The paramedics ran with stretchers to pick up gravelly injured victims and transported them to the nearest hospital.

Carina had to tread carefully now that Stella and Micah were onto her, she may have supplanted the identity of a receptionist but she needed to be cautious around the ones who are familiar with the victim she usurped. If she had blown her cover by making any sarcastic remarks related to aggraveted assault or anything that make her seem out of character, it could raise suspitions.

She couldn't afford getting caught at a time like this, she needed to find an electromagnetic gem immediately before the victim or the I.B.I. agents like Stella and Micah catch her.

“How much longer?” Zack groaned, the most energetic team member of the Dimension Guardians got lethargy after knocking down a masked magician who flew like a kite only to wound up deflated like a whoopee cushion. María and Stacey helped Zack up.

“In a minute!” Sora shouted while she was in her Arivex form, fighting off a witch who wore fishnet gloves and a dark cloak. The witch took a defensive stance, arms crossed, using the devil horn sign while a portal Sora summoned tried to suck her in. The dark cloak flapped then pulled as the portal got wider and stronger as the witch held on.

Thomas dodged the attacks off a hooded teenager with a stylized mask swung the switchblade knife while another one with a similar get-up snuck up behind Thomas to steal the red dimension crystal on his neck.

As the two of them ran with the necklace, they inadvertently ran in the way the portal was dragging its victim. The two masked delinquents were running in the same spot before they were getting sucked in.

“Sora, watch out!” Thomas shouted, while Sora saw the two masked delinquents being propelled to the vortex as the light coming from Thomas's dimension crystal blink. The logo on their hoodies looked like a spiky wreath.

Sora closed the portal as the duo of thieves collided with the dark witch. Thomas walked up to them and got his necklace back.

Scale ran as fast as he could to find Blade and Melon, he wasn't able to find them though he didn't anticipate to find Saw & Claw just around the corner. Scale's heart palpipated and gave a sommersault from the surprise he got upon gracing Claw's imposing face. The reptilian was on the verge of suffering a panic attack if not for Saw chastising her.

“Claw, stop scaring him.”

“I didn't!” Claw glared at Saw.

“Help!” Scale wailed as he desperately needed their help while the bicephalic dragon bickered.

“See! Now he's crying because you scared him.” Saw stated while Claw groaned which sounded more of a roar.

“I need help!” Scale clamoured.

“Scale, remain calm.” Saw advised before Claw's crimson eyes darted from Saw to Scale.

“You know this guy?” Claw inquired.
“Yes, and he needs our help.” Saw replied.

“Alright, who are we clobbering now?”
“Claw--” Saw glowered at her before Claw rolled her eyes.
“Nevermind. What is it?” Scale explained while he brought them to the room where he found Jane Doe. They helped Scale lift her up from the floor while Claw slung Jane over her shoulder as the sheet covered Jane's exposed body and took her to the infirmary.

Patricia was flabbergasted at the sight of fresh corpses of the defuncts and the indifference coming from some of the onlookers. The receptionist couldn't fathom what spurred these individuals from recording the tragic event as if it were a show until she had caught wind of the sudden yet brief resurrection of the same victims who have perished approximately between a half hour to a few minutes ago.

To think that the host showrunning the tournament—who had strictly prohibited necromancy—wasn't able to prevent the fiasco from taking place. Then to top the icing of the cake, the golden rule made a freakishly quick flex which have encouraged the onlookers to record the aftermath. If this incident became viral, then the event will end as quickly as the resurrection.

From weird flexes to taking it in stride, Patricia spotted the aforementioned host had a supposed case of reflux on the way to the women's restroom. The receptionist had followed her and opened the door.

Patricia heard the host lock herself in the last stall from the far corner. The host knelt in front of the toilet and lurched as the dread that coiled around her gut bubbled up inside of her, it suffocated her upon knowing the fact that she was the one responsible for provoking such tragic turn of events. The stressful situation nauseated her, the image of Ryo getting shot to the chest was the consequence of her pulling the trigger. Regardless if she pried the weapon from an armed assailant for self-defense, no struggle was worth pulling the trigger. And the conflicts that followed afterward caused bile to shot out of her throat and her vomit the chunks of codfish fritter, leaving a fowl aftertaste in her mouth.

Piros contemplated at the spot where Lea and Eli's ashes were. “I'm starting to have second thoughts about this tournament.”

Phixa looked at his wry, forlorn expression. “Is it really worth sacrificing yourself to the point of losing your own life?” Piros asked, more to himself than to Phixa as he recalled which nearly cost him his life.

“That's a really good question,” Phixa replied just as she remembered a time that she felt the same way about her mother.

'Why did you do it?!' Phixa glared at the sky yelling wherever her mother would be at that moment, if she were there to hear her cry out in the desert. 'Why?!? Why did you have to die in order to bring me into this fallen world!? Answer me! You were perfect! You had everything! Everyone says that you were the most flawless phoenix in Paradise until you fell for a flawed human. Was it really worth sacrificing everything to forsake your flawless life?! To fall in the arms of a defective mortal and leave me here to rot?!'

