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While the fight between Neale and Richard unfolded at the center of the arena, up in the stands an unauthorized battle was about to end in a very violent way.
Igor Xen Don Crates' representative was running alongside a member of the House of Cleopatra to stop the chaos.
Let's split up. Twenty brats each. - Sindy
Got it. - Temporary representative of the House of Cleopatra
Throw the smoke bomb. - Sindy
The two jumped straight into the middle of the clash between Groups One, Nine, Thirty, and Fifty.
As soon as the smoke began to rise, completely covering the vision of the youths fighting—
Sindy was the last to leap, piercing through the curtain of smoke and landing right in the center of the chaos. Just as the smoke seemed ready to spread and dissipate—
*Murky Dome. - Sindy
As Sindy dove into the smoke, her hands were already moving toward each other. The moment they clapped together, her Righteous Wrath burst outward with the sharp sound of impact, spreading through the smoke and forming a dome that trapped it inside.
At the same time, her energy infused the smoke itself, blending with it.
At that exact moment, Julian's baseball bat returned to his hand after striking the wall.
Took you long enough. Looks like you finally showed up. - Julian
Meanwhile, down in the arena, Richard and Neale kept fighting, staining each other with blood.
Neale was still getting hit, unable to understand it. Even when he dodged, Richard's punches still found him.
Trying to adapt, Neale began moving more unpredictably, making his body harder to track.
At one moment, when Richard's arm extended after a missed punch, Neale spun upward, his body rising almost to the height of Richard's arm. His right foot struck first, smashing into Richard's teeth while his left foot lifted off the ground. As the right came down, the left was already inches from Richard's face.
The first kick landed clean, nearly breaking his teeth. The second was partially blocked, softening the impact.
Richard's mouth turned into a sea of blood from a cut caused by his own teeth.
In that brief moment of disorientation, Neale unleashed a barrage of punches, trying to end the fight right there.
But Richard didn't fall.
Even while taking the hits, he clenched his fist to counterattack.
Neale twisted his body to dodge. For a split second, with his back turned, he finally saw it.
The punch traveled in a straight line—but the moment the opponent reacted, it shifted direction toward the target.
That was it.
Two attacks in one motion.
Neale dodged the first, and catching the second in his peripheral vision, his reflexes kicked in just enough for him to duck.
But it wasn't just two punches.
There were four.
Richard's right hand had also been in motion.
Still with his back turned, in the same instant he dodged twice, Neale struck Richard's jaw with his elbow.
But because he focused only on the left-hand attack, the right fist slammed into his ribs near his armpit, sinking deep into his flesh at the exact same moment his elbow connected.
Richard was knocked backward.
Neale was thrown sideways, nearly slamming into the wall.
As Neale rose, his fingers dragged through the sand, leaving marks as grains slipped from beneath his nails. Richard struggled to roll onto his stomach, trying to stand without choking on his own blood that kept spilling from his mouth.
But they both stood again.
And that meant the fight would continue.
" I saw his strange punch… but that doesn't mean I can dodge it again. I think I just got lucky. " - Neale
Still close to the wall, Neale suddenly saw Richard appear inches away, driving a knee toward his chest.
Barely reacting in time, Neale caught the knee with both hands and forced it downward—just as more punches came at him.
Without realizing it, Neale stopped thinking.
His body shifted into pure survival.
His skin prickled as each punch brushed or struck him, guiding his reflexes. He began dodging instinctively, though still getting grazed, leaving marks across his body.
Then an opening appeared.
Neale switched positions, forcing Richard against the wall.
Confidence rising, Neale clenched his fist until his bones cracked.
He threw a punch—
Richard dodged.
Neale's fist smashed into the wall.
It broke on impact.
Pain surged, but Richard gave him no time to feel it.
So Neale grabbed him by the collar, threw off his balance, and rolled with him.
As Neale's back hit the sand, he launched Richard upward with his legs like a catapult.
Even with sand beneath them, the sound of Richard's ribs protesting echoed.
