> For better or for worse. The world will grow through.

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With the conclusion of its final battle the second round ended, and there was no delay in the starting of the third. The general audiences held their breaths in deep impatience, as their minds wondered and pondered on the manner of this point of the tournament in contrast to its predecessor.

《A new stage begins…》 《One that has the viewers seat-edged…》

That anticipating spirit was also in prevalence amongst the combatants. Because in their mind was the desire to learn of each of their individual paths.

《And the battlers fidgeting…》

Dgiag transposed onto the platform, and onto the peak of a plateau, upon exiting a lengthy discussion with Tōmii.

"Beings of the omniverse, now…shall the third stage proceed!" He proclaimed, and the commonplace great and ferocious cheers from all around the Coliseum would sound out.

With a tip of his hat, in gladness he smiled.

Amongst those allocated to the space for this round were Probacon, David, Wok, Fighter, Kuroko, Purogu, sitting before a few others, and carrying expressions of assorted notice.

Purogu sighed. Noticed instantly by her friend prior to this event. "What's wrong, old friend?”.

"Nothing really. It's just…our progress with that…it's slow.” She replied with a head hung in sober semblance.

"Mm, I know.” David responded in reciprocal. "But we must not lose our fervour. And in time…we'll reach a breakthrough."

"Well, what if we don't?" Probacon questioned genuinely. And David’s notice was drawn to that question, as was others.

"Pro has a…uhhhhhhhh,” spoke Wok, immediately being derailed by another amnesiac episode, looking to the ceiling with a blank stare.

"…I believe we're currently on the cusp of something big. If Noot's tech has not yet completely analysed the metal, then he himself should've uncovered more on that rift, That I'm sure of.” Fighter said amidst his own contemplation.

"Add that to the measures me and the prince have taken. As well as my request to a few of our ejected members to fervently focus on the cause, so as to hasten our pace."

"Heh As expected from a man of investigative prowess.” Kuroko exclaimed with a playful grin. "Thank you. But now…"

The whole group would place their eyes on the projection, for it was to begin soon.

Probacon as well did, looking with a precise stare, a hardened poise, and a mind in thought. Who'll it be…

The signal had been sent, and so had the wheels begun to rotate, and anticipation neared the breaking point, with a possibility of anxiety attacks well in the question.

Nevertheless, their eventual and steady deceleration came as always.

Finally stopping, sending two faces of familiarity right onto the platform of the Field.

"Aw…not even one of us?,” scowled a disappointed Wok. "Boo,” pouted Probacon, resting his back and folding his arms

"BEINGS OF THE OMNIVERSE…WE HAVE OUR CHOSEN!!!" Dgiag announced.

The crowds cheered yet again, never tiring of that proclamation.

"In this corner; once again, The Hierarchy Keeper, Champion of Zeus, Bora!"

The announcement was met with mixed reactions of all types.

"I still have a ways to go, it seems…" Bora said, clutching the handle of his blade with a slight frown.

"And in the other; once again, ‘The Subdur Killer’, Couch Potato!"

"I…don't like that title…" Couch spoke in a low tone.

"Well…isn’t this interesting?" Fighter stated keenly.

"Show your respects.” Dgiag uttered, and both acted in accordance with that word.

Satisfied, the Djikk would teleport from there, away and outside.

He appeared right to the corner of the overseeing Grandmaster Tōmii.

"BEGIN!!!"

Couch wasted no time, carouseling at the most exceptional of paces about Bora, who simply kept his eye upon the motion of his opposite.

Why him?!, thought Couch in some dread.

This is no normal individual. He’s one beyond the majority of us here. And if others have failed, I have no shot…

He paused in his thoughts for a brief moment.

Nah, get it together, Couch! Mentality like that won't get you anywhere.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Finally, in swiftness and decisiveness, he stopped his elliptical action, and turned facing Bora, who was rather minorly found astounded.

In times like this…

One must always take initiative!!!, thought Couch, making a burst towards the Olympian.

His aim was a rapid right-handed punch, but with unequivocal ease was it blocked by Bora.

But Couch was surprisingly unfazed, simply taking a momentary retraction.

His next tactic was to attempt a velocious overwhelming, attacking in quick flashes from multiple directions. But to Bora he was like a gust to a lightning strike, so he had little issue in simply deflecting and disregarding this onslaught.

And from here Couch’s frustrations began to grow and be seen. Dammit!

Then without a forebode, Bora struck with a sting of electric charge to his abdomen, leaving him in a state of temporal shock and paralysis.

