Kaden followed the wolf for a while until they came to an area with several open parts. They were obviously arenas used for fighting. There were formations closing each area so that even larger attacks would stay inside. Most of them were even in use and, by the looks of it, constant use.

"I guess whenever someone has a problem with someone else, they come here to fight it", Kaden realized. "In smaller towns it happens on the streets, but here in Caricoun they have reserved areas for it."

Not only that. As Kaden followed the wolf inside, where they would sing their agreement to fight on a large crystal used to record each duel, Kaden noted that there were a lot of Cari merely watching. There was even betting going on.

The Cari were using their so called justice system as an entertainment? Kaden observed more carefully and he noted that the people handling the money were actually city officials.

"Explain the rules to me", Kaden asked the official handling the records. "I have lived outside of the central Cari territories and this is unfamiliar to me." He wanted to confirm the rules.

The official, some vulture, gave a frown at Kaden. For a while Kaden almost expected mockery as usual, but the vulture was doing his job professionally and did not do so.

"You can do anything you want", the vulture said. "If your opponent just happens to die during the fight, then that is that. If your opponent gives up or is unable to fight, you may do anything you wish except kill. We want growth, not butchery."

"Since this place exists, I assume fighting is to be done here and only here", Kaden continued questioning. With the problems he was attracting, he wanted to know where he could fight.

"Indeed, fights are to be fought here", the vulture confirmed. "Outside of the city? No one cares. Still, I would remind we want strength and killing off too many with potential to grow is frowned upon."

The wolf had been waiting to already enter the arena.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to stall or what?" The wolf mocked Kaden.

Kaden didn't reply and signed the fighting agreement.

-------

"What luck", the wolf thought to himself as he entered the arena with Kaden following close behind. "I was able to find a small weakling phoenix. I wasn't aware those prideful bastards can produce someone like this and let them live. Haha. He is still a phoenix so I can tear off that plume and use it to strengthen myself! I'll tear off bunch of his normal feathers too. They are valuable too. With luck I can kill him. I'd love to eat a phoenix."

The wolf had big plans.

"I can then perhaps take higher place within the family", he thought to himself. "That old leader is weak fool. I should be the leader. This runt phoenix is my ticket to greatness."

-------

Kaden immediately noted just how much effort Cari had put into building the arenas.

Protective formations that had been arranged across the entire area were very high quality. High enough that Kaden couldn't even understand them entirely.

"These will ensure no Lower Cari can break them", Kaden noted. "In fact, I think all but Higher Cari can fight here without fear of breaking anything."

The ground was pretty interesting too. It was made entirely out of somewhat rare stone called Kasa. Its usage was pretty limited. It was only very tough and would take some effort to break, but Kaden knew he could easily break it if he wanted to. Its second property was what made it interesting. The Kasa stone seemed to like gather together and recombine, if broken. With the constant fights the arena generally changed shape with the stone recombining elsewhere each time as it was blown away from its original spot. If it got too chaotic or something, it could easily be flattened by someone strong enough.

All of it, the formations and the relatively rare stone, were extremely expensive.

Kaden took a good spot and prepared to start the fight. Around at that time he remembered what the wolf's species was. It was a Mountain Wolf. Its pretty simple name that came from where they usually lived and that they were of earth affinity. Wolves had many different ways they could evolve and Mountain Wolves were only slightly rarer one with its heavy reliance on earth mana. The most common wolf type was also earth type, but had also others which caused the other evolutions. Some were extremely large. Some could consume enormous amount of food. There was even one that special evolution where wolf pack was basically a hivemind producing perfect teamwork.

"It doesn't really matter what it is", Kaden muttered to himself and took a spot on a nearby bump on the ground where the floor had gathered together into a slightly higher elevation. "It shouldn't be a problem."

The wolf activated some spell and its fur turned into sharp crystaline spikes. It then stomped on the ground and the stone moved away and flattened into a circular area just around it.

"I don't give a shit why you decided to bother me", Kaden said to the wolf calmly. "I have grown tired having everyone think I am weak. I make you an example so none will make the mistake again. Simply put... I will kill you. Painfully."

Kaden released himself fully.

The wolf basically laughed and spikes of stone floated up and surrounded the wolf surrouding it with swarm of spikes that could perhaps fit in human hand. They were small, but Kaden didn't underestimate them.

Then there was a sound of a horn marking the start. The entrance was closed as the formations protected it too.

The spikes shot at Kaden immediately, but it was easy to leap out of the way as he had expected them to come.

"From the elemental affinities earth is pretty defensive", Kaden though to himself as he continued avoiding attacks. "Lets see."

Kaden shot a few fireballs at the wolf. Then he watched the wolf simply destroy one of the fireballs in air, while avoiding the rest. While the wolf was dodging, Kaden took the chance to shoot a Fire Beam at it.

At that moment the wolf raised a barrier of stone from the ground.

"The idiot wolf thought he could just overpower me with some basic attacks", Kaden though to himself. "I am certain I have more firepower than it."

With the wall in between, it wouldn't be able to properly attack, while Kaden could simply watch the beam quickly melt the wall. Once there was a molten circular area on it, but not quite gone through, he injected mana into the beam. Soon after there was an explosion centered at the wall. The wolf was jumping out, but it was still slightly caught.

"I told you, you are dead", Kaden told it coldly and shot another Fire Beam.

