The open plains were bathed in cold silver moonlight. A thin mist had settled on the grass, creating a strange contrast between the stillness of the night and the chaos that was about to erupt.
Urvock and I stood exactly one hundred meters apart, our silhouettes stark against the pale horizon. The air was heavy with anticipation. No insects chirped. No wind blew. Just silence, stretched thin like a blade.
This was a duel. A clash between summoner and summoned—no tricks, no distractions, no excuses.
I turned my head toward Alvin, who was standing with Thorn several meters to the side. The tension was visible even from here. Thorn's hands were clenched. Alvin's shoulders were tight.
"Call out the beginning of the fight!!" I shouted, my voice cutting through the night like a crack of thunder.
Alvin hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward with a gulp.
"Three... two... one... BEGIN!!!"
The instant the last word left his mouth, Urvock moved.
The ground shook as the giant gladiator burst forward, each stride like the slam of a boulder. He charged at me with terrifying speed—faster than anything his size should have been capable of.
But to me?
He may as well have been crawling.
I didn't move. Not at first.
Instead, I activated all of my core skills at once.
[Flame Coat]
[Flame Claws]
[Speed Boost]
My mana surged, and in a blink, fire exploded across my arms and torso. Heat shimmered around me, licking up into the air as my limbs were engulfed in searing red-orange flame. My fingers extended into long, serrated claws made entirely of condensed fire, like sharpened blades pulled straight from a forge.
In the middle of the night, I became a burning beacon. A blazing entity of destruction. My flames cut through the mist, casting long, writhing shadows in every direction.
Then I moved.
With my Agility boosted over 40 thanks to [Speed Boost], the plains vanished beneath my feet. One moment, I was still. The next, I was gone—leaving only a trail of scorched grass behind.
Urvock had only made it halfway to me before I was suddenly standing right beside him.
His eyes widened.
He grunted, clearly caught off guard, but still tried to react. Too slow.
I swung with all the force I could muster, aiming to carve across his chest in one clean motion. My claws slashed forward, crackling and spitting embers—
—and met stone.
A hard clang rang out, and sparks flew as my claws were deflected violently. The blow didn't dig deep. Instead, it scraped across a surface as hard as rock.
Urvock had activated some kind of skill. His skin had turned dark grey—dull and rough like hardened stone. It shimmered briefly, like a natural armor coating his body.
I took a step back, blinking.
A small chip had been carved into the armor, but that was it.
"Hah," I breathed, grinning despite myself. "You're holding out on me."
Urvock didn't respond. He simply turned, swinging a massive fist in retaliation, aiming to drive it into my side.
I ducked under it easily, sliding past his arm with my boosted speed and cutting upward again. This time I aimed for the joint in his elbow—the gaps between the armor.
The flames hissed against the hardened skin again, and while I managed to leave a scorched mark, it still wasn't enough to break through cleanly.
He turned fast, spinning with a surprising amount of grace for someone his size, and drove a knee up toward my ribs. I jumped back in time, barely avoiding the crushing impact. His raw power was insane. If that hit had landed, I would've been flattened.
"Stone Skin," I muttered under my breath, confirming the guess. That was the skill he must've used. Something defensive—but powerful. I could work with that.
I dashed to the left, circling him in a blur of flame, looking for another opening. Each time I darted in to strike, I aimed for weak points—joints, neck, behind the knee. But each attack glanced off or only barely scorched the surface.
Still, I could feel it.
The heat of my flames was beginning to build. Every time my claws scraped across his body, I left behind more heat. More damage.
Urvock roared, suddenly swinging his massive arm in a wide arc, trying to catch me mid-dash. I ducked and let the blow sail overhead, then jabbed my claws into his exposed side.
Ssssss—!!
That time, he grunted in pain. Not much, but enough for me to hear it.
Good.
He's not invincible.
From the sidelines, I heard Thorn mutter something under his breath. Alvin looked frozen in place, eyes wide and jaw hanging open. They weren't used to seeing me like this.
But this was the real me.
Fire and speed and instinct.
No hesitation.
Urvock charged again, and this time, I didn't move.
I waited.
Waited…
Then at the last possible second, I jumped up high—higher than he expected. While in midair, I twisted my body and activated [Flame Claws] again, reinforcing the fire before swinging down with both hands aimed directly at the top of his head.
He raised an arm too late.
CRACK!
My claws hit hard, slamming into his shoulder as he tried to block the blow. The flame exploded against his skin, and this time, I saw it—a crack.
A long, jagged fracture in the stone-like armor on his upper arm.
He stumbled backward, just half a step, but enough to tell me everything I needed.
I could break him.
Not with strength.
But with speed. Precision. Heat.
I landed in a crouch, breathing heavily, my chest rising and falling as steam poured off my body. Sweat and fire mixed on my skin. I was exhausted but not from a lack of mana or stamina no i was exhausted from how much fun I was having. This was the first serious fight I'd had since the Alpha Flame Hound.
I stood tall again, my claws glowing like molten steel.
This wasn't just about showing dominance anymore.
This was fun.