Scenes of Ari and other Facing Imperial:
Gray narrowed his eyes. "He's using some pocket-dimension trick. That means there's a trigger point—a pulse, maybe a radius, or even a cubic creation."
Dawn twirled her iron rod, her voice calm but sharp.
"Then we bait it. Force him to use it on one of us while the others stay outside the range."
Ari's eyes gleamed with realization. "Exactly. He can't manipulate what he hasn't locked onto."
Imperial tilted his head slightly, amused.
"Whispering tactics in front of me?"
He raised his hand. Lightning coiled around the Dark Blade, sheathed in black energy.
Dark Magic: Voidness Fist.
Ari stepped forward, her voice steady.
"Light Magic: Radiance Flow!"
Her blade erupted into brilliance, a miniature sun that seared the air.
Light and darkness collided head-on—the clash too fast for even sound to keep up, the air splitting with bursts of pressure and flashes.
Tracey darted next, shouting,
"Beast Flame: Crimson Prowl!"
Scarlet fire erupted from his limbs, leaving blazing afterimages as he sprinted in a circular blur around Imperial, making even reflections fail to track his true position.
Dawn lifted her rod.
"Water Magic: Seal—Mirror Stream!"
A dome of rippling water encased the team, every surface reflecting Imperial's movements in countless illusions, scattering his perception.
Gray crouched low, spreading liquid mercury across the ground. "I'll find his anchor. That Darkroom has to link to something physical—a mark, seal, or his shadow."
Imperial exhaled slowly, eyes half-closed.
"…So, you're learning."
He extended his blade, a pulse of darkness surging outward once more.
But this time—they were ready.
The shadow storm rushed forward, trying to engulf them whole.
Ari's radiance flared.
"Eternal Blade!"
Her light sliced the forming darkness in half—cutting the dimension before it could stabilize.
Imperial smiled faintly. "Nice try."
Tracey appeared beside him mid-spin, landing a fiery kick—
—but Imperial's form dissolved into vaporous shadow, his body gasifying and slipping through the strike.
Dawn countered immediately, slamming her rod into the ground.
"Water Dragon: Iron Torrent!"
A massive serpent of armored water roared upward, striking Imperial's emerging form. He blocked with his lightning-coated blade, sparks sizzling against water.
As he prepared to counter—
Ari flashed in, light-speed slash—
CLING! Metal rang.
Their blades met, light and dark crackling violently.
From behind, Tracey rolled in like a blur of fire and fury, tackling Imperial mid-clash.
The impact sent him skidding across the ground, smashing through debris.
As he tried to rise—Ari vanished from his sight.
Then—
From the front—
Thousands of radiant orbs appeared, floating like stars.
"Light Magic: Stellar Barrage!"
They fired all at once, raining luminous explosions across Imperial's position.
He slashed, deflected, shattered many—but too many struck true, detonating around him in dazzling bursts.
Dawn followed through, slamming her rod down again.
A massive fountain erupted from beneath Imperial, a colossal surge of water pressure blasting him skyward before crashing him back down.
Gray extended his hand, mercury swirling into a cube mid-air.
"Mercury Bind: Prison Seal!"
The metal walls closed in, trapping Imperial as he fell.
All four gathered on different sides of the glimmering prison—each charging their strongest spells.
But just as they were about to strike—
The prison flickered.
It vanished.
And in that instant, the world around them twisted—
Darkness spread. The familiar pull of his dimension gripped them once again.
The void swallowed their attacks whole.
Light, flame, water, and metal—nullified.
Imperial's voice echoed from every direction.
"Push."
A wave of invisible force erupted outward.
All four were flung back violently, crashing through debris and rubble.
Dawn hurtled toward a jagged iron beam—
But Gray snapped his fingers, mercury rushing to form a cushioning pool beneath her.
She hit the surface and bounced lightly, the metal rippling like liquid silk.
Breathing hard, she looked up and smiled weakly.
"Thanks, Gray"
Dawn steadied herself, gripping her iron rod.
"Have you found something, Gray?"
Gray's mercury eyes gleamed faintly. "Yeah… there's a flaw in his technique. I think I've got it—but for this, he has to shout."
He turned sharply.
"Ari—it's time now!"
Ari nodded without hesitation. "Agreed."
She raised her hand, light bursting from her core.
"Light Zone!"
In an instant, radiant sigils spread across the ground. The area around Imperial was flooded with brilliance, and countless Ari clones appeared—moving, circling, blinking in and out of existence like shards of sunlight.
Imperial exhaled, drawing a second blade, its edge crackling with black lightning.
He stood surrounded by illusions of light—
and yet, completely unshaken.