“I honestly don't know, but there is one thing I do know, if my mother hadn't sacrificed her own life, I wouldn't exist.” Phixa confessed.

Piros looked at Phixa, then remembered the time he searched for answers about who he was and where he came from.

Herring and Piros sat on a canoe as they rowed near Incan Island and high up was an inactive volcano. One of the natives who survived from the eruption of the incandescent volcano had migrated to Ja and returned to the island twelve years later, on the same day they arrived to the island. The native was a man with ruddy complexion and auburn hair with a scruffy beard. He brought his firstborn, a little boy with curly red hair and hazel eyes.

Herring and Piros heard the native tell his son of what he witnessed during the eruption.

“I was there when our people were about to sacrifice the last firstborn to Vulcan, the god of magma at the cusp of the Summer Solstice before it erupted. Every twelve years, a firstborn was brought to the volcano as a peace offering to appease the mighty Vulcan for his flames, warmth and splendor throughout the summer for providing fresh crops and shiny rocks.”

“What happened?” The boy asked.

“The offering was detestable in the sight of Vulcan for one of these reasons; either the child they offered to the god wasn't a firstborn, the child was conceived out of wedlock, or it was deformed. I witnessed how the chief offered the child to Vulcan, the baby was about to be thrown into the volcano before the ground trembled. The volcano billowed with indignation before the mother took her baby and ran to the jungle. The volcano erupted while everyone scattered like ants.” As the man then told his son what had occured, he also mentioned how many of them died being cremated alive by the lava. “The last thing I saw before I mounted on the canoe with my brethren were the archers launching firey arrows at the traitors who stirred Vulcan's ire. I saw with my own two eyes how a fisherman rowed from afar to rescue them.” His testimony loosely concurred to how Sardin rescued Piros's parents before Piros's father was shot by an arrow piercing through his ribcage, then falling overboard. After his mother brought him to the islet and named him after it as a testament for sacrificing all they had to make it to the other side.

“It was all worth in the end, right?" Phixa asked, looking down Anyway, it was nice knowing you, Piros.” Phixa headed out of the stadium, Piros caught a glimpse of her fiery wings while the phoenix hybrid exited to her own world.

The Cinnabarian was still adamant in seeking whoever this Erica García was to gain intel about the prize money. The problem was, aside from the skirmishers and the supposed pandemic, he needed to get past supervisor Penumbra after her and the security guards have denied him entry. He needed to pass the restricted area to where only authorized personnel could enter. Ruben II was not going to quit when he found someone that could lead him to the prize money.

“So how am I going to get through without them recognizing me?” Ruben pondered as he eyed the area until he noticed one of the caretakers walked down the hall with a cleaning cart, using a large flap mop to clean up the mess that had occured at the food court which gave Ruben II a brilliant idea to get past the security guards.

He disguised himself as a janitor as he zipped the khaki jumpsuit, covered his face with a facemask, wore a pair of latex gloves he found from the cleaning cart, he put on a pair of sunglasses he found from one of the skirmishers and a cap to cover his ginger hair.

If the greedy Cinnabarian wanted to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb, he had to act natural. While a real caretaker entered the restroom to clean up after disposing biological waste that came out of the bowels, Ruben II grabbed the cleaning cart full of disinfectants and cleaning products as he headed to the restricted area while a grey skinned woman and a strange looking girl with glasses imteracted with the security guards.

One of them was interrogating the guards, when one of the guards replied with, “that's classified information.” Ruben II had already sneaked past the supervisor when Penumbra went in to interrogate Stella and Micah for meddling and it occured shortly after the usurper had spotted Stella.

After Hong and Violet escaped from the masked spellcasters through the wedge, they found a passageway that took them to the underground ruin of the stadium. They walked on flint flooring while they eyed the ruin as they passed.

“It's been a while that I had some fun. You weren't half bad back there either.” Hong commented to break the silence as they looked for a way out.

“I'll admit that I haven't fought someone like you in ages.” Violet replied as she briefly glanced at Hong, then resumed to find another route.

“I'll take that as a compliment.” Hong spoke nonchalant as they walked further into the ruin. Hong stretched the cord on her metallic arm and reeled the thread automatically as they went further into the ruin.

Erica had searched for Warlin all over the stadium, she checked every nook and cranny, at the back of the stadium, backstage, the dressing room, the food court, the offices, the storage room, the cubicles, the stalls, administration, the closed off room hidden in the administration, the underground ruin of the stadium, even gauntlet that was off limits.

She headed to the stairs on her way to the roof top since it was the last place she hadn't checked. “The wizard isn't here.” The rubber duck reminded her as if it were her own thoughts.

