Ari (to herself):
"My magic can heal my body… but it drains my power. If I keep forcing myself, I might only have enough left for one final Eternal Blade."
She gritted her teeth, blood already drying across her skin, her hands trembling.
"I have to wait. Just one shot… so I need to strike when it matters most."
Suddenly—
CRACK!
From the walls of the crystal dome, jagged spikes erupted, launching at her from all directions.
Ari swung her blade, managing to deflect several—
CLANG—SHHHK—THUMP!
—but others tore through her defenses.
Three… four spikes landed across her arms, shoulder, and side—slicing into her flesh.
Blood sprayed across the glowing crystal floor. She staggered backward, coughing.
Her body was failing.
Outside the dome, Tracey watched helplessly. He was still drained, still not fully recovered… but his heart pounded. He knew Ari couldn't escape the Magic Zone alone—not while Cris focused all his pressure on her.
"I need to distract him… pull his attention…"
He closed his eyes and drew in a long breath, trying to gather the little magic left within him.
He whispered, voice steady—
"Beast Summon: Ashenfang."
A fiery glyph glowed beneath him.
ROOOAAARRR!
Ashenfang materialized with a thunderous cry, flames flickering across its fur.
Tracey placed a hand on the beast's neck.
"Buddy… I don't have much magic left. We've got one shot—let's make it count."
He pointed to the Magic Zone.
"Attack: Fire Spiral Waves!"
Ashenfang roared and unleashed a swirling wave of fire that spiraled like a vortex toward Cris.
Cris narrowed his eyes.
He swung his sword once—
FWOOOSH!
—and all the flames were extinguished instantly.
But—
BOOM!
Ashenfang came crashing in at full speed, tackling Cris and slamming him against the wall of the battlefield. Crystal walls cracked from the impact. Cris snarled and pushed the beast back with a surge of magic, but his stance had been broken.
Tracey clenched his fists.
"Now! Finish it—Beast Magic: Inferno Throw!"
Ashenfang reared back, flames gathering at its maw. A torrent of fire began to build—
But—CRASH!
A massive crystal spike erupted from beneath Ashenfang, slamming into the beast's chest and launching it backward. The impact was brutal.
The flame attack never released.
Ashenfang vanished into embers, the summon ending.
Tracey gasped, then collapsed to one knee.
His vision dimmed.
He had used everything.
Cris stepped forward, brushing dust off his coat.
"Really?" he muttered, smirking. "You thought you could beat me… even inside my Magic Zone? What a joke."
He turned toward the dome of crystal surrounding Ari.
"Well then," he called out mockingly. "Hey, light girl—still alive in there? Because if you're not, I'm screwed. Our Queen's gonna kill me if I bring back a corpse."
No answer.
He chuckled and began approaching the dome.
"Guess I'll check on you myself—"
SCHLICK.
Cris suddenly froze.
Blood gushed from his side.
A deep cut tore across his lower stomach.
His eyes widened.
"Wha—?!"
The crystal dome shattered.
A blinding light flashed—and Ari stepped forward through the shards, her blade gleaming with residual light energy.
It had been one shot.
Eternal Blade.
She had waited for the moment he let his guard down—then struck.
Cris dropped to one knee, groaning, clutching his bleeding wound.
The Magic Zone began to dissolve around them—its light fading.
"You…" Cris muttered. "You actually did it…"
Ari stood over him, breathing heavily, blood still trickling down her arms and sides.
"This battle would've been better," she said quietly, "if you didn't hold back."
Cris looked up at her, eyes dark.
"You're right," he admitted. "But if I killed you—Lady Celestia would've had me executed."
Ari's gaze hardened.
"So that's it. Even he was afraid of her."
She turned her back and walked toward Tracey, who lay unconscious.
Kneeling beside him, she placed her hand on his chest. A soft golden light glowed, beginning to mend his wounds.
"You've done enough, Tracey," she whispered. "Let me take it from here."
As she healed him, her eyes shifted forward—toward the next fight unfolding right before her.
Just beyond the broken battlefield—
Mirae and Ezren now faced off against the second Vice General.
He stood tall, lightning arcing across his arms. His power was oppressive, the air crackling with tension.
Mirae's chains coiled at her sides, flickering with magic energy. Ezren stood beside her, fists clenched, stone floating around his arms.
The battle wasn't over.
Not yet.
"Ice Magic: Frozen Floor."
