Lily clutched her shoulder, pain surging down her arm. Her expression darkened.
"Now you've done it…"
She raised her sword—and it dissolved into a shimmering fog, golden mist coiling around her like a living haze.
"First Form: Nectar Mix."
Zezzy narrowed her eyes, immediately recognizing the danger.
Pollen. Maybe a toxin. Maybe worse.
She stepped forward, fingers twitching, ready to cast—
"Spirit Skill: Wat—"
But she never finished.
A violent crash split the air—Helion and Clipso collided just meters away, the sheer force of their duel ripping through the battlefield like a storm.
Helion spun midair, firing concentrated bolts of light in rapid succession.
Clipso countered with a blast of wind and lightning, his storm aura lashing out like claws. The light bolts collided with the cyclone, scattering harmlessly into sparks.
Then Clipso retaliated—
"First Form: Shattering Storm!"
Three jagged bolts of lightning with wind screamed across the field, tearing through branches and scorching the earth.
Helion flipped backward, light trailing from his boots like comet streams. He landed, only to launch forward again, sword drawn, his blade glowing brighter by the second.
Zezzy covered her face from the shockwave.
She glanced back at Lily—but the pollen was already spreading.
"Damn it," she thought, "I missed my chance—"
Above, Liena soared on currents of air, struggling to keep visual control of both the storm and the spreading mist.
"Zezzy—hang in there! I'll clear the pollen soon!"
Below them, Yuri held his ground.
Geno and Gena circled like wolves, but they hesitated—because the ground beneath them had begun to bubble.
A mud trap.
Yuri glanced up briefly at the storm of lightning and light raining down between Clipso and Helion, then back to the twins.
"Let them fight," he muttered.
"You're dealing with me."
Yuri smiled faintly, adjusting his glasses with a single finger.
"The truth is…" he said, calm and sure,
"Your mistake was letting me transmute."
He drew the golden egg closer, cradling it securely against his side, then tapped his staff into the mud-churned earth.
A deep rumble followed.
"First Form: Mud Dragon."
The ground twisted violently as a massive dragon-shaped face rose from the battlefield—its eyes hollow, its features made entirely of swirling, dense mud. Its jaws opened wide.
And then—it spat.
Bullets of compressed mud fired with force, exploding outward like earth-born cannon shots. Geno and Gena leapt apart, narrowly dodging the onslaught—but one shot clipped Gena's leg mid-air.
She gasped and crashed to the ground, mud splashing around her.
"Gena!" Geno shouted.
But Yuri was already a step ahead.
He raised his foot—and stomped. Hard.
The impact triggered a rapid shift in the terrain beneath Gena. The solid ground turned fluid in an instant, melting into thick, grasping sludge.
"Transmute."
Gena's body sank almost instantly, mud grabbing at her limbs like chains. She struggled, but every movement dragged her deeper.
Yuri remained still, staff glowing faintly in his hand.
"One down."
His voice was soft, but it echoed like thunder in the chaos.
The mud surged. Gena was almost submerged.
Yuri's smirk grew—but then it faltered.
A soft hum rippled through the ground.
Suddenly, a bubble of water burst upward from the mud, shimmering like crystal. It cradled Gena inside—a perfect sphere, lifting her safely into the air.
Yuri's eyes narrowed. "What—?"
Inside the bubble, Gena grinned.
"I used Aqua Prison on myself," she said, voice calm through the distortion.
"A self-cast evasion field."
Geno laughed nearby.
"Knew you'd need it. Good job, sister."
The twins moved fast—no time wasted.
Water spiraled around the tips of their swords, forming sharp, dancing threads that curled and hissed in the air like serpents.
"Now," Geno said, "we're taking your egg."
⸻
Above it all, Liena hovered, her glowing green eyes scanning every angle of the battlefield, wind swirling around her as she tried to split her focus.
"Zezzy's holding her own against Lily… that pollen shouldn't be an issue, thanks to my wind, but Lily's adapting."
She looked toward the lightning clash—Helion and Clipso locked in raw force, blow for blow.
