe it, folks? Clan Dusk, the underdog, is leading the charge!”

The announcement sent shockwaves through the arena.

“What?!” Luna gasped, her eyes darting around. “How did they—?”

“No way...” Jace muttered under his breath, his frustration growing. “We’ve been so focused on Miko, we didn’t even realize what his team was doing.”

The realization hit them both like a ton of bricks. Miko hadn’t just been standing there; he’d been a distraction. While they were focused on him, his team had been running around, claiming the flags they needed. He had been drawing their attention so his team could strike.

“Damn it...” Jace growled, slamming his fist into the ground in frustration. “I knew it. I should’ve known. I’ve been so focused on him that I didn’t even realize his team was going for the flags. That’s why he was able to hold us off. He was never trying to win this fight alone.”

Jace said with anger. “Next time, I won’t make the same mistake,” he muttered. “I won’t let his team get away again.”

Miko didn’t even flinch. He wasn’t concerned with Jace’s anger. He had more important things to focus on. Like the next round.

**

As Miko reunited with his teammates, their faces flushed with excitement. They had done it—they had the flags. While Miko had been busy fending off Luna and Jace, his team had swept in, taking both flags from Clan Solace and Clan Aegis.

Liam was practically bouncing with excitement. “We did it!” he grinned, high-fiving Akiya. “Who would've thought that the ‘trash’ could pull it off like that?”

Anna laughed. “We knew he had it in him. I always said there was more to Miko than anyone realized.”

Akiya nodded, her eyes scanning the battlefield, still alert. “He did his job,” she said, her voice calm but pleased. “Now we just have to keep at it. This isn’t over yet.”

She grinned and turned her head. “Now, they have no choice but to respect him.”

**

As the announcement broke the fight, the representative from Clan Aegis had arrived on the scene, his eyes narrowed as he took in the situation. “Miko, you’ve caused enough trouble,” Zack’s voice rang out, cold and authoritative. “You’ve had your fun, but you’re not winning this. We know you’ve been using some kind of artifact to make yourself use two elements.”

Miko’s gaze flickered toward Zack. His fiery confidence didn’t falter. “Artifact?” he scoffed. “You think this is an artifact?”

Zack’s lips curled into a smirk. “Of course. There’s no way someone with your ‘trash’ Ash ability could suddenly wield fire. You’re hiding something. And I’m going to make sure I expose it for everyone to see.”

“Not today,” Miko muttered under his breath, his eyes cold as he stared at Zack.

Zack wasn’t alone, though. His assistant, a tall, imposing figure, stepped forward, his eyes locked on Miko with an expression had the was as cold as Zack’s.

“You’ve really made this difficult for everyone, Miko,” the assistant said. “If you’d just stood down, we could’ve avoided all this. But now?” He shook his head. “Now, you’ve made it personal.”

Miko didn’t flinch. He knew Zack was strong, but he wasn’t afraid. “Do your worst,” he muttered. “I’m not backing down.”

Zack’s smile widened. “Oh, I intend to. Just don’t cry when you’re left standing in the dust.”

Miko had barely finished processing Zack’s words when the arena erupted into chaos once again.