Making their way through the industrial sector toward the closest teleportation pad that led to the Crucible, Alistair and Riseth were surrounded by the lightly decorated and utilitarian atmosphere typical of the area. Signs pointing in various directions led to different manufacturing hubs, from armaments and shipyards to magitech development. The Neshan's emphasis on security was evident—thick blast doors and meters of magically infused rock concealed and protected most of the industrial and sensitive areas. Unlike the more open and scenic parts of the city, this part of the mountain offered little in terms of view or charm since everything was hidden behind layers of protection.

Alistair was looking forward to checking out the Crucible, as it had been a while since his last visit. The Crucible was a more recent addition to Rathos, having evolved from the original Illusionary Arenas. What had started as a small setup had expanded rapidly, offering not only a much larger variety of illusionary combat scenarios but also multiple chambers and vast arenas. These included podiums for spectators during organized tournaments and specialized chambers for real magical training, designed to withstand punishment from non-illusionary exercises. The scale and variety had grown significantly since its initial creation. They had created an official league and a series of tournaments, hoping that by holding them regularly, they would eventually be recognized by the system and awarded the Gladiator title along with its upgrades. According to Sotarr, consistency was key—if they could maintain the tournaments for long enough, the system would eventually acknowledge them.

Stepping out of the teleportation circle, they were immediately met with the roar of cheering and the distant clash of battle echoing down the corridor leading to the Crucible. Entering the brightly lit underground chamber, they gazed down from the stands at three exhibition arenas, each filled with combatants. Large screens in the corners of the arenas prominently displayed the fighters' names and teams, ensuring visibility for the crowd no matter where they sat in the surrounding stands. In the leftmost arena, a Minotaur and a swift demoness clashed in close combat within a jungle environment. Meanwhile, the center and right arenas hosted team battles, both set in stone-tiled landscapes dotted with pillars and small buildings, offering elevation and obstacles to enhance the tactical depth of the fights.

The spectators’ attention was firmly on the centermost arena, where the Inevitables were battling the Stormstrikers. Both teams were fairly well-known—the Stormstrikers consisted mostly of young demons and humans from the first wave of settlers, while the Inevitables had a similar makeup but included a few newer arrivals. Among them was Valthos, a young Solivorus demon from Neshan, who had quickly gained a reputation for his showmanship and talent. Unsurprisingly, in this exhibition match, his team held back as he took on the last three members of the Stormstrikers alone, all of whom were holding their ground.

From what Alistair knew, Valthos’s core concept was suspected to be Duplication, an intriguing ability with linked concepts like cloning, which allowed him to create multiple versions of himself. However, each duplicate grew weaker as their numbers increased. He also made skillful use of the Copy and Mimic concepts, enabling him to replicate his opponents' magic, though again, at reduced power. This combination made him a jack of all trades but master of none—a drawback in one-on-one combat but an incredibly versatile asset in team battles.

Most individuals had worked on developing their core concepts, but much like Alistair and Riseth, many hadn’t fully grasped the exact relationship between core and directly linked concepts. That knowledge had spread quickly after Sotarr revealed its importance. Understanding why certain concepts meshed with their core while others didn’t had been a long-standing issue, and the growth in power across the board following weeks and months of refining directly linked concepts was undeniable. The revelation had been too critical to withhold for the meager record gains not knowing had provided in their opinion.

Not sensing Simon anywhere near, Alistair and Riseth took a seat in the stands, drawing a few curious glances from those nearby. Having refined their combat styles and concepts so much, watching the fight below felt a bit awkward. Alistair hesitated to call it flailing, but it wasn’t far off as it was a mixture of vicious strikes with wide openings and uncovered angles he was now acutely aware of. He had quite a bit of experience in hand-to-hand combat from before the initiation, but his armed combat style had been just as lacking as theirs, particularly with a blade. The fighters' movements and usage of magic reminded him of his own early struggles, muddling through with bits of knowledge pieced together from whatever sources he could find and a lot of trial and error.

They had brought in a few skilled individuals to train others in close-quarter combat, particularly armed combat, but it would take time for people to shift from their wild, beast-like fighting styles to more disciplined techniques. Not everyone was convinced of the benefits yet. The change was gradual, and Alistair knew that achieving true mastery would require patience. Even though he had shed most of his bad habits and developed a solid foundation under Sotarr's guidance, he still had a long way to go. His own journey toward mastery was far from complete—he would need to refine his Aegis Stride and continue expanding its capabilities over time.

They also ran into a problem where many of their techniques had hit the ceiling of what was possible at their grade, which was problematic as they were still in the early part of their Grade. Sotarr had reassured them it should be quite fine as the better their skills, stats, and overall quality of their records, the better the second racial evolution at grade 7 would be.

"Please don’t tell me I’m the only one who thinks their flailing is hard to watch. I almost feel bad," Riseth asked over the Akashic Link, a hint of an awkward smile on her face.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Alistair chuckled as he watched Valthos block the lightning attack with a barrier before quickly retaliating. "No, I thought the same. We’ve done what we can to set them on the right track, but considering the circumstances, they’re doing quite well."

The fight below took a sudden turn as Valthos followed the lightning with a windblade he had copied from another fighter, swiftly eliminating one of the opponents. Now, only Valthos, his duplicate, and two remaining fighters were left. With the Stormstrikers having lost their numbers advantage, the fight quickly came to a close. The arena erupted in cheers and applause as the final blow landed, sealing the Inevitables' victory.

