Raijin shielded his face, shouting, "Damn, Riah's scary! I can feel that heat from here, and Vrasnia's freezing!"
Felicia nodded, her skirt fluttering. "It's the Phoenix herself. Her fire's undying—probably unmatched in the universe. Just like Kazimir's lightning is untouchable. This is like two apex predators fighting for the top spot."
Neve's eyes sparkled. "It's beautiful—a giant phoenix! How's Kaz gonna counter that?"
Jessie smirked. "Just watch. He's got a plan."
Kazimir raised his nodachi skyward, void lightning igniting the blade like a collapsed star. The energy expanded, a dark pulse that warped the air. Lihanna's eyes widened. "That's Eye of Oblivion—the same move that sliced through Capriha and Bruswa!"
Kamaki leaned back, grinning. "Oh, man, is Vrasnia about to get cut in half too?"
Vanessa shook her head. "No, it's aimed at the sky even though this one is way more powerful then the one that he unleashed in capriha and he not even in full Maw state but. Riah's pulling one of her signature moves, and Kazimir's matching her challenge."
Jessie glanced at Vanessa. "Adapting on the fly is Riah's thing. No surprise she's cooking up something new mid-battle."
Tyrone squinted at Riah's flaming aura. "Wait, is she combining techniques? That phoenix aura's being sucked into her sword. Is this her version of Eye of Oblivion?"
Raijin and Kamaki gaped. "Is that even legal?" Raijin blurted.
Felicia's eyes were wide, tracking Riah's every move. Jessie, arms folded, stayed silent, her focus unbreakable.
Riah's katana shimmered, morphing into a massive greatsword wreathed in white flames, her phoenix aura blazing brighter, enveloping her like a celestial inferno. Kazimir swung his nodachi, unleashing Eye of Oblivion—a crescent of void lightning that tore toward Riah like a cosmic guillotine. Riah countered, her greatsword slashing downward, releasing a torrent of phoenix flames that roared like a supernova. The two forces collided, a tug-of-war of light and darkness, fire and void, sending shockwaves that cracked the ground below.
The group braced, the wind howling as the clash lit up the night. Kazimir poured more power into his attack, his hand outstretched, void energy surging. Riah matched him, her flames roaring like a jet engine, pushing back against the void. Tyrone shouted, "Look! Kaz is winning!"
The group erupted, cheering both combatants, their voices a chaotic symphony. Riah, struggling against the void's advance, ignited brighter, her aura flaring with unyielding might. She pushed back, turning the tide, her flames gaining ground. Kazimir's eyes widened, his smirk faltering as she reversed the momentum.
Neve clutched her hands, breathless. "This is intense!"
The beams exploded in a blinding flash, the shockwave rocking the ruins. Vanessa threw up an abyssal barrier, shielding the group. Kamaki whooped, "WOO, WE'RE ALIVE!"
Tyrone laughed, "AHAHA, that was wild!"
Lihanna pointed. "Look, they're going at it hand-to-hand now!"
Vanessa's voice boomed, "Two minutes left!"
Kazimir grabbed Riah's wrist, hurling her skyward. She recovered mid-air, conjuring five phoenix-shaped flames that streaked toward him like fiery missiles. Kazimir dodged, weaving through the air, but the flames homed in. "Not today!" he growled, slicing three with his nodachi. Two flanked him, but he caught them with his hands, void energy bursting from his palms to obliterate them.
Riah appeared before him, her grin fierce. "One minute, Kaz! Make it count!"
Their blades clashed, their forms vanishing and reappearing across the battlefield, each strike sending shockwaves that shattered ruins. Kazimir leaped, delivering a spinning kick. Riah teleported above, her greatsword slashing down. He vanished into a void, reappearing with a sweeping arc that sent her crashing to the ground.
Jessie shouted, "GO! This is getting crazy!"
Vanessa bellowed, "Thirty seconds!"
Kazimir and Riah roared, their blades a blur of fire and lightning. Riah thrust her sword, flames bursting like an inferno. Kazimir sliced through, his strike precise, cutting the fire apart. Both bore bruises, their breaths heavy but spirits unbroken.
Neve screamed, "Ten seconds!"
Kazimir and Riah faced each other, nodding in silent agreement. "One last strike," Kazimir said.
"Yeah," Riah replied, her eyes blazing. "One last strike."
Her greatsword shifted back to a katana, both sliding their legs back, igniting their auras—Riah's white flames a radiant storm, Kazimir's indigo void lightning a cosmic abyss. Jessie shouted, "Three seconds!"
They charged, swords swinging in a final, cataclysmic clash. In a blink, they knelt back-to-back, blades lowered, the air still.
Kamaki blinked. "Wait, a draw?"
"Looks like it," Tyrone said, grinning. "Both refused to fall. Talk about spirit."
Jessie's eyes gleamed. "That was incredible. They only used their hybrid forms—eyes and energy shifted, but no full transformations. They're equals, plain and simple."
Neve beamed. "I trained him well, but damn, those two are matched."
Kazimir walked to Riah, offering his hand. She took it, rising with a grin. "You were amazing," he said, awe in his voice. "That new move—what even was that? Did you make it on the spot?"
Riah's laugh was bright. "Yup, cooked it up mid-fight."
Kazimir gaped. "That's insane."
Felicia approached, pressing her palms to them, her phoenix flames glowing softly to heal their bruises. Kazimir winced as the warmth worked. "Wow, Felicia, you've leveled up. Last time, your healing burned like hell. Now? Smooth as silk."
Felicia bonked him on the head. "Shut up and let me focus!"
Kazimir rubbed his skull, muttering, "Sorry for distracting you."
Riah giggled, her flames fading as she watched Felicia humble her boyfriend. The purple moon glowed above, the aurora casting its light over the ruins, a fitting stage for a clash that proved neither fire nor void could claim supremacy—only balance, forged in rivalry and love.