Thunder roared again and again. Everyone was giving their all.
Cyrus called upon all four elements at once, fire, water, earth, and wind, each swirling in his hands as he attacked from every side. He tried to trap Varnex between walls of earth and fire, while sending blades of air from above.
Lila jumped and slashed with her flaming sword, dancing between the attacks like a flicker of light, striking wherever she could, her eyes burning with determination.
Adrian followed Varnex's every movement, using his Future Sight to warn the others, directing them when to dodge, when to block, when to strike. His voice echoed constantly, calling out: "Left! Above! Now!"
Drakar, grounded but not broken, rushed forward with a mighty swing of his axe, his fire magic bursting with each step. His legs ached, but he pushed on.
Doran fought with pure force, hammer crashing like a meteor. His heavy swings broke the ground, sent dust into the air, and forced Varnex to stay moving.
Ruvan and Zerik worked together, attacking low, striking fast, punching, flipping, using tricks and strength alike to press the fight.
Sylra stood in the back, casting support spells, healing small wounds, building wind shields.
Everyone moved, everyone fought.
But Varnex… was unfazed.
He dodged, barely moving, side-stepping attacks like a whisper of wind. When he did strike, it was with precision, his Thunder Claw slicing through attacks and sending shockwaves outward. He deflected Cyrus's fire. He knocked back Doran with a flick of his wrist. His claws clashed against Kael's katana, sending sparks flying.
He chuckled softly, amused.
Then, he raised his arms. The air became thick. Static danced across the floor.
"Let the real game begin," he said, voice low and cold.
---
A rumble. A roar. A flash of lightning, Varnex began to transform.
His wings spread wide, much wider than before, stretching across the chamber. His body grew larger, more muscular. His scales glowed faintly with electric light, and his eyes shined like thunderclouds. His claws, longer, sharper, deadly, crackled with wild sparks of lightning. Storm clouds began to form above, inside the chamber itself, despite the ceiling being solid stone. They swirled unnaturally, shaped by his will.
This was his true power. His Overform — Overstorm. Power surged from him in every direction. In a single flash, he vanished, then appeared behind Lila, slamming her into the ground. She gasped, coughing, as pain shot through her body.
Before Cyrus could reach her, Varnex spun, landing a heavy kick into his chest, sending him flying backward into the wall.
Nira summoned vines to restrain him, but lightning cut through them in an instant. She leapt forward to help Lila, but Varnex was already there. A bolt of lightning struck the ground beside her, no, through her, slamming her into the rocks. She cried out in pain, her body falling, motionless for a moment.
Everything paused. And then…Kael stopped smiling.
His usual calm, playful face was gone. His lips were pressed tight, his eyes filled with fire.
He looked at Nira lying on the ground.
Then, he looked at Varnex.
The blackfire around Kael's katana flared.
But not just the blade, his entire body began to glow in black flame. It surrounded him, wrapped around his arms, legs, chest. The flames didn't burn him, they became part of him. A quiet hum replaced the noise of battle as Kael walked forward.
No words.
No taunts.
Just fury.
He dashed forward, blackfire trailing behind him like a comet. Varnex turned just in time to block the attack, barely.
The ground cracked.
The air screamed.
Their weapons clashed, claws against blackfire katana, and the impact sent a wave of energy in all directions.
Boom! A shockwave tore across the battlefield. Dust flew up, hiding both of them. But the fight didn't stop. From within the smoke, the clash continued.
Kael moved like a burning shadow, cutting with speed, precision, and anger. He swung his katana low, then twisted mid-air, spinning to slash from above. Varnex blocked with one claw, countered with the other—but Kael vanished again, reappearing behind him, dragging his blackfire blade across Varnex's back.
Varnex growled, spun, and slammed his thunder claw into the ground, cracking the floor and sending Kael into the air. But Kael flipped, recovered, and launched himself back with a surge of blackfire. The flames trailed behind him like wings.
For every attack Varnex made, Kael had a reply. He wasn't just matching Varnex now, he was pushing him.
"Your fire," Varnex muttered, "is loud." Kael narrowed his eyes. "And your thunder is hollow." The two leapt again.
Kael twisted, slashing with burning arcs, one, two, three. Varnex ducked, spun, and lunged forward, claws aiming for Kael's side. They clashed again, lightning against shadow.
Then, suddenly, Kael stepped back.
He held his katana close to his chest. Blackfire coiled tightly around it, glowing brighter, burning fiercer. "Blackfire Tragic." His voice was cold.
At the same time, Varnex stood tall and raised his claws into the air. Thunder wrapped around him like a vortex. "Imperial Thunderclaw."
The room held its breath. Then... They ran. Straight at each other. Flame and lightning. Wrath and pride.
The two attacks met at the center of the chamber with a blinding flash. A deafening explosion burst out, tearing through the air. Everyone shielded their eyes.
The chamber shook.
Cracks spread across the ground.
And then… silence.
Only dust remained, floating in the heavy, tense air.
Everyone waited... waited to see who stood tall… and who had fallen.