The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

Two people stood facing each other on the arena floor. One appeared to be very calm and almost nonchalant, while the other seemed very tense and anxious with the way his tail stood on end.

Sel and Yuka.

Their time was up to battle, and Yuka couldn’t help but curse in his mind for his shitty luck. If Bahamut was the most wanted guy in the sect, Sel was the one no one ever wanted to battle. Funny how it was that way when Bahamut was clearly who was supposed to be feared in battle. Well, we could say, no one ever wanted to meet Bahamut and Sel in a one-on-one battle, and now there was a new addition: Gabi.

Yuka, despite his current strength and his mutation after the trial of survival, was scared of Sel.

The arena held its breath. It wasn’t as loud as the previous matches.There were no cheers. No wild anticipation. Just... tension because everyone knew what this was. A mismatch.

Sel stood there, relaxed, shoulders loose, his expression calm as ever. His eyes were half-lidded, almost bored, as if he had walked onto the stage by accident and was still deciding whether this was worth his time.

Yuka, on the other hand... His tail stood stiff behind him. Every strand of fur along his body bristled. His breath came in shallow pulls, his chest rising and falling just a little too fast. His eyes never left Sel, not even for a second.

"Start."

Elder Hakar’s voice echoed.

Yuka didn’t move. Sel didn’t move either. Silence stretched.

A second. Two.

Three.

CRACK!

The ground beneath Yuka’s feet froze.

It spread instantly, a thin layer of frost racing outward in jagged patterns as cold air began to leak from his body. His fur shimmered faintly, releasing visible streams of icy mist that curled around him like living breath.

His mutation. His power. If he was going to survive this... he needed everything.

"Don’t come closer..." Yuka muttered under his breath.

Sel blinked slowly. "I wasn’t planning to."

That... made it worse. Yuka’s jaw tightened.

Then...

BOOM!

He launched forward. Not out of confidence. Out of fear.

His body blurred as he shot toward Sel, claws extended, cold air spiraling around his limbs. The temperature around him dropped sharply, the ground freezing over wherever he stepped.

"HAH!"

SLASH!

His claws tore through the space where Sel stood. Nothing. Sel had shifted. Just a small step to the side. It was so minimal it looked as if he hadn’t even moved at all. Yuka’s eyes widened.

That was too fast!

WHAM!

A sudden force struck his side. He hadn’t even seen it.His body flew, skidding across the frozen ground, rolling before he caught himself with a sharp claw, digging into the ice.

He coughed.

"What... was that..."

Sel stood exactly where he had been. Same posture. Same calm. As if nothing had happened.

"You’re tense," Sel said quietly.

Yuka snarled.

"I’m fighting you, what do you expect?!"

Sel tilted his head slightly.

"Relax."

Yuka snapped.

"Relax?!"

The cold around him surged violently.

FWOOSH!

The mist thickened, turning into a swirling frost storm around his body. Ice crept up his arms, forming jagged extensions along his claws, his breath now visible in heavy bursts. His eyes sharpened.

If speed wouldn’t work, then he would overwhelm him.

"DON’T LOOK DOWN ON ME!"

BOOM!

He charged again. Faster, colder. More feral.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

A flurry of strikes rained down, each one carrying freezing air that solidified on impact. The arena floor cracked and iced over rapidly, turning into a dangerous, slippery battlefield.

Sel moved, but not much. A step here. A tilt there. A slight turn of his shoulder. Every movement was minimal, efficient, and perfect.

Yuka’s claws never landed clean. Not once.

"You’re too predictable," Sel said softly.

That broke something.

"SHUT UP!"

Yuka’s aura exploded. The cold intensified drastically.

CRRRRACK!

Ice spread across half the arena now, jagged spikes forming from the ground as the temperature plummeted. Even the spectators could feel the chill creeping into their bones.

Yuka’s body changed. His posture lowered; more beast than man now. His fur thickened, releasing waves of freezing air in pulses.

"I’LL FREEZE YOU IN PLACE!"

He slammed his hands into the ground.

BOOOOOOM!

A massive surge of ice erupted outward, racing toward Sel in a wide wave, spikes shooting upward to trap, pierce, and immobilize.

Sel watched it come.

Then, he stepped forward.

One step. That was all.

CRACK!

The ice shattered. Not from force, but from something sharper. The wave split apart around him like it had hit an unseen blade.

Yuka froze.

"What...?"

Sel was already in front of him. Close. Too close. Yuka reacted instantly, claws swinging upward.

CLANG!

His arm stopped mid-motion. Sel’s hand had caught it effortlessly.

"You’re trying too hard," Sel said.

Yuka’s pupils shrank. His other arm moved, but it was too late.

THUD!

Sel’s palm struck his chest. It wasn’t hard, but Yuka’s entire body seized. His breath vanished, and his vision blurred. He staggered back, legs trembling, the cold around him collapsing instantly like a broken spell.

"Wha..."

His knees hit the ground. The ice around the arena began to melt slowly. Sel stepped back, returning to his original position, as if he had never left. Yuka tried to stand, but his body refused. His arms shook violently. His tail dropped.

"I... can’t..."

Sel watched him quietly.

"You pushed well."

Yuka let out a hollow laugh.

...I didn’t even touch you..."

Sel didn’t respond. Because there was nothing to say. Yuka’s body gave in. He collapsed fully onto the ground. Unconscious. Silence filled the arena.

"Winner... Sel."

There were no cheers, no noise. Just... quiet awe, because everyone had seen it. From start to finish, Sel hadn’t moved more than a few steps, and yet, the battle had never been close.

What awed them the most, though, was Yuka. He wasn’t Tier 2. In fact, he was nowhere close to reaching Tier 2. He was still a Tier 1, Circle of Mind, but he was already using an element. If it weren’t for his opponent, who was Sel, any other person would have been frozen over. Well, there were exceptions like Bahamut, Gabi, Lily, Zen, Aerith, and Exildra, but that wasn’t the point. Yuka and his twin brother were part of the strong 11 for a reason. They had survived the trial of survival and earned themselves a master, one of the elders. They were powerful among their peers, but compared to the monsters, especially the two at the top, they were still cubs.