A strange stillness fell over the arena as Leon slowly lifted his head, eyes dim yet determined. Then, without hesitation, he whispered something under his breath—words only he and the shadows understood.
"Take control."
In an instant, a dark aura surged around his body, engulfing him like a storm. His once-calm presence twisted into something feral. His eyes turned blood-red, glowing with sinister intent. The air trembled.
A deep, unnatural voice rumbled from Leon's throat, no longer sounding like his own.
"Now… it's my turn."
With terrifying speed, he blinked—disappearing from sight and reappearing right behind Rahul. Before Rahul could react, a solid punch slammed into his back, launching him across the battlefield. He crashed hard, rolling over the stone floor.
Struggling to rise, Rahul barely got a breath when Leon—or rather, Shadow Leon—appeared again. Without mercy, he climbed onto Rahul's chest and grabbed his arm with crushing force.
Then the breaking began.
Rahul screamed as his arm was bent, twisted, and nearly snapped. Shadow Leon didn't hesitate, showing no emotion—only a brutal, vicious hunger. His glowing eyes stared into Rahul's with a cold promise of destruction.
From the observation deck, the principal's expression darkened.
"This… this match ended minutes ago. That aura—it's not normal. This isn't Leon anymore.."
The intensity of the dark energy pouring from Leon was overwhelming, even from afar. The principal signaled his staff. "Get down there—now. Stop this before it's too late."
Meanwhile, in the VIP section, Rahul's father stood frozen, watching his son suffer. But that moment of stillness didn't last. Rage exploded from within him, and a brilliant force erupted from his body—his aura blasting outwards, causing even the spectators nearby to stumble and gasp for air.
As he was about to charge into the arena, a voice stopped him.
"No one will interfere!"
It was Rahul.
Beaten, bloodied, and nearly broken—he still stood. He shouted loud enough to silence even the winds.
"This fight is mine! If a true warrior can't risk his life in battle, then he doesn't deserve to be called a man!"
His eyes burned with unshaken spirit.
"I haven't lost yet—AND I NEVER WILL!"
From the top rows of the stadium, Bright leaned forward, his sharp eyes locked onto Rahul. A faint smile appeared on his face, filled with pride and certainty.
"I knew it," he muttered, then raised his voice with a fierce grin.
"Come on, Rahul! Now show them the result of your training!"
Down in the cratered arena, Rahul stood in silence, blood dripping, his breath heavy—but his spirit unshaken. He closed his eyes, and a calm wave settled over him.
He could feel it—the power within him—burning brighter, demanding to be unleashed.
"Time to push further."
His contract mark flared on his forehead, and suddenly, his flames ignited again—stronger, fiercer. The aura around him surged as the Phoenix's contract lifted from 5% to 10%.
BOOOOOM!
An explosion of golden fire erupted from Rahul's body. The shockwave blasted Leon backward, sending him skidding across the battlefield. Dust and flame danced in the air.
Leon rose to his feet, wiping blood from his lip. His glowing red eyes narrowed as he glared at Rahul from afar.
"What… the hell is this?" he growled.
"How did his power spike so high?"
As the dust cleared, Rahul emerged—reborn in flame.
His right hand had transformed into a Phoenix Claw, wrapped in blazing fire, yet forged like steel—unyielding and deadly. Each movement radiated immense energy. His presence was no longer just strong—it was dominating.
He clenched his clawed fist, feeling the sheer intensity pulsing through him.
"I can feel it," he whispered, his voice calm and deadly.
"This is the 10%… of the Phoenix power ."
Rahul didn't waste another second.
Fueled by newfound strength, he surged forward—his body a blur of flames—as he charged toward Leon with unrelenting speed.
Leon blinked, vanishing just in time to dodge. But Rahul had already predicted the move.
A fierce grin spread across Rahul's face.
"Got you."
He spun around mid-air and caught Leon by the neck.
With a mighty roar, Rahul slammed Leon into the ground like a meteor. The earth beneath them cracked open, sending another wave of tremors through the arena. Dust exploded outward, covering half the stadium.
Leon coughed, blood escaping his mouth, but slowly lifted to his feet—his eyes not of fear, but pure resolve.
Without a word, Leon pulled out his shadow blade… and then did something that shocked everyone—
He stabbed it into his own chest.
Gasps echoed across the battlefield. Rahul's eyes widened in disbelief. Even the audience, the staff, and the principal stood frozen, stunned.
The shadow surrounding Leon surged violently, and from the darkness came a guttural voice.
"A simple blade isn't enough to defeat you…" the voice said with a twisted grin.
"So let me show you something else—something special."