"Helion's keeping up… for now."
Her gaze shifted again—Yuri vs. the twins.
"He has the egg. He's controlling the terrain… but they're adapting quickly. Getting creative."
She narrowed her eyes—and looked deeper into the forest.
There. A flicker.
A glimmer of light behind a wall of flowers.
She zoomed in mentally—the wind guiding her vision with precision.
There it was. A bush of soft, radiant blossoms—and nestled inside, another golden egg.
But something else caught her eye—
Two figures standing perfectly still beside it.
Too still.
Liena focused… then gasped softly.
"They're not real…?"
Her eyes scanned again—then she saw it.
"Water content… way too high."
She clenched her fists.
"Clones."
"Geno or Gena must've cast water clones to guard their egg. It's a decoy setup. Their real forms are here, fighting Yuri—while the clones protect the egg."
She scanned the battlefield.
Three major fronts.
Three live fights.
And one decision to make.
"I can't help all of them at once," she thought, heard pounding.
"Zezzy will outsmart Lily… Helion can last a little longer… but Yuri has our egg."
Her glowing eyes locked onto the fake defenders in the woods.
"If I take out those clones now… the real egg is exposed."
She looked down again—at the water spinning on Geno and Gena's blades, at the pressure building, the trap tightening around Yuri.
She had to act.
"But how?" She murmured
Then—without warning—
A wave of high flames erupted across the battlefield, blazing through the space like a wall of living fire.
The shockwave hit like thunder.
Helion spun backward, his instincts flaring. He twisted midair, light trailing from his boots, and zipped out of the blast zone in a streak of gold.
Clipso rose instantly, wind crackling beneath his feet, hovering high above the fire's reach.
Yuri slammed his staff down, and a thick mud wall surged upward, sealing him inside a protective dome just as flames licked past.
Geno and Gena moved in sync, flipping back like dancers—graceful, silent, effortless. Steam hissed at their heels, but the fire never touched them.
High above, Liena soared higher, her eyes glowing green.
Wind whipped around her, forming a defensive shell that deflected the worst of the heat.
Below her—
Lily's flower, the one linked to the tracking network, ignited instantly.
It withered, burned, and crumbled into ash, petals disintegrating midair.
Lily cursed under her breath, diving backward and rolling to her feet, barely escaping the inferno.
Zezzy skidded back, arms crossed to block the blast. Even with her water magic buffering her, the heat shoved her like a battering ram, pushing her several meters across the grass.
The smoke cleared.
And from its center—
Two figures walked out.
Renza Kael, hands in his pockets, a smirk playing on his lips as flames flickered off his coat.
And beside him, quiet, composed, a looming presence in black-gold armor—
Draven Valden.
Behind them, the remaining members of Team Gold emerged, weapons drawn but relaxed.
The battlefield fell silent.
Renza cracked his neck.
"Thought we'd join the party," he said, eyes sweeping across both teams with casual confidence.
Helion landed softly, sword drawn, eyes focused.
Clipso narrowed his eyes, visibly annoyed but intrigued.
Yuri peeked from behind his mud wall, glasses fogged slightly.
Geno and Gena tensed, exchanging a quick glance. Even they knew this changed things.
Zezzy stood slowly, wiping a streak of soot from her cheek.
Her voice was cool.
"Looks like the real game just started."
Liena hovered overhead, wind swirling at her fingertips.
Her eyes narrowed.
Liena's voice rang out above the chaos.
"This isn't good… too many strong enemies—we can't risk the egg in this crossfire."
She clenched her fists as wind-mana surged violently around her, swirling in a green cyclone that surrounded her body like a divine current.
"Zone Mana Enhanced—First Form: Temporal Air!"
The wind howled.
A sudden updraft erupted beneath Yuri, Zezzy, and Helion, lifting all three high into the sky. Leaves and dirt scattered, and the terrain below blurred as they began their retreat.
Yuri's roots wrapped even tighter around the golden egg, binding it to his staff as if fusing them into one sacred object.
"Hold on!" he shouted.
