Luther woke up early, his mind already focused on the match ahead. He sat on the edge of his bed and took a deep breath, feeling his mana flow through his body.
"Today is the day," he whispered to himself.
He dressed carefully, putting on the new light armor he had bought yesterday. It wasn’t much - just leather reinforced with tal plates on the chest and arms - but it would help against the stronger opponents he expected to face.
A knock on his door broke his concentration.
"Co in," he called.
Luna entered, already dressed and ready for the day. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Well enough," he replied, adjusting the straps on his armor. "Is everyone else awake?"
"Vess is still sleeping, and Selene is downstairs getting breakfast." She walked closer and examined his new armor. "That looks good on you. Do you need help with the back straps?"
He turned around. "If you don’t mind."
As she tightened the straps, she spoke in a quieter voice. "You seem different today."
"The opponents will be stronger now," he said simply. "I can’t afford to hold back anymore."
She finished with the straps and stepped back. "There. All set."
"Thanks." He turned to face her. "Let’s get so food before we head to the arena."
---
Below the city, in the dark tunnels, the demons gathered. Their leader paced back and forth.
"Are you certain?" he asked the female demon. "You felt the stench of a goddess on him?"
She nodded, her eyes bright with excitent. "Yes. It was faint but unmistakable. And his power... it was unlike anything I’ve felt before."
He stopped pacing and looked at the other demons. "This could be what we’ve been waiting for. If we can capture soone favored by a goddess, perhaps our king will finally notice our efforts."
"But what if he’s too strong?" asked a smaller demon with scales instead of skin. "He is probably blessed by the goddess with skills that can kill us."
"We won’t attack yet," the leader replied. "First, we watch. We learn his weaknesses. Then we strike."
The female demon smiled, showing sharp teeth. "His match is today. We could go watch him fight."
"An excellent idea." Another nodded. "But we must be careful. No one can know what we are. Use your human forms."
The demons murmured in agreent. The girl closed her eyes, and her body began to change. Her horns disappeared, her purple skin turned pale, and her claws beca human fingers. When she opened her eyes again, they were blue instead of yellow.
"How do I look?" she asked, spinning around in her human form.
"Disgustingly human," another demon replied. "Perfect."
The leader also transford, becoming a tall man with dark hair and piercing eyes. "Rember, we are only there to observe. No matter what happens, do not reveal yourselves."
---
Back at the inn, Luther finished his breakfast quickly. He sat in silence while the others talked about the upcoming matches.
"They say your opponent today is from the northern mountains," Vess told him, her mouth still full of food. "He uses ice magic and has never been defeated."
He nodded but didn’t seem worried. "Ice is just frozen water. It can be broken."
"There’s sothing else," Selene added. "Rumors say he can create ice creatures that fight for him."
This caught his attention. "Interesting. That could be a challenge."
They finished eating and started walking toward the tournant grounds. The streets were more crowded than usual, with people from all over coming to watch the quarterfinals.
"Look how many people there are," Luna said, scanning the crowd. "Your fight yesterday must have drawn more attention."
He didn’t respond. His eyes were scanning the crowd too, but for a different reason. He felt sothing strange – a presence that didn’t belong.
"What’s wrong?" Selene asked, noticing his distraction.
"Nothing," he said after a mont. "Just thinking about the match." ’I have felt this presence before but where?’ He thought.
They continued walking, unaware of the demons following them through the crowd.
The demon girl watched him from a distance, her human eyes narrowed in concentration. "That’s him," she whispered to the leader. "The one with the yellow mana. The very handso one."
He studied Luther carefully. "I can feel it too. There’s sothing different about him. Let’s get to the arena and find good seats."
---
The tournant arena was packed with spectators. Luther and his companions made their way to the preparation area, where fighters waited for their matches.
"Your match is third in line today," Luna told him after checking the schedule. "That gives you so ti to prepare."
He nodded and sat at a corner to ditate. He closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing and his mana flow. But that strange feeling kept distracting him – like soone was watching him.
He opened his eyes and looked around slowly. The other fighters were busy with their own preparations, and nothing seed out of place. Yet the feeling remained.
"Sothing’s not right," he muttered to himself.
In the stands, the demons took their seats. They had chosen a position with a good view of the fighting area.
"Can you feel his power even from here?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the preparation area where Luther sat.
"Yes," he replied quietly. "It’s unusual, he can’t possibly be a hero, his mana is too weak. But let’s wait and see, maybe he is hiding sothing."
The first match began, but the demons paid little attention to it. They were waiting for Luther’s fight, studying the arena and planning the best way to capture him later.
---
Two matches passed, and finally, it was Luther’s turn. He stood up as the announcer called his na.
"Good luck," Luna said, touching his arm briefly.
He gave her a small smile. "I won’t need luck."
The crowd roared as he walked into the arena. His opponent was already waiting – a tall, muscular man with pale blue tattoos covering his arms. Ice crystals ford and disappeared around his fingers as he flexed them.
"Ladies and gentlen!" the announcer shouted. "Our third quarterfinal match is about to begin! On my right, the mountain champion, master of ice and creator of frost beasts – Korg the Frozen!"
The crowd cheered as Korg raised his arms, ice swirling around him in an impressive display.
"And on my left, the mysterious fighter with the strange yellow mana, who defeated fire with with his bare hands – Luther!"
More cheers erupted, even louder than before. Word of his previous matches had spread, and many were eager to see what he would do next.
He stood calmly, his eyes fixed on his opponent. He didn’t bother with displays or crowd-pleasing gestures.
In the stands, the demon girl leaned forward eagerly. "Now we’ll see what he can really do." ’Show , are you really the one I have been looking for?’ She thought, smiling, waiting.
The leader looked at her, confused on why she seed to like him so much. He looked back at Luther, still not impressed by his mana levels.
The announcer raised his hand, looking at both fighters. "Are you ready?"
Korg nodded, a confident smile on his face. Luther simply inclined his head slightly.
"Then let the match... BEGIN!"
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