Chapter 11 - 6 minutes
The sound of grinding stone and metal mixed with the roar of a drake and the eerie whispers of a wraith, which floated in circles, distorting the air around it. The entire arena felt alive, pulsing with the murderous intent of the three monsters.
From the top of the stands, the examiners watched, expressionless.
"Alright... one at a time." His golden eyes gleamed. "Let’s start with you, tin can."
The drake unleashed a blast of fire while the wraith fired needles of dark energy. Ethan dodged both, spinning to the side, and launched himself straight at the Black Golem, completely ignoring the other two.
The golem tried to crush him with both arms, but Ethan was already moving. He jumped, using Nexus to create a small platform, narrowly avoiding the hammer-like fists that slammed down, leaving craters in the ground.
In the next instant, he dove down, delivering a Nexus-powered kick straight to the monster’s knee. Stone and metal shattered, and a crack split down the creature’s leg.
"Let’s see how well you fight without that."
The golem groaned, briefly staggering, but quickly stabilized itself. Its core, glowing with crimson energy, pulsed, sending waves of mana throughout its body. Black runes lit up across its surface, it had entered combat mode.
Meanwhile, the drake circled around, firing more flames, and the wraith launched spikes of dark mana, aiming for Ethan’s back.
Ethan flexed his arms as Nexus expanded up to his elbows, thickening into a reinforced gauntlet. He blocked part of the fire with a quick barrier and dodged the spikes without ever taking his eyes off the golem.
"Wait your turn," he muttered, as if scolding noisy children.