All across the battlefield, different fights had already begun. Dust rose everywhere, sounds of explosions echoed in the distance, and flashes of different colors filled the sky as abilities clashed. Among all these chaos-filled battles, one particular clash stood out, Tzarkhul against Caelus and Hugo.
Tzarkhul stood calmly, his four arms hanging loosely at his sides. The air around him trembled lightly, showing just how much elemental power he contained inside him. Caelus stood across from him, blade lowered but ready, his presence quiet yet sharp. Farther behind, at a safe distance where Tzarkhul could not easily reach him, Hugo prepared his longbow, his eyes already locked on their opponent.
Tzarkhul grinned. "Let's not waste time and start right away."
Caelus raised his sword slightly. "Was planning to do so. And don't think that this will be an easy fight?"
"I hope it isn't," Tzarkhul said with a widening grin. "Otherwise I'll be disappointed."
The moment the last word left his mouth, the battle began.
Tzarkhul wasted no time and hurled several fireballs at Caelus. The fireballs roared as they burst forward, glowing bright orange with intense heat. Caelus didn't even flinch, his body moved with effortless grace, stepping aside and letting each fireball pass him by without even brushing his clothes. The ground behind him exploded, but he kept moving, dashing forward with flowing speed. He swung his sword at Tzarkhul with all the force he could gather.
Tzarkhul reacted just as quickly. With a smooth twist of his body, he dodged the sword swing, his movements surprisingly light for someone with such a large body. Sparks scattered from Caelus's blade as it cut through empty air.
While the two were locked in their close-range exchange, Hugo took his chance. He stood far from the fight, far enough that Tzarkhul couldn't reach him unless he abandoned Caelus completely. Hugo pulled back his bowstring, the arrow glowing with cold blue light. With a calm breath, he fired an ice-infused arrow straight at Tzarkhul.
Tzarkhul was fully focused on Caelus, yet his other two free hands reacted without even needing his attention. They snapped forward, catching the arrow and snapping it apart. But the moment the arrow shattered, the ice magic activated, spreading instantly. A burst of frost engulfed Tzarkhul's hand, freezing it completely from wrist to fingertips.
For a second, just a single moment, Tzarkhul was open. Caelus saw it. He didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, energy and water gathering along the edge of his blade.
"Moonrip Current."
He swung vertically, and a crescent-shaped wave burst from his blade, sharp, glowing, filled with cutting water pressure and shimmering dreamlike energy. The attack struck Tzarkhul clean, slicing from abdomen to chest. It looked like a perfect strike.
Tzarkhul stood still, smiling faintly as if the attack did nothing. Then the pain arrived.
Like a delayed tidal wave, the damage surged through him. Tzarkhul winced, taking several steps back while holding one hand to his chest and another to his abdomen. The wound was deep and painful. With his third frozen hand burning with cold, he quickly summoned fire to melt the ice, freeing his limb from the frost.
He stared at Caelus with renewed interest.
"Very interesting techniques. But that isn't enough."
With that, Tzarkhul planted his feet firmly on the ground and prepared for his counterattack. Fire and earth swirled around two of his fists, heating them until they glowed with a black-red shine.
"Obsidian Fury Knuckle."
He leaped forward with incredible force and punched downward at Caelus. The punch was filled with violent energy, but Caelus managed to take a quick step back, avoiding the direct hit. Tzarkhul's fist struck the ground instead.
The entire area erupted. A volcanic shock blast burst outward, shaking the earth and turning the ground beneath Tzarkhul's fist into pure obsidian. The blast pushed Caelus back several steps. Caelus glanced at the hardened black glass and felt a wave of caution wash over him. One hit like that would easily crush him.
He wrapped himself in a thin layer of energy as extra protection. He couldn't afford mistakes.
Meanwhile, Hugo kept firing arrows relentlessly. And although Tzarkhul blocked each one with his two free hands, that was exactly what Hugo wanted. For every arrow Tzarkhul blocked, two of his hands were occupied, leaving only two left to fight Caelus. It evened the battlefield.
