The med team bursts into the arena, the smell of frost still hanging heavy in the air. Hiruzen lies motionless, his breath shallow. Emma sprints beside the stretchers, shouting for clearance as they rush him into the arena’s med bay.

  Dean Frederick steps back to the podium, his voice amplified through the stadium’s sound system.

  Dean Frederick: Alright, alright, students, settle down.

  (he waits for the murmurs to fade)

  I know that last match was… intense. Let it serve as a reminder — these Midterms aren’t for show. They’re survival. Now, we’ll begin the sixth round.

  Kai Almenara and Owen Dykuma, to the arena.

  Kai jumps up from the stands, flames instinctively sparking at his fingertips. His crimson aura flickers with excitement and pride.

  Kai: Heh, looks like it’s finally my turn.

  Mai grabs his wrist before he can leave. Her voice trembles slightly.

  Mai: Be careful, alright? You saw what happened to Hiruzen — we don’t need another stretcher scene.

  Jonathan: Yeah. And don’t forget your little rivalry promise. You can’t keep it if you’re in traction, man.

  Kai smirks, sliding his crimson jacket on and slicking his flame-colored hair back with a bit of grease.

  Kai: Relax. Ice Head’s tougher than he looks. He’ll pull through.

  And when he does… we’ll talk.

  He steps into the arena, firelight already licking across his shoulders like a living aura. On the opposite end, Owen Dykuma emerges from the shadows — his robe trailing, his face half-covered in desert wraps, calm and unshaken.

  The RefBot hovers between them.

  RefBot: You two know the rules by now. Ready?

  Kai: Hell yeah.

  Owen: Ready.

  RefBot: Then let Round Six... BEGIN!

  Kai bursts forward like a missile, fist blazing, the air cracking from heat displacement. Owen merely raises a hand — and a wall of sand surges up, swallowing the blow like quicksand.

  Kai: What the hell—?!

  Before he can pull back, the sand coils up his arm, snuffing out the flames.

  Owen (calmly): This will be over quickly. Best not to struggle.

  Kai: Oh yeah? Watch me.

  His eyes flare, and the heat spikes. Flames reach 2,900°F, and the sand around his fist melts to glass with a hiss — then shatters in a burst of embers.

  Owen blinks in surprise.

  Owen: Impressive. I didn’t expect that level of thermal focus from you.

  Kai: Yeah, well… I’m not just a pretty face.

  Owen (deadpan): Pretty? You’re easily the ugliest guy in this entire academy.

  Kai: …WHAT did you just say to me?!

  Owen: You heard me.

  That’s all it takes. Kai’s flames explode beneath his feet — launching him skyward. He flips midair, his body wrapped in fire, and dives with a blazing fist. The sand wall reforms — too slow. Kai rockets over it, delivering a flaming headbutt to Owen that sends him crashing to the ground.

  Owen (gritting his teeth): Damn you...

  He slams his palms together. The sand around him whirls violently, condensing into a massive arm and sword.

  Kai: Finally getting serious? About time.

  The colossal sand blade comes down like an avalanche. Kai dodges the strike — only to be backhanded by the massive sand fist, sent skidding across the arena floor in a trail of fire.

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  Kai: Tch… strong and annoying.

  He wipes blood from his lip and reignites. This time, the air warps from the intensity. His flames flare so hot they singe the edge of the audience barrier.

  In a blur, he’s gone.

  The next instant — CRACK! — Kai’s knee smashes into Owen’s gut, followed by a barrage of punches that detonate like mini-explosions. Owen’s sand armor begins to crack.

  Kai pulls back his glowing hand.

  Kai (calmly): Heatwave Flash.

  A searing beam of fire erupts point-blank, engulfing both of them. The explosion rattles the stands.

  Smoke. Silence.

  Kai leaps out of the cloud, landing lightly.

  Kai: Heh, looks like it’s over. Guess you lo—

  He gasps — looking down at the sand spike lodged in his side, blood seeping through his jacket.

  Kai: What… when did—

  From the smoke, Owen steps forward, pieces of molten sand armor cracking and falling off his body.

  Owen: If not for this armor, I’d be ash. But now... it’s my turn.

  He claps his hands. The entire arena trembles as the sand erupts into a swirling storm.

  A dome of sand encloses them, sealing off the sky. Inside, hundreds of sand-forged weapons — spears, axes, swords — orbit them in perfect synchrony.

  Owen: This is my ultimate move... Storm of the Shifting Throne.

  Here, I cannot lose.

  Kai: Heh. Yeah? I’ve heard that before.

  Owen raises an eyebrow.

  Owen: No one outside can see inside this dome, by the way.

  Kai’s smirk widens.

  Kai: Perfect. Then you’re the only one who’ll see this. Don’t tell a soul, yeah?

  The temperature spikes again — but this time, the flames shift hue. From red... to white. The air itself bends. The sand dome begins to melt into glass.

  Kai’s eyes go pitch black, irises glowing crimson.

  Owen steps back instinctively.

  Owen: Wh–What are you?

  Kai (low, distorted): The thing about my family, Owen...

  We’ve got demons in our blood.

  In a blur of red light, Kai is gone.

  He appears in front of Owen — his fist buried in the boy’s gut. The sound is like a thunderclap. Before Owen can gasp, Kai unleashes a flurry of fifty strikes, each one detonating with shockwaves that ripple through the dome.

  Owen’s body is flung like a ragdoll into the wall.

  Desperate, he slams a bloodied palm into the sand.

  Owen: I… won’t… lose!

  A colossal golem erupts from the dome wall, towering over Kai. Its roar shakes the air.

  The golem’s fist descends — and freezes midair.

  Not from ice. From heat.

  The sand has vitrified — turned to glass in an instant.

  Kai touches its surface, and with a whisper of pressure, the entire structure shatters into crystalline shards.

  Kai: Now… let’s end this.

  The dome glows red, the air thick with static. Flames spiral around Kai like a cyclone. He mutters a single word, his voice both human and otherworldly.

  Kai (whispering): π?ταγο?.

  The world goes white.

  A thermobaric explosion tears through the arena — vaporizing the dome, scorching the battlefield, and leaving nothing but molten glass and fire.

  When the smoke clears, Kai stands — clothes shredded, blood on his lips — holding Owen by the collar.

  He tosses him into the wall, flames still dancing around his feet.

  Kai (calmly): If I hadn’t shielded you just now, there wouldn’t be bones left. So… you better thank me.

  Owen (trembling): Y–Y–Yeah… th-thank you.

  Kai: Good boy.

  He turns, raising his voice.

  Kai: RefBot — call it. He’s done.

  RefBot: Owen, can you continue?

  Silence.

  RefBot: Owen?

  Owen (weakly): I… I give up.

  RefBot: Then the winner of the sixth round is… Kai Almenara!

  The crowd erupts. The roar of applause echoes off molten walls.

  Kai walks out of the arena, the flames around him finally dying out. Mai and Jonathan rush up to meet him.

  Mai: Jeez, Kai! You never listen to me, do you?!

  Kai (grinning): Nope. But this time was different.

  Jonathan: Different? Dude, that guy’s traumatized. What the hell did he do to you?

  Kai: He called me ugly. So I corrected him.

  Mai (sighing): You’re impossible.

  Kai (smirking): Maybe. But that’s why you guys love me.

  They laugh as they walk off — but Mai’s smile fades for just a moment.

  She swears she sees embers still flickering in Kai’s shadow... long after his flames are gone.

  End Chapter