Eli shifted his stance, tilting his head to the right until his neck released a satisfying pop. Rolling his shoulders and shaking out his arms, he felt for any residual aches or pains. Without finding anything, he followed up with a few little kicks and quick stretches, yet even his normally tight hamstrings weren’t protesting the movements. Relatively satisfied with the results, he glanced back to the floating display.

“Ten minutes ‘til showtime,” he muttered, almost ready to get this finished, one way or another. Knowing that he had another fight, especially with some massive monster twice his size, had been a rough sort of emotional torture for the past few hours. The anxiety and worry had gnawed at him, and he’d had to work on pushing the thoughts away more than a few times.

Luckily, he hadn’t wasted the hours he’d been given and had spent much of it fixing himself. The broken bones were whole again, at least according to his Lifesight. His long list of different injuries and wounds had disappeared too. Heck, he felt almost good as new.

Unfortunately, Manasight showed even more strange white bands within his bones, tissues, and organs. The scary thing was that some of the new ones were in the same spot as his newly healed injuries, indicating some connection between his healing and the strange striations. Yet they only showed up under Manasight. With no time left for it, and because his body felt fine again, he had little choice but to try and ignore the odd white structures for now.

He hadn’t spent all his time healing but had also worked on a few new tactics for the upcoming fight. With what he’d seen in the last battle, he’d started with attempting to detect any mana around him, hoping to try and suck in some for energy. Unfortunately, the floating lights were absent, with even the colored clouds that usually floated along missing. While his Manasight clearly picked up the energy within his body, he couldn’t find any other nearby illumination. Wherever this holding cell with bars of black curtains was, there weren’t any clouds or wisps of mana to be seen.

A glance at the monstrous statue didn’t bring any new insights. Just like when Eli had examined the smaller versions, it was just as inert and with no illumination within its massive form. Assuming the next stage was like the rest, the world would shift, and the construct would come alive as the air filled with dense energy clouds. The golem probably had some way to use the mana. Hopefully, it was only more arm shields and not some laser, fireball, or something else that could one-shot him.

Ultimately, he’d have to wait for the beginning of the next round to try using the mana. Assuming the golem hesitated at the start like the previous rounds, with Eli’s time dilation ability, he should at least have a chance to try it out. If nothing else, the extra mana might make his Flamethrower more powerful.

Even without the mana to experiment with, he’d still tried to replicate the energy shield displayed by the golems. Unfortunately, he had no idea where to start. The radiant barriers had sprung out along their stone forearms, welded in place and crackling with the same orange energy as found within their cores, but no amount of visualization or willpower seemed to help. He’d only managed to stare at his arms, pulsing a bit of energy within the tissues in different ways, but with no results beyond some twitchy muscles. With time slipping away, he’d finally given up on the idea.

After failing with the shields and growing a bit desperate for some way to win, he considered a dangerous tactic from his battle with Boruta. Presumably, damaging or removing the glowing core in its head would be instantly fatal to the golem. His tiny sample size didn’t instill total confidence in the theory, yet it was at least worth pursuing in case his other plans failed.

With only about fifteen minutes of practice, he’d managed to recreate the same shimmering white energy field around his right hand. The problem was that he couldn’t figure out how to shoot the power away from him. For this attack to work, he might have to get within touching distance, which seemed like a terrible idea. Even assuming the golem wasn’t as fast as the last two sets, Eli didn’t want to imagine what would happen if its core exploded in his face like with Boruta.

He pulled up his status for one final check.

Name: Eli Tal

Species: Human

Race: Restricted (Anomaly)

Level: 12

Evolution: Peak Mundane

Abilities: Identify, Manasight, Healing, Flamethrower, Lifesight, Aurasight

Modifiers: +Health Regen, +Mana Regen, +Defense, +Agility, +Stamina Regen

His lips curled up, even if he didn’t feel particularly happy. Assuming his limited testing on Lurra still held true here, the magic rations should last him for another eight hours. Given how quickly each fight had ended, that should be more than long enough to get him through the next round.