From afar, Tracey summoned his traveling beast, Ashenfang, whose silver mane blazed with crimson fire.
More beasts appeared, summoned through Tracey's sigil network, each taking a side—ready to strike as if they, too, were part of the team's plan.
Imperial stood in the blinding chaos, eyes narrowing.
Lightning lanced from his twin blades—crackling arcs slicing through every clone in less than a heartbeat.
The zone dimmed as the illusions shattered like glass.
But Ari wasn't among them.
Imperial's eyes flicked upward.
Above him—Ari hovered, her blade glowing pure white, light burning like the sun.
Her voice echoed down:
"Eternal Blade!"
The divine energy condensed into a single radiant slash descending from the heavens.
Imperial didn't move.
In that moment, Ari's heart clenched.
Why isn't he dodging? Why isn't he using the Darkroom? Doesn't he realize—if this hits him, he'll die?
Then—
Darkness erupted.
A pulse of void expanded from Imperial's body, swallowing her radiance whole. The air itself fractured, and black tendrils lashed upward, capturing Ari mid-attack and coiling around the space itself.
Gray's voice rang out. "Tracey—now it's my turn!"
Tracey grinned fiercely. "Switch!"
In that instant, the summoning seal beneath him flashed—
and Gray swapped places with Tracey, teleporting between the beasts' circle and the spreading darkness.
He saw it—the Dark Cube Dimension forming rapidly, devouring everything in reach.
Ari, Dawn, Tracey, even the beasts—
—all were swallowed by the shadow.
At the last moment, Gray leapt back, escaping through a mercury slipstream, his body reforming outside the dark veil.
Inside the dimension—
Imperial slowed time.
Ari's Eternal Blade froze mid-swing, her light barely moving forward.
Imperial stepped aside with serene precision, dodging her radiant strike as if brushing dust off his shoulder.
Time resumed.
The blade slammed into the ground—
and the Dark Dimension shattered in the aftermath.
The explosion of light and void threw shockwaves across the battlefield.
Ari gasped for air, collapsing to one knee.
The void energy cracked and dispersed—
—and in that opening, Gray appeared behind Imperial, his right hand glowing faintly blue.
A crystal was clutched tightly in his palm, pressed against Imperial's blade.
The crystal began to hum, glowing with faint white energy.
Ari, Tracey, and Dawn stared in disbelief.
"Gray…?"
A memory flickered in Gray's mind—
---
Magnus: "Take this crystal. It's made from Empty Magic—a rare type that can absorb anything. Magic, energy… even a living magic user.
If you ever face the Red Marked one, touch this crystal to him. Once contact is made, it'll activate automatically—absorbing his magic and his essence within a fraction of a second."
---
The flashback faded—back to the battlefield.
Gray held firm, forcing the crystal harder against Imperial's blade.
Energy pulsed violently.
The crystal began to draw in Imperial's dark aura, light distorting around it.
Tracey shouted, "Is it working!?"
The crystal's glow intensified—
then faltered.
The hum stopped.
A faint crack echoed through the silence.
Gray's eyes widened.
"…No."
The crystal shattered, scattering into dozens of pieces mid-air.
From within the shards—
dark flames erupted, swirling upward like black fire blooming from the fragments.
The team froze.
The ground trembled.
Even Imperial looked momentarily surprised.
Ari whispered, "That… shouldn't be possible."
Gray's voice trembled. "It… rejected him?"
The black flames spiraled back toward Imperial—
scene Shifted:
The air thickened again—dark lightning rising from the ground, and the fight reignited.
In the ruin battlefield.
The camera Then moves on
Erika faced off against Gravio, the gravity mage.
Chunks of earth shattered and rose around him—hundreds of stones spinning in orbit before launching toward her like a storm.
Erika moved swiftly, her hands igniting and freezing in rhythm—flame and ice bursting together as she dismantled every projectile midair.
But amidst the chaos, one stone slipped through.
It struck her stomach hard.
"Gah—!"
She was thrown backward, crashing into the ground and skidding through dirt and rubble.
Before she could even rise, Gravio appeared before her, the air rippling around him with crushing gravitational force.
Erika gritted her teeth, struggling to move. The weight pressing on her was immense—every motion felt like dragging her limbs through stone.
Gravio smirked and raised his hand.
A massive wooden beam, ripped from a broken building, floated into the air behind him.
"Let's see you burn under this."
He hurled it.
The giant beam tore through the air at blinding speed—Erika barely able to lift her head.
But then—
her body glimmered blue.
She froze herself solid, transforming into a sculpture of ice just before impact.
CRASH!
