CHAPTER 307: SPAR IN NAME ONLY

Ten powerful figures stood facing each other in a wide circle.

Five from the Hero Association, and five from the Beastkin Brood.

Averak and Krovath stood off to the side, watching silently, neither stepping forward.

This was not their fight.

Hextor Vallin, the Plasma Reaper, stepped ahead slightly, his eyes locked on the opposing side.

"Let’s be clear," he said. "This is just a spar. Nothing more."

Varnus Drelheim crossed his arms. "We’re not here to kill anyone."

Seraine Vellin added, "Don’t forget that."

On the other side, Malka Ingris, the Wolf Matriarch, narrowed her eyes.

"Spar or not," she said, "this is still war to us."

Quavira Harnex cracked her neck. "You’d better fight seriously. If not, you’ll regret it."

Skeroth Drelvain smiled coldly. "Weakness is weakness. If you die from a ’spar,’ then maybe you weren’t meant to live."

Nyxa Valmire tilted her head slightly. "Don’t expect mercy. We don’t practice it."

Brangur Molveth didn’t speak.

He only stomped his massive foot once, shaking the ground slightly.

Hiera Solmere stepped forward calmly. "Villains speak like villains. Even when trying to cooperate."

Belvyr Thorne spoke next. "We all came here with one goal. But we’ll never see eye to eye."

Varnus’s hands began to heat up. "We can’t let them beat us even if this is just for show."

"This isn’t just a spar anymore," said Hextor, voice low. "Consider it a warning shot."

Seraine looked at her teammates. "We fight smart. No overkill. But no holding back either."

The heroes all nodded to each other.

Across from them, Malka turned to her team. "You all know what to do."

Quavira grinned. "Finally, something fun."

Skeroth adjusted his gloves. "Let’s see how sharp their data is."

Nyxa’s threads shimmered faintly around her hands. "I’ll track their every move."

Brangur rolled his shoulders.

Malka looked ahead. "No deaths. But no kindness."

They nodded in return.

From the side, Averak watched quietly, arms crossed. His glowing eyes never left the group.

Krovath glanced toward him.

"No words for them?" he asked.

Averak shook his head slightly. "They already know what this means."

Krovath nodded. "So do mine."

The air between the two groups thickened with tension.

No one had drawn weapons yet. No one had used their skills.

But the battlefield was already set.

Two worlds standing apart.

But even in silence, it was clear:

This was no ordinary spar.

It was a test of pride.

A battle between the strongest.

And somewhere beyond them all, the real enemy still watched.

---

The silence broke when Belvyr Thorne stepped forward.

Without saying a word, he raised his right hand.

Ether surged around him in waves of blue and gold.

"I’ll begin," he said.

In an instant, glowing lines spread from his feet outward across the battlefield.

[Throne Matrix] activated.

The air shifted.

A large zone formed around the heroes, marked with stable ether patterns and softly pulsing light.

Inside this field, all ether flows followed Belvyr’s will.

Enemy energy became shaky, while the heroes grew smooth and focused.

Quavira took a step back, eyes narrowing. "He’s warping the zone."

Malka growled softly. "He’s trying to take control of the whole field from the start."

Belvyr spoke calmly. "In this matrix, you’ll struggle to stay stable. While we... get sharper."

The matrix wasn’t just one effect.

[Command Stream] triggered next.

Lines of light ran from Belvyr to each of his teammates, boosting their control over energy and skill flow.

Their bodies glowed slightly, ether pulsing cleaner and stronger.

Hextor flexed his arm. "Efficient. As expected."

Seraine nodded. "I feel it. My flow’s faster."

But not everyone stood still.

On the other side, Nyxa Valmire narrowed her eyes.

She didn’t like this.

"That zone gives them an edge," she said.

Thin glowing threads began to rise from her back and fingertips.

"If they want to shape the battlefield..."

She raised both hands slowly.

"...then I will reshape it too."

[Neuro-Web Dominion] activated.

Hundreds of small glowing threads burst out of Nyxa’s body, spreading fast in all directions.

They slithered over rocks, walls, and even through the air, connecting every surface, even attaching to the edges of Belvyr’s matrix.

The ground itself flickered.

Belvyr raised an eyebrow.

"She’s interfering."

Nyxa’s threads pulsed as they wrapped around his [Throne Matrix], twisting into it.

The two zones began to clash.

The battlefield shook slightly, lights flickering across the lines.

Belvyr’s clean matrix started glitching, and it was no longer stable in every corner.

"I’m blocking your field," Nyxa said. "You won’t shape this place alone."

The result was chaos.

The Beastkin Brood’s ether flowed strongly and stably in some parts of the field.

In others, the Hero Association’s energy still held firm.

But in between, the flickering zones twisted.

It was unstable, hard to control, like wild wind mixed with fire.

Seraine Vellin narrowed her eyes.

"She’s messing with Belvyr’s focus."

She stared at Nyxa, who stood at the center of her glowing threads.

She was calm and still, controlling everything from the back.

Seraine vanished in a blur of blue.

[Phantom Step] activated.

She flashed through space, reappearing right in front of Nyxa with her blade drawn.

"I won’t let you disrupt him."

But just as she moved in to strike—

Wind tore through the air.

A sharp shadow dropped from above.

Quavira Harnex landed between them, wings spread wide.

"Don’t think you can touch her," Quavira said, smiling. "Not while I’m in the air."

Seraine stepped back quickly, holding her blade up.

"So you’re her guard now?"

"Something like that," Quavira said. "I like watching her work. Makes things fun."

Seraine narrowed her eyes. "This isn’t a game."

"It’s always a game," Quavira replied. "You just don’t like losing."

Nyxa didn’t speak. Her threads moved quietly in the background, still weaving.

Seraine gripped her sword tightly.

"If you want to protect her, then I’ll go through you first."

Quavira grinned. "Good. I was hoping you’d say that."

The wind shifted again.

And the real fight began.