NOVGO.NET Chapter 62: Peeling The Sand
Chapter 62: Peeling The Sand
"The arena crew swapped the sand for fractured dark blocks," Ruby observed, checking her shield grip.
She stood quietly beside Fin at the threshold of the primary combat ring under blazing white floodlights.
The dark hexagonal stone tiles vibrated beneath their boots as the arena floor configuration locked securely into place.
Sixty thousand spectators packed the steep stadium tiers, their rhythmic chants reverberating loudly through the open arena dome.
Across the dark tiled floor stood the flagship squad of the Goldwake Syndicate, gleaming in expensive gilded composite armor.
At their center loomed Torren the Breaker, a massive broad-shouldered fighter holding an enormous two-handed pneumatic warhammer.
Three heavy pneumatic booster canisters were welded securely along the spine of the warhammer’s reinforced steel shaft.
Fin observed Torren’s stance, noting the excessive forward lean created by the unbalanced weight of the pneumatic head.
"Odds list us at twelve-to-one," Maya reported.
"Executives are opening champagne," Ruby smirked.
"Let them celebrate," Fin replied.
’An overconfident opponent always leaves the largest target on his chest.’
The arena referee’s brass whistle blew with a sharp trill, echoing loudly across the packed concrete arena.
Torren let out a guttural battle roar, charging forward across the fractured dark blocks with heavy, forceful footsteps.
"I will crush you into gravel!" Torren shouted.
The pneumatic boosters on the warhammer hissed with bright orange steam, activating with a piercing high-pitched mechanical whine.
Torren slammed the heavy hammer head into the floor, unleashing a concussive shockwave of cracked stone and flying rubble.
A spray of pulverized stone chips pattered against the lower rim of Ruby’s shield like a burst of shrapnel.
Ruby sprinted forward across the tiles, planting her heavy kite shield directly into the path of the kinetic shockwave.
The concussive shockwave shuddered through Ruby’s tactical boots, but her grounded stance absorbed the full impact without breaking.
The massive shockwave dissipated across the reinforced deck, cracking three adjacent composite floor panels without displacing her footing.
"Right flank is open!" Ruby called out.
The three Goldwake support fighters attempted to box Ruby in quickly, lunging forward with curved sabers and shock batons.
Ruby executed a fluid shield bash, deflecting the lead saber smoothly and sweeping the second fighter cleanly off balance.
Torren completely ignored Ruby, pivoting his broad frame to bring his pneumatic warhammer around in a wide horizontal arc.
The boosted hammer whistled dangerously through the air, aimed directly at Fin’s exposed ribs with massive destructive force.
The seasoned commentators on the live broadcast gasped into their microphones, expecting an immediate, brutal finishing kill.
Fin did not leap backward into the sand, nor did he activate his Rank D Overclock skill.
He stepped directly inside the swing, extending his left hand toward the metal shaft right near Torren’s grip.
His calloused fingers closed tightly around the shaft before the boosted hammer head could reach its full extension.
A dull metallic ring echoed across the silent stadium as Fin’s sixty-eight Strength absorbed the sudden mechanical shock.
Fin’s reinforced bones held rigid under the tremendous mechanical recoil, transmitting the residual force cleanly into the stadium foundation.
The three pneumatic boosters hissed and sputtered loudly, their pressure vents discharging steam as the stalled mechanism disengaged.
Torren’s eyes bulged with terrified disbelief as he pulled desperately on the locked weapon shaft with both arms.
The massive warhammer remained frozen solidly in place, held completely motionless by Fin’s single bare left hand.
"How... how are you holding thirty thousand newtons of pneumatic force?!" Torren stammered, sweating profusely.
"By using proper leverage and holding a firm grip," Fin answered in a calm voice.
Fin stepped cleanly inside Torren’s frozen guard, planting his right foot firmly between the charging giant’s boots.
He swung the flat poll of his steel hatchet in a tight, upward arc against Torren’s reinforced chest plate.
The compact mechanical leverage behind the strike discharged with the explosive force of an industrial hydraulic press.
The reinforced gilded armor plate buckled inward with a sharp, concussive crack across Torren’s breastbone.
Torren’s boots left the tiled deck as the massive giant flew thirty meters across the arena floor.
