[Scenes of dawn and Tracey's' fight]
Dawn summoned water clones—one after another. Each one shattered after taking just a hit or two from the Hollowborn. She kept going. She had to.
Tracey was barely standing.
Exhaustion pressed against his chest like iron. But he knew—one second of rest, and they were done.
So he didn't stop.
He pushed his legs harder, flame trailing behind every step. His speed surged—but it was wild, unbalanced.
Sometimes he struck first—a blazing punch, a crackling kick—driving Hollowborn back.
Other times, he missed entirely, flying past them, stumbling to recover.
But he kept going.
Dawn
"Water Magic: Razor Rain."
A storm of needle-sharp water droplets exploded from above—
thousands of them slicing through the air like tiny blades.
They rained down, tearing through the Hollowborn ranks—piercing limbs, ripping into shadows, forcing the creatures to stagger and fall.
But Tracey didn't stop.
He lunged at the fallen Hollowborn, knowing the truth—they couldn't die. Not like this.
He struck with fire-coated fists, relentless and unyielding.
The droplets from Dawn's magic never touched him.
The moment they neared his skin, they evaporated instantly, cloaking him in steam—
a haze of heat rising around his body as he fought within the storm.
Tracey
"Fire Magic: Hellflames – Emit!"
The moment his voice echoed, the very air trembled.
The entire hall shook violently, as if reacting to the sheer intensity of his flames. A deep, growling rumble vibrated through the walls—and then, without warning, dozens of towering flame pillars erupted from the floor, exploding outward in all directions.
The Hollowborn were caught mid-charge—engulfed instantly, their bodies twisting in agony as if the souls they once had were screaming in death once more. Their howls pierced the air like echoes from the underworld.
The room is totally covered with steam and just one thing is visible. Tracey and his flames.
[Scenes of ari & gray fighting Ren]
Ari and Gray charged toward Ren—Ari from the left, Gray from the right.
Their blades struck, but Ren blocked both with his forearms, now coated in dark, flickering flames.
With a sudden burst of strength, Ren shoved them back.
Before he could breathe, they came again—synchronized strikes from both sides. Steel clashed with fire as Ren weaved between their attacks, countering with brutal fists and sharp kicks.
Sparks burst with every collision.
Black flames and gleaming blades flashed faster than the eye could follow.
Mid-defense, Ren took a single step back—then raised a hand.
A massive sphere of black flame ignited above his palm. He hurled it.
Gray ducked.
Ari slashed—her light magic slicing the fireball clean in half.
They surged forward again.
Ren slammed both hands to the ground.
Twin pillars of fire erupted beneath them.
Ari dissolved the flames into shards with her light magic.
Gray bent them away with his reflection field.
But then—Ren vanished.
In a blur, he appeared between them, gripping each by the arm.
A sudden blast of fire burst from his feet—propelling him forward at blinding speed.
With a roar, he slammed both Ari and Gray straight into the far wall.
Stone cracked. Dust exploded.
He let go.
Both of them dropped to the ground, coughing, groaning, struggling to stand.
Ari's hands trembled as she lifted her blade.
She poured her magic into it—until it pulsed with light... then flickered weakly.
Ren charged toward her again, eyes locked.
But before he could strike—Gray stepped in.
A shimmer.
And Ren was thrown back by his own momentum—slammed away by Gray's reflection barrier.
Ren skidded across the cracked floor, boots scraping against stone, black flames flaring behind him to slow his momentum. He landed in a crouch, head lowered, eyes burning.
Gray stood tall in front of Ari, breathing hard, arms slightly raised in a defensive stance.
Ari gritted her teeth, rising beside him, her blade glowing faintly now—unstable, but alive.
Ren smirked.
"Still standing? Good."
He launched forward again, this time twisting his body mid-air—spinning like a firestorm.
Gray raised his twin blades and parried the flaming kick, but the force sent him sliding back.
Ren shifted instantly. A backhand punch—coated in black fire—swung toward Ari.
She ducked and countered with a blinding slash, light streaking through the air.
Ren blocked with his forearm, a hiss erupting as light clashed against darkness. His flames wavered for a second.
Gray, behind him now, stabbed forward.
Ren twisted—his body slipping between the twin attacks—and elbowed Gray in the ribs, sending him staggering.
But Ari was already there.
"Light Magic: Gleaming Edge!"
Her blade burst into a searing arc of light, slicing across Ren's shoulder.
He flinched—his black flames sizzled from the wound.
Ren growled. He leapt high, flame trailing his limbs.
Then he came down—fists first—like a meteor.
Ari and Gray crossed their weapons to block, but the impact shook the ground, cracking the floor beneath them.
The shockwave sent both flying.
Ari rolled midair and landed on her feet, blade scraping the ground.
