The black fog that had swallowed Auren's body cracked from the inside. First a ripple, then a violent tear, until the darkness itself split apart like shredded cloth. A hiss burned the air—purple flames leaked from his left eye. It was not fire of this world, no heat, no smoke, only raw force shaped like flame.

Auren stood there, chest heaving, shoulders hunched. But his gaze… sharp, merciless. That single eye burned as if it carried the will of something older than life.

Gasps erupted through the giant hall. For a heartbeat, no one moved.

Nyra's lips parted, her throat dry. "That… pressure…"Nova's brush halted mid-stroke, ink dripping from his fingers. Even Dax, who had fought death itself more than once, clenched his jaw. His iron veins pulsed like they recognized the storm.

Above them, Aazin stumbled a step back in the very air, as if the space itself bent under that flame. Ryzin's grin cracked into silence. His eyes narrowed, reading what others could not.

"Vitara…? Aazin muttered, his voice ragged, shaken. "That… raw force…?"

The hall trembled as whispers shot through the soldiers and phantoms alike. They had seen powers, yes. Bloodlines. Domains. Summons. But this… this was something else.

Auren clenched his fists. His heartbeat pounded against his ribs like drums of war. He didn't ask for this power. He didn't even understand it. All he knew—if he fell here, everyone behind him would collapse. No giants, no summons left. Just empty hope.

And that thought fueled the flame further.

The silence was shattered with a roar.

Dax's roar.

His body writhed as metal veins tore out from under his skin. They snaked, clicked, and locked together, forming plates over muscle, layering him in an armor that wasn't forged but grown. His flesh fused with iron, his frame expanding. CLANG! CLANG! Each piece snapped into place until he stood reborn. A terminator. His mask sealed with a final slam, leaving only two glowing red eyes.

The phantoms flinched. Some stepped back. Even Nova cursed under his breath.

"Dax…" Nyra hissed, but her eyes burned with fierce pride. She threw her palm to the ground.

A circle of fire ripped open, symbols etched into the marble itself. The hall shook as two colossal figures burst out.

The first—a wolf taller than ten men, its ribs showing, silver bones glowing under torn skin. Its eyes burned with golden fire, saliva dripping like molten iron.

The second—a scaled serpent, six horns curling like crowns, storm clouds gathering with every breath. Thunder cracked in its throat.

"Fenra! Zarkis!" Nyra named them, her voice steady.

Both beasts howled together, shaking every pillar in the hall.

Nova's trembling hand steadied. He snapped his brush into the air, his canvas floating upright, glowing with strokes of living paint. His brush moved like lightning. Each line he carved into the air burned brighter until the painting itself ripped free. Colors twisted, skin formed, steel sharpened.

A knight, tall as a tower, stood. Its armor still dripping with fresh paint, its spear sharp, hollow eyes alive with something more than creation.

The knight raised its spear and screamed, a sound that wasn't a voice but an echo.

The battlefield shifted.

Above, Ryzin finally moved.

Blue flames exploded, circling him in twin rings. The larger halo spun above his head, wide as a house, drops of water falling but never reaching the ground. The smaller circled his waist, tight, fierce, radiating pressure. His entire body gleamed as if he stood underwater, wrapped in sapphire light.

His smirk returned, cold and cruel. "You think purple flame makes you choose, Kid? I'll show you the tide that drowns hope."

The moment his words ended, he dove.

Wind cracked.

But Auren did not flinch. His purple eye blazed brighter, the flame licking the air, bending it. When Aazin lunged, sword drawn, cutting arcs sharp enough to slice steel, Auren raised his hand. Barehanded.

CRACK!

Metal met raw force. The sound rang across the hall like a bell of war. Sparks and purple fragments scattered.

"Break—!" Auren's voice thundered.

Purple energy shot through his palm. Aazin's blade screamed, trembling. His wrist bent back, his arm forced away. Aazin's eyes widened, the disbelief carved deep.

And Auren countered. His fist slammed into Aazin's chest, purple flame trailing like a comet.

BOOM!

Aazin flew back, blood spraying, crashing mid-air. Soldiers screamed. The walls shook.

"Impossible…" someone whispered.

But no time to breathe.

Ryzin crashed into Dax. Metal fists slammed against blue halos. Sparks, water, steam—every hit like a storm colliding with a mountain.

"IRON CANNON!" Dax's gauntlet expanded, a cylinder glowing red, firing a point-blank blast of kinetic energy.

Ryzin spun, his halo thickening."AQUA HALO—SHIELD!"

The cannon slammed into the barrier, exploded. Steam blinded the hall. Dax staggered but stood firm. Ryzin slid back, water dripping like blood.