A pale-blue wave of magic burst outward, freezing the ground beneath their feet. The earth hissed as the temperature dropped, and within seconds, the entire battlefield was a glassy, slippery rink of hard ice. The terrain was his domain now.
Ken's boots were already coated in enchanted ice. With a flick of his foot, he dashed across the frozen floor, skating toward them with inhuman speed.
"Incoming!" Ezren shouted.
Ken was a blur—appearing between them in an instant. His palm glowed blue.
"Ice Magic: Frost Palm!"
He struck at Mirae. She barely raised a magical barrier in time, absorbing the force but skidding backward.
Ezren growled and raised both fists.
"Stone Magic: Rock Bullets!"
From beneath the ice, jagged stone shards erupted and launched toward Ken. But the vice general spun like a dancer, dodging the bullets with minimal movement, his balance impeccable.
"You'll have to do better than that," Ken said, skating past Ezren and swinging his arm.
"Ice Magic: Shard Whip!"
A frozen whip formed and slashed toward Ezren. The rock mage raised an arm, stone armor forming just in time to block the hit—but the force sent him sliding on the ice.
"Tch—can't stand properly on this surface…" Ezren muttered.
Mirae clenched her jaw and slammed her palms onto the ice.
"Binding Magic: Root Lock!"
Magical sigils spread out from her hands, forming glowing chains and runes that anchored her feet to the floor. A small dome of anti-slip magic formed under her, locking her boots in place.
Ken raised an eyebrow. "Smart. But let's see how fast you can cast now."
He skated in a sharp arc and came at her from the side.
"Ice Magic: Blizzard Slice!"
An arc of icy wind shot out from his blade, threatening to cut her mid-cast. But Mirae stood firm and raised her hands.
"Binding Magic: Chain Wall!"
A wall of golden chains formed midair and caught the blizzard attack, shattering under the pressure but saving her.
Ezren, regaining his footing, slammed both fists into the ground.
"Stone Magic: Earth Pillar Crush!"
A stone pillar erupted under Ken's path, attempting to knock him upward. Ken dodged—barely—twisting in the air and landing in a low slide.
"You're adapting," he said with a grin. "Good. That means I can go all out."
His hands came together, and the air chilled so sharply that frost bloomed on Mirae's armguards.
"Ice Magic: Glacial Tempest!"
A vortex of sharp ice and freezing winds exploded from Ken's body, filling the battlefield in a storm of piercing shards. Mirae summoned her chains in a dome.
"Binding Magic: Iron Bind Sphere!"
The chains wrapped around her and Ezren, shielding them, though the structure groaned under the pressure of the storm.
"He's pressing too hard—" Ezren said.
"Then we push back harder," Mirae replied.
She dropped to one knee and pressed her hand to the ground.
"Binding Magic: Ground Latch!"
A new layer of chains shot out and clamped onto Ezren's boots, anchoring him. "Now you can fight properly," she said.
Ezren grinned. "Finally."
He stomped the ground with both legs.
"Stone Magic: Seismic Stomp!"
Cracks spread through the ice, jagged lines of earth erupting beneath Ken's feet. The vice general was forced to jump, giving Ezren an opening.
"Stone Magic: Boulder Cannon!"
A giant slab of rock formed and launched like a missile.
Ken summoned a thick wall of ice midair.
"Ice Magic: Diamond Glacier!"
The boulder collided with it, shattering both. A storm of shards flew in all directions.
Mirae leapt into the air, her chains wrapping around her arms like whips.
"Binding Magic: Twin Serpent Lashes!"
She lashed the chains toward Ken, who deflected one but was caught by the second—briefly entangling his arm.
"Now!" she shouted.
Ezren raised a fist.
"Stone Magic: Gauntlet Break!"
A stone-covered fist smashed into Ken's chest, sending him crashing into the frozen ground.
For a moment, the battlefield went silent.
Ken groaned and pushed himself up slowly. Ice spread from his hands as he healed himself using magic.
"He's… still not done," Mirae said, panting.
Ken stood up, his smile now gone.
"Fine," he muttered. "Time for the real deal."
He stabbed his sword into the ground.
"Ice Magic: Zero Field."
A wave of chilling energy spread out. The very air froze. Their breath crystallized instantly. Mirae's chains turned brittle. Ezren's stone armor cracked.
"Move!" Mirae shouted.
Ken charged again, this time faster, stronger—like a ghost on ice. Every movement left an afterimage. He struck Mirae with a shoulder bash, breaking her defense.