Gray caught himself with a backward slide, his reflection magic forming a protective shimmer around his body.
Ren stood in the crater he created, steam rising from his shoulders.
Ari and Gray glanced at each other—just for a split second.
Then nod Ren skidded across the cracked floor, boots scraping against stone, black flames flaring behind him to slow his momentum. He landed in a crouch, head lowered, eyes burning.
Gray stood tall in front of Ari, breathing hard, arms slightly raised in a defensive stance.
Ari gritted her teeth, rising beside him, her blade glowing faintly now—unstable, but alive.
Ren smirked.
"Still standing? Good."
He launched forward again, this time twisting his body mid-air—spinning like a firestorm.
Gray raised his twin blades and parried the flaming kick, but the force sent him sliding back.
Ren shifted instantly. A backhand punch—coated in black fire—swung toward Ari.
She ducked and countered with a blinding slash, light streaking through the air.
Ren blocked with his forearm, a hiss erupting as light clashed against darkness. His flames wavered for a second.
Gray, behind him now, stabbed forward.
Ren twisted—his body slipping between the twin attacks—and elbowed Gray in the ribs, sending him staggering.
But Ari was already there.
"Light Magic: Gleaming Edge!"
Her blade burst into a searing arc of light, slicing across Ren's shoulder.
He flinched—his black flames sizzled from the wound.
Ren growled. He leapt high, flame trailing his limbs.
Then he came down—fists first—like a meteor.
Ari and Gray crossed their weapons to block, but the impact shook the ground, cracking the floor beneath them.
The shockwave sent both flying.
Ari rolled midair and landed on her feet, blade scraping the ground.
Gray caught himself with a backward slide, his reflection magic forming a protective shimmer around his body.
Ren stood in the crater he created, steam rising from his shoulders.
"You're getting in sync," he muttered. "But not enough."
Ari and Gray glanced at each other—just for a split second.
Then nodded.
Together, they blurred forward again.
Gray dashed right, sword shimmering with mirror light.
Ari twisted left, her blade drawing a trail of golden glow.
Ren intercepted Gray's strike with his knee and twisted to block Ari's slash with his elbow—but that was their plan.
As soon as he blocked, Ari shouted:
"Now!"
Gray activated his reflection magic—catching Ari's blade in his mirror field and redirecting it.
The light slash curved in mid-air—behind Ren—striking him in the back.
A blast of light and fire.
Ren stumbled forward, smoke rising from his back.
But even in pain—he grinned.
His fists ignited again, and he turned with blazing speed.
He swung at Gray—
But Gray vanished in a shimmer—only a reflection.
The real Gray dropped from above, blades crossed in a deadly arc.
Ren raised both arms just in time, blocking the twin strike—but not without damage. Sparks flew, flames roared, and for a moment—it looked like Ren was losing ground.
Ari rushed in beside Gray.
Both attacked in perfect rhythm—strike, dodge, reflect, slice.
For the first time, Ren was forced fully on the defensive.
Yet even cornered, his black flames surged wildly—growing hotter, darker.
"Enough," Ren muttered, voice low. His body began to glow—flames turning deep violet.
A sudden explosion blasted both Ari and Gray back.
He rose from the flames—eyes glowing red, body coated in a cloak of seething fire.
"This is getting fun."
Ari then created her clones with a flash of light, each one a mirror image—blades drawn, charging straight at Ren from all sides.
Ren didn't flinch. He moved like a blur, fists slamming through one clone, then spinning low with a sweeping kick that shattered two more. Another lunged—he grabbed it by the throat and flung it through another, light shattering like glass.
Gray narrowed his eyes. With a sharp motion of his fingers, silver mercury burst from the ground, slithering toward Ren's legs like serpents. The moment it touched skin, it thickened, aiming to lock his feet in place. But Ren leaped, twisting mid-air, and dodged the solidifying trap.
"Faster than I expected," Gray muttered, already preparing the next move.
From above, Ari's clones dove again, blades spinning, their light flickering through the arena. Ren looked up and clapped his hands together—"Shock Pulse." A burst of raw wind exploded from him, shattering the clones mid-air in a cascade of fading sparkles.
Gray snapped his arm outward—"Mercury Spears." Dozens of needle-like shards launched toward Ren, aiming for his back and sides. But Ren darted sideways, sliding low across the ground, his fingers grazing the floor as if pulling power from the earth.
Suddenly, he appeared behind Ari—"Phantom Step."
But she was ready.
"Light Magic: Prism Flare!"
Ari twisted and released a burst of radiant light in all directions, blindingly bright. Ren shielded his eyes for a fraction of a second—and that was all Gray needed.
"Mercury Lockdown!"