His attention returned to the floating display while the time ticked down to four minutes. The reward line caught his attention, and he idly wondered what he’d get if he survived the next round.

“Ah, damn,” he suddenly grumbled, remembering the previous stage’s final prompt. With the pain he’d been in from multiple broken bones and torn tissues, he’d completely missed the second stage reward. Scanning up the quest log, he reread the line. Holding out his hand, he imagined the prize appearing on his open palm. “Give me Herupa’s Band of Secrets.”

A weight settled on his hand just before a shiny silver cube materialized into place. “What the heck?” he said, surprised by the heavy weight of the thing. It fit comfortably in his hand yet was hefty enough to be made from solid steel. Turning it over only revealed more pristine sides with no markings, and his confused expression stared back at him within the cube’s mirror-like finish.

Herupa’s Band of Secrets (Ring)

Item Class: Legendary

Effects: Hidden

“Hidden? How the hell can effects be hidden from the owner? What kinda bullshit is this?”

A twinge in his chest, followed by a flip in his gut, and the world shifted around him. The tiles dissolved into the same dirt floor while the arena reappeared.

The silver cube vanished, stored in his DS for a better time. He really should have taken the time to examine the legendary item earlier, though he wasn’t sure what a silver cube could do against a giant stone construct. Then again, he hadn’t exactly wasted the last few hours, healing himself enough to face the next stage.

Shaking away the thoughts and focusing on the fight, he imagined the world slowing down around him. Immediately, the air thickened, bringing a bit of comfort even as the shifting golem settled into its new form.

“Shiiiiiit,” Eli groaned, his words coming out slow and deep yet somehow fitting with the size of the horror before him.

Without his Tracking ability, which remained greyed out in his HUD, he wasn’t exactly sure of its size. Still, it would have given Boruta stiff competition in the size department, topping the red demon’s height, though perhaps not quite as broad at the shoulders. Its overall color had shifted even farther away from brown and towards a more pronounced reddish hue. Dark red and bits of orange mixed with brown tinged its four limbs, almost matching the color of a real orangutan back on Earth. It was shaped much like the last two stages, standing on two thick, squat legs with long articulated toes digging into the ground. The arms were different, though, with the simple hands replaced with squared-off sides like giant clubs, extending nearly to the arena’s dirt floor. Its head and face had the same three circles embedded in its head where its face would be, but each was much larger and the size of a baseball.

Eli tried to shake off the shock and slow his rapid breaths while his heartbeat thudded away almost painfully in his chest. Remembering his plan, he triggered Manasight. A world filled with bright clouds of reds, greens, and blues appeared around him. The clumps of colored brilliance were back, their millions of tiny pinpricks of light bound together and just as bright as ever. There might be even more of the things, though it was hard to be sure since he hadn’t exactly paid close attention to them in the prior rounds.

A shift in the colorful currents pulled his attention back to the golem, where it remained frozen, yet the mana was already swirling around the giant. The orange cylinder within its head was brightening along with the two smaller ones within its long arms. Unfortunately, a fourth cylinder sat in its chest, even larger than the one in its head, that pulsed with a slowly intensifying red energy. In the same place as the cores within his own body and the other people he’d met, Eli had no idea what it could mean but figured it couldn’t be good.

Keeping his eyes on the frozen golem, he tried to recapture that feeling when he’d seen a similar vortex of mana over his head the night he’d healed Wolf. Not sure what he was doing or how he made it work the last time, he simply imagined the mana coming to him. Unfortunately, the little lights continued to stream into the golem. Even worse, when he tried to focus on a particular grouping, the colored clouds of energy reacted by swirling away within their own current.

Thinking that he should treat it as a fluid, he imagined an emptiness inside him that the mana would help replenish. It wasn't difficult, what with the battles and healing he’d been through in the past couple of days. Like a vacuum, the image of a hungry void came into focus in his mind’s eye. Almost immediately, the colors shifted again but towards him, and he tried not to flinch as the clouds swirled around him, disappearing into nothingness just as they reached his head.