Helion spun midair, gaze locked onto Renza and Draven below. The two didn't chase—they just grinned, standing shoulder to shoulder like predators who already knew their prey couldn't outrun fate.
Zezzy glanced at the battlefield below—at Team Gold's fearless entrance, at Team Pearl still bracing in formation.
Then—
A violent surge of mana screamed from behind.
"Where do you think you're going, HELION?!"
Clipso's voice was wild with thrill as he hurled a spiraling storm of wind and lightning upward.
Helion's eyes sharpened, blade glowing with light.
He raised it—but before he could counter, a pillar of mud rose like a tower beneath them.
Yuri's voice was steady.
"Save your strength, Helion."
The mud wrapped around them like a cocoon, absorbing the incoming attack with a thunderous crash. Sparks scattered, but the storm spell fizzled against the dense shield.
Helion lowered his blade.
Zezzy looked down with clenched teeth.
"Yuri… good call."
The three continued to rise through the canopy, carried by Liena's wind—who floated just ahead, eyes glowing emerald.
Yuri's voice echoed upward.
"We need to retreat. For Now."
And with that, Team Crimson vanished into the trees above—
leaving behind smoldering earth, a fractured battlefield,
and two rival teams not far from war.
Team Crimson soared silently just below the clouds, high enough to escape view, low enough to remain beneath the scrying crystals' detection. The wind held them steady, swirling gently under their feet like a moving platform.
Yuri glanced over at Liena, wind brushing his bangs back beneath his glasses.
"Nice move, Liena," he said, nodding. "Your Temporal Air is more versatile than I thought."
Zezzy floated alongside them, arms crossed, studying Liena with a thoughtful expression. She spoke without taking her eyes off the flow of air below.
"She didn't just use Temporal Air… she amplified it."
Helion raised an eyebrow. "Amplified?"
Zezzy nodded toward Liena.
"She used Zone Mana Enhancement. It's an advanced skill that lets elemental users draw in raw mana from their surroundings. Because her spirit is wind-based, she pulled ambient air-mana from the entire zone and channeled it into her spell."
Helion blinked. "She used the battlefield itself?"
Zezzy smirked, her voice low but admiring.
"Exactly. Not many can do that mid-combat. Even fewer can do it with that much control."
Yuri pushed his glasses up, impressed. "That's advanced combat theory… most rookies wouldn't even attempt it."
Liena glanced back at them, her green-glowing eyes starting to wear out hovering steadily ahead.
"You guys give me too much credit."
Zezzy, smiling faintly but sincerely:
"You're truly talented, Liena. No doubt about it."
Liena's glowing eyes flickered, then slowly faded back to normal. The emerald hue dissolved into her natural shade as the wind beneath them began to settle.
"I'll be out of wind for a bit," she said quietly, her breath just a touch unsteady. "Can't fly us much further…"
The current began to dip gently.
"Lowering us now."
The swirling air softened as Team Crimson descended through the trees. The world slowed. The chaos and mana of the battlefield faded behind them as they touched down in a quiet patch of forest—hidden, shaded, and momentarily still.
Liena's knees bent slightly as her boots hit the ground. She took a small step forward, then wavered.
Helion was already beside her.
"Hey," he said, steadying her with one hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
She gave a tired smile and nodded. "Just… used a bit more than I should have."
Zezzy scanned the area, already on alert again. "This spot'll do for now. We can regroup here."
Yuri planted the golden egg gently against a cluster of roots, wrapping more vines around it instinctively.
Helion looked down at Liena again. She was breathing deeper now, but steady.
"Thanks for getting us out of there," he said quietly. "You saved us."
She looked up at him, eyes soft but proud.
"You'd do the same."
As Team Crimson caught their breath…
The chaos resumed elsewhere.
The battlefield echoed with the clash of new titans—Team Pearl and Team Gold.
Amid it, Draven stood motionless, his calculating gaze locked onto Geno and Gena. His eyes weren't watching their swords or spells—he was analyzing them. Studying their synergy. Their weakness.
