Special Episode 4 – Control or Controlled

The girl stood before Master, the grass on the battlefield swaying gently. The stadium was dead silent—faces tense, serious, everyone leaning forward in anticipation.

The girl in green lifted her chin, her voice sharp:

Elira: “Hey… this is going to get serious. You know that, right?”

Master smirked, cracking his fingers. The sound echoed across the arena like breaking bones. In an instant, he vanished upward into the air.

The announcer with the pipe scrambled, shouting:

Announcer: “OKAY! OKAY! THE BATTLE HAS BEGUN! ELIRA VS MASTER!!”

Elira’s eyes widened as she thought, He’s fast. She leapt skyward. Both hung mid-air, frozen in a moment that felt like time itself had stopped.

Master smirked again.

Her punch shot toward him. Master tilted slightly, watching it pass as though it moved in slow motion. She struck again, but he simply glided around her blows, floating effortlessly.

Then he whispered:

Master: “Aura… Unleash. Three percent.”

Before anyone sensed a shift—before even Elira herself felt it—she was slammed to the ground by the sheer pressure. Cracks ripped through the stone floor. Master hovered above, gliding gracefully toward her.

But suddenly—BAM!—a kick smashed into Master’s face. The force was so great that spectators in that direction flinched, feeling the weight of it themselves. Yet Master didn’t even move. Hands still calmly behind his back.

Elira rose, her expression hardened. She spun, launching another kick from the right—again, the audience in that row felt the raw power trembling through the air.

She unleashed a relentless storm of kicks. Master dodged them with fluid grace, side to side, until her movements faltered, fatigue creeping in.

She tried one final strike. This time, Master caught her leg against the side of his neck, holding it effortlessly.

Master: “Sorry, lady. But you’ve lost. Accept your defeat.”

Elira twisted, forcing him to release her. Floating upward again, her body shifted into a strange posture—like she was reaching for something descending from the heavens. A shimmering gem appeared in her hand. She crushed it. The fragments vanished instantly.

Master’s eyes sharpened. He barked out quickly:

Master: “Aura Unleash—TEN percent!”

Because he felt it—her true power.

Blood streamed from Elira’s nose, but she wiped it away, unfazed. Her hair flowed wildly as she descended. Her voice was cold, sharp enough to pierce the silence:

Elira: “You don’t even know who I am.”

Master grinned.

Master: “Then enlighten me. Tell me who you are.”

On the sidelines, Rage blinked in disbelief.

Rage: “W-Woahhh! What’s happening to Master?!”

Joy’s gaze locked in, sharp as blades. Suddenly, he shouted:

Joy: “Cover the corners! Protect the citizens—NOW!!”

At once, the demons sprinted to the boundary of the arena. Their combined auras exploded outward, intertwining to form a massive dome of energy enclosing the battlefield.

Master tilted his head toward Elira.

Master: “So… you’re not going to tell me, am I right?”

Elira gave a silent nod.

Master chuckled, low and mocking.

Master: “Fine then. I don’t even need to know… Goodbye, little girl.”

Her brows furrowed in anger.

Elira: “What do you mean by that?!”

Master laughed again—hands still clasped calmly behind his back. His voice rose, dripping with sarcasm:

Master: “BOOM!”

The crowd erupted in laughter, mocking him. Even Master laughed with them, tilting his head back.

But then… he slowly raised both hands, pointing them directly at Elira. His voice dropped, deadly serious:

Master: “I warned you. BOOM!!”

FWOOOOOSH! A colossal surge of flame burst from his palms. But this was no ordinary fire—it was a blinding blue flame, roaring across the field and colliding with Elira.

The blast shook the stadium. The demons’ aura-dome cracked under the force, groaning as if it might shatter.

Master stood firm in the heart of the flames. His arms stretched wide—then snapped into a tight fist. At once, the flames compressed, shrinking into a blazing sphere no larger than his palm.

His expression twisted. His voice cracked as he cried out:

Master: “HELP!!”

And then—his body gave out. He collapsed, fainting, as though some other force had hijacked his power.

The small blue sphere flickered once… then winked out.

Elira’s figure was gone—diminished, erased by the inferno.

The arena was left in stunned silence