Vaslimo chose that moment to enter.

The wall cracked. Stone shattered. Dust rained. The giant, towering over even Nyra's summons, stepped through. His eyes glowed with ancient fury. His hammer dragged behind, carving lines through the ground.

The phantoms froze. Some screamed. His shadow swallowed them whole.

"Vaslimo…" Nova whispered, sweat dripping.

But his knight moved. The painted creature leveled its spear and charged.

The clash was instant. The spear thrust. Vaslimo caught it in one hand. His grip bent steel. "A toy?" he growled, voice like thunder.

The knight screeched, its body pulsing, paint dripping like blood. In desperation, it snapped its own spear in half and drove both ends into the giant's chest.

CRASH!

Vaslimó staggered. Blood sprayed. His teeth bared.

Nyra's beasts leapt. Fenra sank golden fangs into Vaslimo's shoulder, tearing flesh. Zarkis coiled his legs, tightening, storms raging across his scales.

The hall was chaos—roars, clashes, screams, fire, ink, thunder.

And in the center stood Auren.

His body trembled. His skin cracked where the purple flame burst out, thin lines spreading like lightning scars. His chest ached with each breath, but he forced himself to stand tall.

If I fall here… everything ends. No giants left. No summons left. Just despair. I cannot… I will not…

The flame inside surged higher, fed by desperation. His voice broke but carried like steel:

"I will not let this hall break!"

The words weren't just words—they were an oath. His aura surged, purple fire flooding the battlefield, forcing even Aazin and Ryzin to shield their eyes.

And then—he charged.

Straight at Aazin.

[They both have already reached the ground. Auren doesn't know how to stay on air, so he collides]

Aazin wiped the blood from his lips, eyes narrowing at the boy standing before him. Purple flames licked from Auren's eye, making the air ripple, but Aazin's smirk returned—dark, venomous.

"You think raw will alone makes you strong?" he hissed, voice slithering like poison. His arms stretched, veins swelling. The black fog twisted around him, shaping into scales. His jaw cracked wider, his tongue forked into two. His pupils narrowed into slits. The hall quaked as his frame stretched, shoulders broadening, his skin glowing with oily black.

Aazin wasn't human anymore. He was something else.

"Let me show you the true hunt, little spark."

The fog condensed into a monstrous aura, his back arching, tail half-formed. The hiss filled every corner. He raised both arms and screamed the name of his attack.

"BLACK MAMBA!"

From his mouth, venomous energy poured—thick streams of darkness, glowing green inside, spiraling like serpents. They slithered through the air, snapping, biting at everything they touched. The marble floor corroded, sizzling like acid. Pillars melted into black slime.

Auren braced himself. His flame surged, but the first serpent slammed into him. BOOM! Purple light collided with venom, exploding mid-air, but another snake bit his shoulder. His flesh burned instantly, purple sparks flaring in pain. He roared but didn't fall.

The second serpent coiled its waist, the third sank its fangs into his thigh. The venom burned deeper, crawling inside. Auren's knees shook.

"Auren!" Vivi's scream tore the air, but no one could move. Even Dax, locked with Ryzin, could only glance for a split second, his iron mask reflecting the glow.

Aazin laughed, a shriek more than a voice. His semi-snake form slithered across the hall, eyes glowing. "Fight me, boy! Or rot inside my venom!" His tail whipped, smashing tables into splinters. His claws raked the air, sending more waves of black serpents at Auren.

The purple flame tried—flaring, bursting, burning off some of the poison—but the venom was endless. Every time he shattered one serpent, three more grew from the fog. His chest heaved, breath shallow, vision shaking.

He raised his hand again, purple sparks crackling, but the Black Mamba's coils tightened, snapping bone, tearing flesh. His roar broke into a choked gasp.

Then—Aazin struck. His semi-snake body shot forward, fangs bared, biting into Auren's shoulder with all the force of a beast that had killed thousands.

The hall echoed with the impact. Purple flame burst like shattered glass. The venom spread in a wave, swallowing the glow, leaving only smoke, cracks, and silence.

The phantoms froze. Nyra's summons howled but faltered. Nova's brush stopped mid-air. Even Ryzin glanced, his smirk vanishing for the first time.

Aazin pulled back, blood dripping from his fangs, black venom sizzling in the wound. He hissed, chest rising, falling, eyes gleaming with cruel triumph.

The smoke cleared, slowly, painfully.

Auren's body lay half-crushed under the venom's weight. His purple flame flickered, weak, almost gone. His eyes closed. His chest is still.

The hall went cold.

And the question hung in the air, burning in everyone's heart—

Is Auren alive?

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