With his hand shaking and bleeding, Neale tore a piece of his shirt and wrapped it tightly, the makeshift bandage soaking through instantly.
Seeing Richard about to rise, Neale rushed him again, throwing punches.
Only three landed.
All with the injured hand.
Each hit twisted his face into pain.
Richard retaliated with a right hook aimed at Neale's jaw.
Neale moved with the punch, narrowly avoiding it.
The fight almost ended right there.
Following the motion, Neale dropped low, spinning, then launched a heel strike upward.
The blow connected between Richard's jaw and neck.
Richard lifted off the ground from the impact—
And blacked out before hitting the sand.
Winner! Neale Sanchez Rodrigues! - Instructor
As soon as the instructor announced the result, the medical team rushed in, taking both fighters to treatment.
Moments earlier, the situation in the stands had already been resolved.
Looks like they arrived. - Julian
" Two of them… trying to block our vision. But for my group and Group Nine, that doesn't matter. We use Righteous Wrath… we can still see through this. " - Julian
Focus your Righteous Wrath into your eyes! Even with the smoke, we'll see them! - Julian
As Julian focused, countless tiny particles of energy leaked from his eyes.
Then he saw it.
People rising around him.
All glowing with orange-stage Righteous Wrath.
" How…? I only saw two enter… how did they surround us so fast? " - Julian
Stay sharp. Something's wrong. - Julian
" Fine… must be a trick. If I can't tell where they are… I'll hit everything. "
He spun his bat, slammed it, caught it, switched hands, and hurled it.
The bat ricocheted wildly, striking everything around him as he stood still, controlling it with his Righteous Wrath through his vision.
Each "enemy" hit vanished.
" Walls where there weren't any before… but fine… if I got them all—"
The bat returned.
The real one has to be you. - Julian
The figure dissolved into energy.
Too late—
Sindy appeared behind him, locking his throat with one arm.
With the other, she pummeled his face relentlessly until teeth broke and consciousness faded.
She released him.
He collapsed, choking on blood, trying to remember how to breathe.
Done here. What about you? - Sindy
Same here. Took care of Groups Nine and Thirty. -
Sindy clapped her hands.
The dome collapsed. The smoke dispersed.
Good. How many got seriously hurt? - Sindy
Two, from different groups. We were fast. -
Damn. That's one less fight… if they recover. - Sindy
You made sure the others only got light injuries? -
He nodded.
Julian lifted his eyes.
Everyone was down.
Blood pooling.
He tried to move—
In a blink, Sindy was behind him again, two fingers pressed to the back of his head.
Don't move a muscle. Not even your eyes. Or I'll shut you off. And I'm not good at this… you might die. First time using it on someone. Think carefully. -
Julian listened.
His eyes twitched.
I warned you. Turn off. -
He dropped instantly.
You lied. That was cruel. He probably thought he was going to die. -
That's how you educate rookies. Fear breeds respect… even if it's forced. - Sindy
Let's call the med team and report to Igor. -
And that's how the chaos in the stands ended.
With blood.
The fight between Richard and Neale had also concluded.
Now Group Twelve could prepare for their final battle in the second stage of the selection exam.
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Explanation:
Murky Dome is a technique that allows the user to create a dome of energy over a defined area. Its size depends on the user's Righteous Wrath stage.
It works by rotating the energy in one hand clockwise and the other counterclockwise.
When the hands meet, the opposing flows collide and expand outward, forming the dome.
Inside, the walls can be solid, semi-solid, or intangible.
Particles of Righteous Wrath bounce within the dome, multiplying and becoming smaller with each impact.
Depending on how it's used, it can create illusions, distort perception, and confuse spatial awareness.
Effectiveness depends on the relative stage levels:
If the target's stage is lower, the technique works fully. Escape is still possible, but difficult if the walls are solid.
If equal, effectiveness is reduced by half, and breaking the dome remains difficult due to opposing energy rotations.
If higher, the dome becomes more of a temporary prison. If the user runs out of energy or is defeated, it collapses.