The Goldwake captain slammed violently into the perimeter barrier wall, cracking the thick reinforced spectator glass.
Torren slumped heavily onto the floor, his eyes rolling back as he fell completely unconscious into the dust.
The remaining three Goldwake fighters dropped their weapons onto the tiles, raising their hands in immediate, unconditional surrender.
The referee blew his whistle three sharp times, his gloved hand trembling visibly as he pointed toward Fin.
[ Quarterfinal victory: Goldwake flagship squad eliminated ]
[ Match duration: 58 seconds ]
[ Combat EXP awarded: +70,000 EXP ]
[ EXP: 605,700 / 2,500,000 ]
[ Tournament advancement: Halden House advances to semifinals (top 4) ]
[ Prize pool status: independent C-Rank raid license unlocked ]
The stadium fell into breathless, pin-drop silence for three stunned seconds before detonating into thunderous, ecstatic bedlam.
Fifty thousand spectators leaped to their feet, shouting and cheering wildly as the giant arena screens replayed the catch.
Slow-motion broadcast replays played across eight towering stadium screens, showing Fin’s bare palm halting the roaring pneumatic engine.
In the Goldwake VIP box, executives stared in horror as their champagne glasses sat untouched on the table.
Bram, Jax, Corin, and the seven porters roared from the lower concourse, waving their purple guild flags wildly.
Fin lowered the captured hammer beside the referee, keeping its head pointed away from the nearest fallen fighter.
Ruby lowered her heavy kite shield, walking up beside Fin with a broad, victorious grin on her face.
"You caught thirty thousand newtons of pneumatic force with one hand on live television," Ruby said, laughing softly.
"The balance was off by two inches during his horizontal swing," Fin replied, shaking his left wrist to ease the sharp tendon strain.
"The commentators are stunned," Maya reported.
"We secured top-four and our finalized raid license," she added.
"We came for the tuition, and now we hold the license," Fin said, looking up at the crowd.
Association paramedics ran onto the arena floor with a motorized stretcher to carry the unconscious Torren away.
Fin and Ruby walked back through the athlete gate, where Nila stood waiting patiently near the locker entrance.
"I watched your hammer catch," Nila said.
"A bare-handed catch violates every guideline," she remarked.
"Scholars never caught falling freight," Fin replied.
"You exposed Goldwake’s doctrine," Nila noted.
"When you build a weapon for show, it fails under real pressure," Ruby agreed, resting her spear.
"Our semifinal match is scheduled against Siren’s Call in forty minutes," Maya briefed the team.
Maya tapped the confirmation button on her slate, logging the newly authenticated Class-C raid permit into guild storage.
"Siren’s Call relies on spatial displacement tricks and wind-enchanted scythes," Ruby noted, wiping her spear.
"We read their footwork and Maya’s wind telemetry, and Threat Sense can flag any artificial mana," Fin planned, heading toward the bench.
"Their wind-shear radius reaches twelve meters on open terrain," Maya added, displaying the tactical map.
"Then we close the twelve meters in two seconds and pin their scythes to the floor," Fin said.
Bram and Orson arrived carrying fresh cotton towels and cold bottles of electrolyte water for the founders.
Fin drank a measured swallow of chilled water, feeling his pulse settle back into its familiar calm rhythm.
"The district is celebrating!" Bram announced.
"Taverns are projecting the match," Orson added.
"Jolly confirmed forty-five thousand credits in cleared commercial royalties," Maya added.
"Our operating balance reaches one hundred and four thousand credits," she announced with satisfaction.
"Tell her to buy twenty kilos of steak," Fin replied with a smile.
"We earned our meat today, and we will earn our victory in the semifinals," Ruby declared.
"Take a deep breath and let your muscles recover," Maya advised, handing Fin an energy ration.
"Our squad has the momentum and the endurance to sweep the remaining brackets," Fin said with quiet confidence.
Across the arena, high in the shadowed competitor tunnel, Captain Gage stared down at Fin with cold murderous malice.
’Next round brings us to the finals, and we finish what we started.’
The bright floodlights gleamed off Fin’s clean steel hatchet as Halden House marched triumphantly into the semifinals.