The world trembled beneath the echo of clashing auras.
Far from the collapsing ritual platform, Zero and Voltraz flew across the ravine, streaks of dark and crimson energy trailing behind them. The air hissed, splitting apart under the pressure of their overwhelming force.
Voltraz stopped first, hovering above a massive stone plateau shaped by winds over centuries. His eyes glowed with burning lightning, hungry for battle, impatient, cruel.
"So," Voltraz said, voice rumbling like thunder, "you did survive that fall. Impressive. But pointless."
Zero landed on the opposite side of the plateau. The shadows around him pulsed, responding to his heartbeat.
"You talk too much," Zero replied, summoning a thin mist of darkness around his arms. "Let's finish what have been started."
Voltraz smirked. "Finish? No. This time, I'll erase you completely."
They took their stances. The air tightened. Then...
BOOOOM!
Their auras erupted simultaneously, creating a shockwave that split the clouds above.
Meanwhile... At the Ritual Platform
Commander Zephyros deflected another barrage of ice shards with a sweeping gale, his expression tightening.
"Tsk… This one just like the earlier attacker," Zephyros muttered.
The ground beneath him froze instantly, spreading a trail of misty frost like the breath of winter.
Lyther stepped forward, eyes icy-blue and burning with vengeance.
"You…" he growled. "You killed my brother in the Great War. I've been waiting for this moment."
Zephyros raised a brow. "Another child chasing ghosts."
"You took everything from me!" the student shouted. His aura flared violently. "My brother… my clan… I'll avenge them all!"
He stomped the ground.
CRACK—SHHKKK!
Frozen spears erupted from beneath Zephyros. But he didn't flinch, he vanished in a gust of wind and reappeared behind Lyther.
"You rely too much on emotion. That is why you will die."
The student turned sharply. "Not today!"
He unleashed his skill Ice Elemental Level 2 — Frost Nova Burst.
The temperature dropped instantly. Frost exploded outward, forming a dome of white destruction. Even Zephyros was forced to shield himself with layers of compressed wind.
"Elemental Ice…" Zephyros muttered with annoyance. "And he combines with same technique from a great war, this technique is troublesome for me to deal with it. Persistent brat."
The frost dome shattered...and Lyther appeared in front of him with an ice-forged blade pointed at his throat.
"Move, and your head falls."
Zephyros smirked. "Interesting."
Master Sylver watched from higher ground, his expression unreadable as the winds carried the sounds of battle.
Elsewhere in the forest, Commander Ignarion advanced with his Division 1 squad, flames sparking around his fists.
"Something feels off," Ignarion muttered. "The energy fluctuations are too unstable. The portal ritual must be starting… or failing."
One of his captains approached him.
"Commander, should we regroup with Captain Serena's division?"
Ignarion stopped. His expression darkened.
"Serena… Where did she go? I can no longer sense her aura."
The captain hesitated. "Commander Zephyros ordered Division 4 to reinforce the ritual platform. Perhaps she..."
"No…" Ignarion clenched his fists. "This disturbance isn't normal. We go now."
Flames erupted beneath his feet as he took off toward the ritual site.
Far above the battlefield, the sky itself began to split
The clash between Zero and Voltraz split the heavens apart.
The sky screamed as lightning tore through the clouds, fractures spreading like shattered glass across the firmament. The pressure alone crushed the ground beneath their feet.
Voltraz moved first.
He vanished in a flash, reappearing before Zero in less than a heartbeat.
ZRAKKK!
A blade of condensed lightning cleaved through the air, its edge shrieking as it descended.
Zero twisted aside at the last instant. The strike missed his neck by inches, carving a molten trench through the stone behind him.
Voltraz's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Careful, boy," he said calmly. "You're not strong enough to provoke me."
Zero exhaled slowly. His aura thickened, shadows spilling from his body like a living beast, writhing and folding around him. The darkness swallowed the light at his feet.
"You're wrong," Zero said, clenching his fist. His voice was steady—unyielding. "I'm not the same as before."
Voltraz smirked.
"Good," he replied. "That makes killing you more entertaining."
He charged.
Lightning spiraled violently around Voltraz's body, crimson arcs twisting and compressing as his power peaked. The ground beneath him shattered as he raised his weapon high.
"Elemental Arcstorm — Crimson Thunder Execution!"
A descending storm answered his call. Bolts fused together, forming a massive blade of scarlet lightning that crashed down with annihilating force.
Zero stepped forward instead of retreating.
Dark fragments burst from his core, condensing into a swirling mass of abyssal energy around his arm. His inner force surged, stabilizing the chaos.
"Dark Elemental Fragment."
He struck.
The collision detonated the battlefield.
Stone pillars exploded into dust, shockwaves tearing through the ruins and hurling debris hundreds of meters away. The earth screamed as the two forces collided, light and darkness devouring each other.
Above them, the sky cracked wider...
as the true battle began.
At the Ritual Platform , Chaos Unfolds
Demon General Xyron Inferno watched the scene with annoyance.
"The ritual is delayed," he growled. "Zephyros! End him already!"
Zephyros clicked his tongue. "As you command."
He raised his palm. A violent cyclone formed instantly.
Lyther pull out his icy blade, but Zephyros' wind pressure shattered it effortlessly.
"Fall."
The cyclone slammed into the student, launching him across the platform, rolling him near Master Sylver's location.
"Master… I'm sorry…" he whispered weakly.
"You did well," Master Sylver said, kneeling beside him. "Your battle isn't over yet."
He placed a glowing talisman on the student's chest. Light surged through him as his aura recovered.
At the same time....
Zephyros finally sensed Master Sylver clearly.
"That aura... one of those who killed many of my soldiers in the Great War."
His eyes sharpened.
"This time, you won't escape."