Zayn and Varun stood, breath heavy, facing Amprex and Gravitus. Dust swirled around them, and the air was thick with tension.
"I'll stop Gravitus," Zayn said, stepping forward. "You go after Amprex."
Varun turned to him, eyes wide. "You can't defeat him alone."
"I know," Zayn said, calm and serious. "But I'll buy you time, with everything I have got. Even if it costs my life."
"But I can't defeat Amprex alone," Varun said.
"You can." Zayn's voice was firm. "You have powers beyond everything... but they're hidden. You'll find them soon."
Gravitus cracked his neck. "I'll take care of that one."
Suddenly, a massive stone gate fell between them, sealing Zayn and Gravitus away from Varun and Amprex.
Amprex smiled. "Soon, my warriors will kill your friends. And I will kill you."
Lightning surged through Varun's body, his eyes glowing an intense blue. "You can't," he said, voice charged with power.
Amprex's smirk faded.
Meanwhile…
Sofia was locked in a brutal fight with Tessarissa, whose four swords danced like deadly serpents.
"You can't defeat me," Tessarissa taunted. "I'm far superior to you humans!"
She launched a massive combo strike, blades slicing through the air. Sofia blocked the flurry, gritting her teeth.
"Being human... isn't my weakness." Her eyes narrowed. "It's my power."
With a powerful kick, she knocked Tessarissa back. Tessarissa licked her lips. "Now it's getting interesting."
Elsewhere…
Ignis was barely standing, battered by a storm of Vaelstrom's wind slashes.
"You're so weak," Vaelstrom laughed. "It's no fun fighting you."
Ignis thought to himself — he was fighting for his life, but Vaelstrom... he was only playing.
"You only get two attempts," Vaelstrom continued. "If you can give me a little fun, I'll play with you more. But if you fail... I'll kill you with one attack."
Ignis launched a massive fireball, gathering flames from every direction. The orb roared forward like a comet, incinerating everything in its path. The ground beneath it scorched to molten black. The sky itself seemed to reflect the heat of the attack.
But just as the fireball reached Vaelstrom—
Slash!
With a single, elegant swing of his wind-forged axe, Vaelstrom cut through the raging inferno. The fireball split in two halves and disappeared into smoke.
Before Ignis could react, Vaelstrom summoned a massive gust in the shape of a fist. The wind compressed into a physical form, crashing into Ignis like a hammer. He was flung backward, his body twisting through the air before slamming into the rocky wall behind him.
The ground cracked beneath him. Ignis groaned, barely managing to get up on one knee.
Vaelstrom laughed, not a trace of mercy in his eyes. "That was your first try? Disappointing."
Ignis gritted his teeth, flames licking across his arms again.
Last attempt.
Ignis screamed into the sky, channeling every ounce of energy he had left. His body ignited completely—arms, chest, even his hair burning like a bonfire. Fire burst from his core, shooting high into the sky and piercing through the clouds. The heavens seemed to shake at the eruption of raw power.
He drew the energy back down, forming it into a massive beam of roaring fire. It was brighter, hotter, more condensed than anything he had ever released before. The beam fired toward Vaelstrom with a shriek like a dragon's wail, melting the very air around it.
As it approached, Vaelstrom stood unmoved, his smirk unfazed. When the beam reached him—
He raised a single hand.
BOOM! The beam collided with his palm—but didn't move him. With a swift swipe of his other hand, a vortex of wind countered the beam, twisting and swallowing it whole. The sky dimmed as the fire vanished.
The gust that followed struck Ignis like a tidal wave, blowing out his flames entirely. He hit the ground, coughing, smoke rising from his scorched body.
Vaelstrom stepped forward, eyes cold. "You failed. Now die."
He raised both arms—and the air around Ignis twisted violently, forming a spherical prison of hyper-fast wind.
"You failed," Vaelstrom sneered. "Now die."
He threw a wind prison around Ignis, trapping him in a sphere of violent, suffocating air.
"You humans are pathetic," he muttered.
Meanwhile, back with Zayn...
Zayn threw everything he had at Gravitus—barrage after barrage of shockwaves, strikes, and energy pulses—but it was useless. Gravitus moved like a walking fortress, untouched and unbothered. He smashed the ground with one massive stomp, and instantly, jagged stone pillars erupted around him like an angry forest.
Sharp spikes launched outward, whistling through the air like spears. Zayn flipped and rolled, narrowly avoiding impalement. One of the spikes grazed past a nearby ant on the ground—and the insect disintegrated into nothing.
