Chapter 29: ZEPHYR VS RIKAN
The dust had barely settled from Logan’s shocking victory, but the atmosphere in the arena was already shifting again—less disbelief now, more tension.
The announcer’s voice rang out across the stadium, crisp and commanding:
"Match Thirteen—Stage Two! Token 23 versus Token 26! Zephyr Albrecht versus Rikan Hale!"
A ripple moved through the crowd. At first—silence. Then came the murmurs.
"Rikan Hale? The one from the Ironback Highlands?"
"Yeah. That guy’s a monster. I heard he broke a boy’s ribs in a spar just to prove a point."
"They say his mana’s so dense it shatters stone when he punches. This isn’t going to be pretty."
In the second-floor balcony, Logan had returned to his seat among the Smith family. Alice was beaming beside him, her hands still warm from hugging him earlier.
"I’m just... so proud of you," she said for the fifth time.
He smiled gently but kept his eyes forward.
Mirena, sitting nearby, forced a tight-lipped smile. "Congratulations," she said, the word sticking like tar in her throat.