The fight grew more intense. Tzarkhul laughed with excitement, enjoying the thrill. He punched again and again with his volcanic fists, the air trembling with every hit. Caelus dodged, twisted, stepped aside, feeling the force rush past him every time. He couldn't dodge forever. He needed an opening.
That opening appeared when one of Hugo's arrows exploded on Tzarkhul's hand, breaking his rhythm. Caelus seized the chance.
He stepped back, inhaled slowly, placed one foot forward, and swung his sword.
"Falling Dream Sever."
A horizontal slash. Leaf-shaped slashes of water-energy drifted out, floating gently in the air like harmless petals. But after only a moment, they accelerated all at once, exploding forward from different angles and striking Tzarkhul repeatedly.
Tzarkhul staggered as the dreamlike blades sliced across his body, leaving deep wounds.
Hugo took this moment as well.
"Final Horizon Shot."
He fired a single arrow into the sky. The arrow rose high, then suddenly split into hundreds of smaller arrows that fell like deadly rain. Each one targeted a precise vital point on Tzarkhul's body. The rain of arrows struck him relentlessly, covering him with blood.
The combined attacks hit him hard. Yet he remained standing. Tzarkhul wiped away blood with the back of one hand and smirked. "Not bad. But that arrow guy is real annoying."
He placed both feet on the ground and used his earth magic. The battlefield trembled as the earth rose upward, forming a thick dome around him and Caelus. Hugo was left outside, unable to continue shooting without risking hitting Caelus.
Inside the dome, it was dark, until Tzarkhul used fire to light up the entire inner surface of the walls, revealing the enclosed space and the battlefield now limited to only the two of them.
Caelus tightened his grip on his sword. He felt the pressure rising. Tzarkhul attacked with all four hands now, sweeping movements that forced Caelus to block, dodge, and counter nonstop. Every clash of Caelus's blade against Tzarkhul's fists sent sharp vibrations through his arms.
Caelus began feeling overwhelmed. Tzarkhul was stronger in close combat, strong enough to crush him with a single mistake.
Then Tzarkhul spoke again. "Now let me end this."
All four elements gathered around one of his fists, fire swirling like a blazing storm, earth forming jagged stone around his knuckles, air circling like a fierce cyclone, and water spiraling around the fist like a raging tide.
"Cataclysmic Monarch Fist."
Caelus knew he couldn't dodge it. Running would mean death. Only one thing remained.
"Dreamfall Sever."
He stepped forward. And suddenly, everything turned silent.
Not frozen, not slowed, just calm. Peaceful. As if the world itself had paused to watch the moment. His blade glowed with pale soft light, like the last light of a fading dream. He made one gentle downward cut.
No sound.
No shockwave.
No spark.
Nothing dramatic.
It was a cut that looked like it shouldn't even hurt.
But when it met Tzarkhul's punch...The world split.
A silent shockwave burst outward, blasting the dome apart. Dust flew into the sky. Hugo saw the shockwave from far away and ran toward the area, worried.
Inside the destroyed dome, Caelus stood panting heavily, shoulders rising and falling with each breath. Behind him, Tzarkhul stood still.
Caelus exhaled with relief. It was finally over.
Or so he thought.
Tzarkhul's voice echoed calmly. "Interesting… interesting. I like you a lot."
Caelus froze in shock, turning sharply. Tzarkhul was smiling."I can finally go all out. So I thank you," he said. "And in return, I will gift you death."
He activated his most terrifying form.
"Elemental Cataclysm Form."
All four elements erupted at once. Fire formed wings behind him. Rocks covered his limbs. Water wrapped around his torso like armor. Air spun around him in a violent vortex. His fist now looked like a living natural disaster.
Caelus, exhausted but determined, lifted his sword again. Hugo saw Tzarkhul's monstrous form and quickly took position, readying his bow for another round.
The fight was far from over. In fact, it was about to become something far worse.