Karl’s blade sang through the air, the resin of his armoured gauntlet glinting in the dying light. He dragged his weapon back, scanning the torn ranks of combatants before him. “Well now,” he drawled, his voice low and mocking yet curiously melodic, “what strange creature dares to step into my way?” His raven companion, Arma, wheeled overhead, talons clicking against the wind as it echoed its master’s curiosity.

From the smoke and shattered banners, Y/N emerged—a lithe form whose skin shimmered like oil on water, veins tracing phosphorescent patterns beneath a slender cloak. Their eyes, pale and unreadable, locked onto Karl’s with unflinching resolve. Steel met resin as Y/N parried a vicious strike, sending Karl stumbling back a half step. A hush fell for a heartbeat, broken only by the crackle of distant flames and the rasp of steel against stone.

Karl straightened, brushing flecks of ash from his jacket. “I did not expect a… creature such as you in this tournament,” he admitted, tilting his head as though studying a curious specimen. Yet beneath the polite inflection, a savage thrill gleamed in his amber gaze. “But I find you most… intriguing.” With that, he lunged forward once more, the battlefield around them fading as they became locked in a deadly dance—resin against otherworldly flesh, ambition against the unknown.