“Quiet, Clyde.” Erica silenced him, tapping the rubber duck on her hat, Clyde gave out a short squeak. Erica walked on the rooftop as she looked at the bright blue sky which was actually an optical illusion thanks to the gems powering the stadium to conceal what was outside of the barrier. She surveyed the rooftop for any sign of suspicious activity, but found none.

“Warlin, oh Warlin, where art thou? Where are you hiding, I wanna know now.” Erica said before the rubber duck wheezed at her flat monologue.

“As if you could come up with something better.” Erica retorted before she pulled Clyde off of her hat and glared at the rubber duck.

“Instead of wondering where he is, ask yourself this: What is Warlin after?” Erica's face softened at Clyde's query to a more inquisitive countenance. Erica thought about it and envisioned herself in Warlin's shoes. “If you were an old evil wizard out for revenge, what would you do?”

If Warlin wanted to destroy the stadium, he already would've done it without preambles. He wouldn't waste his time going to and fro unless he intended to set a distraction to confuse eveyone, which Erica came to her own hypothesis.

“If I were him, I would sabotage the tournament in the worst way imaginable--” Erica stared at the rubber duck square in the eye with the most devilish smirk she could muster, “--by spreading fake news.”

Clyde quacked in disbelief, surprised that she actually came up with something brilliant or for her theory to become true. If it's the latter, then the show is over.

The host raised her head after flushing the vomit out of her system, upon opening the door she found Patricia with her arms crossed, tapping her pumps.

Natalie huffed, “What is it now?”

The blonde receptionist raised her index finger to get her point across. "Nat, you only had one job. I left for only ten minutes and I come back seeing a trainwreck. How did this happen?"

“I don't need a scolding, I need a mint. It's bad enough that I wasn't able to stop something that was beyond my control.” Natalie mentioned as she headed out of the women's restroom.

“Do I have to resort to cold reading, Mrs. Santos?” Patricia asked boring into the back of Natalie's head.

“If you're gonna stand there and critique instead of help with damage control, the door is wide open.” Natalie stated as she exited the restroom while Patricia glared daggers.

The aforementioned wizard seeked Mirror while trying to keep Simon trapped in the pocket dimension. It was bad enough that the dark magic that surpassed his own had tampered with his mind control spell and freed the skilled shapeshifter from under him, now he had to find him and try even harder than before to put Mirror under the spell again.

Contrary to popular belief about mind control, once a subject falls under the spell is enslaved to the one controlling them permanently is false. To successfully place someone under mind control depends on how weak willed their victim is and how long can they stay under the spell. If a spellcaster can manage to put one person under mind control for several hours to a couple of days, the subject can stay under their spell and not be aware that they've fallen a victim to it. If another spellcaster who is far more powerful than the previous one casts the same spell yet has two or three more subjects under his control. The influence of the previous spellcaster that had over the victim loses its effectiveness and the chances of regaining the control it once had will become much more difficult to achieve.

“What's the matter? Can't control your hostages?” Simon smirked.

“Silence!” Warlin retorted as he pulled the glass jar to see a miniature version of the Venusian. “I don't have time for your sarcastic remarks. I have urgent matters to attend.”

“So do I, if you don't release me, I'll mark my territory.” Simon unzipped his trousers slowly.

“Unbelievable.” Warlin grumbled before he snapped his bony fingers for a bucket to appear within the pocket dimension where Simon was detained. Warlin hid the bottle within his cloak and gave out a defeated sigh. “This is degrading, from being the head of the Inquisitors Guild now reduced as the nanny of rebellious hostages. I have no choice but to contact one of the shapeshifters.” 

Warlin picked up a phone tablet and opened the contact application to call the one classified as Espe Jo and waited for the teenager to respond.

“What's up, Dumbledore?” Espe Jo quipped, Warlin was appalled being compared to a fictional wizard, and worst of all, the resemblance and portrayal was impressive. He wouldn't have believed in the comparison of the aforementioned wizard if he hadn't seen it for himself.

“Knock it off! I have a task for you. Where are you?” Warlin spoke while Espe Jo checked his surroundings.

“I'm standing next to a vending machine while, Glasgow is beating some bloke that tried to rob him as we speak.” Espe Jo replied. “Oh really, yeah, hold on a sec.” he lowered his smartphone to shout at Glasgow.

“Hey Glasgow! You wanna fight at the tournament or not!?” The rowdy shapeshifter heard before he knocked a large man down with an uppercut.

“Yeah laddie! I'm in!” Glasgow replied before Espe Jo confirmed it over the phone.

“Good. Gather the rest of your brethren, I'll send you at the coordinates that will take you to your destination. You have one hour. Don't fail me!” Warlin hung up before Espe Jo sent a text message to his siblings and sent the coordinates.

Jane Doe laid at unconscious at the hospital bed as she remembered seeing an alien turn into her before waking up.