"Hey… long time no see," Blaze said, smirking at Sultan.
Sultan stood still, eyes narrowing in disbelief.
"So, you're alive," he muttered darkly. "Didn't think you'd get back up after that beating."
Blaze tilted his head, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile.
"Alive and kicking," he replied. "And itching for round two."
Sultan's eyes gleamed with malice. "Then let me put you out of your misery."
Blaze shifted into a stance—his body loose, but his presence heavy. The air seemed to tilt around him, like the atmosphere itself bent to his will. He glanced upward, speaking almost in a whisper:
"Oh? Is that what you wanna do?"
Then his voice cracked like thunder.
"COME THEN!!"
He threw his arms wide, laughter dancing on his lips, eyes burning with madness. His smile stretched—wild, reckless, fearless—like a man who had nothing to lose and everything to prove.
"Jakson, you can't just rush into battle like that," Sage said firmly.
Blaze raised a brow, frowning stylishly. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Sage kept his voice steady. "We both know how strong Sultan is. Before you even got up, he tanked two heavy hits—one from Tyler and one from me. Don't go in recklessly."
Blaze scoffed. "Yeah, those were your moves. Not mine. I fight differently."
Sage stepped closer. "I get it—you're fired up. But we should take him on as a team."
Blaze glanced around the battlefield, then smirked. "A team, huh? The others are down. It's just the three of us left. And out of the three, one's barely standing, and the other's looking winded. I'm the only one fit to go another round, Sage. Let me handle him."
Sage hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. But I'm still backing you up."
Blaze shrugged. "Do what you want."
He paused, then asked, "Where's Tyler, anyway?"
"Over there." Sage pointed northward. "He's resting, trying to recover."
Blaze turned north and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Tyler! You good over there? Don't worry—once I'm done with this guy, we're heading home to rest."
Lying among the rubble, Thunderstorm cracked a faint smile. "You idiot," he muttered.
Then, louder, "Just don't lose to him! If you do, I'm officially ranking you the weakest out of all of us!"
Blaze scoffed, smirking. "Me? Weakest? Yeah, right."
He turned back to Sultan, his expression sharpening.
"You ready?"
Sultan flexed his fingers, his aura rippling like a furnace. "So you're done chatting. Good. And yes—I'm more than ready."
Blaze reached for his sword—World Cutter.
As his fingers wrapped around the hilt, the two-headed serpent handles hissed to life, spitting twin streams of flame along the blade's edge.
The flames danced wildly, hungry for battle.
Blaze smirked at the weapon, whispering, "You missed me, huh? Yeah… I missed you too."
He raised the sword and pointed it at Sultan.
"Now, let's go cut down a god."
There was silence at first.
Tension crackled in the air.
Then, both fighters stepped forward—slow at first. Walks turned to strides… strides into jogs… jogs into a full-on sprint.
BOOM!
They collided with thunderous force.
Blaze's blade danced through the air—fast, precise, ruthless. Sultan weaved through the strikes with supernatural agility, his eyes tracking every motion. Then, with a twist of his fist, he activated his power.
Lithokinesis.
From the ground, sharp rocks erupted like missiles, tearing through the air.
Blaze didn't flinch.
His sword, World Cutter, blazed with fury as it sliced through the flying debris like butter. Shards of stone scattered like sparks in the wind.
Then—suddenly—Blaze sheathed his sword.
He dropped into a new stance—fists clenched, feet grounded, posture like a seasoned kickboxer. Flames engulfed his hands, licking up to his forearms, burning with wild intent.
Sultan snarled and charged in.
What followed was a brutal, elemental slugfest.
Fists flew. Fire met stone.
Every punch carried elemental wrath—flaming jabs, rocky uppercuts, explosive counters. Blaze ducked under a punch and came up with a fiery hook. Sultan retaliated with a stone-covered elbow that cracked the ground when Blaze blocked it.
Their movements blurred—two titans trading blows in a ballet of destruction.
Blaze took a solid hit to the ribs—but he only grinned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Heh… now this is what I call a fight."
Blaze closed the distance in a blink.
He seized Sultan by the collar, yanked him forward—
CRACK!
—a savage head-butt split the air.
Before Sultan could even refocus, Blaze hammered rapid-fire punches into the god's chest—each blow a cannon shot of molten heat. Ribs groaned, golden armor dented.
Then Blaze pivoted, kicked off the cracked earth, and launched a scorching drop-kick that caught Sultan square in the sternum.
The god rocketed backward.
Blaze didn't let up. He flipped mid-air, feet first, chasing his target like a guided missile. The moment Sultan's back slammed into a high-rise façade—
> BOOOOM!
—Blaze crashed into him, driving them both straight through concrete and steel.
They tore through floor after floor, a blazing comet of destruction.
Flames ignited along Blaze's boots, jetting backward like a rocket thruster. The blast burned across Sultan's torso, searing flesh and armor alike as they plowed through the building's core.
By the time they burst out the far side in a storm of rubble and embers, Sultan's robes smoldered and his divine aura flickered—while Blaze hovered in mid-air, boots still roaring with white-hot fire, eyes set on the next strike.
Sultan emerged from the shattered building, his robe charred and his breath uneven. He looked up, eyes narrowing at the blazing figure still hovering mid-air.
"You're something else…" he muttered. "But tell me—why weren't you in this form when we last fought?"
Blaze smirked, fire dancing around his arms like living serpents. "Because back then, I was caught off guard. This time, I'm fully aware… and I'm not holding anything back."
Sultan clenched his fists, stone cracking beneath his grip. "Then I won't either."
