The arena was chaos.
Kai and Ren moved like lightning, but Refella and Draven matched them strike for strike. Every clash rang out like thunder, shockwaves tearing through the ground and rattling the stadium. The once-roaring crowd had fallen silent, their awe so complete that even their breath seemed stolen by the battle before them.
Mira sat at the edge of her seat, nails digging into the stone railing. Her heart hammered against her ribs, each beat like a war drum. She had seen Kai fight before—calm, decisive, untouchable. But this? This was different. Every dodge came at the last possible second, every counter just barely caught Refella's blade. For the first time, Mira realized: even Kai could be overwhelmed.
Beside her, Akira's fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her golden eyes didn't blink, didn't waver. "She's faster than before," she muttered, her voice low and strained.
Miss Veena stood just behind them, her gaze unyielding as her robes fluttered in the storm of power below. "Refella never holds back," she said. "She's pushing him to his absolute limit."
Mira swallowed hard, her throat dry. "And if he reaches it?"
Miss Veena's eyes flickered, her expression unreadable. "Then he loses."
The words had barely left her lips when it happened.
Kai faltered.
A single misstep—barely noticeable, but against Refella Voidwalker, it was all she needed. Her blade carved through his guard and bit deep into his shoulder. Blood burst across the air, crimson stark against his golden aura.
Kai grunted, stumbling back, his arm trembling as red dripped down to stain the cracked earth.
"Kai!" Akira's voice broke the air, her composure cracking.
But Refella did not relent. She pressed forward like a predator, each stroke flowing into the next, silver hair flashing behind her. Her smirk widened with every strike, her eyes locked on him like prey already caught in her claws.
Ren's eyes blazed. His body erupted in lightning, arcs of blue tearing through the air. "That's enough!" he roared, hurling himself at Draven with blistering speed. Thunder roared with every strike of his fists, scattering the shadows. Sparks scorched the ground, the scent of ozone thick in the air.
Draven's cloak caught fire as he slipped away, his form blurring at the edges. He landed smoothly, his violet eyes gleaming with rare sharpness. "You've grown stronger," he admitted, brushing ash from his cloak. "But it won't be enough."
Ren smirked dangerously, lightning surging across his blade. "We'll see about that."
On the other side, Kai's breathing grew ragged, his shoulder burning. Refella's blade pressed harder, forcing him backward, step by step. Her smirk deepened as she whispered, "You're slowing."
Mira's chest tightened painfully. She had always seen Kai as untouchable, the pillar of the Seven Devils. But right now—he looked human. He looked like he could lose.
Then the air changed.
Refella stepped back, her violet eyes narrowing as power flooded the battlefield. "Enough playing," she said, her voice low. "Let's end this properly."
The ground shattered beneath her.
From the circle of shadow, a monstrous roar ripped through the arena. A crimson wolf the size of a house emerged, its fur woven from fire and darkness, its eyes glowing like dying stars. The heat that radiated from it scorched the air, and every step it took cracked the stone beneath its claws.
Mira's breath caught. "That's—"
"Fenrir," Miss Veena said grimly. "The Abyssal Hound."
But Kai did not flinch.
His golden aura blazed, flaring brighter, steadier. He closed his eyes, his hand tightening on his blade. Then, with a roar, a second magic circle ignited the air.
From the light, a colossal lion descended, its mane of gold burning like the sun itself. Its eyes glowed with quiet, divine radiance, and every step it took steadied the battlefield, anchoring the chaos.
"The Solar King," Miss Veena murmured, her voice edged with approval.
The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.
Refella smiled, her silver hair dancing in the heat of the beasts' auras. "Finally, you're serious."
Kai wiped blood from his chin, his golden eyes burning like fire. "You wanted a real fight?" His voice dropped to a dangerous growl. "Then come and get it."
The two beasts collided.
Fenrir's fangs clamped against the Solar King's golden claws, shadows and light exploding in shockwaves that cracked the earth. Each strike between them shattered the stone floor, their roars shaking the stadium to its core.
Kai slashed through the darkness with radiant arcs of energy. "Solis Judicium!" Golden light tore through the air, cutting down the chains of shadow Refella summoned with a furious gesture.
Ren was no less ferocious. His blade blazed with lightning as he lunged. "Stormrend!" The strike split the arena floor, forcing Draven to emerge from the shadows or be consumed.
Draven's smile sharpened. "Then allow me to show you the abyss—Noctis Eclipse."
The world went dark.
Shadows swallowed the arena, erasing all light. It was as though the sky itself had fallen, leaving only suffocating blackness.
Mira's fists clenched, her heart racing. "Miss Veena, what is that?"
Her mentor's face was grim. "Noctis Eclipse. The domain of illusion. In here, shadow mages are gods. Perception breaks, and death comes from everywhere at once."
The stadium fell silent. Only the sound of battle echoed in the abyss. Blades clashed, thunder roared, shadows hissed. For one terrifying moment, Mira felt as though Kai and Ren were already lost.
Then a roar split the darkness.
A dragon's roar.
Lightning burst from above, tearing through the suffocating void. From the storm, a colossal dragon descended, its scales wreathed in arcs of blue electricity, its eyes burning like suns.
"Stormhowl!" Ren bellowed, his aura blazing as his beast fused with him.
The darkness trembled. The shadows split.
The battle had only just begun.