“Renjiro, calm yourself,” Azlan Koe warned, casting him a stern look. “If you cause trouble in the Royal Palace, none of us will make it out of here alive.”

Across the arena, Anubis turned to Akhet and Nefru, his gaze thoughtful. “Absolute End,” he murmured. “Akhet, Nefru, what do you make of it?”

Akhet folded his arms, his face tense with contemplation. “From its name alone, it sounds like an ultimate technique… one that ends life itself. If my hunch is right, Menes can decide life or death when he uses this power.”

Nefru added, “Menes may not have a Chronotex, but Absolute End is something else entirely. It’s pure Dark Energy, a mastery beyond any Chronotex user. He must have reached the highest level of Dark Energy to wield it.”

Meanwhile, in the Merchants’ Guild seating area, Commander Isabella Rossi sat alongside Maximilian Weber and Tarek Amunet. Rossi leaned over and whispered, “We should inform the boss about this. Absolute End could disrupt his future plans.”

Weber’s eyes narrowed as he watched Menes with an intense look. “Only our boss has the right to kill Menes,” he muttered with a smirk. “Menes, be ready… soon, Thebes and all of Egypt will face a calamity beyond what the Royal Army can handle.”

As the dust settled, Menes and Henu Safir re-entered the Colosseum halls, where soldiers and spectators bombarded them with questions. Jack and the group approached, eager to congratulate the two warriors.

“That was a fun battle while it lasted,” Menes said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah,” Henu replied, shaking his head. “You knew I wouldn’t go up against Absolute End. Too risky. But I’ll admit—it was an even match.”

Ramon came running up, practically bursting with excitement. “Commanders! You were incredible! Someday, I want to reach that level of power.”

Henu glanced at Ramon with a grin. “Just don’t cheat like this old man here,” he teased, nodding toward Menes.

“Hey, watch it!” Menes shot back, laughing.

The booming sound of a horn echoed through the Colosseum, signaling the next match. Jack was up, facing Kairo of the Royal Nebu. Ramon, still sporting bandages from his last fight with Kairo, clapped Jack on the back. “This one’s all you, Jack. Show him what the Royal Army is made of!”

Jack looked around, feeling a surge of warmth at the encouragement from everyone. Their smiles and words of support struck a chord, making him realize how much they truly cared.

Maybe fate had given him a sign.

“Good luck. Don’t die,” Kasib called out with a grin.

“Jack, I know you’ve got this,” Kamil said with a wink. “And after, let’s get back to inventing together.”

“Show them what you’re made of, Jack!” Menes shouted.

Henu added, “Give it your best—and if you lose, just come back stronger.”

Even Yune, typically stone-faced, was caught up in the moment. Noya playfully pinched Yune’s cheeks into a smile and, pretending to be him, said in an enthusiastic voice, “Good luck, Jack! Win it for us!”

Memnon spoke up, “Jack, Khonsu asked me to tell you—make it happen. Win it for all of us.”

Finally, Setka stepped forward, his voice calm but powerful. “Jack, show the world your true strength. Let them tremble and stand in awe of what you can summon.”

With his friends’ words echoing in his heart, Jack drew in a deep breath, then turned to the arena with renewed courage. “Yes, General! Thank you, everyone, for your support. I’ll give it my all!”

Old Man Marcus raised his voice to the crowd once more, announcing the next battle. As the audience erupted in cheers, Jack stepped out from one side of the arena, locking eyes with Kairo, who entered from the other.

In the background, Renjiro leaned over to Ru, placing a hand on her shoulder and whispering, “Keep an eye out. We need to figure out who Stellar is.”

Stolen story; please report.

Akhet, concealed beneath his helmet, smirked. “The last time I faced Jack, he was clinging to life, barely hanging on. But now… standing before a Commander? This should be interesting.” Anubis noticed Akhet’s intrigue but remained silent.

Jack’s voice rang out in anger. “I’ll get revenge for what you did to Khonsu and Ramon, Kairo!”

Kairo sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. “Revenge? That’s a word for the strong. And I doubt you have the strength to back it up.” He added with a mocking smile, “I want to see for myself what you’re made of… before I use Genie to get rid of you myself”

The crowd grew silent in anticipation as Old Man Marcus’s voice echoed, “Let the battle begin!”

Kamil, watching intently, leaned toward Yune. “Do you think Jack stands a chance? Can he use Stellar?”

Yune bit his nails anxiously, his eyes fixed on Jack. “Jack’s trained with me, but… Stellar drains nearly all of his life energy. It took a huge toll last time he used it in battle. I only hope his training has lessened that strain.”

