The students' voices rose around the training ground, anticipation filling their hearts. Everyone thought that Saruto and Lucien wouldn't last more than a few moments against the instructor, especially after their previous failure.
The instructor stood in the middle of the ground, his broad frame enveloped in an explosive black aura. He smiled sarcastically and said,
"Let's see... have you learned anything from your previous failure? Or is your expulsion just a matter of time?"
Saruto and Lucien exchanged a silent glance... there was no warmth between them, but now there was an unspoken agreement.
The instructor shouted, and suddenly his power exploded like lightning. He stamped his foot on the ground, scattering stones and shaking the ground.
He charged directly at the two with invisible speed, but Lucien reacted faster. He raised his hand, and a massive wall of ice rose between them and the instructor.
With a single blow, the instructor shattered the wall into pieces, but that moment gave Saruto the opportunity to surge forward. With his chained swords, he gathered his dark energy and his blades slithered like snakes, coiling around the master's arm, attempting to restrain his movement.
The master chuckled derisively as he easily broke free from the chains, but suddenly, from a distance, sharp, icy spears shot from Lucien's hand toward his blind spots.
The master was forced to dodge, his eyes narrowing in astonishment:
"They're alternating... between attack and defense...?! When... did you agree?"
The students' eyes widened, whispers began to spread:
"They're... actually cooperating!"
"Impossible...!"
---
The fight intensified.
The master was no longer joking. His aura exploded around him like a dark tornado, and thick spiritual armor appeared on his body.
He charged at Saruto with a devastating blow that nearly shattered the ground beneath him. But at that very moment, Lucien raised a solid ice barrier to deflect the master's attack. The blow bounced back slightly, allowing Saruto to escape his assault. He reshaped his swords and charged at the master.
A strike from his left with his swords, ice spears from his right, and a barrage of attacks left the master with no option but to defend.
"Damn it…!" the master roared, increasing his power even further. Luminous metal gloves appeared on his hands, and he began to deflect every attack coming his way. Even the air trembled with their force.
Saruto and Lucien were retreating, but despite the sweat and wounds, they didn't stop. On the contrary… their synergy grew stronger with every passing moment.
---
The Decisive Moment
The master shouted, gathering his aura throughout his entire body:
"Game over!"
He charged forward with tremendous force, but suddenly, Saruto yelled:
"Now, Lucien!"
His dark swords coiled around the master's body to restrict his movement, and at the same moment, hundreds of icy blades shot out from every direction, forming a sharp cage that sealed him in.
But the master exploded with power, breaking the chains and blades in one fell swoop, and bursting free, his body ablaze with spiritual aura.
Lucian smiled despite his exhaustion:
"He's stronger than I expected…"
Saruto smiled back, wiping the blood from his mouth, and said:
"That's why we'll use everything."
Their auras soared into the sky, their energies merging, ready for the final assault, two opposing forces becoming one.
Then, they both shouted together:
"This is the end for you, you fool! Submit!"
A massive chain of ice, half dark and half frozen, crashed down from above, as the two surged forward to complete the blow.
The professor screamed, throwing himself with all his might to fend off the attack. The ground shook beneath them, the air exploded from the force of the impact, and the students screamed, desperately seeking cover.
After seconds of terrifying pressure…
A massive explosion of energy!
The arena erupted in a horrifying light that enveloped everyone.
---
The End
When the light and smoke cleared… the professor lay on his knees, breathing heavily.
He smiled, wiping the blood from his mouth, and said in a deep voice,
"You… have won, you two fools."
The students froze, then gasps of astonishment and disbelief filled the air.
Some clapped nervously, while others stared at them in genuine awe.
Sarotto and Lucien stood in the middle of the arena, exhausted, their bodies covered in wounds, but their gazes filled with strength.
From that moment on… they were no longer seen merely as enemies, but as a dangerous duo capable of the impossible.