The crowd erupted into gasps as the shot rung around the stadium. Some pointed accusing fingers while others looked away in horror. Above them all, the screen with the two announcers, Peter Port and Bartholomew Oobleck stood over their table, mouths hanging open at the scene laid out before them. The light tapping of boots broke the silence as a small green haired girl ran towards the center of the stadium, wiping the tears from her eyes.

A fiery being stood in front of its enemy, eyes blazing and glowing, golden hair flowing behind her. On the floor lay an insignificant creature, holding his knee in sheer pain as blood slowly trickled from the wound left on him by the golden demon, what little aura he had left reducing the impact of the blast to a fraction of its power. Wails slipped through the man's teeth as he rolled back and forth in vain, as though it would lessen his pain.

"My word!" Oobleck shouts over the microphone, barely perceivable over the booing and jeering of the crowd.

"Cut the cameras!" Port shouts to the crew behind him, attempting to keep control over the situation. Nearby, Grimm respond to the sudden influx of negative emotion.

"My leg! My LEG!" Mercury cries, still holding on to the damaged limb.

"That's what you get you little-" A swarm of bots quickly surrounded the brawler, guns brandished.

"Yang Xiao Long! Stand down!" A soldier shouted from amidst the bots.

"What?! Why?!"

"Why'd she do that?" Mercury cried as Emerald quickly appeared by his side. "Why'd she attack me? A replay of the events showed on the screen, showing Yang walking past Mercury and slamming him in the knee. Yang looked around the arena in confusion, then towards her team for some form of support, each member giving them some form of horrified expression. All except one. Yang noticed that the newest addition to their team was missing from the stands entirely. Slowly, a cloaked figure emerged from the stands, making its way towards the members of the team and the barriers of the stands.

"But I haven't – that didn't even – I –" Yang was cut off by the gun jammed into her face.

"I said stand down!" The solider repeated, his voice more aggressive. The figure stopped at the barricades and glanced towards the team members, each returning his gaze, each looking in confusion before realizing who it was. They all nodded to him, to which he returned, before brandishing a large red blade from behind him and jumping off the barricade, landing in the arena. Quickening his pace slightly, he walked towards the center, where the scene was starting to erupt violently. With as much energy as he could muster, he spun once before letting go of the blade, launching it towards the soldiers and bots surrounding Yang. The blade narrowly missed the three humans, each bot being cleanly cleaved in half by the blade. He quickly turned in to a sprint, quickly gaining enough speed to reach the middle within seconds.

"Stand dow-" A fist connected with the soldiers face, shattering the glass mask into many pieces. The second soldier barely managed to squeeze the trigger before a hand made its way around his neck, lifting him off the ground. The figure extended his unoccupied hand towards his blade, summoning it towards him. It sliced through the air, landing softly in his hand. With a grunt, he threw the man towards the barricades, slamming him against them. More soldiers flooded the area, aiming their guns at the duo.

Yang looked at the figure in amazement and shock, trying her hardest to figure out who it was to no avail. The figure launched his blade as high as he could, shattering the protective dome above them. Clasping both hands together, he hunched over and extended them towards Yang, grabbing her attention.

"No. No way!" Yang waved him off, instantly dismissing the thought. "Not happening!" He gave her a disappointed look and pulled part of his hood down, allowing her to finally figure out who the mysterious figure was.

"Eric? What the actual fuck is going on?" She asked, still looking around for some sort of confirmation. Eric pulled his hood back up and clasped his hands together again, gesturing towards her again. "No!" Eric rolled his eyes and walked towards her, outstretching both arms towards hers. "What? What're you doing?" She took a step back from him, gesturing for him to stay where he is. "Stay there! Don't you dare – " Eric grabbed both her arms and launched her into the air, sending her through the hole in the dome. He punched the ground underneath him, the force launching him skywards as well, narrowly missing the sharp edges of the broken barrier. He landed with a role, looking down towards all the floodlights and the sprinting soldiers quickly leaving the area. To his left, he saw Yang standing above the hole, and they both knew that they were in a new world of trouble.