Ghalee called the next match. Déniz Bizaya versus Tyren O. Bayajidda.

Even their battle stance was different. Bizaya stood with his arms casually resting by his side and his chins slightly up like a hawk. Tyren folded his arms around his waist and straightened his back. It was the kind of stance you saw with veteran soldiers.

Tyren had come to the underground empire three weeks to the Jinzidal just to have a prelim match with his old friend Bizaya. Bizaya was the one who invited him because he felt he was the only worthy opponent in the entire competition.

He took them to the Elephant Forest where they spent thirteen days tied in a bloody battle that ended in a draw. After their match, they decided the only way to win was to increase their longevity before the Jinzidal and surpass their previous selves to avoid another draw. A draw in the final would produce two winners which would share the benefits, but none of them was ready to share their success. That was why they both used the remaining days before the Jinzidal to create an even more powerful spell. They'd finally met again.

Deniz Bizáya was the first to speak. "Do we need to do this? I mean, it won't be smart to fight a battle that would exhaust us just before the final. We both know our capabilities."

Bizaya fell silent and closed his eyes. When he opened them, the iris in his right eye was replaced by an image of a.. nail. The same nail appeared at the centre of his forehead like a Miyura. The ring shook and the nail appeared behind him. But this one wasn't just an image, it was made of a red diamond. It stood straight as if it had been standing since the beginning of creation and would never fall. It was several meters tall, and if you were to look at its top you would see it in the sky. Its tip was pointed like a lance, floating arrogantly in the air like a dragon. It looked as corporeal as it could be. But, it was just a projection.

Soon, the nail divided into two equal halves, and each half further divided into two. The resulting halves further divided into two, giving eight nails. The nails then grew rapidly to reach the size of the original.

Anyone who had ever visited the Underground Empires would know the name of this nail. Márakána they called it.

Bizaya smiled with pride. "As I was saying, there's no need for us to fight. How about this? I'll surround you with my nails. If you break out in sixty seconds then you win, but you lose if you don't."

Bizaya was loud enough for Ghalee to hear him.

"Oh my God! The prince is doing it again. He's challenging Tyren of the rebellion. Is Tyren bold enough to accept the challenge?"

Ghalee repeated it several times until he was sure Tyren couldn't back out.

Tyren hesitated.

"Is the mighty mage of the rebellion going to back out? They said he couldn't be killed even by the First Worlders. I wonder." Ghalee said.

The audience discussed it.

"He shouldn't be hesitating, the Tyren I know should not be hesitating."

"Maybe he is not. Let's see."

In the VIP area, Asifu smiled. He'd been faced with a similar spell in the past and he knew better than anyone that getting out of it in sixty seconds was simply impossible. Hell, you couldn't even break out in a week. Asifu gave Iluru a meaningful look and the two old-timers exchanged a smile.

What the crowd didn't know was Tyren had seen a similar spell during their prelim match. He took several minutes to understand it, but he did, and in the end he broke out.

But this one looked different. The previous one had two nails but this had eight. Besides, Bizaya wouldn't make the bet if he wasn't certain of his victory.

Is this a challenge or a trap? It was only natural for Tyren to hesitate. But, just because he hesitated didn't mean he would back out. It only meant the challenge was worth taking.

"I, Tyren O. Bayajidda, accepts your challenge."

A deathly silence spread across the arena. Everyone wanted to see what came next. Who would be the winner?