Ragnar had no plans of waiting around and finding out how many more projections his opponent could create. So, seeing as their actions were reaching a stalemate, he decided to change things up.

By now, he had already figured out what his contender was trying to achieve. So, there was no way he would allow him to get close, let alone playing right into his hands. Instead, he chose to deal with it all at once.

He brought both his hands together while still firing his automatic rifles, and suddenly opened them up. The silence that ensued after such a long barrage of shots seemed deafening as no one dared to make a noise. The battles going on in the nearby arena had also come to a pause, with them being unable to focus while this spectacle went on.

The dark-skinned guy had almost lost all hope. He could tell while being hit by that volley of shots that there was no way he would outlast this monster if things kept going this way. He also didn’t have any way to close the distance which might have turned the tables in his favour. But it appeared like his time to shine was finally here. He needed to take it. Or else, this might stain his reputation for the rest of his life… Little did he know.

As soon as he thought about closing the gap, he felt something. Something that could only be described as horrifying. All his hair stood on end as he took a defensive stance instead.

A hum of energies reached the ears of every person in the arena as if something was charging up. Ragnar was about to try something new with his ability. Something that will solidify his reputation in the eyes of every single spectator. He didn’t have this intention of course. All he wanted was to end this battle so he could move to the next one. Yes, that’s all he wanted.

So, his outstretched palms suddenly burst forward with a brutally charged cone of waves that devastated every single projection present on the Arena. They were simply erased out of existence. And somewhere along with it, the real body was also swept off the platform like a rag doll. This wave was unfortunately shot off in the direction where the referee stood as well. But after the sparkling dust was all blown away, he appeared to not have moved even an inch.

In all honesty, that was Ragnar’s biggest takeaway from this battle, showing him how strong the Mystics really are. As for his opponent, he’ll live, since Ragnar had STILL held back.

He had to come up with a cool name for this new attack. It needs to sound cool but not cringe at the same time. As Ragnar wondered on about this very real dilemma, he was already walking back to his seat.

He hadn’t given much notice to the absolute silence that had taken over the entire Arena. Nobody was ready to cope with this amount of strength from an Arcane. This was something well past the Rankings. In the centuries of history ever since the EtherShift Calamity, there had never been a jump so big between the Ranks. Except one, maybe. But that guy was a completely different breed, both these cases couldn’t be compared. So, everyone was far too appalled to speak.

It was only after Ragnar had reached back and taken his seat next to a frozen Aura, that the hushed whispers spread through the Arena like a plague. They were busy discussing how his appearance was about to shake up the rankings and the community as a whole.

While they did that, Ragnar was currently losing his marbles as he scrolled through the tablet for his next target. Both Kalix and Aura gulped as they worried if he might take it out on them. But luckily for them, Ragnar decided on taking it out in the Arena instead.

As for how low he would have to go this time, even he himself was shocked at how many people just chose to dip after seeing him fight. Maybe his intention to end things quickly was going to be his downfall. His next opponent will have to be the person ranked 20. The jump from 77, straight to 20, was going to be quite big. But Ragnar was ever ready. In fact, he wanted to face as strong enemies as he possibly could.

These people who pulled out of the challenge might have saved themselves and their ranks since Ragnar couldn’t challenge them anymore, but they will eventually have to move down when Ragnar does defeat someone even higher ranked than them.

He selected the person and simply handed the tablet to Kalix. The wager this time was 800000. He was already forced to bring out his prized possession as wager. So, his plan of making big money while breezing through his opponents was basically a bust. He will have to hope that all his upcoming opponents will have enough money to fund his requirements.

He unwillingly handed his Shadeclaw over. He wasn’t about to ask Aura for another loan. As for a weapon, he will just use one of the daggers  available in the Arena. It’s not like he needed the ability to summon it back right now.

“Use this as my wager this time, and bring the remaining 100k back. Also, challenge this guy here.”

As the tablet was handed over to Kalix, Aura also sneaked a peek at who he will be fighting. Before Kalix had even registered the words, Aura suddenly spoke up in a surprisingly serious tone, for someone who was acting sacred until a moment ago.

“I would highly suggest you don’t. I honestly have no idea anymore about how strong you are, but believe me when I say, this guy is at least 100 times stronger than the last one. You might lose all your money along with the dagger as well. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but you have to believe me on this. Even the strength you showed just now wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”

Kalix also felt the same after seeing the person Ragnar had chosen on the tablet, but he had nothing to add to Aura’s statement. So, he just stared at Ragnar for his reply.

“Is that so...”

Ragnar smirked; a hundred times stronger than the last one she said. That should be fun. He of course had no intention of stopping. As for the possibility of losing everything he was wagering, he’ll just make more by killing more creatures. There was no shortage of them outside the walls of HCR. Thinking this far, he looked back at Kalix, with the grin still lingering on his face and nodded his head.

“Go ahead.”

Aura was simply speechless. Why did she even try? She had said that for his own good and this guy… And that wasn’t even just his money he was losing. Although she felt that way, there was still a small spark of hope in the corner of her heart. A very teeny tiny one, that he might actually be able to do it. He might not lose. He might actually beat the 20^th ranked person in the Individual Rankings, and become the 20^th strongest person of the younger generation of humanity, as an Arcane.

And thinking back on it, all she wanted from this guy was to help her achieve her goal, he had even killed her companions before they met. And then  even tried to kill her as well, with no apparent reason whatsoever. Let’s not forget the way she has been treated until now. And despite all that, she really wanted him to win this one.

She was herself shocked at how weird her thoughts were. Imagining an Arcane entering the top 100 rankings was already farfetched, but she was currently thinking about the top 20 for fucks sake. The top 20 who have already merged with their Spectral Perks. Thinking through here, her hopes were doused with a bucket of iced water once more.

Despite that, she wanted to give him as much of a chance as possible, so she started filling him in on the details of his next nemesis.