The wooden beam shattered the frozen figure into pieces—but when the splinters settled, Erika stood unharmed, having used the ice clone to redirect the blow.
The shards around her melted instantly, turning into mist as flames surged from her hands.
Her flame blade blazed hotter than ever—so bright it distorted the air.
In an instant, she vanished.
Gravio's eyes widened—
"Wha—"
She reappeared at his side, her flaming blade already at his neck.
"Too slow."
Zumm—!
The blade swung, but Gravio slammed his palm into the ground, inverting gravity beneath them.
The sudden upward force disrupted her swing, throwing her balance off—but Erika adapted instantly.
As she flipped midair, she extended her free hand, freezing the ground beneath Gravio's feet.
He stumbled, momentarily bound by the ice—
and that's when her flame erupted downward, catching him under the chin with a fiery blast.
BOOM!
Gravio was sent flying backward, spinning through smoke before crashing into a wall with force.
Erika landed lightly, flames swirling around her shoulders, eyes sharp and burning with resolve.
Elsewhere on the battlefield…
Lucy, Ben, and Morgan faced the rest of Erika's elite squad—fighters known for being the strongest unit of the past few years.
The ground trembled with every clash.
Both sides fought with unyielding strength and perfect coordination, neither giving an inch.
It was clear—
this wasn't just another skirmish.
This was a battle between veteran squads, each unwilling to bow.
Back to Gravio Vs Erika :
She exhaled softly, eyes locked on her opponent.
Erika: "Last time, I didn't get the chance to fight you properly... but this time— we have plenty of time."
Then — silence.
A single heartbeat passed.
And the ground collapsed.
Gravio raised his hand. The air condensed instantly, warping light around his body.
His first step crushed the earth into a crater — and with a flick of his wrist, gravity spiked outward.
Gravity Fist.
The invisible wave hit like a cannon. The ground split apart in a straight line, rocks and trees crumpling into dust. But Erika had already vanished — a red blur flashing through the distortion.
She appeared midair, twisting her flaming blade.
Blazing Arc.
A roaring crescent of fire carved through the distortion, colliding with Gravio's field — the explosion painted the horizon in molten gold.
Gravio didn't flinch. He clenched his fist, pulling all that fiery debris inward.
Orbit Slash.
The gravitational blade spun from his palm, invisible yet slicing through air like a black storm. Erika crossed both blades, blocking — flames and frost spiraled violently around her before bursting outward, scattering molten shards.
Erika landed on the fractured plain, boots sinking into magma. Her left blade shimmered cold, sucking the heat around her.
Frost Edge.
She dashed in, each step freezing the molten ground. Her blade collided with Gravio's shoulder — sparks burst, metal cracked, but gravity pushed her back instantly.
Gravio countered.
Meteor.
Dark light pulsed above — dozens of gravity-forged rocks rained down like falling planets. Erika spun her frost blade in a circle, releasing an ice barrier that shattered each meteor mid-air, vapor erupting around her. Through the fog, her right blade ignited.
Inferno Draw.
She slashed upward, flame tearing the mist apart. The fiery wave collided with Gravio's defense — his Gravity Shell shimmered, holding firm for a moment before cracking under the explosion.
He slid back, hands forming a symbol.
Gravity Counter.
The world itself bent. Rocks lifted, dust froze midair — even Erika felt her knees dip, her blades dragging toward the ground from sheer weight.
But she didn't stop. Her flames burst violently from her right blade, forcing her forward. The earth beneath her melted as she lunged straight through the crushing force.
Ignition Fang!
Her burning slash connected, slicing across Gravio's gravity armor — sending a ripple that shattered nearby stones. He gritted his teeth, stomping down, and unleashed a shockwave of gravity outward.
Both were sent flying backward — the collision carving a trench through the battlefield.
Erika skidded across the debris, stopping on a ridge of cracked stone. Blood dripped from her cheek, hissing on her heated blade. Across from her, Gravio stood unmoving — gravity spiraling tighter around him like a storm's eye.
He raised both hands toward the sky.
Planetary Collapse.
A dark sphere expanded overhead — the pull was so immense, trees uprooted, stones shattered, even clouds were sucked into a spinning void.
Erika gripped both blades tightly. Her aura flared — fire and frost merging until steam surrounded her, the temperature swinging wildly. The ground cracked from the unstable clash of elements.
She closed her eyes. The red and blue lights fused — forming a single, blinding white blade of condensed energy.
Absolute Zero Blade.
The world froze and burned in the same instant. Time itself seemed to slow as she launched forward — cutting through the collapsing gravity field.
The moment her blade met the black sphere, the sky shattered.