Without hesitation, Jack drew his sword and charged toward Kairo, who nonchalantly pulled a small blade from his pocket, blocking Jack’s assault with ease. He smirked. “Not bad… but not good, either.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed in determination. He threw his sword just as Khonsu and Ramon had done, aiming directly at Kairo. Smirking, Kairo dodged with ease. “Useless,” he scoffed. But as the blade sailed past him, he felt a sudden, sharp sting on his chest. Jack had cleverly attached a string to his sword using his Chronotex, pulling it back mid-air and landing a shallow cut across Kairo’s chest.

Kairo’s smirk faded, replaced by an icy glare. He quickly retaliated, throwing his small knife at Jack’s legs. Though the impact was minor, it left a stinging cut, making Jack stumble as he struggled to keep his balance.

“Jack! Good move! You’ve got this!” Ramon shouted from the crowd.

“Impressive. He’s a creative fighter,” Setka noted with approval.

Ru analyzed Jack’s tactics, muttering, “He used Kairo’s blind spot perfectly, hiding the string’s attachment. Clever… but costly. He traded an injury to his legs for that hit.”

Lloyd Freeks, the Vanguard’s second commander, nodded in agreement. “Jack’s mobility is compromised now. Balance is everything in a fight.”

Jack stumbled slightly, struggling to steady himself. In the stands, Elios’s eyes darted between the fighters, his loyalty torn. He’d trained with Kairo, but Jack had changed his perspective on life.

“Kairo’s just toying with him,” Drexel observed, noticing Kairo’s calm demeanor.

Thane shook his head, his confidence unwavering. “He’s testing Jack. Even if Stellar shows up, Kairo will come out on top.”

Hovering in the air, Kairo looked down at Jack with an unsettling calmness. This time, his expression held no humor. He began launching small knives down at Jack, each one imbued with deadly precision. Jack was forced to dodge, hitting some with his sword while narrowly escaping others. One blade sliced so close it took a lock of his blond hair.

With each dodge, Jack’s movements grew slower, and he felt the searing pain in his injured leg. He closed his eyes briefly, his voice almost a whisper, “Please… Stellar, heal me.”

But Kairo was relentless. He continued his aerial assault, his knives whirling down with unerring accuracy.

Jack, seething with frustration, muttered under his breath, "I've had enough." With a fierce resolve, he activated Chrono Arachnid. Four spider-like legs sprouted from his back—two above his shoulders, two below. Their color was a deep, ominous blue, with sharp, sleek edges. They stretched outward with a relentless speed and intensity, reaching toward Kairo as he flew through the air.

Kairo, taken aback, picked up his pace, dodging and weaving midair. But Jack's arachnid claws kept up, homing in on him. Noya, hands on his head, shouted in awe, “Oh my God, he’s really using his powers!”

As the claws closed in, Kairo felt trapped, surrounded. In a desperate move, he deactivated his flight power to fall back to the ground faster, barely managing to dodge a fatal blow as one of Jack’s claws scraped his elbow. Jack strained to keep up, his claws extending to their limit, reaching a full 10 meters but unable to close the gap entirely.

Back on the ground, Kairo sprang forward, charging at Jack with the intensity of a predator, his blade aimed with deadly precision. He slashed across Jack’s chest, and blood splattered onto the arena floor, drawing shocked gasps from the crowd.

“Jack!” Kamil screamed, his voice thick with worry. Ramon clenched his fists, fury boiling beneath his skin.

Jack staggered, blood loss weakening him. His knees buckled, and he sank to the ground, his gaze dropping to the dirt below. Kairo sneered, towering over him.

“All this talk of destiny… But the only stone written here is one that I shape myself.” He raised his sword high. “I don’t even need Genie to crush you. Ants like you aren’t worth my time. You’re nothing but filth.”

From the audience, Atom muttered, "Is he… is he really going to kill him?”

Ru replied, “Look at his stance. He’s serious. This is the final blow.”

“Jack, get up! Come on, Jack! JACK!” Ramon’s voice cracked as he yelled, his eyes filled with tears.

Even Kasib, usually carefree, dropped the apple from his hand, sweat dripping down his face, his jaw slack in horror. Henu shook his head with regret. “We’re bound by the rules. Death is a part of this battle. We can’t interfere, no matter how we feel.”

Kairo smirked, delivering his final insult, dripping with disdain. "Were you born this weak? Pathetic. Was your father a coward as well? To raise something so worthless… It’s almost a pity.”

Jack, trembling, his body weakened from blood loss, gritted his teeth. Kairo’s words cut deeper than the wounds on his chest, igniting something raw inside him. He forced his eyes up, glaring at Kairo with newfound defiance,

Time seemed to slow as Kairo’s blade descended. Gasps filled the coliseum, and a deathly silence fell over the Royal Army balcony. Kasib’s apple hit the ground, rolling away as Menes clenched the balcony railing, his knuckles turning white.