Crackling.

The second half of the arena began to be filled with glades that were completely covered with white flowers, two mountains that as if shielded the azure lake before them from too much sunlight, and three tall pagodas from which a stone road led to the lake shore.

Out of the ground, next to the road and the pagodas, came many pillars seemingly lacking something, one very important element.

"Hmm? Eastern style? Is my adversary this...?" Wain muttered with a thoughtful look while surveying the main arena.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

Suddenly there was a massive magical circle above, in which a portal opened. A flash of it flew out from there and headed toward the top of the central pagoda.

"Colosseum has changed to this extent? I can't even recognize it... Well, I'm glad I could be a part of this event." There was a calm, majestic voice that made everyone stare at the same point.

It was a tall man with long, tar-black hair that fluttered in the wind. His amethyst eyes could mesmerize any woman with one look at his piercing gaze.

His athletic body with pale skin was covered by a long black and purple robe with a wide white belt. There was nothing underneath the robe, so the neckline on his chest partially revealed the massive sign of the midnight moon.

In his right hand was a katana with a purple hilt and a razor-sharp blade that sliced the air into fibers with a light sweep.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

At the same time, two massive stone slabs with the names of the fighters appeared above the arena.

[(????) Nameless Top-36 vs. Reidar Mechle Top-2]

"Nameless... I knew right away that you are a unique fighter and after your last fight I was determined that I wanted to fight you. Finally, my wish has come true, I hope we have the best fight of all time otherwise we won't do justice to the spectators or to the Colosseum. Reidar said with a calm look and real respect in his voice.

'Well, well, my opponent turned out to be so polite... Damn, this will be interesting, usually, the calmest can become as fierce as a devil.' Wain inwardly muttered with a slight smile on his face.

Whoooooosh.

Reidar swung his katana as sparks appeared at the tip of the blade. Then, massive electric shocks went through his body as powerful purple lightning bolts struck the empty pillars and made them shine brightly.

"Lightning... You will be my second serious opponent that uses this element." Wain muttered in a calm voice while pacing among the ruins.

"This is a pleasant surprise." Reidar nodded before jumping off the pagoda, "Nameless, you have many different abilities, that's amazing, but I'm curious about something else... What is your main element?"

Wain looked around, extended his hand, and with a slight smile on his face said, "Isn't it obvious? It's darkness."

"I see... Nameless, I won't promise you that I will defeat you, it will be decided in battle, but..." Reidar uttered as he pointed at Wain by his katana, "I promise I will destroy your mask, if this is your last fight then I must see your face that you hide so carefully."

Wain just shrugged with a careless smirk on his face.

"You'll have to try hard to do it, though I won't promise you'll fail, nor will you. However, I will do my best not to let that happen." Wain said in an arrogant voice as he released some of his energy that like dark threads spread sideways.

Reidar nodded with a serious look, lowered his katana, and took a few steps back, waiting for the fight to officially begin.

"Great! Since both fighters are ready, I declare the start of the stakes! Let's go! Last fight, two of the Top 10 fighters fought and the total exceeded 4 billion Void Souls! I hope it will be even more now!" Vincenz exclaimed with an excited look as he waved his hand.

A small green portal appeared in front of each person in the arena into which people could shove the desired amount of Souls.

"Oh, he decided to do it manually? Good solution, not as practical as through the system of Colosseum, but most appropriate for this fight." Marlis muttered while her bored look slowly faded as even she began to wonder what would happen next.historical

A few seconds later, hundreds of people had already placed their bets. Some bet only a few thousand, but there were those who had already bet several million which was a huge amount. It only took half a minute for the total to exceed one billion Souls.

"Marlis, will you do me a favor? I want you to be the first of the three of us to place a bet." Sven said with a sly smile on his face as he turned to her.

"Sure, but... Do you really think Wain can win? I mean... This Axalt, he looks so damn strong, I'm pretty sure some Fifth Chronicle monsters can't even hold out against him for ten seconds." Marlis uttered while looking at Reidar with a suspicious look.

"Well, I'm surprised myself at how powerful his aura is, though he hides it carefully. The current Fourth Chronicle, in fact, is much stronger than those of our time, but Wain is no ordinary persona at all either." Sven said in a curious voice while touching his chin.

"Okay..." Marlis nodded as a gray flame lit up her palm, "He has no choice either way. If he wants me to escort him to that place... he must win now."

A multitude of Souls appeared in her hand that, under the pressure of her aura, merged into one. First, a thousand souls became a coin, then a crystal. Gradually, an unknown number of souls turned into a sphere because of which space began to distort.

"Well, that's enough for my bet." Marlis shrugged as she tossed it into the portal.

,m At the same time, a hidden name appeared at the top of the table, opposite that was a number that shocked everyone.

[ ??? bet - 1,500,000,000]