The battlefield was a grim display of carnage, scorched earth meeting the cold gleam of metal, blood painting both the ground and the proud figure of Prince Arson.
Though battered and bruised, his defiant grin never wavered, each drop of blood on his skin fueling the fiery pride burning within him.
General Hard, smirking with cold amusement, twirled a sleek, needle-like blade between his fingers. "I expected more from the so-called Prince of Magma," he said mockingly. "Or is this all the heat you can muster?"
Arson's jaw tightened. His flames flickered weakly, but his glare burned brighter than ever.
Sylvia, still protecting the terrified neutrals behind her, had vines twisting and shifting at her command forming walls to block stray attacks and binding fallen soldiers to prevent them from rising again.
Yet her focus kept drifting back to Arson, whose bloodied body seemed to stand on pure willpower alone.
Her heart clenched. Why won't he just stop?
But then, without warning-
General Hard raised his arm, a complex mechanism within his gauntlet clicking and shifting.
A new weapon emerged - a large, gleaming spike, humming with metallic energy.
"This ends now," Hard declared, his voice a metallic growl. "Bow before the Metal Tribe."
He launched forward, the spike aimed directly at Arson's chest.
Time seemed to slow.
Arson, too weak to summon flames strong enough to counter the attack, clenched his fists, ready to face the strike head-on with nothing but his pride to protect him.
But before the spike could pierce him-
VINES.
Thick, green vines shot out from the side, wrapping around Hard's arm and yanking him off course. The spike missed Arson's heart by mere inches, instead slashing his already wounded side.
Arson gasped but didn't fall.
He turned and there stood Sylvia, her eyes fierce, her vines pulsing with life, her breathing heavy from exertion.
The neutrals behind her gaped in disbelief.
General Hard sneered. "You dare interfere, Princess of Nature?"
Sylvia's voice was steady, but her expression was a mixture of fear and resolve. "I didn't do it for him," she responded. "I did it for the people you're hurting."
Arson blinked, part surprised, part annoyed but didn't say a word.
General Hard ripped the vines off his arm, their ends snapping and curling like severed snakes. "You're both pathetic," he hissed.
"A so-called prince who can't stand without a princess to save him... and a princess who defends those who would betray her the first chance they get."
Sylvia's hands trembled, her energy draining. "I fight for life," she said firmly. "Not for you - and not for him."
Arson's lip curled. "Don't act like you're some noble hero," he growled. "You needed me out of that cage just as much as I needed you."
Before Sylvia could respond, General Hard raised his weapon again but this time, an unexpected howl echoed through the battlefield.
The injured guardian wolf, the one Arson had nearly killed earlier, limped out from the shadows. Though still weak, its growl was low and menacing, its eyes fixed on Hard like a predator preparing for a final strike.
General Hard frowned. "That beast is still alive?"
Sylvia's heart swelled with hope. "He's stronger than you think."
The wolf, though barely standing, bared its teeth and lunged.
Caught off guard, General Hard barely managed to block the attack, the force sending him skidding back.
Arson, taking the opportunity, ignited his fist and landed a burning punch straight into one of Hard's metal gauntlets, searing part of its mechanism.
"Looks like you're the pathetic one now," Arson sneered.
Sylvia didn't hesitate either - summoning the last of her strength to command her vines, which wrapped around Hard's legs, trapping him in place.
The battlefield seemed to tilt in their favor but both Arson and Sylvia were gasping for breath, the strain of battle weighing them down.
The neutrals, watching this unexpected collaboration, the destructive fire of Arson and the nurturing life of Sylvia - couldn't help but murmur among themselves.
Enemies.
But somehow... balanced.
General Hard struggled against the vines, his metal armor hissing from the burn Arson left. "This isn't over," he growled, glaring at them both. "You're just delaying the inevitable."
Arson wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned. "Then come and finish the job."
Sylvia's hand twitched, her powers waning but she didn't step away from Arson's side.
Arson's fists reignited with pride as he charged towards Hard burning past the Metal soldiers while Sylvia made the other soldiers trip and fall by using her vines and thorns so that they don't interrupt Arson.