Boooom!~
The two powers collided in a cataclysm of fire and fury, the very air screaming as a deafening explosion tore through the heart of Inferna Hollow.
Blinding light swallowed the battlefield, freezing the world for a heartbeat—then ca the shockwave, a banshee’s wail of heat and force that slamd into the nearby floating island.
Chunks of stone tore free, ancient trees bent beneath the blast, and the warped air shimred with leftover power. From the inferno, a guttural laugh echoed.
"Is that all you’ve got, human freak?!" Vulkris bellowed, his voice booming like a volcanic eruption, echoing through the scorched Hollow.
But the triumph in his roar faded almost instantly.
From deep within the smoke and swirling ash, a voice rang out—not panicked, not proud—just cool, confident, and completely unfazed.
"You sure talk a lot for soone who just got knocked on his molten butt,"
Auren called out, stepping through the haze with a smirk. His golden flas flickered in the ash-filled air as he added, "Is that really all you’ve got, toasted cat?"
His silhouette erged through the whirling ash, outlined in gold and fla. He walked forward slowly, step by step, the inferno parting before him as if recognizing one of its own. His armor glowed with veins of divine energy, gold fractals tracing their way along the plates like living scripture.
Then, Bigbird’s voice ca to remind him, "Master, two minutes left."
"Copy. Let’s step up now."
Auren twirled the Divine Rapier with a single fluid motion, then switched to a reverse grip—its golden blade now angled behind him like a drawn javelin.
[Flaming Breath, Third Form... Spear of Marissa]
The swirling ash ignited behind him in a spiral, forming a colossal vortex of heat. In a blinding flash, he launched the Rapier forward with all the force of the gods.
A spear of golden fla erupted from his hand.
It scread through the sky like a teor, heat warping the air around it, trailing sparks and fury. The Divine Rapier ford its tip, razor-sharp and glowing with righteous fire. It flew like it had a will of its own.
Vulkris’s expression changed instantly. Instinct kicked in.
His eyes widened.
He moved.
But not fast enough.
The divine spear struck with a thunderous THUD, slamming into his front paw. Golden fire exploded outward in a brilliant arc, searing through flesh and armor alike. Molten shards of volcanic armor burst into the air as Vulkris reeled backward with a roar.
The Hollow trembled. Debris rained like teor showers.
A burst of fla forced the trees around the crater to catch fire, turning the Hollow into a hellscape.
Still, Vulkris stood—panting, twitching, his claw now pinned with the Rapier embedded deep in the burning sinew of his paw.
He stared down at it, then looked back at Auren.
"That it?!" he scoffed, shaking with fury. "Your little toothpick barely scratches!"
Auren landed nearby, crouched like a predator mid-pounce. The golden flas licking off his shoulders rippled like waves disturbed by a storm.
But he didn’t flinch.
Instead, he smiled.
"Don’t worry," Auren said calmly, cracking his knuckles, voice low and focused. "I’m just wasting your ti."
Vulkris blinked.
"...What?"
Auren tilted his head, just slightly.
"How can I go all out... when they’re still in the way?"
THUD.
A heavy silence fell over the Hollow. Even the flas seed to pause, as if holding their breath.
Vulkris turned slowly, massive head swiveling toward the edge of the battlefield.
There—at the shimring edge of the teleportation circle—stood Queen Elarya, her silver hair glistening with ash and sweat, her erald eyes sharp with determination. Beside her, Kardel and Rhiki stood like sentinels, casting worried glances over their shoulders.
They were about to escape.
"No!" Vulkris roared, wings flaring with incandescent rage. His entire form lit up like a sun as he surged forward, molten claws reaching, determined to crush them.
"You think you can escape ?!"
But he didn’t make it far.
Because Auren was already behind him.
In a blur of golden light, the human warrior appeared above Vulkris’s tail, both hands clamping down on the flaming appendage.
"You think you can go?"
WHAAM!
With divine strength surging through his veins, Auren yanked the Infernal King backward and slamd him down with titanic force. The ground cracked. Lava and shattered stone erupted upward like a volcano bursting to life.
The Hollow shook again, harder this ti. The teleportation circle flickered, but held.
Queen Elarya turned one last ti. Her eyes found Auren’s—just for a second—and sothing passed between them.
Respect.
"Thank you," she whispered softly. "We will et again."
She, Kardel, and Rhiki bowed in unison.
Then—three bursts of light.
Gone.
The Hollow was quiet again.
Just Auren now.
And Vulkris.
A death match.
Auren exhaled slowly, steam rising from his mouth despite the heat. His heartbeat thumped like war drums in his ears. The golden fla that surrounded him shimred with a new quality—less divine and more... solitary.
This was the price of power.
He looked down at his shaking hands, then clenched them tight.
Behind him, Vulkris stirred.
The beast groaned, molten blood dripping from its cracked skin. Its body rose slowly, each movent accompanied by a chorus of cracking joints and hissing steam.
"You..." Vulkris hissed.
Its face—half burned, half fury—twisted into pure wrath.
"You dare... lay your filthy hands on ?!"
Smoke coiled from its nose, wings flaring like the jaws of hell.
"KNOW THIS, HUMAN!" Vulkris roared, voice so loud it split nearby boulders in two. "I AM NOT LEAVING UNTIL I TURN YOUR FREAK BODY INTO CHARCOA—"
But Auren was already in front of him.
Silent.
Unmoving.
Eyes glowing like miniature suns behind his cracked helt.
"You talk too much."
His right arm lit up.
"[Flaming Breath, Fourth Form: Gatling Punch.]"
BOBOBOBOBOBOOM!
A hurricane of punches rained down.
Auren’s fists beca streaks of divine fire. Each blow exploded like a cannon, sending shockwaves in every direction. His punches moved faster than thought—blazing fists slamming into Vulkris’s body with such force that the very mountain seed to recoil in pain.
Fifty punches per second.
Then a hundred.
Each fueled by rage, loyalty, pain.
Each one ant to humble a tyrant.
Vulkris howled in agony, flailing under the assault. His wings tried to shield him, but they were shredded by sheer velocity. His armor fractured, glowing veins of molten weakness forming across his body like fault lines on the edge of eruption.
Auren leaned closer, eyes alight with focus.
"ORA! ORA! ORA! ORAAAA!!"
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