Zayn's eyes widened.
"You can only run," Gravitus growled, voice like grinding stone.
He lifted both hands and slammed them to the ground. A quake rippled through the battlefield as dozens of spikes rose around Zayn, forming a tight circle. The spikes started tilting inward, creeping slowly toward him.
Zayn was trapped.
"This cage is no illusion," Gravitus said, his eyes glowing dark. "Each one of these spikes holds the essence of my core—a single touch, and you'll be reduced to dust."
The spikes crackled faintly with earthen energy, buzzing with destructive power. The ground beneath Zayn's feet rumbled. The cage wasn't just closing in—it was alive.
Zayn braced himself. There was nowhere left to run.
He clenched his fists. "Then I won't run anymore."
Back with Varun and Amprex…
Varun, glowing with blue lightning, clashed with Amprex. His attacks were faster and stronger than before.
"You've grown stronger," Amprex admitted. "But it ends now."
He unleashed a massive energy ball that hit Varun, sending him crashing into the wall. Blood dripped from his mouth.
"Why do you keep fighting?" Amprex asked. "Your friends are dead."
Varun looked up, eyes furious. A bolt of lightning struck him from above. Electricity wrapped around him like armor.
Zayn's words echoed in his mind.
"You have powers beyond everything…"
Varun clenched his fists. "My friends... are alive!"
Amprex's eyes widened. "So... it's time I get serious."
The two charged at each other.
BOOM!
The shockwave shattered the battlefield.
Sofia was lying on the ground, her body covered in blood, bruises marking every inch of her skin. Her breathing was shallow, her sword still gripped weakly in her hand. Through the ringing in her ears, she heard footsteps retreating.
Lying in blood, Sofia heard Tessarissa walking away.
"I told you," Tessarissa said. "You humans are weak. I thought this would be fun... but it looks like it's over now."
She turned and began walking toward the exit.
Then she stopped.
A terrifying presence surged behind her.
She slowly turned, her instincts suddenly alert.
Sofia was standing.
Bleeding, barely upright, her face still smeared with blood—but standing. Her sword was glowing white.
"You think it's over?" Sofia said calmly.
She wiped the blood from her face with the back of her arm, then gripped her sword tight.
"You want an interesting fight? I'll give you one."
With a burst of speed, Sofia charged. In a flash of white, she disappeared.
A heartbeat later, she was behind Tessarissa.
Tessarissa's four arms and head fell to the ground, sliced cleanly.
Sofia didn't look back.
"I thought this would be fun," she said. "But you were weak."
Her eyes shifted toward the battlefield—toward Ignis. She could feel his energy fading, trapped in Vaelstrom's prison. Without wasting a moment, she sprinted forward, sword still glowing in her bloodied grip.
Trapped inside the wind prison, Ignis could barely breathe. The winds spun violently, slicing at his skin, draining his strength. Vaelstrom's voice echoed through the swirling vortex.
"You humans are pathetic," he mocked. "Weak. Fragile. And so boring. After your death I will kill your friends."
Ignis clenched his fists. He thought of Varun. Of Sofia. Of Zayn. Of the people he swore to protect.
White flames ignited around his fists, pulsing with defiance. The wind faltered for a moment.
"You said you'd kill my friends..." Ignis growled. "That was your biggest mistake."
With a roar, Ignis unleashed a pulse of energy. The white flames exploded outward, obliterating the wind sphere in a burst of fiery brilliance.
Vaelstrom raised his axe—too late.
Ignis hurled a blazing white fireball. It screamed through the air, lighting up the battlefield.
SHING! Vaelstrom sliced it clean in half.
He laughed. "So, you have Flame Prism powers… But white flames? They're not enough to stop me."
He summoned a massive wind slash and fired it. The force was terrifying—it split the battlefield, rocks, and even the air itself in half.
But as the slash passed, Ignis stood untouched.
And something had changed.
The white fire on his body shimmered... and began turning blue.
Brighter. Hotter. Deeper.
Ignis stared at his hands in awe as the flames enveloping him turned into a searing blue torrent.
He said. "But the blue flame can burn you."
The wind around him warped under the pressure of his energy. The very air shimmered with heat.
Ignis raised his hands to the sky. A deafening roar erupted as he summoned his strongest attack.
A massive Blue Flame Dragon spiraled into the air, its serpentine body roaring with wrath. It dove at Vaelstrom, jaws open wide.
Vaelstrom's face twisted in horror. "No—!"
