The entire stadium went silent again.

  The battlefield was roaring with fire and ice, but Daka was clearly being pushed back.

  Aaron, the powerhouse of Team Felix, surged forward with brutal precision. His fists were wrapped in glowing crimson energy, punching through Daka’s wind and ice like they were paper. Every clash sent shockwaves through the ground, rattling the barriers and drawing cheers from the crowd.

  Daka skid back, panting, sweat running down his face, a shallow cut on his cheek. His breathing was ragged.

  Aaron pointed at him. “You’ve got technique, I’ll give you that,” he said, cracking his neck. “But your hesitation? That’s why you’re losing. You’re fighting like you’re scared of your own magic.”

  Daka gritted his teeth. “Shut up…”

  Aaron dashed forward again, aiming a massive uppercut. Daka blocked, but his knees buckled. His wind barrier shattered. The ice blade he tried to form in response cracked under pressure.

  From the sidelines, Emily gripped the railing. “Daka…!”

  Rizra narrowed her eyes. “He’s holding back.”

  Sockoo muttered, still focused on her own match but aware. “He’s afraid of losing again…”

  Aaron didn’t let up. “You’re not gonna win if you keep playing safe!” He launched a spinning heel kick right into Daka’s ribs, sending him crashing into a chunk of broken terrain.

  Daka gasped for air, coughing, vision blurry. Why am I hesitating…? I trained so hard… I fought Ray… I survived that monster’s training… why now…?

  He remembered Ray’s words from training:

  “You’re strong, Daka. But strength doesn’t mean anything if you’re scared to use it. The real you is a storm. Stop trying to be a breeze.”

  Daka slowly stood, clutching his ribs, eyes narrowed now. “...A storm, huh?”

  Aaron smirked. “You done?”

  A gust of wind began to whirl around Daka’s feet. His ice magic shimmered more intensely than before. His breath calmed.

  “No,” Daka said, his voice cold. “Now I’m done holding back.”

  The ground beneath him cracked slightly as his power surged upward.

  The match was far from over—but for the first time in the fight… the tide had a chance to turn. The air grew razor-sharp.

  Daka stood, body battered but eyes glowing with deadly calm. Behind him, a wall of glowing swords—10,000 blades forged of ice and magic-infused wind—hovered in the sky, their tips gleaming like falling stars. The arena gasped as the swords shimmered with golden-blue energy, dancing ominously in place.

  Aaron’s smirk faded slightly. “You really were holding back.”

  Daka’s hair whipped wildly in the storm of his own making. His voice was calm but cold:

  “I told you. I’m done playing nice.”

  He raised a hand, and the 10,000 swords pointed forward.

  Aaron roared, planting his feet. His war axe ignited with crimson flames and black energy as he bellowed:

  “BATTLE ART: WARLORD’S JUDGEMENT!”

  A massive, ancient rune etched itself into the ground beneath him. His axe expanded with power, doubling in size, as phantom warriors appeared behind him—ghostly images of conquerors from different eras lending strength to his blow. The pressure alone was monstrous.

  Daka whispered,

  “...Swordfall: Heaven’s Cyclone.”

  Thousands of swords launched.

  Not all at once—but in spiraling waves, some speeding like sniper bullets, others spinning to drill through defense, some curving like wind-guided missiles. It was a barrage that could only be described as a divine storm.

  Aaron screamed and charged. He began smashing and slicing through the blades with incredible skill, his war axe creating shockwaves, each swing destroying dozens of swords. The arena trembled with the force of his resistance.

  But the swords just kept coming.

  Some sliced his arms. Some pierced his armor. Some dug into his legs. His movements began to slow.

  And then, from behind the remaining swords, Daka’s voice came through again.

  “This is what it looks like… when the storm stops holding back.”

  He clapped his hands—and the final thousand swords merged into a single titanic lance of golden ice and wind, bigger than a house, and launched forward.

  Aaron, bloodied but standing, roared one last time—

  “JUDGEMENT–!!”

  He swung upward with every ounce of strength left, his war axe clashing against the gigantic lance.

  The explosion was enormous.

  A hurricane of fire, wind, and shards of light engulfed the stadium. The crowd had to shield their eyes.

  When the smoke cleared—

  Aaron was on one knee, axe shattered. Breathing hard. Chest bleeding.

  Daka stood tall, panting but firm, ice-blue wind swirling around him like a crown.

  Winner: Daka.

  The crowd was dead silent… then roared in cheers.

  Rizra whistled low. “About time he snapped.”

  Sockoo smirked. “He’s more dangerous than he looks.”

  And Hajime, arms crossed, grinned.

  “Took you long enough… storm boy.”

  Blood dripped from Sockoo’s cheek, her arms bruised and scraped, her cat-like movements slower now. Her flames were flickering—fighting to stay alive.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Across from her, Alex, the deceptively cheerful fighter with crimson eyes and wild strength, had a cocky smile plastered on her face, despite the scorch marks on her jacket.