Alistair and Riseth joined the others in clapping as the illusion dissipated, revealing the fighters safe within their protective podium, turning to wave at the small crowd of fighters and spectators scattered across the stands.

"Who here thinks they can beat the Inevitables?! We take all challengers!" Valthos called out, his voice magically amplified within the protective arena. His team jeered and grinned widely, their confidence infectious. The young demon's gaze swept over the crowd, but no one seemed willing to take him up on the challenge.

"No takers?" he teased before his eyes landed on Alistair and Riseth, seated calmly in the stands.

"Clan Patriarch and Matriarch, what an honor for you to witness our battle!" Valthos exclaimed, his tone carrying the unmistakable hint of a challenge. Alistair could already tell where this was headed, and he fought to keep his expression neutral, resisting the urge to let a predatory grin spread across his face.

"If I might be so bold," Valthos continued, "would you do us the honor of showing us your prowess? Naturally, it will be a fair two-on-two duel, in an arena of your choosing."

Alistair raised an eyebrow and glanced at Riseth, who wore a slightly annoyed frown.

"They’re challenging us," Riseth said over the Akashic Link, her tone laced with a mixture of amusement and irritation. "Most haven’t seen us fight, and for many, our prowess is still just rumor. This might be the perfect chance to put that unrest to bed."

"Leave it to me," Alistair responded calmly.

Still seated, he connected his magic to the voice amplification system, letting his predatory smile emerge as he addressed Valthos. "I accept your challenge," he said, amusement in his tone. "But let’s make it interesting—your entire team against me, in an arena of your choosing."

"I let Nessyra know, and she helped spread the word," Riseth said over the Akashic Link. "Try not to end it too quickly."

"Fine," Alistair replied in mock disappointment. "But only because you asked." He gave her a quick kiss before shifting his focus to the upcoming battle, his grin lingering as he watched the arena turn into a circular sandstone-tiled arena surrounded by a Middle Eastern cityscape. He was a bit disappointed by the boring pick, though he could flatten pretty much any arena with waves of kinetic energy, so it didn't truly matter what they picked.

Alistair interacted with the mana stone of the illusionary array, appearing in the city scape at the arena's edge. Dissatisfied with his starting position, he used his Telekinesis to lift himself skyward at incredible speeds, then teleported to the center of the arena.

Alistair knew they had seen him teleport to the center of the arena, but they were taking their time, spreading out to encircle him. He chuckled to himself, pulling up his Akashic Sound Board. No way he’d miss the opportunity to play some good music while entertaining these eager youngsters.

Maybe Free Bird? Or some boss music? he mused, sensing the Inevitables closing in, empowering themselves for the fight. He didn’t feel enough of a threat from them to push himself beyond what the Akashic Sound Board would add.

Valthos dashed at him head-on, and Alistair made his choice: Kickstart My Heart. As the track blared to life, a brief look of confusion crossed the Solivorus demon's face. Then, Valthos activated his duplication ability, lightning arcing toward Alistair while gunfire erupted from the sides of the open space. Another attacker rushed from behind, but Alistair remained calm, his grin widening as the music pulsed through the arena.

The power behind their attacks was so underwhelming that Alistair didn’t even need to move. He stood still, letting his Automatic True Force Barrier effortlessly block some of the hits while absorbing and converting the rest into kinetic energy. He felt a subtle shift in the magic around him—one of their supporters had locked down flight and teleportation. The strength of the formation was actually impressive, but it wasn’t enough to prevent him from using his Telekinesis to move around.

As Valthos and his human teammate, John, closed in, Alistair took note of the latter’s evolution. "Human" wasn’t quite accurate anymore—John had become an Ironborn, his skin taking on a dark gray sheen with protective, metallic properties. The pair pressed forward, but Alistair remained calm, taking the first stance of the Aegis Stride, his poleaxe pointed at Valthos. Suddenly, John sped up, dashing at his back, quickly followed by the demon and his duplicate.

Alistair smirked, using Telekinesis to move backward rapidly, ramming the sharp butt of his weapon into John's stomach, increasing the force, mass, and kinetic energy at the moment of impact, spreading out the magic slightly so he didn't just impale the man as he didn't want to immediately kick him out of the arena. John's eyes bulged as his iron body was crushed, and he was sent flying through one of the sandstone buildings. Alistair winced—he had overestimated the fighter's resilience as John was torn from the illusion.

"Whoops," Alistair said with a chuckle.

Valthos lashed out with his chain swords, four pairs striking in unison. Alistair casually sidestepped the first strike, parrying the next with his poleaxe, stealing the momentum and shifting Valthos's mass to his other arm, throwing him off balance. His duplicate had to quickly pull back to avoid slashing the original. After the parry, Alistair smoothly redirected the point of his poleaxe toward the demon’s neck. Valthos tried to twist out of the attack, but Alistair locked him in place with his Telekinesis, intending to stop the thrust just short.

To his surprise, Valthos, despite being held in place, used magic to contort and split his body in a bizarre, uncomfortable-to-watch display to evade the blow. Meanwhile, the rest of the Inevitables abandoned their ranged attacks and charged at Alistair, realizing their previous tactics were futile. Amused, Alistair paused and, instead of pressing the attack, hurled the twisting demon toward his teammates with Telekinesis, not quite ready to end the fight just yet.