A jolt of energy, like adrenaline and caffeine had a love child, suddenly coursed through his body and mind. Feeling like his senses were finally waking up, the environment brightened with even more colors while his mind shifted into another gear. Previously missed details became apparent, like the tiny cracks along the golem's joints at its shoulders and hips. Or the dark curtains overhead that had always looked like bottomless, ominous blackness without end. But now, he noticed some sort of grid or interlocking connections like an old chain-link fence hidden within its folds.

Shaking off the distractions, he started walking towards the gigantic stone orangutan while Bash appeared in his hands, a surge of power rising within him. The floating display and countdown timer, oriented on him even as he walked past, finally reached zero.

The monstrosity suddenly turned its head towards Eli, the two familiar orange circles glowing brightly. He had only a moment of confusion, noticing that the third circle was glowing with a reddish hue to match the core in its chest. The color seemed to flash, and another jolt of energy coursed through his mind.

With this kind of power, what could I accomplish? Is anything impossible? If I had this on Earth, could I end all the wars? Who could stop me?

Distantly aware of the golem turning its body, he ignored it as he focused on the possibilities. Even as it took its first, lumbering step towards him, Eli’s entire being flooded with power and pleasure, awash with new sensations. Reaching, yearning for more of the floating mana, the colors continued to swirl and disappear within him.

His grin widened as wild laughter broke free, his mind speeding off to images of the world he’d create. Earth would finally be at peace, with happy families relaxing under a clear blue sky. The great cities of old would be rebuilt, with structures reaching towards the heavens as a testament to humanity’s dominion over the planet. The natural world would be reseeded with plant and animal life, returning many regions to their original state. He’d have to move some people about to make room, but everyone would obey him. He’d make them.

None could stand against me, and we’d finally have peace. Or else.

The world seemed to vibrate with a slow beat around him, almost like his old Melody Max. The memory of the headphones that had kept him company, alone in the dark under a collapsed building, tugged at his thoughts. A part of his mind pulled away from the images, trying to focus on the arena around him.

As if in retaliation, the scenes changed, shifting as the blue skies darkened. Under a suddenly glowing red sky, blood, death, and anguish stalked the land as people died to explosions and fires while the world ended around them.

Unable to escape from the images, he concentrated on his aura, following the steps that Dara had taught him. Envisioning a shield at the edges of his skin, Eli pushed energy out. Unsure how much was needed but desperate to escape the horror, he continued to shove power out to form a barrier between himself and whatever was invading his mind.

Reality suddenly snapped back around him. His eyes widened at the golem nearly upon him, its slow approach shaking the world while its heavy steps kicked up small clouds of dust and dirt. The same three circles in its face were pointed right at him, the red glow somehow tugging at Eli’s mind.

The visions overwhelmed him again with rotting mounds of corpses under a dark sky even as strange misshapen creatures stalked the lands. Like monsters from someone’s crazy acid trip, there were tentacles, extra limbs, and often too many heads. Their bodies made little sense, yet their very wrongness only heightened their disgusting nature. Roaring sounds filled the air as the stink of death and corruption assaulted him.

The scene shifted to a few people unlucky enough to live through the first few moments of Armageddon, hiding in the rubble as the misshapen entities sought them out. It wasn’t long before they were snatched bodily from the ruins, their cries silenced as the monsters continued moving through the dying world.

Gasping and pulling away from the wrongness, Eli redoubled his efforts. Ignoring the warning twinge in his chest, he poured his energy out while imagining a solid shield around his body, blocking the mental influence attacking him.

Like getting a face full of freezing water, his mind woke up while the world came into sharp focus around him and the danger he was in. With no time left, he jumped hard to the left before a tree trunk-sized leg slammed into the ground where he’d just been standing frozen.

His muscles felt sluggish and didn’t respond as quickly as expected, and his rolling leap turned into a sprawling of limbs as he smacked into the dirt, kicking up a dusty cloud. Coughing out the musty, earthy taste, he quickly pushed himself up and managed to jump away again before the golem’s other leg crushed the ground.

Landing with a little more coordination, he realized that the thick air had vanished at some point during the mental attack. With only a thought, the syrupy air returned even as he backed away from the stone giant, the golem’s head following him. Its red light pulsed again, but Eli only saw a brief image of crying children before the scene was wiped away again.

