The crater did not wait.
The storm of sparks and the abyssal maw collided at the very center, fists and chains meeting in a cataclysm that cracked the earth like a drum.
Orin's "stupid punches" slammed into the gaping Shadow Maw. Sparks of black, blue, white, and red ripped into its jagged teeth, while haze vomited outward in chains and fog. The impact blasted a molten wave upward, magma flooding the crater floor in an eruption of fire.
The shockwave tore through the ruined coliseum. Walls crumbled further, the city walls shuddered, and the crowd screamed as guards scrambled to herd them toward safety. But most froze, trapped by the weight of the two auras ripping their world apart.
For a heartbeat, Orin's grin faltered. The boy's eyes narrowed, lips pressed tight. His storm shrank inward, condensing. It was the first silence he had shown all battle, and it stunned even Code on the rim.
Then the clash broke.
Draven's grotesque body rippled. His chains snapped back, his crimson eyes narrowed—and then his form melted. His body sloughed into liquid shadow, intangible, smoke and ink given shape. Orin's punch sailed through, hitting nothing.
The whisper hit him in his skull.
"BREAK."
"SUBMIT."
"FEED."
Orin gasped, clutching his head as the abyss voices crawled inside. His feet slipped on the molten edge, body tilting toward the rising magma flood.
"Oi!" he barked hoarsely, sparks sputtering from his mouth like spitfire. "Stay solid! How'm I supposed to punch jelly?!"
The crowd's screams merged with the roar of fire as magma burst higher. The flood swallowed half the crater, glowing rivers rushing outward. Heat shimmer twisted the air, and those too close collapsed, fainting from the suffocating pressure.
Code braced his aura over Yullan as rubble rained. She was pale, trembling, lips moving in broken whispers.
"This fight…" Code's thoughts clawed against his mind. It isn't just breaking them. It's breaking the world.
Down below, Orin staggered, dragged toward the Shadow Maw's suction. The abyss fog swallowed sparks, crushing the storm orbit. For once, the boy stumbled. His body cracked further, skin splitting, blood running down his arms in steaming lines.
But his grin snapped back.
"Heh! Fine then—let's play your way!"
He stopped resisting. Let the suction pull him in.
Chains lashed, mouths yawned wider. The Shadow Maw swallowed—
—and Orin exploded.
A burst of aura detonated inside, storm sparks flaring outward like a rocket engine. The recoil launched the boy skyward, his small body a bloody comet wrapped in lightning. He spun midair, grin splitting wide.
"ROCKET PUNCH, IDIOT!"
His fist slammed into Draven's haze-riddled skull. The devil reeled, cracks spiderwebbing across his grotesque face, a chorus of screams tearing from his mouths. The impact drove him back into the magma flood, which hissed and boiled around his chains.
Orin landed hard, knees buckling. His aura convulsed, sputtering wild. Sparks cracked like glass breaking. His grin faltered, his eyes fluttered. For the first time, the storm guttered.
The crowd gasped.
"He's… done for…" someone whispered.
Yullan screamed, her voice raw. "NO! ORIN!"
The boy sagged, steam pouring from his body. His breath rattled, his fists dangled. For a heartbeat, he looked broken.
And then he closed his mouth.
No laughter. No shouting. No idiot banter. Just silence.
The sparks orbit froze midair. No longer chaotic, no longer exploding. They hung suspended, four colors glowing like stars held in place. Slowly, they began to spin—not frantically, but with steady precision.
Black arcs curved close to his body, outlining him in a jagged silhouette. Blue lightning wound itself around his arms and chest like coiled dragons. White shards formed a halo ring, orbiting in calm rotation. Red pulses synced perfectly with the beat of his heart, audible thuds shaking the molten air.
His small body straightened, blood dripping steady down his chin. His white eyes opened wide.
And he smiled—not wide, not idiot, but small, sharp, dangerous.
"Heh…" His voice was low, almost calm. "…finally figured out the ON switch."
On the rim, Code's jaw dropped. He… he invoked it by will. He can call the storm himself.
Yullan's breath caught. Her tears stilled for a heartbeat as awe cracked through her terror. "He's… controlling it?"
Draven only laughed, the sound jagged and layered through a hundred mouths. "GOOD. NOW BREAK FASTER."
The magma surged again, glowing rivers crashing around the two figures. The coliseum groaned, entire sections collapsing into fire. The crowd had no voice left—they only stared, hollow-eyed, at the monsters below.
Orin lowered into his stance, sparks orbit shrieking in steady harmony. His small fists rose, steady despite the blood dripping from them. His silent storm raged without exploding—condensed, controlled, waiting to strike.
Draven opened wider, the Shadow Maw splitting across his torso, wings of chains unfurling to blot out what remained of the sky.
The crater shook. Fire roared.
Two monsters stood ready—one abyssal, one storm.
And the world held its breath.