THE GILDED LEGEND (Enternity Online)

Chapter 10 Duel in the Arena

The roar from the stands of Aethelgard Central Arena sounded like incessant thunder. Thousands of players jostled, filling every corner of the circular stone seats, while on the digital ceiling, holographic betting boards continuously flickered with fantastic numbers.

"Bets are closed! Twenty-to-one odds for Liam Fury's victory!" shouted a bookie at the edge of the arena. "Come on, who else wants to throw away their coins for the low-level scrub?"

Axel Steele stood in the middle of the cold arena sand, his eyes closed. He could feel his physical heartbeat in the real world pumping adrenaline throughout his nervous system. Beside him, Zara Blaze checked the remaining buff duration on her interface panel, her hands trembling slightly.

"Twenty seconds until the duel begins," Zara whispered. "Axel, have you checked your synchronization? Your Agility stats are in the red zone. If you force Bladed Dance more than three times, your nervous system back home could overload."

"I know the risks, Zara," Axel replied without opening his eyes. "Liam won't give me an opening. He'll immediately use high-level area magic to lock down my movements."

"He's using anti-haste gear," Zara added anxiously. "My analysis lens detected gravity waves from his robe. He's truly intent on making you lose on this sand."

Axel opened his eyes. Across the arena, Liam Fury stood with arrogance. His dark purple mage's robe billowed in the system-generated wind, while the magic staff in his hand emitted a bloodthirsty black glow.

"Ready to be erased from history, Steele?" Liam yelled, his voice amplified by magic until it shook the stands. "Do you think one day of preparation can close a two-hundred-level gap between us?"

"Levels are just numbers in this flawed simulation, Liam," Axel retorted calmly. "Let's see if your magic can catch my shadow."

A giant gong sounded, signaling the start of the duel.

Without warning, Liam immediately slammed his staff onto the ground. "Abyssal Gravity, Domain of Chains!"

Instantly, a giant black circle expanded from Liam's feet, engulfing the entire arena surface. Axel felt his legs suddenly become as heavy as lead. Gravity in the arena increased tenfold, forcing every low-level player to immediately surrender.

"Die!" Liam chanted the next spell. "Meteor Rain!”

The sky above the arena turned red, and dozens of giant fiery chunks plummeted down at full speed. The spectators cheered wildly, certain the duel would end in seconds.

"Axel, now!" Zara shouted from the edge of the safe zone.

[Gilded Agility : Overdrive.]

Axel's body was suddenly enveloped in a thin golden mist. Pain shot through his spine in the real world, but in the game, he felt the burden of gravity vanish. Axel shot forward, leaving behind a residual light shadow where he had stood a second ago.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The meteors struck the sand, creating devastating fiery explosions, but Axel was already ten meters ahead, zig-zagging at a speed that defied the laws of physics in Eternity Online.

"What?! How can he move within my domain?" Liam's eyes widened. He immediately raised his staff again. "Shattering Frost!"

Sharp waves of ice spread across the ground, attempting to freeze Axel's feet. However, Axel leaped high into the air, spinning amidst the flying ice shards.

"Too slow, Liam!" Axel exclaimed.

He landed on a newly emerged ice pillar, using it as a foothold to launch himself directly towards Liam's face. The dagger in his hand shone brightly, ready to execute Bladed Dance.

"Don't get cocky, kid!” Liam yelled frantically. “Mana Shield : Absolute Rejection!”

 

A transparent blue dome erupted from Liam's body just as Axel's dagger struck. The impact created a shockwave that sent sand flying in all directions. Axel was thrown backward, but he immediately performed a backflip and landed steadily.

"Damn, my stamina is dropping fast," Axel thought to himself. He glanced at his status panel. 40% stamina remaining. Neural synchronization: 94%. "I'm starting to smell burning wires in my room."

"You can't break through my defenses!" Liam laughed loudly, though his breath was starting to come in gasps. The continuous use of high-level magic was beginning to strain his capacity. "You're just a noisy ghost, Steele! Stay down!"

Liam chanted a forbidden spell. The ground beneath Axel began to crack, spewing hot, molten lava. "World's End : Inferno!"

"Axel, don't fight it head-on!" Zara yelled in a panic. "Jump to coordinates 12-8! There's a data glitch there!"

Axel wasted no time. He used his remaining Gilded points to trigger a momentary Fusion.

[Bladed Dance : Phase Two.]

The world seemed to freeze in Axel's eyes. He saw every particle of fire and lava moving incredibly slowly. He ran across the licking flames, leaping from one crumbling ruin to another. In the stands, the spectators stood silent, mesmerized by a level 22 player dancing amidst a level 200 magic apocalypse.

"This isn't possible ... this is impossible!" Liam screamed, his eyes red with frustration. "Why isn't the system stopping his movements?!"

Axel was already in front of Liam, his dagger mere inches from the mage's neck. At the same time, Liam had prepared a close-range explosion that could instantly obliterate Axel's body.

BOOM!

An explosion of golden and black light met in the center of the arena, creating a giant pillar of energy that tore through the roof of the simulated stadium. Dust and sand covered everything for a few moments.

When the dust settled, the spectators gasped. Axel stood with his dagger pressed against Liam's shoulder, while Liam's magic staff was pressed directly against Axel's chest. Both were panting, with only one HP point remaining.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE : ARENA STABILITY COMPROMISED. FORCED DRAW INITIATED]

The cold system voice echoed, unilaterally ending the duel. All the players in the stands fell silent, before an explosion of discussion erupted everywhere. How could a level 22 player possibly draw against the strongest mage in the largest guild?

Liam lowered his staff, his hands trembling violently. He stared at Axel with a look full of hatred.

"You ...." Liam whispered, his voice hoarse. "You weren't using ordinary skills. You hacked something from the very foundation of this simulation, didn't you?"

Axel took a deep breath, steadying his erratic heartbeat. He sheathed his dagger and looked at Liam coldly. "I merely used the potential you all ignored because you were too preoccupied with level numbers."

Zara immediately ran into the arena, putting her arm around Axel's seemingly weak shoulder. "Let's get out of here, Axel. Your nerves are at their limit."

As Axel turned to leave the arena, he felt a private message notification appear in his vision. Not from the system, but from Liam, who still stood frozen in the middle of the sand.

Axel opened the message as he continued to walk away.

"Your secret ... the way you move, the way you tear apart the logic of this game... it will all be mine, Steele. I will find you in the real world, and I will take what rightfully belongs to the ruler."

Axel clenched his fist. He knew this duel in the arena was merely the prelude to a much darker war.

"Axel? Are you okay?" Zara asked, seeing Axel's face suddenly harden.

"Liam has started targeting the real world, Zara," Axel whispered softly. "We don't have much time left. We need to uncover the Operator's identity before he destroys us from the outside."

Behind them, Liam Fury still stared at Axel's back with a terrifying, twisted smile, while in the real world, Liam's VR pod began issuing overheating warnings that endangered his own life. He didn't care. His obsession had consumed his sanity.