I Am a Hero With A Hundred Abilities
Chapter 85 - 85: Ch 84. Victors

The arena, now restored after the clash between Sophia and Linyae, stood silent in anticipation as the next two contestants stepped into the ring.

On one side stood a man with long, dark hair and lifeless green eyes. His battle-tech armor emitted an eerie, pulsing glow—he looked less like a man and more like something left behind by death itself.

This was Drevan Hollowmoor, a Level 7 Legendary Hero, feared for reasons no one fully understood.

Opposite him was his challenger: a man with tousled brown hair, a sleek visor covering his eyes, and a drape-like material hanging from his armored shoulders like a jacket.

He exuded calm confidence. This was Rael Ventrose.

The announcer's voice rang out:

"Begin!"

Rael wasted no time. Instantly, his surroundings began to warp. Space within the ring expanded impossibly wide, and mechanical structures emerged from the floor like blooming steel flowers.

It was his signature ability—Absolute Domain—a battlefield-shaping power that turned any terrain into his personal warzone.

From the new terrain, laser cannons surged up, locking onto Hollowmoor in perfect synchronization.

They began to charge, light flickering violently at their tips. But Hollowmoor didn't move. Didn't blink. Didn't even raise a guard.

Then came the blast—a barrage of focused energy slammed into him, the sound thundering across the stadium. The shockwave rattled the entire arena.

As the dust cleared, everyone leaned forward.

Hollowmoor was still standing. Unharmed and Unmoved.

Rael frowned. "Tch…"

He changed the battlefield again—structures morphed and reshaped, becoming larger, more elaborate, more destructive.

A massive ring-shaped emitter hovered above Hollowmoor now, pulsing with blinding energy.

Rael's lips curled into a cold grin.

"Let's see if you can survive this…"

The ring flashed as the emitter fired, releasing a beam that tore into the ring with apocalyptic force.

The light was blinding, the pressure overwhelming. The expanded space and arena barriers barely contained the devastation.

When the light finally faded and the humming ceased, Rael's grin slowly faltered.

Floating in the center of a massive, smoldering crater of molten red rock—Hollowmoor still stood. No damage. No reaction. Just those same lifeless eyes.

From the stands, Ethan narrowed his eyes, muttering to himself:

"Does he have a similar ability to Guardian Angel?..."

Rael's face twisted in disbelief. "How…? That's not possible. You can't be impervious—something has to work!"

Desperation set in.

Again and again, Rael restructured the battlefield—each time more extreme, more complex, more devastating. Attacks rained down like divine punishment. For twelve full minutes, the ring was a symphony of destruction. But Hollowmoor never moved. Not even once.

No dodge.

No counter.

No offense.

No fear.

And Rael was breaking.

Sweat drenched his face. His breaths came in ragged gasps. His body trembled from exhaustion and depleted Meta Essence. Finally, his knees gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

Those empty green eyes never left him.

Something inside Rael cracked. A deep, primal fear took root in his soul. He looked away, unable to meet that gaze, and whispered:

"I… forfeit."

The moment the words left his mouth, his body vanished from the ring.

The arena was dead silent. No one cheered. No one moved.

In the entire match, Hollowmoor hadn't made a single physical move—

Yet he had broken Rael, mentally and spiritually.

The announcer's voice finally cut through the silence:

"The winner—Drevan Hollowmoor!"

Hollowmoor floated gently down from the crater and stepped out of the ring, as if none of it mattered. As he walked past the stands, his eyes met Ethan's.

Those dead, soulless eyes lingered—then moved on.

Ethan exhaled slowly, suppressing a shiver.

"People with death abilities always give me the creeps…"

And the tournament continued.

****

The air crackled with anticipation as the next two contestants stepped into the arena.

On one side stood a man with violet hair and matching eyes that shimmered with electric intent—Kane Volcrest, heir to the prestigious Volcrest family and the pride of their lineage. Lightning coiled lazily around his limbs, like a dragon waiting to wake.

His opponent was a cloaked warrior, her face completely hidden behind a sleek obsidian mask—Aria Calvine, the shadow of the Calvine house. She was a legend in the making: seventeen S-Class missions completed solo, and the thief who had once infiltrated a high-class rogue clan and escaped with their prized artifact.

This wasn't just a match.

It was the collision of two prodigies, both with legacies etched in steel and storm.

The arena fell silent.

"Begin!" the announcer roared.

Lightning burst from Kane like a dam breaking, arcing wildly as he cracked a crazed smile and surged forward in a blur of speed.

But the moment he reached Aria—she was gone. She melted into the shadow beneath her, vanishing as Kane's fist met only air. Crackling energy exploded harmlessly, scorching the ground.

He paused, scanning the ring but there was no sign of her.

Then—eight shadowy silhouettes emerged in a circle around him, each wielding curved daggers forged from living darkness. They lunged simultaneously.

Kane roared.

As Lightning erupted in a storming wave from his body, vaporizing the clones into whirling mists. But the mist didn't dissipate. It twisted and churned, gathering into a massive shape.

A serpent—formed entirely from shadows—rose high above, its glowing eyes fixed on him.

Kane's grin only widened.

Violet lightning gathered in his eyes. "Come on, then."

The serpent bared its fangs and dove toward him, engulfing Kane completely.

Then—boom.

A violent detonation of lightning and shadow split the arena apart. The serpent exploded in a flash of sparks, revealing Kane at the center, holding Aria by the throat.

His hand buzzed with charged energy, ready to release a fatal surge.

But shadows moved faster.

Black tendrils wrapped around Kane's body and yanked him into the darkness. Aria's voice echoed from the void:

"Now... you're in my domain."

The arena was swallowed by a black dome—opaque, impenetrable.

From within, flashes and distant impacts could be seen. Kane was under assault from every direction, Aria's domain attacking with relentless precision. Blades of shadow. Spikes. Chains.

His body twisted and dodged instinctively, narrowly avoiding the lethal strikes—but even the near-hits left marks and blood.

The spectators held their breath.

Inside, Kane remained on his feet—barely—but the lightning around him wasn't fading. It was growing.

Faster. Wilder. Angrier.

From the depths of her shadow, Aria's eyes widened. The pressure was rising. Something was coming.

She didn't wait. She charged.

No stealth. No tricks. Just raw speed and desperation, aiming to end the battle before it spiraled out of her control.

But she was already too late.

Kane's voice rang out like a god speaking judgment:

{"God of Thunder."}

A cataclysmic surge of violet lightning exploded from his body—compressed and fueled by Meta Essence, it expanded in every direction like a collapsing star.

The domain cracked.

Aria was hurled from it, slamming into the arena floor. Her body trembled, blood dripping from her wounds, her breath shallow.

The black dome shattered behind her with a thunderous crack, revealing Kane—standing tall, wreathed in divine lightning, his armor glowing like forged celestial steel.

He raised a hand. A final arc of lightning charged at his fingertips.

Without hesitation, he fired.

But before it could strike her—

She vanished

The announcer's voice rang through the stunned silence:

"Kane Volcrest is the victor!"

The Viewers erupted, a mixture of awe and disbelief.

Kane lowered his arm, violet lightning still flickering in the air around him. His expression was calm once more.

But the storm in his soul hadn't passed.