After two bouts, the situation was clear.
One tie.
One loss.
The Rising Heroes were behind.
Everything now depended on the final bout.
If they wanted points from this match, Drakar had to win.
There was no other option.
And everyone knew it.
The crowd knew it.
The teams knew it.
Drakar knew it.
---
The arena grew quieter as the tension built.
Then, Ifa's voice broke through the silence with full energy:
"Ladies and Gentlemen! And now, for the third, final, and deciding bout of this matchup!"
The crowd erupted.
"I present to you, representing the Rising Heroes… Drakar! And from the Silver Antlers… Zach!"
Cheers echoed across the arena.
Shai followed calmly,
"We all know how fierce Drakar is. A Dragonkind whose axe burns with fire itself. And on the other side, Zach, a gauntlet user, backed by powerful rock magic. He is known to be an unbreakable force."
Ifa added with excitement,
"And doesn't that surprise you? He has a smaller frame, but he's an absolute tank and he moves fast too! Let's see if Drakar can break through him!"
Both fighters stepped forward.
Drakar rolled his shoulders slightly, gripping his axe.
Zach stood relaxed, his gauntlets heavy and solid, his stance grounded.
Their eyes met.
No words.
Just intent.
The referee raised his hand.
And then the match began.
Drakar moved first.
He shot forward instantly, taking flight to close the distance in a blink.
His axe came down in a powerful swing.
Zach raised his gauntlet.
Clang!
He blocked it cleanly.
But he didn't stop there.
With his other hand, he threw a punch straight into Drakar's jaw.
It connected. A solid hit.
But Drakar reacted just as quickly.
Using the momentum, he twisted mid-air and struck Zach with his tail.
The impact pushed Zach back slightly.
But only slightly.
Zach recovered instantly.
And then he jumped forward.
Fist ready.
Drakar met him head-on.
He pushed Zach's punch downward with his axe, and opened his mouth.
"Fireball."
A burst of flames shot toward Zach.
But Zach's reflexes were sharp.
He stepped onto the handle of Drakar's axe mid-motion, and jumped backward, avoiding the fire completely.
Drakar didn't slow down.
He kept attacking.
Fire after fire.
Pressure after pressure.
But Zach—he punched through them.
Literally.
Each fireball was smashed apart by his gauntlets.
And with every punch he moved closer.
Step by step.
Unstoppable.
Drakar paused.
Then flew upward.
He gathered speed and launched himself downward toward Zach.
Zach raised his hand and caught him.
Stopped him. Completely.
Drakar's momentum halted instantly.
His feet dug into the ground slightly but Zach held firm.
Drakar broke free immediately and flew back into the air.
This time something changed.
Flames began to rise around his body.
Then burst outward.
His power increased.
Heat spread across the battlefield.
With even greater force he launched himself again.
Zach responded.
"Great Walls"
Five massive rock walls rose in front of him.
Drakar crashed into them.
One, Two, Three, Four, Five.
He broke through all of them.
Without stopping.
But... Because of the walls—
He couldn't see Zach clearly.
And that was enough.
Zach was ready.
His fist, covered in hardened rock, came forward.
And struck Drakar directly in the face.
The impact sent Drakar flying backward.
He hit the ground and stood up immediately.
Wiping his face.
Zach stood there. Grinning. "Bring it on."Drakar didn't respond.
He flew upward again.
Higher this time.
The air changed.
The heat began to rise.
More. More. More.
The audience could feel it now.
It wasn't just a fight anymore.
This was power. Raw power.
Drakar activated it. Overheat.
Flames erupted across his body.
His presence alone distorted the air.
The battlefield felt like it was burning.
Zach prepared as well.
"Gaia's Protection."
A full armor of rock covered his body.
Layered.
Three times reinforced.
"Great Walls"
And this time, eight massive walls rose in front of him.
Stronger.
Thicker.
More durable.
On the other side, Drakar's flames intensified further.
His axe glowed red.
Almost white.
Then he spoke. "Overheat… Overdose."
And in the next moment, he vanished.
A blink.
That's all it took.
And then....
BOOM.
A massive explosion shook the arena.
Fire spread across the battlefield.
For a moment no one could see anything.
Then, the flames settled. The smoke cleared.
Drakar stood there. Axe in hand. Breathing heavily. His face bruised. His left eye barely open.
Behind him,
Zach stood. His fist still extended. As if he had just thrown a punch.
But... there was a wound on his torso.
Deep. Blood dripping slowly.
Zach's eyes struggled to stay open.
He looked at Drakar.
Smiled.
Drakar didn't turn around. He simply said, "Good fight."And then... Zach collapsed.Unconscious.
The referee raised his hand.
"Winner - Drakar!"
Medics rushed in immediately.
Both fighters were taken for treatment.The crowd exploded.
Ifa shouted,
"Unstoppable force meets unbreakable force... and the winner is Drakar!"
Shai followed,
"A wonderful display of strength. Drakar truly showed the silent aggression that defines a Dragonkind warrior."
Ifa then paused.
"Wait… so that means the Rising Heroes won this bout… but the overall match…"
He turned to Shai.
"…it's 1-1… with one tie?"
Shai nodded.
"Yes. That means the entire matchup ends in a tie."
The crowd murmured. Confused. Curious.
Ifa asked,
"Then… who gets the bonus points?"
Shai replied,
"That decision will be made by the officials. This is the first tie scenario in the tournament."
Minutes passed. Tension returned. Then the announcement came.
Shai spoke clearly,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, after review, the decision has been made."
"Both teams entered this match with equal standing. Both have shown exceptional performance."
"Each team will receive 3 points from the bouts."
Ifa added,
"However, the rules clearly state that bonus points are awarded only to the team that wins the overall match."
He paused.
"Since no team has won… no bonus points will be awarded."
A wave of mixed reactions spread across the arena.
Shai nodded slightly,
"It is unfortunate. Both teams fought brilliantly."
Ifa sighed,
"Yeah… feels like they should at least get one bonus point each."
Shai responded calmly,
"Rules are rules."
And just like that both teams lost the chance to gain those extra points.
Now the situation became uncertain.
For both the Rising Heroes… And the Silver Antlers.
Would their current points be enough?
Would they qualify?
Or fall short?
There was nothing left to do.
Except wait. And find out.