The Tree Dragon of Ashes stood before us, facing all nine of my friends and Fenrik, and the situation was immediately tense. There was a big problem, though. Fenrik had been seriously injured in the previous fight. His wounds were deep, and his body was weak. Even though he wanted to fight, even though he wanted to defend us, he simply could not. His body refused him. The sight of our injured friend made everyone uneasy. It was hard to think about the fight ahead knowing he could not contribute. Tobari, our enemy, stepped forward. His gaze was cold, sharp, and threatening. The air seemed to grow heavier as he approached. He spoke clearly, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "Give me Fenrik, or get ready to die," he said. There was no hesitation in his words. The power behind them was obvious. Every person around felt it immediately, a chill running down their spines. I looked at Tobari, then at my friends. My heart raced, but I knew what I had to do. I spoke with firm resolve. "I will not give Fenrik to you." Fenrik was my friend now. I had promised to protect him, no matter the cost, and I would not break that promise. Tobari's eyes narrowed. Anger and frustration flashed across his face. "If you don't give him to me," he spat, "I will take him myself. I will kill all of you without a second thought." His threat was deadly serious. He meant every word. But I did not flinch. I stood my ground. I would not let him take my friend. Not now, not ever.
The battlefield around us was tense, almost suffocating. The three dragon of Ashes—Tobari, Kazuma, and Renzo—stood together, like a wall of power and threat. Their presence alone was terrifying. Tobari's speed was almost unbelievable. It felt as if trying to keep up with him would be impossible. Despite this, my friend Myke and I stayed close to Fenrik, our priority clear: protect him at all costs. No matter what happened, Tobari could not reach him while we were there. Meanwhile, the rest of our friends leapt into the fray. Zeno, Akira, and Ryso went to face Renzo, while Leo, Kairo, renji and Haku prepared to fight against Kazuma. Each pair readied themselves, knowing this might be one of the hardest battles they had ever faced. Every heartbeat was tense, every second important.
Zeno, one of the fastest and strongest among us, acted quickly. With a movement almost too fast to follow, he transported Myke, Fenrik, and me far away from the ground. For a moment, we were safe. But Tobari was relentless. He followed immediately, catching up with frightening speed. At the same time, he transported Leo, Kairo, Renji, and Haku along with Kazuma to another battlefield. It was a clever tactic, splitting our forces, trying to weaken us. Then Tobari transported himself along with Akira and Ryso to face Renzo. The fights were beginning everywhere at once, and chaos was spreading. The first clear fight we could see was Akira, Zeno, and Ryso against Renzo. Every one of us was tense. One wrong move could be deadly.
The fight began with Renzo speaking, his voice carrying a mocking tone. "Do you really think you can defeat one of the Six Generals?" he said. "You three cannot defeat me easily. The Six Generals are far too strong. All of you will fail… except for Fenrik. He is weak compared to us, and you cannot protect him forever. I could even ask King Akumu to allow me to kill all of the Six Generals, including you, but he does not allow it. Still, I can fight all of you, and I will win." His words carried confidence. There was no hint of fear in his voice. He was certain of victory.
Ryso, calm and intelligent, answered him. "All six of you generals always say the same thing. You all claim you will crush us. You claim you are too strong. But in the end, you always lose to my friends. We never give up. We never fail. You may be strong, but our teamwork, our strategy, and our determination are stronger than you realize. Your confidence will not save you this time."
Renzo's expression remained unchanged. He spoke simply. "Talk less and fight," he said. Then, without any warning, his power erupted. His speed was incredible. He unleashed earth magic attacks against my friends with brutal force. Each strike was deadly, capable of causing serious damage. But Zeno was faster. He reacted quickly, saving everyone from the initial attack. He was always alert, always ready. Still, this was only Renzo's first attack. He had not even begun to show his full strength.
Then, Renzo made a dangerous move. He created around 100 clones of himself. Each clone was strong. They were not as powerful as Renzo, but each one was stronger than five Ember Guard soldiers. They surrounded us completely. Escape was nearly impossible. Renzo's smirk widened as he shouted, "You cannot hide from me. My clones will find you soon, and they will attack without mercy." The words sent a chill through us.
Ryso looked at our group seriously. "We cannot rush in without a plan," he said. "Renzo is strong. His clones make him even more dangerous. First, we must make a strategy. We must decide who fights whom and how we attack. Once we have a clear plan, we will strike. If we act without thinking, we will lose. We cannot let that happen."
Everyone nodded. We understood that strategy was as important as strength. Each of us checked our weapons, our magic, and our abilities. The battle was about to begin in earnest. The tension in the air was almost unbearable. Fenrik's life, our friends, and even the outcome of this war depended on this fight.
The scene was chaotic. Clones appeared everywhere. Magic flew in all directions. Our friends fought bravely, holding their ground against overwhelming odds. Zeno moved at incredible speed, protecting Myke and Fenrik while coordinating with Akira and Ryso. Every move we made had to be precise, or we could be crushed instantly.
Renzo laughed at our cautious approach. "Do you really think you can survive against me?" he said. "I have fought countless enemies before. None of them could defeat me. You three are no exception. Your friends will try to fight as well, but they will fall before they even land a hit."
Ryso's eyes never left Renzo. "You may be strong," he said calmly, "but you have never fought us as a team. You do not know what it is like when we protect each other. We will find your weakness and strike together. Your power alone is not enough to defeat all of us."
Renzo's clones moved closer, surrounding us even further. But our team remained calm. Each of us knew our role. Each of us knew how to fight, how to protect each other, and how to respond to Renzo's attacks. The battle had begun in full, and the first clash would determine the course of everything.