  "Come on, kitty. You're slowing down," Alex teased, slamming a flaming knee into Sockoo’s ribs, sending her sliding back across the cracked arena floor.

  Sockoo coughed, blood splattering onto her hand. Her breathing was shaky, her eyes still burning with fire.

  "Still standing… you bitch," she growled, wiping her mouth.

  Alex tilted her head, grinning like a predator.

  "But for how long?"

  On the other side of the battlefield, Rizra’s footsteps thundered as she reached the collapsed Daka. His golden armor was cracked, his body trembling from overusing his magic. Blood seeped from his side, but he still tried to stand.

  “You idiot,” Rizra muttered, kneeling down, throwing one of his arms over her shoulder.

  Daka smiled weakly.

  “I won though… did you see that last move?”

  “Yeah,” she grumbled. “Now shut up before I break your other ribs for making me carry you.”

  Meanwhile, the main event raged like a wildfire.

  Hajime and Jessica, flames swirling violently around them, were locked in close-range combat—blue fire crashing against red in a fury of kicks and punches.

  Each strike sent shockwaves through the air.

  Jessica snarled as she clashed forearms with Hajime, their eyes inches apart.

  “You always were stubborn, Nii-san!”

  “You always were loud!” Hajime roared back, pushing her back with a spinning roundhouse ignited by a blast of flame.

  They both skidded, steam hissing from their shoes as fire danced under their feet.

  Jessica wiped her lip and grinned wide.

  “Is this how you treat your baby sister?”

  Hajime’s eyes narrowed.

  “You left the ‘baby’ part behind when you threw a fireball at my head.”

  Jessica charged.

  “Then dodge this one, big bro!!”

  Their fists met again, blue and red fire clashing violently, creating a pillar of flame that shot into the sky.

  The crowd erupted in wild cheers—but everyone’s eyes started turning back to Sockoo and Alex… because Alex was walking toward Sockoo again, blood dripping from her own forehead, but that twisted smile was still there.

  Sockoo tried to rise… but her legs shook.

  Alex raised her fist.

  “Round two, fire kitty.”

  Sockoo whispered through her teeth:

  “...I’m not done yet.”

  Alex stepped forward, flame in her fists and swagger in her step, her crimson eyes dancing with mockery.

  “C’mon, Sockoo. Just stay down already—Hajime’s already watching me now anyway~”

  That was it.

  Sockoo’s ears twitched.

  Her body trembled—not from pain, but from something deeper. Her flames, once flickering, suddenly reignited—burning white-goldwith a crackling hiss that stopped Alex in her tracks.

  Alex blinked.

  “...Wait—what the hell?”

  The air grew heavy.

  Sockoo stood up slowly, her eyes glowing a searing amber, like molten lava staring through Alex’s soul. Her wounds began to steam, closing rapidly from the overwhelming energy pouring out of her.

  Then—a deep feline growl echoed from her throat.

  A flaming aura erupted, covering her completely as her figure shimmered with new form. Her hair flowed upward, strands glowing white at the tips. Two large flaming cat ears now stood upright atop her head, and her pupils slit like a predator's. Her hands sharpened into claw-like gauntlets with ember trails flickering with every twitch.

  Her voice dropped—calm, feral, cold:

  “You said you wanted him?”

  BOOM!

  She vanished.

  Alex barely blocked—her arms crossed up—as Sockoo appeared mid-air and axe-kicked her down into the arena floor. Cracks exploded under Alex’s back, the force sending dust and flame up in a shockwave.

  “Then fight me like someone who deserves him,” Sockoo snarled, landing beside the crater.

  Alex groaned, coughing through the debris.

  “S-Seriously?! What is this—super flaming cat girlfriend form!?”

  Sockoo didn’t answer. She bolted forward—claws glowing—leaving behind burning paw prints.

  Alex threw a punch.

  Sockoo weaved, spun around it like liquid fire, then pounced, slamming Alex with a spinning knee and dragging her across the ground.

  Even Hajime turned mid-fight, eyes wide.

  “…Whoa.”

  Rizra, holding up a still-dizzy Daka, muttered with a smirk,

  “Guess she’s mad mad now.”

  Alex staggered back up, her cocky grin finally gone.

  “Okay. Okay! So maybe… I don’t want your boyfriend that badanymore…”

  Sockoo snarled.

  “Too late.”

  And then—

  She vanished again.

  As the dust barely settled from the last blow, Sockoo blurred forward again—each step leaving fiery paw prints that glowed white-hot on the battlefield.

  Alex barely got her arms up before—

  CRACK!

  —Sockoo’s claw gauntlet uppercut her straight into the air, a flaming arc trailing the motion. Alex was caught off guard by the speed, blood flying from her mouth as she soared.

