The heat of the desert sun, magnified by the 100-hour day, turned the sands of Blacksmith Gram into a shimmering sea of gold. The air felt thick, heavy with the weight of Thouro-level intent. Lam stood motionless, his shadow stretching long across the dunes, while Nehal stood opposite him, radiating a quiet, focused heat.
"You're fast, and you have presence," Nehal remarked, his hands calloused from years of the forge. "But in this world, dreams are forged in fire, not just found. I've spent my life collecting tools and techniques, forced into the family craft. But my true dream... is to collect everything this world has to offer."
"Then you're wasting your time in a forge," Lam replied. His purple Endermite hand clenched into a fist. "Join me, and we won't just collect items. We will collect the very future of the WORLD scale."
Nehal smirked, a look of sudden realization crossing his face. "You speak like no human I've ever met. Your aura... it's shifting. Who are you exactly, Lam?"
"I am the World Champion, LWC," Lam declared, his voice echoing with the authority of the Hell Realm. "A Triple-Hybrid of the Abyss, the End, and the Demon. To your world, I am an alien. To me, this world is simply the next stage."
"An alien, huh?" Nehal laughed, reaching into a specialized spatial container. "Then let's see how an alien handles the pinnacle of human toughness!"
With a metallic chime, Nehal donned his full Netherite Gear. The dark, ancient metal absorbed the desert sun, glowing with a faint, dangerous red hue. He unsheathed a blade that looked like it was made of liquid night—his custom sword.
The Climax
The Thrill: As Nehal lunged, his speed was a blur even in the 100-second minute. Lam felt a spark of excitement. "Netherite... so this is the toughness of the Nether," Lam mused, parrying a blow that would have shattered a mountain.
The Technique: Nehal spun, his blade carving a path through the air. "Taste this! CUT OF BEAUTY!" A massive, shimmering slash of energy tore through the sand, aimed directly at Lam's core.
The Conclusion: Lam didn't retreat. He funneled his Abyssian, Enderian, and Demon energies into a single point. "LWC MOVE: COMBINE FORCE!"
The two powers collided. The desert sand instantly vitrified into glass from the sheer pressure. For a moment, the world seemed to freeze. Then, the Combine Force shattered the beauty of the slash, pinning Nehal to the sand with a force that transcended infinity.
Silence returned to the desert. Nehal looked up at Lam, his Netherite helmet cracked, his eyes wide with respect.
"I... I join," Nehal breathed.
CLIFFHANGER: The quartet was complete. Under the burning sun of Blacksmith Gram, the WORLD CHAMPIONS stood united. But as they looked toward the horizon, a shadow much larger than a Warden began to stir.