Following Ray's command, Arnor ascended, its massive wings spreading wide as flames gathered along their edges. Heat radiated outward, wrapping around its body and warping the air, as if the sky itself were being scorched. This wasn't an attack meant to strike directly, it was preparation.
A dense glow formed inside Arnor's open maw, brighter and more concentrated than ordinary fire. When it released the attack, the blazing mass shot downward not toward Fenix, but toward the ground beneath it.
The impact was immediate. Flames erupted across the arena floor, the scorched earth radiating heat almost instantly as the battlefield itself began to change. What had once been solid footing turned hostile, forcing movement to become a necessity rather than a choice.
The goal was clear: restrict Fenix's options and slow it down as much as possible. Jack felt a surge of panic tighten his chest as the safe space around Fenix rapidly disappeared.
"Fenix move. Keep moving."
Fear flashed through Fenix for only a moment before the command cut through it. It burst forward, accelerating just as Arnor poured more flames onto the spot it had occupied seconds earlier. Heat lingered there, spreading outward and sealing off yet another path.
With each strike, Arnor reduced the battlefield further, shaping the arena into a burning field where every step carried risk. Slowly, but steadily, the ground itself became an enemy, leaving Fenix confined to the few remaining zones it could still reach.
"So hot…"
Sera and Evan spoke almost at the same time, but they weren't the only ones affected. Sweat ran down faces across the arena as the heat intensified, the ground glowing faintly beneath the flames.
The burning terrain slowed Fenix's movement until it was forced to stop. Each step became agony. The scorched ground spread beneath its feet, trapping it in place as pain surged upward, steadily draining its strength.
Jack felt a sharp vibration against his wrist.
The bracelet flickered to life.
[90… 89… 88… 87…]
His breath caught. At this rate, Fenix would lose.
Jack's gaze snapped across the battlefield, searching desperately for an escape—until his eyes locked onto the wooden fence surrounding the arena. His pupils widened.
"Fenix jump. Climb the fence behind you. Move on it and run."
Trusting its master, Fenix leapt with everything it had, claws catching the top of the fence. Freed from the burning ground, it surged forward once more, speed returning instantly.
The move caught Ray off guard.
Rayden, overseeing the match, watched with clear interest.
"He knows how to use his surroundings," he said calmly. "Very good."
Ray's expression tightened. Fire on wood was too dangerous, one mistake could harm the spectators nearby. For the first time, hesitation crept into his thoughts.
Jack didn't wait.
"Jump again....and use Fox Scream on Arnor."
Ray reacted instantly.
"Arnor, counter with Flame Burst."
Both monsters obeyed. Fenix launched itself high, releasing Fox Scream - waves of compressed force rippling violently through the air. Arnor answered with Flame Burst, fire surging outward in a powerful counter.
The attacks collided midair, energy and flame crashing together before dissipating, neither side gaining ground.
Fenix continued running along the fence, never giving Arnor a stable angle to lock onto. But speed wasn't the only reason Ray hesitated. With spectators standing close behind the wooden barrier, a misjudged attack could easily injure someone.
Ray clenched his teeth. In the current situation, attacking freely wasn't an option.
Fenix didn't slow down. While sprinting across the fence, it leapt repeatedly, releasing Fox Scream mid-motion before landing and accelerating again. The relentless harassment forced Arnor into defense, shifting its focus away from controlling the battlefield.
As Ray concentrated on countering Fenix's movements, the scorched arena floor began to cool. The burning zones faded, and Jack noticed it immediately. This was his opening.
Once Fenix returned to the ground, the heat no longer hindered it. Ray couldn't risk igniting the field again, it would only work against him now.
Jack watched Arnor closely. It was a fire-type creature, not a true flier. Sustained flight would take its toll.
And it did.
Arnor's wingbeats slowed. Its altitude dropped gradually until it finally descended back toward the battlefield.
For a moment, Jack felt control returning.
Ray spoke then, his tone calm.
"Good use of the fence," he admitted. "You forced my hand."
His gaze sharpened.
"But now that we're back on the field....let's use speed."
Jack stiffened, eyes locked on Arnor.
"Use Feather Pins."
The attack struck in a blink. Thin, piercing projectiles tore across the space between them, slashing into Fenix before Jack could even react. Pain flared as blood traced shallow cuts across its body.
Jack's bracelet vibrated violently.
[64%]
Nearly fifteen percent gone in an instant.
Before Jack could issue another command, Ray continued.
"Dash. Encircle it."
Arnor surged upward briefly, gaining just enough height to build momentum. As it descended, its trajectory shifted sharply nearly perpendicular before it leveled out and burst forward, skimming parallel to the ground.
In seconds, Arnor vanished from sight.
Wind roared as Fenix found itself trapped within a moving ring of pressure, the air itself forming a spinning wall around it.
