Cora walked out slowly, her expression calm yet fierce. The crowd erupted in wild cheers, chanting her name as she made her way to the center.

"And now," the emissary continued, his voice sharp with excitement, "her challenger—Linda! Step into the arena!"

Another entrance opened on the opposite side. Linda stepped out, her bow resting lightly in her hand, her silver eyes locked straight ahead.

As she reached the center, she raised her head to meet Cora's gaze. The two women stood face-to-face, the air thick with tension.

The emissary raised his hand. "May the match… begin!"

The crowd roared to life as the sound of drums echoed through the arena, marking the start of a battle that no one would forget.

Cora stretched her hand forward, and in an instant, a crimson whip materialized in her grip. The ground beneath her feet shimmered with red mana as three blazing red wolves emerged beside her, growling with fiery eyes and smoking breath.

The crowd erupted in excitement.

"She summoned three wolves!" someone shouted. "This is going to be good!"

Linda narrowed her gaze. "Three wolves won't be enough to defeat me," she murmured. Closing her eyes briefly, she channeled mana through her body—into her eyes, nose, ears, and every sense she possessed. The world around her slowed. Every heartbeat, every twitch of the wolves' muscles, became crystal clear.

When she opened her eyes again, they glowed faintly green.

She raised her bow, arrow already drawn, and faced Cora without fear.

Cora cracked her whip against the arena floor. The sound exploded like thunder. "Go!" she shouted.

The three wolves lunged forward in a blur of red flame, snarling as they closed in. But Linda only smirked. She moved with graceful precision, dodging their fangs by inches, twisting and rolling between them like wind.

Without hesitation, she drew two arrows at once, infused them with wind magic, and fired. The projectiles tore through the air with a sharp whistle—

Thwack! Thwack!

Both arrows struck true, piercing one wolf's eye. The creature howled and collapsed, writhing in pain.

The other two wolves pounced again, but Linda was already moving. Another pair of arrows shot out, glowing with magic. Within seconds, all three wolves were down, blood seeping into the sand.

The crowd gasped in disbelief.

Cora's eyes widened. "How… how can a mere elf do this?" she whispered. "Even if I use my life-consume technique, it's useless against her!"

She clenched her fist and raised her whip, recalling her summons. The wolves sank into the ground and vanished in a swirl of red mist.

But Linda was already on the move.

She sprinted forward, bow in hand, eyes locked on her opponent. Cora lashed out with her whip, the crack slicing through the air—but Linda saw it coming. Her enhanced vision caught every movement before it happened. She slipped past the strike with effortless grace and fired an arrow at point-blank range.

The arrow shattered the bones in Cora's right arm.

Cora screamed, barely regaining her footing before another arrow struck, breaking her left. The pain was instant, brutal.

"What's happening?! She's too fast!" voices cried from the stands.

Before Cora could react, Linda was already in front of her. She slammed her knee into Cora's stomach with a sharp thud, driving the air out of her lungs. Then she spun, delivering a crushing elbow across Cora's mouth.

Blood splattered across the arena floor as Cora collapsed, gasping and motionless.

The crowd fell silent, stunned.

Linda stood over her fallen opponent, calm and unshaken—her bow lowered, her breathing steady.

"I didn't expect that to be so easy," Linda said, lowering her bow.

The crowd roared with cheers, chanting her name, their excitement shaking the arena. But as she looked down, something made her expression darken.

Cora, who moments ago lay motionless on the ground, suddenly smiled.

Then—her body began to rise.

Her arms twisted unnaturally as streams of blood lifted from the sand around her, swirling back toward her body like crimson ribbons. Every drop she had lost was being pulled back, reabsorbed through her wounds.

The arrows embedded in her limbs rattled and were violently pushed out. Snap! Her bones realigned with sharp cracks as the flesh sealed itself. The crowd's cheering faded into horrified silence.

Within seconds, Cora stood upright again—completely healed. The blood on her mouth vanished, her torn skin now flawless.

Linda's eyes narrowed. "They really think that was enough to defeat you, huh?"

Cora smirked. "You're quite confident for an elf, but overconfidence kills."

Linda's voice cut through the stunned silence. "That technique you used—it's called Life Consume, isn't it?" Her tone sharpened. "A forbidden spell. Anyone caught practicing it is meant to be annihilated by law."

Cora's eyes widened, just for a second. Then her lips curved into a sly grin. "Oh? And how would you know that? Planning to run off and report me to the royal judges?"

Linda shook her head. "No. I'm not interested in politics." She raised her bow again. "I just want to defeat you."

"Imbecile," Cora hissed. "You're getting ahead of yourself."

She lashed her whip toward Linda again, mana flaring. The strike came faster this time, slicing through the air like lightning. But Linda's enhanced senses caught the movement—she spun sideways and released an arrow mid-turn.

The arrow pierced Cora's shoulder, driving her back.

But Cora didn't even flinch. She grabbed the arrow with her uninjured hand, ripped it out, and tossed it aside as the wound closed instantly before everyone's eyes.

"What kind of monster…?" someone in the crowd whispered.

Cora stepped back, her grin widening. "You can't kill what doesn't die."

Then she lifted both arms high, her voice echoing across the arena. "Come forth… Ogre of the Crimson Depths!"

The ground began to rumble. Cracks tore through the arena floor, and a massive red circle ignited beneath her feet.

From the depths below, a towering ogre, twice the size of any man, burst out with a roar that shook the stadium. Its eyes burned with red fire, its skin pulsing with the same energy as Cora's whip.

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