The battle was slowly turning into a storm of fire and steel.
Arson's flames burned hotter with each passing moment, his attacks no longer wild - but relentless.
He was brute-forcing his way through Hard's technology, every punch sending fiery shockwaves through the room. The metal walls of the small tin house groaned from the heat, some parts beginning to melt.
Hard's circuits flickered erratically. His armor, though advanced, wasn't built to withstand this level of heat for so long.
Arson smirked, his body searing with pain but his pride burning even brighter. "Figured you out," he said between ragged breaths. "Every move you make... every trick... I know it all now."
Hard narrowed his eyes. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Arson wiped the blood dripping from his chin, the fire in his palms glowing even fiercer. "That's the specialty of the Magma Tribe," he said, voice dripping with dangerous pride. "The more you try to extinguish us, the brighter we burn. You want to crush my pride? It's like throwing kerosene on fire."
With a roar, Arson launched himself at Hard, flames bursting from his feet to propel him forward. His attacks came in rapid succession - every blow more forceful than the last, landing like molten meteors against Hard's steel-plated body.
Hard staggered back, his once smooth armor now dented and charred, sparks flying from its seams. His advanced tech struggled to compensate, circuits overloading.
But Sylvia noticed something.
Yes, Arson was cornering Hard, driving him back blow after blow... but his flames were dimming. His breaths were growing heavier. His attacks were draining him faster than ever.
She clenched her fists. He's pushing past his limits again... He's going to burn himself out.
Hard, though bloodied and beaten, suddenly smirked - his circuits, though flickering, were absorbing Arson's heat every time his attacks connected. The glow on his gauntlets grew stronger with each hit, feeding off the flames like a deadly battery.
Sylvia's heart pounded.
He's storing up every one of Arson's strongest attacks.
Hard chuckled, still reeling from Arson's blows but standing firm. "You really don't get it, do you?" His arms lifted, the energy humming louder. "All this heat - all this power - you're only helping me."
Arson's eyes flickered with rage but also... the smallest hint of panic.
Sylvia realized the danger.
Hard was preparing a final output blast - an attack fueled by every powerful strike Arson had landed, strong enough to kill him.
Arson was panting now, his flames sputtering as he clenched his fists. Even as his knees threatened to buckle, his pride didn't waver.
"I won't fall to you," Arson growled, his voice a hoarse whisper.
Sylvia's mind raced.
He doesn't have enough energy left to land the finishing blow... but if he doesn't strike now, Hard's blast will kill him.
She had to act.
Sylvia's vines slithered along the floor, fueled by her last reserves of strength. She gritted her teeth, wrapping the vines around Arson's waist from behind.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Arson snapped, struggling against the sudden binding.
"Helping you," Sylvia hissed. "Don't resist."
Before Arson could argue, Sylvia funneled her remaining energy into him - not just through the vines, but through her direct connection to nature's lifeforce. A burst of green light pulsed through Arson's body, intertwining with the flames in his veins.
It wasn't much but it was enough to reignite his fire, just for one last blow.
Arson's flames blazed brighter, his exhaustion momentarily drowned by this sudden surge of energy. His crimson eyes flared with renewed fury.
Hard's gauntlets began glowing white-hot, preparing to unleash his stored attack.
"Die knowing your flames only made me stronger!" Hard roared.
But Arson was faster.
"Burn in hell," Arson snarled - then launched himself forward, his fist engulfed in an explosive inferno.
The impact struck Hard square in the chest.
The room ignited in a blinding flash - flames and sparks intertwining in a violent eruption.
When the smoke cleared, Hard lay crumpled against the wall, his gauntlets shattered, the circuits sizzling into silence. His armor was broken beyond repair, molten metal dripping from the chest plate.
Arson stood over him, his legs trembling from exhaustion but his expression still burning with victorious pride.
Sylvia, breathing heavily, kept a cautious distance, still shocked at how Arson had survived purely through willpower - and a bit of her help, whether he'd admit it or not.
Hard coughed weakly, barely conscious. "You... you're insane..."
Arson smirked down at him. "No. I'm Arson."
The tin house was a wreck of scorched metal and shattered circuits, the air thick with smoke and the fading crackle of dying flames. Arson stood over Hard's broken form, his chest heaving with exhaustion but his eyes still burning with fury.
Hard's armor lay in molten scraps, the advanced technology reduced to useless junk. Now back to his neutral form - no metal enhancements, just a flesh-and-blood man - he was utterly vulnerable.
Without a word, Arson raised his flame-ignited hand, ready to finish him off.
But before the final blow could strike, a weakened vine shot out and wrapped loosely around Arson's wrist. It didn't have the strength to stop him - not physically - but it was a message.
"Stop," Sylvia rasped, her voice hoarse from pain and exhaustion.
Arson didn't lower his hand. "Why the hell would I listen to you?"
Her legs wobbled, but she forced herself to stand between Arson and Hard, using the last of her strength to shield the fallen Metal Tribe general.
"Fine," she said, breathless. "Kill me along with him."
The room went silent for a moment. Arson's flames flickered, his expression twisting into something between rage and... irritation.