BlackFire Ignites

The bell rang. The final battle has begun.

Immediately, Bella stomped the ground with sharp precision--pillars of stone surged upward, forming a crude barrier between the two forces. Behind her, Ori reached out, creating a wall between the pillars, to protect and be an armored sheen of living metal--turning it into a shielded fortress.

On the other side, Vir raised his arms, earth bending to his will a watchtower of stone erupted skyward, lifting Sana, Novema, and Lupi into the sky like artillery on a divine perch.

They began firing spells from above, the sky glowing with every charged bolt and rune they cast.

At the frontlines, Anima and Paulta infused their magic into the warriors ahead, their Enchantment Fusion empowering the vanguards with speed, strength, and durability.

Kali--silent and focused--glowed faintly, her body charging up like a volcano ready to erupt.

She ran forward.

On the NTG Team, Rikushi remained kneeling, hands together, surrounded by a quiet but growing storm of white-light--his power still charging.

Beside him, LuLu's body emitted a dark-red aura, her form wrapped in threads of shadow and chaos, waiting for release.

Then came Toku, eyes wide, breath sharp. He gripped his spear, trembling.

"We can't stop her..." he muttered.

"No," he said again, louder now, to Valentine, who was standing quietly ahead of them. "You have to stop her. If she gets through--Rikushi dies... We all die."

Valentine didn't speak.

Instead, he reached into his shirt and clutched the old silver necklace that always hung around his neck. A family heirloom--or a seal of some sort?

He turned the dial, clicking 3 times.

A snap echoed in the silence.

Suddenly, purple essence swirled around him like a black flame. His veins turned black, bulging under his skin. His irises drowned in an inky void, eyes now fully black.

He exhaled.

And then he ran to meet Kali.

Kali's charge was thunderous, the ground cracking beneath her steps.

They collided.

Her punch roared like a cannon--and Valentine caught it.

His hand broke instantly under the intense impact.

The audience gasped. Dust arose around them.

Valentine didn't scream. He grunted. He stood. The purple essence burned around him, reinforcing every tendon, and every bone.

Kali grinned. "You're stronger than you look."

She pressed forward. Blow after blow.

Valentine blocked them all--until his stance wavered. His knees buckled. Blood splattered from his lips.

Bones continued to snap but he stood tall, like a steel beam stuffed into the ground in the midst of a tornado.

Meanwhile, Brevis--with a smug grin--detached from the group, circling the battlefield like a shark.

He crept toward Rikushi.

Toku, though nearly hyperventilating, saw him.

He stepped forward, shaking uncontrollably, and raising his spear. "Not today..."

Brevis smiled wider. "Cute."

Back at the frontline, Valentine was on his knees, arms dangling, blood pouring down his chest with Kali standing above him, fists glowing gold.

"You fought well. You earned this."

She charged one final punch--her strongest.

She fired it.

But just before it landed--

The necklace broke.

The seal shattered, as if the dial wasn't the true power, but only just a touch of it.

The battlefield went still for half a second.

Then--purple fire exploded outward, engulfing Valentine like a dying star being reborn.

His feet hit the ground. Slowly, he stood straight, his posture perfect, his limbs healed in real-time. His hair darkened further and grew longer. Purple flames burst from his shoulders. His eyes were ablaze with pure void-light.

He had entered his BlackFire form.

"...My turn," he whispered.

In an instant, he moved.

His fist blurred forward.

The next thing anyone saw--Kali flying backwards, her eyes wide with disbelief, as his punch connected with her gut.

Time seemed to freeze.

Her body arched.

And then--

She crashed into the ground, unconscious, unable to continue.

The battlefield fell silent again.

The enemy's powerhouse had fallen.

The sky seemed darker now, lit only by Valentine's burning violet aura, pulsing like the breath of a beast.

From across the arena, Vir, Lupi, Sana, and Novema stared down from their watchtower.

Brevis paused mid-step, blinking in surprise.

And Toku? Still shaking.

But smiling.

Rikushi opened one eye, smiled, and muttered.

"...Perfect timing."