The wind had fallen silent. The air shimmered with heat and Solar residue, every grain of red sand trembling in anticipation. Rayen and Atank stared at each other from across the cracked wasteland—two forces of nature ready to destroy everything in their path.
In a blink of an eye—BOOM!—they vanished.
The ground exploded where they stood. In the next instant, they clashed in midair—Rayen's shadow-spiked fists against Atank's glowing blades. The collisions echoed like thunder, each strike forming violent shockwaves that split the ground beneath their feet.
Jessica shielded her eyes. "I—I can't even see them anymore!"
T-Rex clenched his jaw, his voice steady but low. "You're not supposed to. That's not a fight… that's a storm."
Through that storm, black flames and golden light clashed again and again. Rayen's fists blurred as he unleashed Shadow Jab—1000 Strikes! Each punch sliced through the air like a meteor shower, hammering against Atank's defense.
Atank smirked, calm amid the chaos. His silver Sword gleamed, leaving trails of radiant arcs through the air. "You really thought this old move would work on me again?"
With a roar, he swung his sword downward—a blinding golden slash tearing through everything in its path. The impact cleaved the spiky mountain behind Rayen in half, sending rocks crashing and the entire battlefield shaking.
Rayen was thrown back, his body slamming into the cracked earth, blood dripping from his mouth. But his eyes—burning with black flame—refused to dim. He pushed himself up, whispering hoarsely, "No matter how many times I fall… I'll rise again."
He bolted forward, his speed tearing the air apart. But Atank read his movement perfectly. In one fluid motion, he sidestepped, flipped behind Rayen, and drove a devastating kick into his back.
CRACK!
Rayen's body plummeted, slamming into the ground with a deafening explosion. Dust spiraled high into the air.
Atank landed gracefully, spinning his sword in his hand. "You're strong, kid," he said coldly, "but strength without control is just noise." He lifted his blade toward the sky. "You see this? This sword… it's not just a weapon." The silver surface shimmered with blue light. "It's a Silver Amulet—a relic that multiplies my Solar output by one hundred. And every Solar ability it touches—turns to nothing."
Rayen's expression hardened. "Nullify… again?"
Atank smiled. "Not just nullify." He raised his sword high. "Obliterate."
Blue light began to swirl around his weapon, condensing into a deadly beam. The entire ground vibrated. The sky above darkened. Then, with a swing—BOOOOOOM!—a blinding blue Beam erupted, crashing toward Rayen like a divine judgment.
Rayen barely had time to react. "Shadow dome he yelled, forming a massive, swirling barrier of dark energy in front of him.
The beam hit.
The collision was apocalyptic. A blinding blue and black explosion engulfed the desert. The ground fractured open, forming deep cracks that stretched for miles. Rayen's shield held—but barely. The sheer force broke the earth beneath him, sending him tumbling down into the crater.
Jessica screamed, "RAYEN!!"
T-Rex gritted his teeth. "He's not dead yet. I can still feel his energy… weak, but burning."
Inside the crater, Rayen was down on one knee, gasping for breath, his hands trembling. Above him, Atank descended slowly, walking through the smoke like a god of war. His blade glowed faintly blue, still humming with Solar power.
Atank looked down at the broken fighter and said quietly, "This is your end."
He raised the Silver Amulet high, ready to drive it through Rayen's chest. The sunlight gleamed along its edge.
But then—something pulsed.
Atank froze. His senses screamed danger. His eyes darted upward.
Across the entire battlefield, the sky shimmered black—hundreds of Shadow Necroballs were floating silently in the air, like dark suns orbiting above them. Each one crackled with deadly energy.
Jessica gasped. "When did he—?"
T-Rex's eyes widened. "He's been charging them… this entire time."
Atank turned his head slowly toward Rayen, whose lips curled into a faint, broken grin. "You were too focused on your power to notice," Rayen said weakly, his voice rough but calm. "You thought I was finished?" He raised one trembling hand, forming a sign. "Big mistake."
He snapped his fingers.
BOOM!
The entire horizon detonated. Every Shadow Necroball crashed down in a chain of colossal explosions. The ground shook violently as black flames erupted skyward, swallowing Atank in a sphere of destruction.
Jessica and T-Rex fell back, shielding themselves as shockwaves roared past them. "What the hell is that!?" she shouted.
"Rayen's trump card…" T-Rex murmured. "He turned the whole battlefield into a bomb."
The light faded slowly. The smoke cleared.
Rayen stood inside a half-destroyed crater, breathing heavily. His shield shimmered faintly around him, cracking but still intact.
He lowered it and looked up. "Did I get you?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.
Through the swirling dust, a silhouette moved.
Atank.
Still standing. His face was cut, his chest bleeding, but his golden eyes burned brighter than ever. He wiped the blood from his mouth and whispered coldly, "You actually hurt me."
Rayen clenched his fists, shadow flames reigniting behind him.
Atank raised his sword, the air trembling around him. "That's the first time in years anyone's managed to make me bleed." He took a step forward, Solar energy swirling violently around his body. "Now I'll make sure you regret it."
The ground cracked beneath both their feet as their auras collided once more—shadow and light, darkness and flame.
T-Rex stared, whispering, "The next hit… will decide who lives."
Rayen gritted his teeth, shadow fire crawling up his arms. "I told you before," he growled. "Today, one of us dies."
Atank smirked, his blade gleaming under the burning sun. "Then come, shadow boy. Let's end this."
To be continued