Gravio roared — channeling every power into his final strike.
Gravity Fist — Core Impact!
Invisible pressure erupted from him like a supernova. Erika's blade met it head-on — Absolute Zero versus Infinite Weight.
The shockwave erased everything in its path.
The ground disintegrated into floating dust. Fire and frost fused into pure light. Gravity crushed the air itself. For a heartbeat, the entire battlefield became silent — weightless — and then exploded outward.
The dust settled slowly.
Half the field was molten, the other half encased in ice — a perfect split of destruction.
Gravio stood at the center, kneeling, blood staining his mouth. His armor shattered.
A few meters away, Erika stood with one knee down, one blade broken, the other glowing faintly, steam rising off its edge.
Gravio: "Is that all you can do?"
For a moment, Erika didn't move.
Her remaining blade — cracked but still glowing — rested at her side. Steam rose off her shoulders, her body trembling slightly from exhaustion. Then she slowly straightened, her eyes glowing — one ember-red, one frost-blue.
She raised the blade, its twin energies swirling violently around the edge. The air hissed, and the temperature swung from freezing to boiling in seconds.
Erika: "Fire & Ice Zone."
The moment she spoke, the world shifted.
The earth trembled as two opposing zones overlapped — flames rising in serpentine waves on one side, glacial spikes piercing through molten rock on the other.
Even Gravio felt the air distort, his gravity field flickering under the clash of extremes.
Gravio (gritting his teeth): "Here she comes... the only one in history who can perform two zones at once."
He planted his foot firmly as the atmosphere compressed further — even gravity was being bent by her elemental pressure.
(Author's Voice)
Erika Rowan — the one they call "The Killing Machine."
The woman who destroyed mountains with a single strike...
And wiped out a thousand soldiers alone.
Now, the battlefield itself bends to her dual nature.
Her hair flicked in the crosswind — half wreathed in flame, half dusted with frost.
She lifted her sword, which now carried a continuous flow of orange and blue aura, intertwining in a deadly dance. The single blade radiated like a dying star, unstable yet beautiful.
Steam burst from her steps as she moved — vanishing and reappearing instantly in front of Gravio.
The moment she swung, the entire zone reacted.
Fire raged upward, ice shattered downward — the explosion consumed the sky.
Gravio roared and countered with Gravity Fist, but even his distortion bent unevenly under her combined zones. Each slash from Erika split the air into burning and frozen halves — each impact warping gravity itself.
Gravio: "Unreal... even the weight of space can't suppress her flames... or her frost."
Her next slash came from below — pure, fused energy.
The fire melted his armor, while the ice froze his movement mid-counter. The contradiction itself tore the field apart.
Gravio tried to pull gravity tighter — forming a collapsing sphere in front of him — but Erika's blade pierced through, cutting the distortion clean in two. The air exploded as both halves imploded.
The battlefield became a cyclone of molten shards and frozen mist — a storm born from two incompatible forces unified by one will.
Erika surged forward.
Her blade sliced through the air.
Gravio reacted instantly, bending gravity around him.
The impact hit the ground with bone-shaking force.
Stone shattered. Dust exploded. The battlefield trembled.
Erika spun back, faster than the eye could follow.
She struck again.
This time, Gravio was thrown backward.
Rubble flew. His body slammed into the ruined terrain.
He rose, brushing off debris, a faint smile on his bloodied lips.
From afar, Erika launched a tearing attack.
Gravio's finger touched the ground.
In an instant, he soared into the air, dodging effortlessly.
He raised a colossal metroid made of stone and ruins.
Magic crackled from its core, warping the air.
He hurled it toward Erika.
The metroid tore through the sky—then split in two midair by Erika's strike.
One shard, relentless, still raced toward him.
Gravio couldn't react.
It struck his chest with brutal force.
He crashed to the ground.
Blood seeped. Stone and wood pierced his armor.
He lifted the debris, a grin spreading across his face.
"Now this is getting really heated."
With a single step, he appeared beside Erika.
Fists and blades clashed.
Air exploded. Shockwaves rolled across the battlefield, shaking nearby ruins.
Erika threw him back.
He slammed into a broken house.
A jagged iron spear lodged into the wall beside him.
Gravio's eyes flicked toward Imperial, locked in battle with Ari, Dawn, Tracey, and Gray.
He picked up the iron shard.
A flick of his wrist, and it shot toward Imperial.
Erika's voice cut through the chaos.
"No! Watch out, Imperial!"
The shard moved faster than anyone could follow.
Dust swirled. The battlefield seemed to pause for a heartbeat.
Every fighter felt it.