  In midair—

  “Flaming Cat Art: Sky Prowler Combo!”

  Sockoo appeared above her in a flash, spinning like a flaming corkscrew and striking Alex with four rapid-fire claw slashes, each one sending shockwaves downward. Then—

  BOOM!

  She kicked Alex straight down, a streak of light and smoke trailing her descent.

  Alex crashed into the ground—hard—rolling in the rubble.

  “What… the hell is this power…?” Alex coughed, trying to stand.

  Sockoo landed softly, her stance low like a predator.

  “This is what happens… when you go after my man,” she hissed. “And this—”

  She dashed again—left claw glowing white.

  “Flaming Cat Art: Nine Lives Breaker!”

  In a flash, Sockoo unleashed nine consecutive slashes, each with different elemental flames embedded within—lightning, frost, infernal red, blue fire, even a burst of wind. They landed across Alex’s defense like thunder, slicing apart her guard bit by bit. Every strike left a glowing burn mark shaped like a paw on Alex’s armor.

  “One…”

  SLASH!

  “Two…”

  BOOM!

  “Three, four—five—!”

  Alex screamed out, trying to blast flames at Sockoo, but she ducked under, spun around, and—

  “Eighth—Ninth!!”

  Twin palm blasts directly into Alex’s chest, sending her flying across the arena—smashing into the arena wall.

  Smoke curled from the impact crater. The crowd went dead silent.

  Alex collapsed forward, twitching.

  Sockoo stood there, her chest rising and falling slowly, ears twitching.

  She muttered low:

  “I’m the cat who protects her own.”

  She turned, walking back toward her team.

  Rizra whistled.

  “Remind me never to flirt with Hajime.”

  Makoto (from the sideline, barely recovered):

  “That’s… the scariest girlfriend moment I’ve ever seen.”

  Hajime, still clashing with Jessica, paused and looked over.

  He muttered to himself:

  “...She’s so cool right now, rage on…”

  As Sockoo turned her back to walk away—thinking it was over—

  CRACKLE… WHOOMPH…

  A deafening pulse of energy rippled through the air, and the entire arena darkened as red lightning arced across the sky.

  Hajime’s blue flames dimmed for a second.

  Jessica froze mid-punch.

  Even the announcer stuttered.

  Alex was standing.

  Blood dripping. Eyes glowing with bright crimson fire, her golden hair levitating slightly like she was underwater.

  Her entire body was outlined in burning sigils, each one etched in a demonic, ancient fire language.

  The very ground beneath her feet began to melt, distorting from the sheer heat.

  "I didn't want to use this… but I will have him." Sockoo turned, wide-eyed.

  Even with her evolved cat form active, she staggered back.

  Rizra immediately stopped tending to Daka, eyes narrowing.

  "...That’s not normal fire,” she muttered. “That’s cursed royalty-grade flame magic…”

  Daka, battered and on one knee, felt a chill crawl up his spine. His vision blurred—his instincts flared to full alert.

  “Sockoo… move.”

  But it was too late.

  Alex's voice shifted—layered, as if someone—or something else—was speaking through her.

  "Flame Queen’s Wrath: Blazing Sunder Requiem."

  The sky above the stadium erupted. Flaming meteors, shaped like swords and spears, began to descend rapidly from a giant sigil in the sky—each one the size of a small car. They glowed like the sun, aiming directly at Sockoo.

  Rizra’s jaw clenched. She looked at Daka.

  “We step in now or we die next.”

  Daka nodded.

  But before either of them moved—

  They both froze.

  A sensation hit their bodies all at once—

  Cold. Primal. Final.

  A pressure they hadn’t felt since Izaya

  Death.

  "I don't know what the hell she just activated," Rizra whispered, her knuckles cracking, "...but my body thinks it's gonna die."

  "This isn’t magic anymore,” Daka said, trembling. “This is divine punishment.”

  The meteor storm began falling—

  And Sockoo, still standing proud, stared up into the chaos above.

  Her ears twitched once.

  She clenched her fists.

  And whispered:

  “Hajime… I might need you now.”

  The entire stadium held its breath.

  And Hajime turned his head slowly toward the flames in the sky—eyes glowing with violent blue light, hair blowing from the energy around him.

  He took one deep breath.

  “...Raging.”

  As the first flaming meteor fell toward Sockoo—

  **BOOM!**

  It was intercepted mid-air—**crushed into debris** before it could even touch the ground.

  Everyone turned.

  **Rizra** stood between Sockoo and Alex, her right arm **smoking**, veins bulging, **a crackling aura** of raw strength enveloping her.

  Her eyes locked onto Alex—**completely deadpan**, but dangerous.

  > "You pissed her off enough," Rizra said, her tone ice cold. "Now you deal with me."