As the 2 bouts between Eternal Wings and The Rising Heroes ended, the score between them was tied at 1-1. And now it was time for the 3rd bout of this intense matchup.
Ifa once again shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ladies and Gentlemen, now it is time for the 3rd bout of this match… Introducing from The Rising Heroes, 'Warriorsmith' Doran, who will be going up against the 'Perfect Dragon' Zhyragos."
Shai followed, "These two fighters mostly rely on their physical strength, so this will surely be a very interesting match. While Zhyragos uses Blue Flames as well, let's not forget Doran's 'Moltenheart', his hammer of destruction. We wish good luck to both fighters. Let the match begin!"
As the referee signaled the start of the fight, both fighters immediately rushed toward each other without hesitation.
Doran swung his hammer with full force, but Zhyragos ducked under it and instantly went for an uppercut. Doran backed away quickly and spun his body to gain momentum for another strike. Zhyragos used his forearms to parry the hammer before throwing a sharp jab toward Doran. Doran spun once again and struck his hammer directly against Zhyragos's fist, creating a huge metallic clang throughout the arena.
But neither of them stopped.
Both had serious expressions on their faces. Neither wanted to back down.
Zhyragos suddenly used his tail to hurl Doran away, but Doran reacted quickly. He jumped at the perfect moment, stepped on Zhyragos's head midair, and launched himself even higher.
'Anvil Descent'
Doran brought down a devastating vertical strike from above.
But Zhyragos flew upward toward him instead. Doran lost his momentum as Zhyragos punched him directly in the stomach midair. Doran was blown backward, yet the moment he landed, he charged straight back toward Zhyragos as if nothing had happened.
He swung his hammer again.
Zhyragos once more raised his forearms to block it.
But this time it was a fake.
Doran suddenly changed the trajectory of his hammer midway, using his raw strength to control the heavy force behind it. Instead of striking downward, he swung upward and smashed the hammer into Zhyragos's jaw.
For the first time, Zhyragos was forced to take a step back.
But he immediately looked back at Doran.
Both stared at each other silently before smiling.
No words were exchanged, yet it felt as if they were both saying the same thing.
This is fun.
And then the relentless brawl continued.
Back and forth.
Strike after strike.
Neither giving the other any breathing room.
Doran suddenly activated his hammer.
'Seal Release: Emberforce'
The engraved seals on 'Moltenheart' glowed brightly, increasing both the weight and heat of the hammer.
Zhyragos's face filled with excitement.
'Heavenburn Breath'
A concentrated beam of blue flames burst from Zhyragos's mouth directly toward Doran.
Doran raised his hammer like a shield and pushed through the flames while charging forward. The moment he stepped out of the line of fire, he attacked immediately.
'Chainseal Impact'
Doran unleashed consecutive hammer strikes, each hit increasing in kinetic force.
Zhyragos blocked every single strike, but he could clearly feel the terrifying power behind them. It was not just strength. The speed between each strike gave him almost no opening to react. The ground beneath his feet began cracking apart from the pressure alone.
Then Zhyragos activated, 'Dragon Heart'
His body temperature rose rapidly. The ground around him started melting while the air itself became distorted from the heat.
But Doran simply stood there.
Perfectly fine.
Zhyragos looked confused at first, then amused.
Heat was nothing new to Doran.
He spent his days inside the forge, surrounded by blazing furnaces. He trained and meditated between volcanic pits. Extreme heat had become normal to him long ago.
Then Doran activated another skill.
'Titan Drive'
Reinforcement magic surged through his muscles.
And once again 'Chainseal Impact'
Doran resumed his relentless assault.
Zhyragos continued blocking and countering, but now he could clearly feel the strikes becoming heavier and more dangerous with each hit. Even his powerful scales began to feel pain.
But Zhyragos finally decided enough was enough.
'Soulflare Claws'
His claws ignited with concentrated blue dragonfire.
Now it became claws against hammer.
Every collision between them no longer created sparks.
They created explosions.
The heat spread throughout the entire arena. Officials began distributing water to the audience as the battlefield temperature reached the highest level recorded in the tournament so far.
Yet on the battlefield, the two fighters continued smiling.
They fought like warriors completely absorbed in battle.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Then Zhyragos unleashed 'Infernal Pulse'
Blue flames erupted outward from his body.
Doran immediately took his stance.
'Forgewall Barrier'
'Moltenheart' released layered hexagonal seals, forming temporary defensive walls. They were not magical shields, but compressed force plates released through magic.
The blue flames spread across almost the entire battlefield, yet Doran managed to withstand them.
Even though he could endure the heat, he knew he could not allow the flames themselves to touch him directly.
And he also understood something important.
He had to finish this now.
Before he lost the chance to strike.
So Doran went all in.
'Cataclysm Forge'
Multiple seals activated simultaneously. 'Moltenheart' turned red-hot while Doran's physical strength increased tremendously.
Then came his final attack 'Kingbreaker'
A single full-force strike meant to destroy every defense.
Zhyragos immediately realized what Doran was trying to do. He saw Doran's determination.
So he prepared his own final move.
'Genesis Extinction'
Zhyragos gathered all surrounding heat and blue dragonfire into himself before releasing a devastating eruption through his entire body.
It was not a breath attack.
It was complete draconic annihilation.
The result looked like a miniature sun collapsing before exploding outward into a massive blue-white inferno.
Yet even against that overwhelming destruction... Doran continued charging forward.
The entire battlefield disappeared within the light.
Nothing could be seen.
And then, slowly, the light faded away.
As the dust settled, Doran was found unconscious on the battlefield.
On the other side stood Zhyragos.
But his entire scales from his left shoulder down to his left leg had shattered apart. Blood dripped from the broken scales.
Zhyragos had won.
But for the first time, the unbreakable had been broken.
And for the first time in many years, Zhyragos felt something deep inside himself.
Joy.
Excitement.
Zhyragos was prideful because he was a Dragonkind.
But more than pride, he respected strength.
And so, in front of everyone, Zhyragos bowed toward the unconscious Doran as a sign of respect.
Then he picked Doran up himself and carried him toward The Rising Heroes and the medics waiting outside the battlefield.
The crowd exploded with reactions.
Excitement.
Shock.
Cheers.
Disbelief.
The entire arena had gone wild after witnessing such a battle.
Ifa finally spoke, still trying to process what he had witnessed.
"And the winner of this fight is Zhyragos… and honestly, I have nothing to say at all."
Shai laughed softly before replying, "I am in the same boat as you. What we witnessed right now was something truly special. Non-stop action at its absolute peak."
Doran was heavily injured and immediately taken for medical treatment. Everyone from The Rising Heroes was worried, but they knew the tournament would not stop.
Now they were down 2-1.
Which meant they absolutely had to win the next fight.
Adrian, who was going next, understood this clearly.
He had to win at all costs.
Otherwise Drakar would be forced to fight a losing battle, and Adrian did not want that to happen.
For now, everyone waited silently for the next bout to begin.