Lord of The Stars

Yassin withdrew his hand, making the water recede from Nadir's body. Nadir fell to the ground, coughing and hacking incessantly as water escaped from his mouth. Yassin said in a dry tone:

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have. I attacked you with wind merely to push you. I could have cut you to pieces."

Nadir breathed with extreme difficulty, speaking in broken phrases mixed with coughing:

"I... surrender."

The announcement came declaring Yassin's victory, and that Ivanov and Keno would advance to the next battle.

Noor felt anxious for Keno because he would face this merciless monster and prayed for God to grant him victory.

Neither combatant took any weapon; they simply stood waiting for the signal to begin. The voice announced the start.

Keno lunged toward Ivanov, who had covered his hands with a thick layer of metal. As Keno advanced to punch him, Ivanov did the same. Their fists collided, producing a high metallic screech. Everyone was astonished that Keno's hands were unharmed. Noor said to himself:

"I didn't expect Keno to be so strong, perhaps because he's a cyborg; half-human and half-robot. His body is metallic because he's had some modifications as he told me. This means he doesn't feel pain and his body can withstand standing against this brute. Perhaps he has a chance to win."

Keno delivered another punch, which Ivanov easily blocked. Keno retreated to consider his next move, but Ivanov didn't give him the opportunity and advanced with consecutive punches. Keno dodged them with ease, agility, and precision, as if he knew Ivanov's next move before it materialized. He lowered his body and delivered a powerful punch to Ivanov's chin, who received it with excruciating pain. Ivanov stepped back, seething with rage like a boiling volcano. The hard black metallic substance covered his entire body up to his face and the soles of his feet. He charged toward Keno, having lost his composure. Keno retreated cautiously, avoiding his lethal punches, sensing that Ivanov had lost control of himself as his strikes became much faster and stronger than before.

Sairi said:

"My God. This young man has angered him. He won't calm down until he kills him."

Both Noor and Jean felt worried and tense, watching the match with apprehension and fear.

Keno backed away to distance himself from Ivanov as much as possible, then raised his arms in the air toward him. The palm of his hand began to transform and change until it turned into a cannon. He fired a thunderous shell that struck Ivanov, pushing him backward and making him fall hard to the ground, but his metallic body protected him, leaving him without a scratch.

Keno sensed he must act swiftly, or risk losing not only the combat but his life as well. Ivanov stood, roaring like a savage beast that had lost all control and consciousness, lunging toward Keno with relentless determination.

Keno propelled himself upward using his thermal-powered jumping apparatus attached to his legs. He soared through the air above Ivanov, who spun around and looked skyward to find another projectile descending upon him from above. The impact knocked Ivanov to the ground, though once again he remained unaffected.

Landing back on the ground, Keno felt despair at his inability to penetrate this unyielding armor. Nevertheless, he persisted in his desperate attempts to overcome his enraged opponent who had lost all reason.

Keno charged toward him, deciding on direct confrontation. He delivered a punch to Ivanov's right cheek, evaded a counterattack, then landed another blow to the left cheek. He kicked Ivanov's leg forcefully to bring him down, but to no effect.

Ivanov grew more furious, attacking Keno relentlessly, forcing him into a defensive posture. Keno retreated backward, dodging and evading the strikes. Suddenly, Ivanov leapt at him, enveloping Keno in his arms and crushing his body with tremendous force, attempting to shatter him between his limbs.

Keno screamed in agony as his internal organs—the last remnants of his humanity—were being slowly crushed, while his external metallic body bought him precious moments before being completely destroyed in the monster's grip.

Keno raised his palm upward, his wrist transforming once again into a cannon-like device with additional modifications. He aimed it at Ivanov's head, unleashing scorching flames that cascaded over Ivanov's skull. Ivanov began to feel the solid material of his body absorbing the intense heat, sensing his brain boiling within. He screamed, hurling Keno away.

