Signal this time came in an instant.
The rain was falling faster now — not just from the clouds above, but because of her. Luna's energy pulsed through the sky like a heartbeat. Yet, even she couldn't sustain that power endlessly. Her breaths were heavier. The raindrops trembled with each impact of her hooves.
Across the field, Braequinox rose again — fire licking off his mane, body steaming as he reignited from his own core heat. But his movements were sluggish; frost still clung to his legs. He needed time to recover fully. Time Luna wouldn't give.
That's when Pyrorine lunged from above.
The fire-winged avian twisted mid-air, his wings slashing down in a blazing Fire Wing Slash, followed by a spinning dive — Meteor Spiral — hurling himself like a comet aimed for Luna's heart.
But Luna was ready.
She shimmered once, and a mirror clone leapt from her side — just in time to intercept the blow. BOOM! The clone exploded in mist and water. Pyrorine crashed into the soaked ground, scorching the earth around him, but Luna was already gone—dashing to the side in a glistening arc and hit him with another electric volt. In perfect shot.
Meanwhile, Eola fought hard.
Her Fellcape was locked in a relentless brawl with Grashrog, the grass-hopper Whisp leaping and spinning in sharp arcs. Papilyra danced overhead, scattering pollen illusions. But Eola didn't back down. Her eyes gleamed. Then—
ZING—!
Glacireine unleashed an Ice Beam, aiming at Luna.
Luna immediately summoned a second clone—this time reflecting the Ice Beam like a prism. The cold energy shattered outward in multiple sharp lines. Jimmy, calm and focused, didn't speak aloud.
But in Luna's mind, his voice echoed:
"Use Thunder. On the bird."
And she obeyed.
With no warning, two streaks of lightning cracked through the sky — not aimed at Pyrorine… but cleanly at Papilyra and Grashrog.
KRA-KOOM!
The blast knocked both Whisps out of the sky and onto the mud with a smoking hiss. The audience gasped. The screen zoomed in — two powerful opponents taken down in an instant. Luna didn't flinch.
Jimmy exhaled slowly. A faint smile touched his lips.
Eola turned to him — concern flashing in her eyes. Her brow furrowed.
"They'll all come at her now," she muttered.
Jimmy's voice came steady. "Help her."
Eola nodded. She gritted her teeth and stepped forward, her Fellcape at her side.
But just as they were about to regroup—
Their opponents' master leapt from the platform.
With a wave of his arm, he called the remaining three Whisps — Emberail, Fellcape, and Braequinox — to form a triangle.
He narrowed his eyes toward Jimmy and Eola.
.......................................
Luna's clone danced between three titans — Emberail, Fellcape, and Glacireine — the icy queen Whisp whose strikes were calculated and lethal.
Despite being just an illusion, Luna's clone fought with frightening precision. She clashed with Emberail head-on, slamming an Ice Spike upward into the fire-wolf's flank, following with a burst of electrical pulses that scattered through the soaked terrain. Emberail recoiled, flames sputtering.
Fellcape tried to intervene, but the clone spun under her and unleashed a frozen arc laced with static. The impact struck Fellcape's back, hurling her into a mound of cracked earth. Sparks crackled from her wounds.
But Glacireine, observing carefully, made her move.
From above, she swept in gracefully — a glacial beam whirling like a spiral blade. She sliced clean through the clone's guard. The shimmer fractured. The clone shattered like wet glass.
Glacireine landed silently.
But it wasn't over.
A shriek pierced the air.
Pyrorine descended from the sky — wings ablaze, a massive swirling Inferno Sphere cradled between his talons. The fireball crackled with inner storms, flames folded with destructive wind pressure, molten air hissing around it. He wasn't aiming at Luna.
He was aiming to wipe the battlefield clean.
The Whisps near the center backed off instinctively. Even Emberail flinched.
Jimmy narrowed his eyes.
He raised his hand in sign:
"Help her."
Eola watched from across the field.
Her expression unreadable.
Then—without hesitation—she made a move.
With both hands, she slammed her flags into the ground. Suddenly Pookie came out from the ground. The earth beneath Luna and Jimmy gave way—a sudden sinkhole.
WHOOSH!
The two of them fell, swallowed by the crater Eola had created.
Jimmy's body twisted mid-air as he caught Luna in his arms. Water and mud tumbled with them. Above, light from the fireball lit the edges of the pit. Jimmy glanced up—
And saw Eola smiling down at them.
Her eyes glinted. Flags fluttering at her sides.
"Next time," she said coolly,
"be careful who you call a friend."
And then the sky exploded.
BOOOOM!!!