In a flash, the battlefield reignited. Both titans clashed—move for move, strike for strike. The air boomed with each impact as fire clashed against stone, raw power sending shockwaves across the ruined cityscape.
Meanwhile, Sage watched from a distance, panting slightly, his robes fluttering in the wind.
Footsteps approached.
"Timothy… is that you?" Sage turned, eyes widening.
"Not just me," Vilex replied with a weary smile, arm slung around Rudy—Dark Flame—who helped him stay upright.
Sage let out a relieved breath. "Glad to see you both alive."
"Is it just you two out here?" Rudy asked, scanning the field.
"No, Tyler's over there, resting." Sage pointed to a battered stretch of ground where Thunderstorm lay catching his breath.
Vilex straightened his back. "The others should be on their way. Once they're up, we move in."
Rudy grinned, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Jakson's really tearing it up. I want in on the action."
Sage raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we wait for the others, Captain?"
Vilex nodded. "Don't worry. But let Rudy go—he's been itching for a fight."
"Thank you, Cap!" Rudy shot into the air, flames trailing behind him.
Sage turned back to Vilex. "Are you okay to fight?"
"I'll be fine," Vilex replied, adjusting his bow. "Let those two soften him up first."
---
Up above, the battle raged—Blaze and Sultan locked in a blur of motion. Flame and earth clashed in mid-air as their fists collided again and again.
Then, without warning, a shadow dropped in from above.
BOOM.
A powerful presence landed beside Blaze.
"Mind if I join in?" Dark Flame asked, his tone laced with confidence as blue flames flared around him.
Blaze gave him a quick glance. "Stay back. This is my fight."
"Oh, shut up. You need my help, you moron," Rudy said playfully.
"I'm doing fine. Where were you anyway?" Blaze fired back.
"I was looking for your dumb self," Rudy replied with a smirk. "Thought you were buried under the rubble. Then the Captain told me you were going toe-to-toe with Sultan, and well… I couldn't resist."
Blaze's smirk widened. "So the Captain's back on his feet? Now we're talking."
Without another word, the two exchanged a quick signal—a nod, a grin—and charged toward Sultan, flames surging in unison.
Sultan braced himself as the ground trembled beneath him. A wall of stone surged upward to shield him just as Blaze and Dark Flame descended with explosive force.
BOOM!
Blaze crashed through the stone wall with flaming fists, the World Cutter sheathed behind his back. He spun mid-air, his right leg igniting like a rocket, and delivered a flaming axe-kick, shattering Sultan's defense.
Before Sultan could recover, Dark Flame appeared behind him, blue fire twisting around his staff like a raging serpent.
"Let me show you how royalty fights," Rudy growled, slamming his staff into the ground. Blue fire erupted in a wave beneath Sultan, sending molten rock splashing upward.
Sultan roared, launching backward, but Blaze intercepted him mid-air.
"I said we're not done!" Blaze shouted, grabbing Sultan by the collar mid-flight. He spun, flames swirling around his arms like twin dragons, and hurled Sultan toward a collapsing building.
As Sultan crashed through the debris, Rudy soared above him, twirling his staff like a spear.
"Your arrogance ends here!" he shouted, and from the sky, he launched a spear of pure blue fire, trailing sparks like a comet.
KRAKOOM!
The impact exploded in a blinding flash. Smoke rose, rubble scattered. For a moment, silence.
Then—a massive boulder was flung from the smoke.
Sultan emerged, body scorched, armor cracked, but still standing.
"You think… two of you are enough?" he growled, voice ragged. "You're strong… but I am unstoppable!"
Blaze wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. "Yeah? We're just getting warmed up."
He unsheathed the World Cutter, the twin serpent handles glowing red-hot. The blade ignited instantly, its fiery edge screaming with energy.
Rudy landed beside him, blue fire coiling around his shoulders.
The two stood side by side—Blaze's red flames crackling wildly, Dark Flame's blue fire pulsing with control. Together, they radiated heat like twin suns.
Blaze cracked his knuckles. "Let's melt this bastard."
Rudy grinned. "With pleasure."
Sultan raised both arms, and a storm of boulders and jagged rock blades lifted into the air behind him. The sky darkened.
In the blink of an eye, the trio charged.
Blaze dodged the first volley of rock blades with blinding speed, his flaming sword carving a path through stone. He spun and slashed, each move fluid and precise.
Rudy danced beside him, his blue fire spiraling outward in perfect control. He struck with his staff, igniting explosions that deflected Sultan's attacks before they landed.
Then—they combined.
"Ready?!" Blaze yelled.
"Let's go!" Rudy answered.
Blaze vaulted into the air, and Rudy launched him with a blast of blue flame. Mid-air, Blaze spun and called out—
"DRAGON FANG!"
The World Cutter extended unnaturally, its blade forming the burning shape of a dragon's head. He descended like a meteor, the flaming dragon roaring down with him.
Sultan tried to guard—but from the other side, Rudy whispered—
"Royal Burst."
An eruption of blue fire shattered Sultan's left flank, breaking his balance.
Blaze's dragon-shaped slash collided point-blank.
KABOOM!!
A firestorm exploded outward, flattening buildings and shaking the battlefield. The shockwave sent debris flying in all directions.
Smoke covered the area.
As it cleared, Blaze stood in the center, sword on his shoulder, breathing heavily. Rudy landed beside him, slightly winded but smirking.
Sultan was on one knee, coughing, blood dripping from his lip.
"This… isn't over," he said, trembling.
Blaze pointed his sword at him. "Then stand up. We're just getting started."