Keno crashed to the ground, realizing that a second longer would have meant his complete destruction. He rose to his feet unsteadily, feeling severe pain in his stomach and back, but at least he had discovered Ivanov's weakness: heat.

Two small circular openings appeared in Keno's palms. He aimed them toward Ivanov, who was charging at him with even greater ferocity, seething like an erupting volcano. Keno unleashed searing flames to melt the metal on Ivanov's body. Ivanov deflected the flames with his hand and approached Keno, his speed diminished by the fire's effect. The metal began to melt, but Ivanov reinforced it, only for it to melt again and be reinforced again, until he drew close to Keno.

Keno ceased his flames, ducked beneath Ivanov's arms to distance himself, then turned and fired at his back. Ivanov howled, swinging his arm with extreme agitation as he ran toward Keno. He closed in, enduring the flames, and attempted to punch him. Keno gracefully evaded each blow while simultaneously bathing Ivanov's entire body in fire, resembling a matador with a red cape facing a bull.

Ivanov began to feel extreme exhaustion, his body unable to withstand the constant pressure. He changed his fighting technique, dropping low to kick Keno's leg and bringing him down. He then leapt to crush Keno's body beneath him, but Keno rolled away, avoiding the impact. Keno witnessed the ground shattering under Ivanov's feet, then sprang up quickly, feeling his own fatigue as his organic components strained under the continuous exertion.

Ivanov began pummeling Keno, who could no longer easily evade the blows. Meanwhile, Keno continued to scorch the metallic substance on Ivanov's body with relentless flames. A gap appeared in Ivanov's form, exposing his flesh. Keno switched his hand from flame mode to projectile configuration and struck Ivanov—at the exact moment Ivanov landed a powerful punch to his face. Both combatants were propelled skyward simultaneously, then crashed to the ground, completely motionless.

Some contestants stood watching in astonishment and horror at this savage contest. Noor felt concerned for Keno, who remained immobile. He heard Sairi say mockingly:

"Someone managed to bring down this giant. It seems this mechanical boy is stronger than he appears. Fascinating."

Jean encouraged Keno, urging him to rise and win the match, but he couldn't hear her.

After minutes of silence, the voice announced that the match had ended in a draw!

It was strange for a match to end in a draw in this place. No one understood what happened to those who tied. Perhaps the voice chose not to inform them to prevent exploitation of the situation.

The voice announced the start of the next match between Ares and Yuri. They advanced to the arena while Youssef, Noor, and the remaining contestants removed and treated the injured.

Yuri knew nothing about Ares's abilities, and the latter was equally ignorant of his opponent's strength. They went to acquire weapons from crates that changed after each match. Ares noticed Yuri gathering numerous weapons that would be difficult for him to carry and use alone.

Ares returned to his position while Yuri staggered under the weight of knives and heavy pistols until he reached his place, panting, then dropped them to the ground.

The voice emerged to signal the start.

Yuri closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and appeared to concentrate. Sensing he was planning something, Ares stepped backward. He witnessed Yuri's body splitting into two copies, then four, before stopping. The original Yuri said:

"I can divide into multiple copies, each with its own consciousness, and their full focus will be on winning this fight."

Ares replied with cunning and guile:

"If I kill one of them, will you feel pain or sense its loss?"

"No, I won't feel anything. As I told you, each is an independent entity from me, unaware of what I feel. So don't worry—you won't be able to harm me."

Ares smiled craftily, saying:

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Now let's begin."

Ares realized these copies weren't connected in consciousness, meaning if he killed one secretly, the others wouldn't know about its death or sense it—which would simplify matters for him.

Ares fled toward the trees behind him. The copies grabbed weapons from the ground and began firing at him, but he escaped before being hit and disappeared among the trees. The original Yuri ordered them to pursue him. The three copies carved their path through the trees searching for Ares. Meanwhile, Ares leaned against a tree, his color changing to match it as if he were an integral part of the trunk.