Crack——!

  The stone wall in front of her shattered into countless small pieces.

  "Hmm?"

  The three men outside felt a flicker of confusion. The wall hadn’t been broken by them—it had suddenly crumbled on its own.

  As they pondered, the shattered wall underwent another transformation.

  Instead of falling to the ground, the broken rock fragments began to deform, turning into sharp rhombus-shaped stones.

  "Oh no——!"

  The three paled drastically, scrambling to defend themselves.

  Boom——!

  But before they could fully react, the sky full of rhombus-shaped rocks shot out in all directions like cannonballs.

  Bearing the brunt was the nearby attribute-less Rank B Powerhouse. The rock cannonballs pummeled his body, sending him flying back the way he’d come.

  Boguna conjured a flame barrier to block the onslaught, but due to elemental incompatibility, his shield flickered unsteadily.

  Only the remaining Earth Mage fared slightly better......

  After a while, the hailstorm of rock cannonballs subsided.

  The entire hall was unrecognizable—its walls pockmarked with craters, and the dome above reduced to a sieve.

  Squeak——!

  At that moment, the battered building could no longer hold on, and large-scale collapse began.

  Rumble!

  The collapsing structure kicked up a thick cloud of dust, engulfing the entire area......

  "Damn her——!"

  Boguna climbed out of the rubble.

  "You two, use the backup plan! We must take her down here!!!"

  Splash~!

  The other two emerged from the debris. The Earth Mage was relatively unharmed, but the attribute-less leader was covered in dust and injured. His eyes glowed red with rage as he stared at Hulim.

  "Bastard! Bastard! Bastard...... How dare you humiliate me like this! I’ll make you regret being born!"

  "Will you?"

  Boom——!

  Hulim waved her wand, and a massive bolt of lightning converged above her, forming a giant thunder spear that slammed toward the attribute-less Powerhouse.

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  "Boguna, cover us——!"

  "Leave it to me!"

  "Fire Dragon’s Breath——!"

  A column of fire shot straight toward Hulim’s thunder spear.

  Boom——!

  The collision of thunder and fire triggered an explosion, sending debris flying everywhere.

  Seizing the opportunity, the attribute-less leader pulled out a vial without hesitation. He crushed the cap, ignoring the shards of glass, and gulped down the potion inside.

  In the next second, his body began to mutate.

  "Uaaaaaaaaah——!!!"

  Rip——!

  His body swelled abnormally, tearing his clothes apart. His eyes turned pitch black, and jet-black veins spread across his skin.

  Seeing his transformation, the Earth Mage hesitated for a moment before drinking the same potion.

  Soon, he underwent the same mutation......

  "......"

  This development......

  Hulim’s expression finally changed.

  It was somewhat similar to the battle a year ago, yet not quite the same. Their transformations weren’t as complete as Morga’s—they still retained their human forms for the most part.

  But the use of such a similar technique suggested a connection between them, didn’t it?

  "You......"

  "Are you with Gulos?"

  Hulim voiced her suspicion.

  "That’s right! But you figured it out too late!"

  The attribute-less Rank B leader stretched his limbs, savoring his newfound power.

  "Experience the strength of Gulos’s temporary demonization potion——!"

  Bang!

  With those words, he crushed the ground beneath his feet and charged toward Hulim.

  The Earth Mage also unleashed a Tier 4 Earth Magic far more powerful than before.

  With Boguna assisting from the side,

  the tide of battle suddenly turned sharply against Hulim.

  "Round two......"

  Yet Hulim’s expression remained calm.

  "Bring it on."

  ......

  As Hulim clashed with the three Rank B Powerhouses, fierce battles erupted elsewhere in the Grand Arena.

  Near the main stadium,

  "Stop——!""Capture them!"

  A large group of armed men chased after Violet and her companions.

  "Damn it! We’ll never reach the hostages like this!"

  "We have no choice——"

  Violet stopped, raised her magic sword, and turned to face the enemy.

  "I’ll hold them off. Go save the others!"

  "What? Lady Violet, you can’t take on so many alone! Especially with a Rank B among them!"

  "I have to! Hurry——!"

  "......"

  After a moment’s hesitation, the remaining Quarterfinalists made their decision.

  "Alright!""Lady Violet, stay safe!""Let’s go——!"

  "Heh~, Think you can leave? Did you ask for our permission?"

  Just as the Quarterfinalists were about to flee, heavy footsteps echoed from ahead.

  "What?! They’re in front too!""Oh no, we’re surrounded!"

  Faced with enemies closing in from both sides, the five fell into near despair.

  "Damn it! We can’t back down here! Let’s fight to the death!""That’s right!""Even if we die today, we’ll take a few of them down with us!"

  Trapped in a desperate situation, the Quarterfinalists erupted with a resolve to fight to the end.

  "Hehe! Want to die? It won’t be that easy!"

  A Rank B leader blocking their path said coldly.

  "You’ll pay for your actions! Attack! Take them alive!"

  "Yes!!! "

  The armed men charged forward at the command.

  Just as the situation grew critical,

  Boom——!

  A massive commotion erupted nearby.

  The walls of the surrounding buildings shattered as if struck by a powerful force, sending debris flying everywhere.

  Both sides, caught off guard by the sudden chaos, suffered injuries from the falling rubble.

  "W-What’s happening?"

  The five Quarterfinalists stared in stunned silence, unsure of what was unfolding.

  Boom——!

  Suddenly, a jet of water shot out, soaring over their heads. At the tip of the water column, a figure could be seen......

  Boom! Boom......

  The powerful battle aura drew closer, eventually reaching them.

  "Hmm? Are those......""The Quarterfinalists?"

  Lore and her two companions, in the thick of their own battle, noticed Violet’s group.

  "Great! It’s Mr. George! And Lore and Rad!"

  Joy spread across the five Quarterfinalists’ faces—their arrival was a much-needed reinforcement!

  Lore’s group quickly approached.

  "What are you doing here?"

  George asked.

  "Mr. George, we have a secret antidote that can cure the spectators! Please cover us!"

  One of the contestants urged eagerly.

  Upon hearing this, George and the others immediately realized the urgency.

  "Understood——! We’ll cover you! Go save the people!!!"