The wolf was going to take things seriously this time and avoided getting hit by the beam and retaliated with wave of earth spikes going towards Kaden.

-------

"Someone said there is a phoenix fighting on the arena?" A golden bird said to another.

They were phoenixes.

"Who would dare!" The other phoenix replied. "I want to see who it is now that our official business here is done."

The two phoenixes flew to the arena. There was a bit more audience than usual. Phoenix was fighting on the arena. They were rare and very high ranked Cari clan and usually no one bothered them, if they didn't have to.

The said audience basically chose to make way when the two appeared.

"A common mutt dared to challenge one of ours?" The first phoenix said in annoyed manner.

"Who is this child anyway?" The second one wondered as he watched Kaden. "As far as I'm aware there shouldn't be too many wandering outside of the clan grounds. Let alone someone like him."

The first phoenix frowned.

"He looks small", the phoenix said. "Could it be that someone botched production of birth flames and caused a defective child to be born? Then even let such stain of failure to live?"

"I agree, but this child is pretty good with spells", the second phoenix replied. "Perhaps he has learned to rely more on spells with his weaker body. Look how he is suppressing that wolf with constant rain of spells. He casts them faster than anyone else I have seen at his stage and seem more powerful too. Perhaps he is barely acceptable."

"If he loses, I will arrange his death, if neccessary", the first phoenix said after a while. "Such shame must be cleansed."

---------

Whatever wounds Kaden had suffered were relatively minor. He had been suppressing the wolf and waiting the chance to push through the defenses whenever such a chance appeared. He was still concentrating on weakening the wolf. He had plans on how he would deal with it. If it was lucky, it would die quickly, but Kaden planned for it to be unlucky.

The wolf had its crystaline fur partially molten and shattered, but its defensive power was high. Kaden doubted he had managed more than a few good hits that could penetrate past it. That would be the few Fire Beams and Fire Bombs, but those were his most powerful direct attacks. Yet, there was something that wasn't direct instant damage, but was probably more destructive.

"Perhaps it is time", Kaden though to himself. "Its weakened enough."

Kaden started to shoot numerous fireballs at the wolf. Among those fireballs was an unassuming special fireball. Kaden had not really used Devouring Flame that much and, before his evolution, he had only been able to throw a small flame of it or charge formations with it. Now was able to make a larger one with some effort and shoot it just like any other fireball.

The wolf was rather good at destroying all the fireballs Kaden sometimes shot at it. This time Kaden flew towards it and dived down as he started the bombardment, giving it less time to deal with them. This did allow the wolf send out a large earth spike towards Kaden, but he dodged it since he expected retaliation.

The wolf right at the end noticed the redder fireball among the normal ones, but it no longer had time to dodge or get rid of it.

The fireball made out of Devouring Flame hit and it near instantly ignited the wolf entirely. It didn't matter what it touched. It kept burning and spreading.

The wolf was getting crazed and was howling and flailing about trying to put out the flame.

All the while the audience cheered and some roared mockery at the wolf.

Kaden landed at some distance away from the struggling wolf, but didn't continue attacking. He wanted to see, if the wolf would be able to deal with the fire.

"If not, it dies here", Kaden thought to himself. "But I'd prefer it survives just a bit longer. I want to humiliate it before I kill it. I got audience and I want them to see and spread the word that I am not to be messed with."

Therefore, instead of killing the wolf, he merely watched it burn and howl in pain. He kind of enjoyed it. The burning flesh kind of made him feel hungry. He decided he would eat the wolf once he finally killed it.

The wolf burned for a while, but didn't die. Devouring Flame was very powerful. It had been too slow to cast before and chances to use it were few. Now that he could cast it faster, it was just as he expected. Stronger opponents like Lower Cari were able to resist it, though. Hence the power gain wasn't that large for opponents Kaden cared about.

Kaden mentally sighed. "It is still strong, but considering the effort I need to cast it and that it needs a setup to hit anyone with and its usefulness is still a bit lacking. Stronger and smarter opponent will be able to deal with it quicker too."

Eventually the wolf did a desperate move which is to waste mana. It started releasing mana to basically flush out the fire. The Devouring Flame flared up a bit with extra mana, but it was also pushed away. To do so was exhausting one's strength. Kaden wasn't sure if such a move would be possible right away or only after the flames weakened a bit, but he didn't really care at the moment.

The smoldering body of the wolf slumped on the ground. It was still alive, but its crystaline fur was now completely molten and in parts exposed the flesh underneath, which was also had burned. Kaden was pretty sure a Lower Cari would eventually heal, but it would take a lot of effort and time. Considering the Cari culture, the wolf would be kicked and pushed around for quite a while. That is, if Kaden let it live.

Despite whatever judge or referee there was, an end had not been sounded yet. Kaden took the time to torture the wolf a bit more.

He poked out one of its eyes with his talons. The wolf howled and tried to get up to fight back, but Kaden started to mutilate it instead. He had the time to break its bone in back leg and open some bleeding gashes until sound of the end came.

"Opponent unable to fight", announcer said. "Phoenix is the winner."

"Hmph", Kaden snorted and left.

He didn't even take anything. The wolf didn't have much to take anyway. What Kaden wanted from it, he couldn't take in the arena.

"Perhaps now the fools don't think I'm weak", Kaden though to himself as he exited the arena.