As he kept moving away, the golem didn’t slow its approach. So different from the previous rounds, this giant stone orangutan’s speed was slower and barely better than a jog, with its legs sending tiny vibrations through the ground with each ponderous step. Yet it was relentless, and a quick glance behind him at the arena’s five-meter tall wall meant Eli couldn’t retreat any farther in that direction.

Turning his attention back to the golem, it had already closed much of the distance between them. Two large orange sheets materialized with crackling sounds of discharged electricity along its forearms. Both arms shifted parallel to the ground, one over the other, forming a wall of light. There were small, unprotected areas at the bottom and top and a thin gap between, but the construct would only need to shift the radiant barriers slightly to cover the different parts of its body.

Fucking curveballs.

His eyes darted around the area, looking for anything to help him, but there was nothing. With a wide-open space fifty meters across, he started moving along the wall to his right to gain some distance. The golem didn’t slow but simply turned to follow Eli as he fled, its long legs quickly covering a lot of ground, even with its slower tread.

With the few moments he’d bought himself, he considered his options, his mind whirling with different ideas that he tossed out one after another. Bash was unlikely to help in a straight-up attack, even if he could land a solid hit. The shields looked pretty damn powerful, almost blinding in their brightness. Such an attack would also mean getting within reach of those long arms, which didn’t seem like the best plan.

Bringing his hands together at the wrists, Eli pointed both palms up towards the thing’s face. With a wave of burning heat, a gush of liquid fire exploded out. Searing heat pulsed against his face, the worst of it somehow muted under the strange protection his ability gave him, and he squinted his eyes against the bright glare while he controlled the flow. The fountain of blue, orange, and red flames blasted against the interposed shields while roaring sounds battled crackling lightning. Meanwhile, more floating mana disappeared into the approaching stone construct, its three glowing circles clearly visible behind the interposed orange barriers.

Without much success with his first attempt, he cut off the flames and ran to the left, barely dodging the shields before they crashed like rolling thunder against the high wall. There was an explosion of air behind him, and he was suddenly airborne. Even within his slowed reality, the ground came up too fast, and more dirt was kicked up at his ungainly landing.

Grimacing at the twinges and spasms along his back and legs, he picked himself up while keeping the enemy in sight. The golem was against the arena’s wall, its shields gone, but they snapped back into existence as the construct slowly turned to face Eli again.

The slowness of its turn gave him an idea. Taking a few deep breaths while trying to suck in his own dose of floating mana, he brought his hands together. Once again, the parallel arms formed a large orange sheet of energy that stopped the flames before they could reach its stone body. While the fire roared against the crackling energy, Eli separated his hands and kept one pointed at its head with the other at its right leg.

The two orange shields didn’t budge but kept blocking the weakened stream attacking its head. The other weakened flame washed over the golem’s stone foot, immediately darkening under the assault. Emboldened, Eli kept moving around the grounds with the wall behind him even as he poured out more flames. All the while, the foot continued to blacken.

There was a resounding crack, and one long toe snapped off, followed by another. As if a signal, one of the shields finally moved to block the second stream of flames. Eli simply shifted the direction away to pour flames over the golem’s exposed middle while continuing to attack its head. Another crack along one hip, and small bits of stone crumbled to the ground.

The golem paused, its entire body freezing in place. More moments passed, only the electrical crackling from the orange barriers breaking the silence. Eli wondered if he’d won or broken the thing, but his hopeful thoughts were dashed as the construct suddenly moved again.

Something had changed as the lights in the air suddenly swirled madly around its chest. Like a massive whirlpool of nearly infinite hunger, the colored currents were sucked within its core even as the four cylinders within its stone body brightened into a blinding light. At the same time, its speed increased as the golem charged right at him.

Eli realized something was wrong as the lights blazed with sudden intensity, and he barely managed to bring both hands up before him, trying to create any sort of barrier. A sound like the universe splitting in half rolled over him, the world flashed with an all-consuming white, and darkness washed all thoughts away.