The crowd roared in anticipation as Phil stepped onto the ptfain, raising his hands to silehe noise. His voied across the Colosseum, crag with energy. “All right, folks, the match is here! We’ve got the Amazoing underdog, Skuld, back for another round!”

  Skuld stepped nervously into the arena, her Keybde held tightly in her grip. The cheers of the crowd bolstered her resolve, though she couldn’t help but feel the weight of their expectations pressing down on her. Her eyes sed the other side of the arena, where her oppo emerged from the shadows.

  “And fag her, we have a crowd favorite,” Phil tinued dramatically, “the dark and mysterious Grim Avenger!”

  A figure pitch-bck armor stepped into the light, the metal gleaming ominously. His helmet pletely obscured his face, giving him an air of imperable metached to his wristguards were twin crossbows, their strings taut and ready to fire. A long, deadly sword hung at his side, its hilt adorned with intricate carvings.

  The Grim Avenger raised a gaued hand in aowledgment of the crowd, and they erupted into cheers. Skuld swallowed hard. This oppo was clearly a step above her st.

  The gong sounded, and the Grim Avenger immediately sprang into a, dashing toward Skuld with startling speed. As he moved, his voice echoed theatrically, loud enough for the crowd to hear.

  “Behold, my opening strike! A forward luo test her defense!” he bellowed.

  Skuld barely had time to react, raising her Keybde just in time to block his sword. The impact reverberated up her arms, nearly causio lose her grip. She stumbled back, her heart rag as the Grim Aveook a step back, raising his twin crossbows.

  “And now, a volley of arrows to keep her ooes!” he decred, firing a flurry of bolts toward her.

  Skuld dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the barrage. The bolts embedded themselves in the ground where she had just been standing, a stark reminder of how close she had e to being hit. She scrambled to her feet, gripping her Keybde tightly as the Grim Avenger closed the distance more.

  The Grim Avenger’s attacks were relentless. His sword sshed through the air in precise, calcuted arcs, each strike apanied by his booming narration.

  “An upward ssh, followed by a spinning strike to her left side!” he called, his movements matg his words.

  Skuld mao dodge the upward ssh, the bde narrowly missing her. She pivoted just in time to avoid the spinning strike, the Keybde ing up to parry the attack. Sparks flew as their ons cshed, the force of the impact pushing her back.

  She was on the defensive, barely keeping up with the Grim Avenger’s speed and power. Yet his stant narration gave her a split-sed advantage, allowio anticipate his moves a accly.

  As the fight wore on, Skuld began to notice a pattern. The Grim Avenger was skilled—his strength and speed far exceeded hers—but his habit of narrating every move left him vulnerable. Each decration gave her a clue about what was i.

  “Now, a feint to the right followed by a downward strike to her shoulder!” he shouted, swinging his sword in the predicted arc.

  Skuld sidestepped the feint and raised her Keybde to block the downward strike. The impact jarred her arms, but she held firm, using the momentum to spin away from his follow-up attack.

  “Why does he keep announg everything?” she muttered under her breath, dodging another volley of arrows.

  It was almost ical, but it gave her an idea. If he relied so heavily on narration, perhaps she could use it against him.

  Skuld took a deep breath, steadying herself as she prepared her move. She charged forward, her Keybde aimed directly at the Grim Avenger’s chest.

  “A bold frontal assault!” he decred, raising his sword to parry.

  At the st moment, Skuld twisted her body, redireg her attack to his left side. Her Keybde grazed his armor, the blow throwing him off bahe crowd erupted in cheers as she nded her first solid hit.

  “Impressive!” the Grim Avenger said, regaining his footing. “But let’s see how you hahis: a double crossbow volley followed by a spinnireat!”

  True to his word, he fired another flurry of bolts before spinning away to create distance. Skuld rolled uhe arrows, ing up with a determined glint in her eye.

  She had a pn.

  As they cshed again, Skuld began to narrate her own moves, mimig the Grim Avenger’s dramatie. “Now, a downward strike to yht side!” she announced, swinging her Keybde.

  The Grim Avenger moved to block, his sword ing up to intercept her attack. But the strike never came. Instead, Skuld spun on her heel, pivoting her Keybde to strike his left leg. The blow ected, sending him stumbling to one knee.

  “What trickery is this?” he excimed, his voice filled with theatrical indignation.

  Skuld didn’t answer, pressing her advantage. She feigned atack to his right side, once again narrating her move aloud. “A sweeping strike to yht!”

  The Grim Avenger moved to block, only to realize too te that it was another ruse. Skuld ducked low, swinging her Keybde at his exposed chest. The impact sent him sprawling to the ground, his sword cttering out of reach.

  The crowd roared as the Grim Avenger y on the ground, struggling to rise. Skuld stood over him, her Keybde poi his chest. For a moment, her of them moved. Then, with a dramatic sigh, the Grim Avenger raised a gaued hand.

  “I cede!” he decred, his voice still filled with theatrical fir. “Well fought, deceitful warrior. You have bested me!”

  Phil’s voice rang out across the arena. “And the winner is—Skuld!”

  The crowd erupted into cheers, their excitement palpable as Skuld lowered her Keybde. She offered the Grim Avenger a hand, helping him to his feet. Despite his defeat, he seemed unfazed, his tone as cheerful as ever.

  “Well done!” he said, g her on the shoulder. “A clever strategy, using my own habits against me. I’ll have to remember that for ime.”

  Skuld managed a small smile, the weight of the match finally lifting from her shoulders. As she left the arena, the cheers of the cr in her ears.