BOOOOM! The dragon hit.
The explosion lit up the sky. A storm of heat, fire, and wind consumed everything.
When the flames faded... only ashes remained.
Vaelstrom was gone.
Back with Zayn…
The spikes inched closer.
Suddenly—BOOM!
The wall burst open. Sofia and Ignis appeared.
Gravitus growled. "Where are Tessarissa and Vaelstrom?"
Ignis: "You'll meet them soon."
Gravitus scowled and slammed his hand into the ground. Two colossal dragons of rock erupted from the earth, their bodies twisting with crushing power. "You won't stop me," he snarled.
"I'll handle Gravitus," Ignis told Sofia. "You go and free Zayn."
Gravitus sneered. "No, you won't." He summoned a third dragon—larger and more vicious—and hurled it at Sofia.
Ignis raised his hand, blue fire bursting from his palm. The dragon incinerated midair, reduced to glowing pebbles.
Gravitus's eyes narrowed as he felt the intense heat. "So you have powers of Flame Prism," he growled. "But they are nothing against me. Fire powers do not work on me."
"Maybe you're right," Ignis said. "But his powers can."
From behind, Zayn appeared—his hand glowing with energy—and slammed his palm into Gravitus, unleashing a shockwave so powerful it turned the ground to dust.
But Gravitus survived, staggering back, but cracks began to form in his stone armor.
More dragons came—Sofia cut them to pieces.
"You unlocked your clan's hidden power, Sofia? And you have reached second level of Flame Prisom powers?" Zayn asked.
Ignis and Sofia said."I think so."
Gravitus roared and slammed his fists into the ground. From the earth rose a towering golem, forged from solid stone, its eyes glowing with molten rage. He climbed inside, fusing his body with the creature, becoming a colossus of raw power.
The golem swung its massive arms, sending shockwaves across the battlefield. Sofia and Ignis didn't hesitate. With synchronized precision, they leapt onto its arms—Sofia slashing with her glowing blade, Ignis igniting paths of destruction with his blue fire.
They climbed the limbs like warriors scaling a beast, carving their way upward.
"Almost there!" Ignis shouted.
As they reached the head, Sofia leapt high and spun, slicing deep into the stone. Ignis raised his hands—his Blue Flame Dragon erupted again, slamming down with a roar. The dragon blasted through the golem's head, vaporizing it in a swirl of searing energy.
The golem crumbled.
From the collapsing debris, Gravitus emerged, staggering, weakened—but still standing.
Zayn appeared in front of him, hand glowing with power.
"Let me finish it," he said.
Zayn attacked with a palm strike, his hand glowing with raw power. The moment it touched Gravitus's chest—
BOOM!
A thunderous shockwave exploded outward. The stone armor cracked apart, and in a flash of energy, Gravitus burst into blood and flesh, his form disintegrating violently.
The clash between Varun and Amprex had reached a fever pitch...
Their battle sent shockwaves through the air. Lightning cracked across the ruins, and every strike between them echoed like thunderclaps, each blow powerful enough to level mountains. Their attacks moved faster than sound, a blur of fury and energy. Each collision carried the weight of destruction, and it felt as though the earth itself trembled beneath their might.
Amid the chaos, a thought flickered in Varun's mind: Why isn't Amprex using his power? Why hasn't he turned my own attacks against me?
Punch after punch landed with monstrous force—enough energy to shatter mountains—but Amprex took them, storing them.
Varun's eyes widened.
He's absorbing it...
Varun's fists, wrapped in searing electricity, slammed against Amprex again and again—but something felt wrong. Amprex wasn't countering like before.
Then it clicked.
He was absorbing Varun's lightning.
A beat later—
BOOM!
Amprex unleashed all the absorbed energy in a single colossal blast. The surge struck Varun squarely in the chest, sending him flying through stone pillars and crashing against a shattered wall.
The gate creaked. Then it opened.
Amprex smirked. "Looks like my warriors—"
But he stopped.
Through the smoke stepped Zayn, Sofia, and Ignis—bloodied, but alive. Determined.
Varun rose, battered but burning with resolve. "Looks like my friends killed your warriors."
Amprex roared in fury. From the corpses of his fallen warriors, tendrils of dark energy streamed toward him, fusing into his body. His muscles swelled. Bones cracked. Armor exploded outward as his form twisted and grew.
He transformed—massive, monstrous, godlike.
A giant.
Ignis clenched his fists, blue fire licking at his arms. "This... won't be easy."