The arena split down the middle.
Heat rolled outward in crushing waves as Ignis fully manifested behind Chris—no longer just flames, but a towering inferno shaped like a blazing war spirit, its eyes burning with will.
Across from him, the air cooled.
Water gathered at Kira's feet, flowing unnaturally against gravity as Aqua emerged beside him, her presence calm, vast, and endlessly deep—like an ocean that had learned restraint.
Chris didn't smile.
Neither did Kira.
They moved.
The impact came instantly.
Fire and water collided in a violent explosion that shook the arena, steam blasting skyward as the ground cracked beneath them. Chris surged forward through the vapor, Ignis wrapping around his arm as he swung—
Kira barely blocked.
The force sent him skidding backward, boots carving trenches into the stone.
"So this is it," Chris said, advancing. "This is how strong you are now?"
Ignis roared, flames intensifying as Chris launched another strike.
Kira raised his arm—
Aqua surged.
A wall of compressed water formed just in time, but it shattered on impact, the heat evaporating half of it instantly. The remaining force slammed into Kira's chest and sent him flying.
He crashed hard, coughing as he rolled to a stop.
Aqua steadied him.
"You're hesitating," she said softly.
"You don't want to hurt him."
Kira clenched his teeth.
Chris didn't give him time to recover.
Ignis flared brighter—too bright—as Chris lifted both hands.
"Then stop holding back!" Chris shouted.
The flames condensed.
Then detonated.
A tidal wave of fire tore across the battlefield.
Kira stood his ground, Aqua spreading her arms as the ocean answered her call. Water rose violently, forming a spiraling barrier around him, steam exploding outward as fire and water annihilated each other.
But even then—
Kira was pushed back.
Step by step.
His knees buckled.
His breathing grew heavy.
Chris walked through the chaos, Ignis towering behind him like a blazing god.
"If you can't stand here," Chris said, voice steady but strained,
"then you can't bring me back."
Something inside Kira snapped—not in rage, but in resolve.
"…I told Lina," Kira said quietly, lifting his head.
"I'd come back."
Aqua's eyes widened.
"So that's your answer," she murmured.
The water around Kira changed.
It grew darker. Denser. Heavier.
Chris felt it immediately.
"What are you doing?" Ignis snarled.
Kira raised his hand.
"Aqua—Second Authority."
The arena went silent.
Water didn't rush.
It collapsed.
Pressure descended like the weight of the abyss itself, targeting not Chris—
But Ignis.
Chains of crystallized water formed instantly, wrapping around the fire spirit's core.
Ignis roared in fury, flames surging wildly—
Then flickering.
"No—!" Chris shouted, stumbling as Ignis screamed, its form destabilizing.
"Sever: Spirit Lock — Null Tide."
The chains tightened.
With a violent pulse, the flames were ripped away, extinguished not by force—but by suppression.
Ignis vanished.
Chris dropped to one knee, gasping, eyes wide.
"…You knocked him out?" he whispered.
Kira stood trembling, arm still raised.
"Temporarily," he said. "I won't take more than that."
The arena was silent.
Then—
A slow clap echoed.
"…Interesting."
Kira's head snapped up.
From the Sovereignty side, a tall figure stepped forward, eyes sharp with excitement and calculation.
Jayze.
"So that's how you deal with spirits," Jayze said calmly.
"Guess I can't stay out of this anymore."
Chris looked up sharply.
"Jayze—don't—"
Too late.
Jayze stepped into the arena.