The battlefield had turned into a storm of clashing powers.
Screams echoed through the arena, the roar of fire and the crash of water magic resounding like a violent orchestra. Blood soaked the cracked sand, and from the chaos…
Aryan walked through the flames.
The inferno danced along his skin like a loyal beast. His golden eyes glowed beneath scorched brows. Pain no longer touched him—only purpose.
Then—
Seven bandits surged from the smoke toward him, weapons drawn, magic ignited.
"Aryan! Behind you!" Selena shouted from the edge of the crater.
But Aryan didn't flinch. Instead, a wicked smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
He slowly turned his head. "Wrong move."
FWOOOOOM!
A jet of pure flame surged from his arm, engulfing the seven in an instant. Their screams were silenced before they hit the ground—reduced to blackened ash.
Selena, watching nearby, took a step back—her hands trembling slightly. "W-What is he becoming?"
Aryan glanced her way.
"Don't worry," he said, voice calm, fire flickering behind his teeth. "I'm still me… just hotter."
He clenched his fist—and fire spiraled up his arm like a dragon coiling for the kill.
Then he moved, walking straight into the battlefield.
But before he could go far, a surge of water erupted from the left, slamming into the earth and cutting him off.
A tall man with blue runes across his face stepped forward, water blades dancing around his hands.
"You're not going anywhere, flame boy," he spat. "All of you are dead. You just don't know it yet."
Aryan narrowed his eyes.
"You sure about that?"
"Positive." The man grinned. "Our leader will kill that lightning freak. And we'll drown the rest."
The ground beneath Aryan's feet hissed with steam as water crept closer.
And then the fight exploded.
The water user thrust his hand forward—Water Cannon!
A massive high-pressure blast shot toward Aryan. He countered with a Flame Thrower, the fires roaring back against the jet.
Steam burst into the air, blinding everyone.
But fire was weak against water.
Aryan's flame sputtered as the pressure mounted. The water cannon pushed forward, slamming into his defenses. He grunted, sliding back on his heels, arms up, the heat dimming.
Then—
"Let's finish this," the water user sneered.
A second figure appeared beside him—a lightning mage.
Together, they launched an electrified water wave. "Try surviving 3000 volts of death!"
The moment it touched the ground, the sand crackled, glassed over from heat and shock.
The wave surged toward Aryan—unstoppable.
Selena screamed. "ARYAN, MOVE!"
And then—
He vanished.
WHOOSH!
A gust of wind followed, and the electrified wave struck nothing.
The water user blinked. "What?! Where—"
A figure skidded to a halt beside Selena, carrying Aryan over his shoulder.
The new arrival dropped Aryan gently to the ground and stood tall. Slender frame. A jagged silver scarf. And eyes glowing with speed magic.
Aryan coughed, his arms smoking from partial burns.
"You alright?" the figure asked coolly.
Aryan looked up, wide-eyed. "You're fast."
"Name's Rin," he said with a confident grin. "Speed magic. You're welcome."
Aryan grinned back despite the pain. "Damn. You got timing."
Selena rushed forward, placing her glowing hands on Aryan. "You're still burning inside… The flame's not just outside your body—it's bonded to you. You need to learn control fast!"
Aryan nodded, eyes flicking to the battlefield.
Meanwhile… in the sky.
The true titans clashed.
Roy, encased in enchanted frost, summoned a longsword carved from eternal ice.
Opposite him, the mysterious man summoned a sword of light—its blade pulsing with radiant, golden arcs of lightning.
Below them, Kat and Molly watched from amidst their own skirmish.
Kat wiped sweat from his brow. "You see that?"
"Yeah," Molly muttered, slicing down a bandit. "Light versus ice. That's a damn boss level fight."
Their gazes never left the two.
Roy's breath misted as he raised his sword. "If I'm going to kill you… I want to know the name of the man I'm killing."
The mysterious man's lightning crackled. "You'll learn my name… once you've lost to it."
And with that, the two charged.
Their swords collided with a sound like a thunderclap, echoing across the arena. Sparks flew. Ice shattered. The light flickered like a second sun.
Sword against sword.
Light against ice.
Every swing could split stone. Every block shattered air.
Roy ducked a swipe and countered with Frozen Slashes, dozens of ice shards targeting vital points.
The mysterious man weaved through them, his sword glowing brighter—radiant, divine, relentless.
They were equals.
And somewhere below, Aryan, now standing again with Selena and Rin at his side, watched the duel in silence.
He wasn't ready yet to join that level of battle.
But his fire… was waking.
And soon—
He would be.