Eurus.

Wind rushed to Longarm's left, feinting a lunge at the man's chest. Longarm swung his polearm to bash Wind away. But Wind was ready to counter. He used both hands to brace his nail against the shaft of the polearm. His nail shaved a long splinter of wood off the polearm as he rushed down its length, continuing to push it away from his body.

Longarm was forced to disengage. He leapt to the side, escaping from the nail to not risk losing more fingers. As Longarm stepped away, Wind slashed out with his nail. His attack left a long wound along the man's forearm and bicep.

After his attack, Wind was left off-balance. Using this to his advantage, Longarm stabbed with his polearm. The long blade pierced through Wind's thin clothing and into his thigh.

Wind bit the inside of his cheek hard, barely keeping himself from fainting from the sudden pain. Wind regained his balance, hopping backwards as Longarm did the same. The exchange had left them both wounded.

"Thanks!" Longarm smiled at the gaping wound on his arm.

Wind didn't respond, blood pooled in his mouth from the bite on his inner cheek.

Longarm shrugged, regaining his combat stance.

"You don't know what's coming, boy."

Longarm lunged at Wind with the point of his polearm. Wind met him head on, dagger raised to deflect the blade. At the last moment, Longarm spun the weapon around so that the blunt end of the weapon faced Wind. Wind ignored the change, lunging in for a stab. At the same moment, the two struck each other.

Longarm flicked the end of the weapon forward, using it like an upside-down club. The heavy wooden rod hit Wind square in the chin. Wind's head whipped backward as his jaw slammed closed. Simultaneously, Wind's nail dug into Longarm's stomach.

The two seperated again, Wind knocked backwards by the blow, Longarm taking a step back as he held his weapon high in the air.

Wind spun around from the hit to his chin. The whole time, he continued to watch Longarm using air attunement. Wind landed clumsily. He could feel his jaw aching, a back tooth that had been knocked from its place floated loosely in a pool of blood in Wind's mouth. Wind continued to keep his mouth shut as he recovered, turning to face Longarm.

Wind stared at Longarm, carefully watching as the blade of the man's polearm began to glow a bright orange. Heat waves emitted from the tip of the weapon, causing the very air to tremble. Wind began to focus on a rune in his mind, he felt a craving deep in his body that crept its way to his hands with a strange tingling sensation.

Longarm looked at Wind and sneered. His spear began to erupt with flames. The fire let out a roar as its heat doubled. The fire grew so fierce that the flames turned white, then blue. A ball of fire as big as Longarm's head began to spin in a rapid whirlpool around the blade. It grew exponentially.

Wind looked up at Longarm's spell. It was time for Wind to make his move. He just hoped his gamble would pay off.

"Foolish child. Do you really think you can kill me? You only landed those blows because I allowed you to. "

With a loud bellow, Longarm brought his polearm swinging down. Flames trailed behind the weapon like a shooting star. Wind could feel the pressure and heat from the flames pushing down on him.

In one smooth motion, Wind dropped his nail and slid his hands across his wounds, coating them in a thick layer of his own blood. He lifted his red hands and spat out a mouthful of blood onto them. Wind gave Longarm a red-dyed smile as a blood dripped from his chin and hands.

"I know." Wind's eyes shined madly, "Dumbass!"

The pool of blood in his hands, and all the blood across his body began to float in tendrils of mist. The fine mist flowed across Wind's arms and past his hands. In front of him, the mist collapsed on itself, creating a whirlwind of blood.

The air around Wind curled inwards as it fell under his control. The air was sucked into the whirlwind, causing a massive gale to sweep across the arena. With an anguished shout as the inferno bore down on him, Wind thrust his hands forward.

"Klow!" Wind shouted the name of his spell with all his anger. His rage seemed to fuel its power.

The whirlwind exploded from Wind's hands. It engulfed the coming inferno just as the heat began to singe his eyelashes. The vortex of air shot towards the ground below Longarm. A massive hell-storm of blood, flames, and air erupted like a supernova beneath Longarm.

With wide eyes, Longarm's face finally lost its sickening grin. The explosion launched the combatant backwards, lifting him from the ground. With a deafening bang, Longarm careened into the arena's invisible barrier.

The crowd looked on, entranced, as Longarm disintegrated into a shower of armour and blood. The hellish fire followed close behind. It crashed against the barrier, spreading outwards in a magnificent show of terror before the crowd. Fire-light drowned the arena, surpassing the brightness of the sunlight for a brief moment.

When the fire disappeared, the sunlight left a rainbow stretching across the arena as light passed through the giant cloud of Longarm's blood. Wind laughed crazily as he watched the sickening light show. He was barely able to keep himself from vomiting.

The announcer shouted louder than ever before.

"My dear witnesses, it seems like we have a new avatar of destruction in our humble arena! I think this performance deserves a title, what do you all think!"

The crowd roared like never before.

"There we have it! His title will be Eurus, the harbinger of destruction and death, the East wind!"

The crowd shouted with madness, Wind's new title echoed throughout the arena.

"Eurus! Eurus! Eurus!"

With the crowd continuing chanting his name, Wind nearly collapsed from exhaustion. To stop himself from passing out, Wind dug a finger into his thigh wound. The pain kept him awake. He then picked up the salvageable pieces of Longarm's armour, then limped his way to Taishen to check his friend's condition. His friend's wounds had mostly stopped bleeding, and his pulse was steady. From what he could tell, Taishen would live.

Wind stood up. Not bothering to dust the sand from his clothes, Wind limped across the arena to Gild's dead body. With the adrenaline leaving his system, Wind could no longer stop himself from vomiting. When his stomach was empty, Wind wiped his mouth clean. He grabbed the lens that was still dangling from his chest and peered through it. He observed Gild's bow, quiver, and arrows.

As he suspected, the equipment was covered in worldscript, just like his nail. Wind cast a thoughtful look to the weapon at his waist. He decided he'd have to spend more time studying the weapon.

Wind looted the dead man, trying not to look at the man's face as he did so. He began to hobble back towards Taishen, but collapsed halfway. Tiredness overcame him. In the moments before his eyes closed, Wind finally caught sight of the announcer. The tall, slender man wore vibrantly colourful clothes and held a torch in one hand.

As the stepped close to the top of the arena wall, the previously invisible barrier glowed a dim red. The man touched his torch to the barrier. As if repelled by the flame, the barrier parted, creating a doorway wide enough for several people to fit through.

From behind the announcer, several figures dressed head to toe in red robes appeared. They dropped down into the arena, various medical supplies held in their arms. It seemed the healers had come to save the victors.