Lily, one arm cradling her shoulder, gritted her teeth. The hit from Zezzy still throbbed beneath her armor. But with a quiet breath, she pressed a glowing flower petal into her wound. Light pulsed, and the pain eased. The petals dissolved into her skin.
Then—
"Draven!"
Clipso's voice rang out like thunder across the field. He hovered slightly above the battlefield, storm magic curling around his blade.
"Look at you," he laughed. "Did you come to stop your own younger brother? Or maybe…" his grin twisted, "…still trying to impress our father?"
Mocking. Bitter.
Draven didn't flinch.
"Not now," he said coldly, his voice cutting like tempered steel.
But Renza smirked from the side, flames flicking from his fingertips.
"Ooooh, family drama, huh?" he teased. "Well, I'm all warmed up."
He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
"Spirit Skill: Will-o'-Wisp."
Countless orbs of fire burst into existence, swirling chaotically. They launched in every direction like miniature comets.
"Geno, Gena—move!" Clipso shouted.
The twins sprang into action:
"First Form—Aqua Prison!
"First Form—Water Shift!
Twin torrents of water exploded out, forming a whirling sphere around them that immediately burst outward—colliding with Renza's fire in a crackling cascade of steam and smoke.
But then—
BOOM!
A massive flame wave erupted from the clash, blinding the field for a heartbeat.
Lily stumbled back—but Draven was already sprinting forward, blade finally in hand.
Geno and Gena turned, instinctively moving to support Lily.
Clipso, still in the air, turned from Renza to look at his teammates—and his expression broke.
"No—get away from him!" he shouted.
He wasn't looking at Renza.
He was looking at Draven.
"If you get too close to his armor, he'll—"
He cut himself off. No time.
Clipso's body sparked with blue lightning.
He whipped through the air, wind tearing behind him as he changed trajectory. He shot between Draven and the others—cutting the space like a barrier.
"Don't think I'm running from you, brother," Clipso growled, blade glowing.
CRACK!
A bolt of lightning hit the ground between them—some of it conducing through Draven, forcing him to pause.
Lily, quick on instinct, unleashed a glowing mist of pollen. The air shimmered golden.
The fog spread, obscuring Team Pearl just long enough.
By the time it cleared—
They were gone.
The trees trembled, and only flickers of storm and fire were left behind.
The stadium rumbled—thunderous and unrelenting.
Cries echoed from the stands like war chants.
"Team Gold! Team Gold! Team Gold!"
The crowd's energy surged through the arena like a living storm.
"Did you see that?!"
"Team Crimson and Team Pearl both retreated!"
"They couldn't handle Renza and Draven—those two are monsters!"
The crystal projections above the arena still shimmered with the aftermath: scorched trees, swirling mist, lightning trails cutting the sky. And at the center of it all stood Renza Kael and Draven Valden, untouched. Unmoving. Unshaken.
On the royal balcony, the Arch Captains sat under the growing weight of tension.
Each face said something different.
Syrus, arms folded, stared at the projection of Team Crimson, his voice low and even.
"Tactical precision. Crimson remains the most coordinated unit."
He nodded once.
"They retreated not out of fear—but strategy."
Arion, his sharp eyes fixed on Clipso, gave a thoughtful hum.
"Pearl made the smart call. But more importantly…"
He leaned forward slightly.
"…Clipso didn't chase the thrill. He protected his team. That's growth."
Axel, still lounging but now with a proud grin, tilted his head toward Renza's smoldering image.
"Atta boy, Renza. You show them what that fire's made of."
He chuckled.
"No hesitation. That's real resolve."
Arinelle, thoughtful, her gaze locked on Draven.
"His magic… that steel affinity…"
She whispered it more to herself than to the others.
"If he keeps developing at this pace, we may be looking at a walking siege weapon."
Then came Zeyr.
He stood at the far edge of the balcony, arms behind his back. At his side sat Loken, the great wolf, watchful and still.
His eyes weren't on the crowd.
Not on Team Gold.
Not even on the chaos of the forest.
His focus?
Helion.
A quiet smile formed.
"You're doing great…"
His voice barely carried through the wind.
"Keep showing the world what we already know."