The Inferno Sphere struck where they once stood — flames tore through the glade like a sunburst, followed by icy shards launched by Glacireine, and a hurricane slash from Emberail's Fire Cyclone Wings. The explosion was an orchestrated annihilation.
The rain stopped.
Luna gasped. Her body trembled — the strain of maintaining the storm had drained her. The storm above faded, evaporating in seconds. She also used her last power to shield them.
She collapsed in Jimmy's arms, breath hitching.
He shielded her with his coat, clutching her close. His blindfold was half-soaked, his hand pressed to her chest.
Above, muffled, distorted cheers and gasps echoed across the battlefield, but Jimmy wasn't listening.
...............................................
Jimmy barely had time to register the whirl of shapes above.
A sudden hush swept the battlefield.
Then—
fluttering wings.
A silken presence drifted overhead.
Papilyra.
The butterfly Whisp of mesmerizing beauty, now descending like a petal on the wind — but its shimmering wings were deceptive. With a sudden flick, it released a fine mist of Sleep Powder, glittering under the fading light like stardust.
It rained down softly.
Jimmy's muscles tensed.
He tried to hold Luna tighter, but his arms suddenly felt heavy. His legs buckled.
His eyes, already weary, began to close involuntarily.
He forced them open — just for a second.
And that's when he saw her.
Eola.
Standing at the edge of the crater, one hand holding her flags, the other gently tossing something down toward them.
Their flags.
The same ones Luna had fought to protect.
The same ones Eloa had once wielded with pride.
A sad smile touched her lips — not mockery, not joy… something else.
Almost regret.
Jimmy's lips parted.
He tried to lift his hand to stop her.
To speak.
To ask—why?
But his arm didn't move.
His vision blurred.
Everything tilted sideways.
The last thing he saw—
Was Luna's face beside his, peaceful and close.
Then—
Black.
............................
Tick…
Tick…
Tick…
Exactly one minute before the match ends—
A soft click echoed from the bronze watch strapped around Jimmy's wrist.
The dial pulsed once with a pale cyan glow.
A soundless chime reverberated deep in his mind.
Jimmy's eyes snapped open.
He was lying in the centre of the crater, arms draped around Luna.
The rain was gone. The sky held an unsettling stillness. The battlefield around them—
Empty.
No scorch marks.
No flags.
No Eola.
Jimmy sat up slowly in remorse. Luna rose beside him, unharmed—no signs of fatigue, no wounds.
Her body shimmered faintly with dew, but she blinked with calm awareness. Both of them stare at each other and smiled and hugged each other in smile.
A whisper of wind passed.
Yet from the upper ridge beyond the trees—
he could still hear battle.
Roars. Whisp screeches. The clash of energy attacks.
Muffled and distant, as though coming from behind a thick curtain.
Jimmy stood.
He could see nothing beyond the mist. Just faint silhouettes—blurs of movement, flickers of flame, trails of lightning. Waiting is for that time to end and got teleport away.
...............................
🎙️ [Vatican Colosseum Live Broadcast | Arena Feed - Commentary Stream]
📡 "We… we just witnessed one of the most stunning betrayals in a tactical match in recent Vatican history!"
The announcer's voice quivered, caught between awe and disbelief.
"Ladies and gentlemen, for those just tuning in — Eola of A1 has turned the tide in a way no one predicted. In a dazzling illusion of teamwork, she earned her teammate's trust… only to use it against him!"
Cut to replays on the Lingrithm screens:
– Jimmy signalling an attack
– Luna rising in the rain
– Eola's calm face
– And then—the ground collapsing beneath him.
"With all the flags in her possession, she smiled… and let the storm fall."
Silence.
Then the crowd began murmuring.
🗣️ Vatican City Crowd Reactions — On the Ground
💬 "Wasn't that her ally? Did she really just—"
💬 "That's the Arena. No room for trust."
💬 "He was strong… but he forgot the law here."
💬 "Strength above bonds. Rule of steel. She played it better."
💬 "Damn. That was cold. Smart, but cold."
A father whispered to his son:
💬 "Never show your back, not even to friends."
A scholar in the crowd muttered under her breath:
💬 "The City of Vatican doesn't reward kindness… only dominance."
🏛️ Vatican Arena Official Broadcaster
🎙️ "And so — in the land where strength reigns supreme, where even allies can become stepping stones — we are reminded once again:
Victory here belongs not to the most loyal…
But to the one who dares to win — even if it means burning the bridge they crossed."
The giant screen slowly panned to the crater where Jimmy sat, drenched in rain, unmoving.
Luna beside him. The storm behind them. The silence heavier than the crowd's roar.
Then it cut to Eola, standing atop a ledge… smiling, with all the flags in her hands.
[To Be Continued…]