"Now," Ray said coldly, "Feather Pins again."
Jack's breath caught.
"While dashing…?"
The answer came immediately.
The attacks landed. Again. And again.
[62… 60… 58… 56… 54… 52… 50… 47… 44…]
Jack clenched his fists, teeth grinding together.
"Am I… going to lose? said jack."
The flow of the battle had shifted completely.
Cheers erupted from the audience. Ray's control was undeniable now.
Sera watched in silence, worry tightening her chest.
No escape.
No clear counter.
The defeat felt inevitable.
...
Fenix was being attacked relentlessly. Its health continued to drop, and Jack could feel it—there were no options left. Every path he had seen before was now closed.
Ray looked at Jack and spoke quietly.
Watching him now, Ray was reminded of his own battle with Evan the day before—standing helpless, unable to find a way out. But unlike then, Ray had learned something from Jack's confidence last night.
The answer had been simple.
Never let defeat take control. Fight until the very end, no matter the outcome.
"This," Ray said calmly, "is what it feels like when I go all out. And I should thank you for yesterday. You gave me that confidence. But this is the end."
Jack heard his words.
And he smiled.
The expression caught Ray off guard. So did Sera.
"Why… is he smiling?" Sera whispered.
Jack exhaled slowly. "Thanks to you," he said, looking straight ahead, "I finally understand what a real battle feels like. But I'm not losing today. Not here."
Ray's eyes narrowed. "What does he mean?".
The battlefield fell silent.
Jack raised his hand.
"Space Dome."
The moment Fenix heard the command, something surged through its body. Its trembling legs steadied. It lifted its head and growled, eyes flashing dark as an unfamiliar force awakened within it.
When Fenix stepped forward, the ground responded. Light rippled outward, and in an instant, dark, glass-like walls rose around the battlefield.
Ray and Jack were pulled inside along with their monsters.
From the outside, it looked as though the entire field had been sealed inside a massive transparent dome.
Inside...it was dark.
Jack continued, his voice steady.
"Anti-gravity."
Fenix stepped again.
A crushing pressure descended instantly, slamming Arnor against the ground. It couldn't move. The force weighed down everything inside the dome - Ray, Jack, even the air itself. Legs trembled under the immense gravity.
Ray's eyes widened. "What… is this?"
Arnor screamed as pain tore through its body.
"Arnor! Fly….get out of there!" Ray shouted.
But it was useless.
Without sufficient air pressure inside the dome, flight was impossible. The technique was perfect for immobilization - but it came at a cost. Low air. Low oxygen. Limited time.
Jack knew that.
He didn't hesitate.
"Fenix….use Fox Scream. Then pull Arnor down. Slam it."
Fenix obeyed.
Fox Scream erupted, shattering Arnor's hearing temporarily. Before it could recover, anti-gravity seized its body, smashing it repeatedly into the ground - up and down, again and again like it was being crushed by an unseen hand.
Ray shouted orders desperately, but Arnor couldn't hear him anymore. The pressure and damage piled up relentlessly.
Jack clenched his jaw, his vision blurring at the edges as the pressure inside the dome weighed down on his chest. Every breath burned.
"One last time," he said, his voice low but unwavering.
"Finish it."
Fenix responded with a strained cry, its body trembling as it gathered what little strength remained. The dark pressure of the dome bent around it, resisting every movement, yet it forced itself upward just enough.
Anti-gravity surged.
Arnor's massive body was yanked violently into the air before being dragged back down with overwhelming force. The impact cracked the ground beneath it, a dull, crushing sound echoing through the sealed space.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Each slam grew weaker, heavier, as if the dome itself was draining everything inside it. Arnor's struggles slowed, its wings scraping helplessly against the ground, flames flickering uncontrollably before dimming.
Ray shouted, his voice hoarse, but no response came. Arnor's senses were gone, its body no longer obeyed.
Fenix let out one final roar and drove Arnor down with everything it had left.
The last impact was silent.
Arnor's body went completely still.
The pressure vanished all at once.
The dark walls of the Space Dome fractured, thin cracks spreading across them like shattered glass before collapsing into fading shards of light. Air rushed back in violently, filling the battlefield.
Ray dropped to his knees, staring at Arnor's unmoving form, his hands clenched into the dirt.
Jack staggered forward, his legs barely holding him upright. Across from him, Fenix stood frozen - its chest rising once, twice - before its strength finally gave out.
It collapsed beside Arnor.
Silence swallowed the arena.
Rayden stepped forward, his voice cutting through the stillness.
"The battle is over. Fenix is the winner. Which means the victor of this match… is Jack."
Jack turned toward Fenix, his vision swimming. He forced a breath, his lips barely forming the words.
"We… won."
His knees buckled.
Jack collapsed beside Fenix, the world fading to black as the echoes of the battle finally died out.