Dark tendrils erupted from Leon's shadow, twisting unnaturally as his body began to change. His blade morphed—growing jagged, chaotic, and dripping with corrupted energy.
The shadow let out a chilling laugh.
"This… is Kushnaktar, the cursed blade of my realm."
"Now tremble… before its true power—
Shadow Slash!"
As the blade swung through the air, a black wave tore across the battlefield, splitting the ground and leaving behind a trail of decay and darkness.
Rahul twisted his body just in time, dodging the deadly shadow slash, and quickly counterattacked.
But Leon moved too, barely avoiding Rahul's strike.
As the two exchanged blows at breakneck speed, Rahul's thoughts churned in his mind.
"I have to end this quickly…"
"This power… it's still unstable. If I keep dragging this out, I'll exhaust myself before he even goes down."
Leon didn't stop for a moment. Slash after slash, his cursed blade tore through the air with brutal force.
Rahul leapt, ducked, and twisted, dodging every attack with razor precision.
Then something clicked in his mind.
His father's voice.
A memory.
"Sometimes, one strike is all you need—if it carries your full will."
With a sudden burst of momentum, Rahul jumped high into the air, soaring above the entire arena. The sky itself seemed to pause.
Fire surged around him.
From the very core of his being, he summoned the flames—unstoppable, divine.
"Hell Fire: The Calamity of Destruction!"
The ground trembled as a gigantic blaze engulfed the battlefield, crashing down like a burning meteor straight onto Leon.
A devastating explosion followed.
When the smoke cleared, Leon lay on the ground—his body burned, his cloak torn, his breathing ragged.
Rahul landed with a heavy thud, his flaming phoenix claw still glowing.
He looked at Leon, eyes sharp.
"Even after taking that, you're still standing?"
Leon slowly raised his head. Blood trickled from his mouth. But he grinned—a dark, exhausted, twisted grin.
"Never…" he rasped. "I will devour you...Heh… Heheh… HAHAHAHAHA!"
"You think… an attack like that could knock me out?"
His hand raised as his aura spiked again—
"Now watch… the power of my true summon—Dark Power Summoning: Dark Go—"
"SHUT. UP."
Before Leon could finish the word, Rahul blurred in, grabbed Leon's mouth, and slammed him into the ground with explosive force.
Without hesitation, Rahul gathered every last drop of power into his fist—phoenix flames swirling like a supernova.
"If not now—then never."
"OVERLOAD PUNCH!"
The fist crashed into Leon's face like a divine judgment. A shockwave burst out, blowing away debris, wind, and darkness alike.
Leon's body went limp.
His shadow screeched for a moment—then faded—its control over him severed.
The battlefield fell silent.
No one moved. No one spoke.
Then, slowly, the crowd began to stir.
And then—
"FLAMES OF THE PHOENIX CHILD! FLAMES OF THE PHOENIX CHILD!!"
The stadium roared.
Rahul stood alone in the center of a shattered arena—his clawed fist still smoldering with light.
The stadium trembled with the roar of victory. The announcer's voice echoed through the sky like a lightning bolt:
"The flames have triumphed! Our fire prince has won! Rahul Yadav is victorious!"
The crowd, stunned into silence just moments ago, now erupted into deafening cheers—
"Flames of the Phoenix!"
"Child of Fire!"
"Our Champion!"
From a distant seat, Bright watched with a wide smile, his eyes glinting like moonlight reflecting on steel. He let out a soft chuckle, a proud yet fiery one.
"I knew you'd overcome that pain... So this is the result of your willpower, Rahul."
Rahul, battered but still standing, looked toward the sky with closed eyes. He had done it—but his body screamed from within. Just then, his father rushed forward, eyes full of pride.
He placed a firm hand on Rahul's shoulder and said,
"I'm proud of you, my warrior. You may release your contract's power now—I'll handle the rest."
Rahul nodded faintly, his face exhausted but satisfied. As he released the remaining Phoenix power, waves of heat and fire shimmered in the air. His father stepped in immediately, stabilizing and nullifying the overflowing energy like a seasoned flame-tamer.
Rahul, his energy completely drained, began to collapse—
But his father caught him before he fell, and without a word, carried him toward the treatment zone. The crowd stepped aside in reverent silence.
Back in the stands, Bright continued to watch the scorched arena below.
He whispered to himself, his smile turning into a grin,
"That final match... is going to be wild. I'm waiting for you, Rahul."
Elsewhere, The principal turned to the staff, his voice stern but calm.
"As soon as Leon's treatment is complete, Bring him straight to my office. I need to speak with him."
The battlefield had fallen silent again—like the calm before an incoming storm.
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To Be Continued...