Liquid metal surged from beneath Ren, forming cuffs around both his wrists and ankles. He growled, pulling hard, his muscles flaring—but the mercury thickened fast, rising up like restraints.
Still, he smirked. "Too slow."
With a roar, he twisted his body and shattered the mercury bonds with a brute burst of force. The moment he was free, he vanished again—dodging Gray's newly solidified wall of mercury blades.
Ari, panting, tried again. Dozens of light clones surrounded Ren and charged from every angle. Ren, like a storm, weaved through them, cracking ribs with punches, crushing skulls with knees. Light flickered and died in rapid succession.
But in one sharp motion, just as Ren pivoted to destroy another clone—
Ren froze.
His movement—off by half a second. His breathing—ragged. His body—tense.
A crushing pressure built up in his core.
("What—?")
His thoughts blurred for a moment.
Too much power. Too fast. Too long.
The strain finally caught up. His muscles twitched, and his vision blurred for a split second. That split second was enough.
His foot landed in a thin trail of mercury laid earlier by Gray.
"Now!" Gray shouted.
He raised his hand—and solidified it.
From afar, little Ari, sweat dripping from her brow and her aura blazing, raised her blade.
"Eternal Blade!"
She swung down. A radiant arc of golden-yellow light surged forward, a divine beam slashing across the battlefield.
Zip!
The beam struck true.
A perfect cut cleaved through Ren.
His body, motionless for a second, then slowly began to fall apart—split cleanly in two.
Ashes began to scatter into the wind.
Ari's blade dimmed.
Gray exhaled, eyes still focused.
Ren was gone.
Blood dripped slowly down the side of Ari's face, painting her temple in crimson streaks. Her breath was heavy. Gray stood beside her, arm trembling, one shoulder visibly dislocated and a few ribs likely cracked beneath his coat of blood and sweat.
They had won—barely.
[Cut to Dawn and Tracey's battle.]
The air crackled.
Dawn stood her ground, eyes sharp with resolve, as whirlpools churned beneath the Hollowborn. Water spun violently, pulling at their legs, making it hard for them to maintain footing on the unstable battlefield.
Tracey blazed forward through the gaps, fire roaring at his heels. His movements were like a meteor shower—flames erupting with each strike as he took down one Hollowborn after another.
But suddenly—
A blur behind Dawn.
A Hollowborn lunged from the shadows.
She gasped too late. A heavy claw slammed into her back, and her body crashed forward. Her eyes widened as her focus snapped—her magic shattered mid-channel.
The whirlpools stopped.
Dawn collapsed.
Tracey turned, eyes wide—
"Dawn!"
But before he could reach her, Hollowborn swarmed around him from every side, snarling, shrieking. He swung wildly, his flames slashing the air—but he was outnumbered. Dawn lay motionless several meters away.
They were completely separated.
The coordination between them—gone.
Dawn groaned, forcing herself up on one elbow, blood on her lip. Tracey, panting, held his burning fists up, but more Hollowborn crept closer.
Then—they began charging up attacks.
A dozen Hollowborn, surrounding them both, raised their clawed arms or opened glowing mouths. Energy gathered—dark, unstable, violent.
But even exhausted and injured, neither Dawn nor Tracey gave in.
Dawn pushed her hand into the cracked earth. Water rose around her like a tidal shield.
"Water Magic: Tide Dragon!"
A serpentine dragon made of swirling water erupted around her, coiling once before diving toward the Hollowborn.
Tracey roared.
His entire body ignited—horns of flame curling from his head, trails of heat bursting from his shoulders. His flames didn't just burn—they screamed.
He vanished and reappeared with zigzagging speed, leaving burning trails as he collided into Hollowborn with crushing force.
Booms echoed from both sides.
But the dragon on Dawn's side, while mighty, began fading. The water thinned, her energy nearly depleted. Then—
A flame attack surged toward her.
She had no time to block.
And Tracey—just as he noticed it—felt something grip his legs. He looked down—
Mercury. And Stone.
From beneath the ground, he'd been caught—liquid silver and jagged rock forming chains around his feet and arms.
Both Dawn and Tracey were caught now.
Breathing heavy. Wounded. Alone. Trapped.
The Hollowborn aimed their finishing attacks—an overwhelming flood of fire, stone, and shadow heading straight for them.
And just as it all was about to hit—
Everything stopped.
The Hollowborn suddenly staggered. One by one—
They fainted.
Like puppets with their strings cut, they dropped—claws falling limp, magic fading mid-air.
Tracey blinked, panting, sweat stinging his eyes.
Dawn, burned and bloodied, rose to her knees, confused. "What… just happened?"
They both stood slowly, weapons raised, unsure if it was a trick.
And then they saw them.
Ari and Gray arrive at the hall.
They all reunite.