From there he fell onto the floor, convulsing violently from time to time.

He looked up to see Bora standing over him, with those very fingers still immersed in that electrical energy. "Guuhhh…."

The emotion the demigod seemed to carry was of nothing but pure contempt. "Haste yourself cautiously, Torrerian. I'll end this misery of yours…”

“With decisive action!" With his hands in a widened cupped shape, he attempted to lay a final strike upon Couch.

In a quick rush of adrenaline, Couch recovered, and quickly avoided the strike with a roll, leaving on the floor on which he laid to be hit with widespread damage just after he did.

"Oh?,” said a pleasantly surprised Bora.

Couch panted from the distance, catching his breath after that close call.

Gaah…I knew it…, thought Couch, cleaning from his chin the cruor that flowed from his mouth.

Suddenly, a renewed fiery drive lit up his eyes..

He began vibrating his entire body at an exceedingly rapid velocity, to the point it seemed to “glitch Through” reality itself.

"...Molecular destabilisation.” Bora beamed excitedly.

Meanwhile Couch took the measures to prepare for a new assault. This isn’t something I’m fond of…but!

***

Quickly in his mind he would skim through a visage, a memory, in which the backs of the silhouettes of two Torrerian mutants, one looking like a bird-human, much older, and a clearly younger version of Couch conversed. "In desperate times, use desperate measures. For the law of nature is not constitution, or fairness, or even the moral dichotomy. It is survival and success. For which one must be willing to do even the most diabolical of actions. Understand, Couch?,” said the older bird-human individual. "Yes, sir!”

As much as I hate those bastards, they're absolutely correct in that regard, it just doesn't matter…

With a quick opening of his eyes, and use of a strong burst of momentum, he looked to attack an anticipating Bora. In desperate times, use desperate measures.

Bora morphed his right arm into magma, swinging it and launching from it many flaming balls at Couch, who was aware to their presence and was swift in his avoidances

His feet would become something like plant roots, spreading all over the area around him, and from his left arm greats vats of acid would fly out.

But Couch would elude all with supernormal flexibility, making sure to not make even the most insignificant of contact with them, as the roots bored into the ground, and the acid corroded anything it contacted.

Those roots should be able to absorb nutrients from wherever they touch, and that acid is no joke! I have to be careful.

But the relent of Bora would not be to come, as he used his signature light lasers again. But through speed alone could Couch swivel around them.

Then from Bora came a powerful psychic burst, that travelled outward with a decimating wave.

But Couch would vibrate his body such that it passed through him, and thus have no effect on him.

Then from nowhere an alpine molten ball was released at him to his great astonishment.

But with a rapid touch, it fell apart, for his vibrating touch would destabilise the ball’s molecular structure, organisation, and even its components, making it nothing but a rain of cooled molten earth.

"Hoho. You hide such talent deep within your arsenal? How sly.” Bora said, but was left wanting for a responsive reaction.

"Didn't know Couch could do that.” Probacon stated. "Well, first time for everything, huh?" Wok responded.

"How strange...” David noted, causing minor confusion.

"Why do you say that?" Fighter asked. To which he was responded to, and was left in shock along with his nearest allies. "Bora has…withheld himself even more.”

"We're here,” said Noot upon his return alongside Yurupt and Umbra, to which the others looked towards.

“Took your time. Any new–?" Fighter began to question, only for Noot’s swift interruption and focus onto the prince to halt his ask. "I found something.”

The alert of both the Nafiman and the Sarhun would be raised greatly, as any find of any form could be a game-changing learn.

"What? What was it?" David asked, intrigued by this information, and rushing to learn more of it.

"I'll tell soon enough. But first,a quick recap of…all that?" Noot pointed to the projection, ringing that same finger.

"Not much, other than molecular destabilising on Couch's part.” Fighter responded. "...I see.”

His brow raised, and a corner of his mouth quirked up. “Meaning…this will end soon.”

Within the Field, the status quo routine was kept, with the development of Couch’s movements improving in their gracefulness amidst the keeping of distance, actively irritable to Bora.

He scowled at the mutant whilst firing beams of light at him. "Are you coming to me or not?"

But he received no reply, which heightened the extent of his anger.

But instead of exploding, he calmed himself, simply following with a smile of unsettling design. “Fine.”

“I shall come to you then."

In an instant, Bora had displaced himself to a position just before Couch, with his palm nearing the latter's face.

《In a sheer split of time…》

A baffled Couch could only stare, with questions of the battle permeating all through his mind…

《Does this signal the end…?》

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