Zara's cheeks flared a deep shade of crimson the moment Nox's shirt hit the floor. Her mind blanked out as her eyes briefly traced over his lean, toned back. She turned on her heels with a loud huff. "I-I'll wait outside!" she stammered, voice cracking as she darted out of the room and shut the door with a soft click behind her. Outside, she leaned against the wall, her heart pounding so hard it echoed in her ears. "What the hell was that?!" she muttered, burying her face in her hands. "He stripped like I wasn't even there! Is he dense or just…" She groaned. "Ugh! And why can't I stop thinking about it?! Get it together, Zara!" It took her almost five minutes to stop fanning her face and calm down. When Nox finally stepped out, fully dressed and freshened up, she tried to act natural… and failed miserably. "Took you long enough," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "You were the one who interrupted my beauty sleep," Nox said with a lazy smirk, casually adjusting the cuffs of his robe. Zara turned away, muttering something unintelligible under her breath. Together, they made their way to the grand Frostspire Arena, which was already buzzing with excitement. The stands were packed—representatives from all eight kingdoms filled the seats, nobles and commoners alike eagerly awaiting the next match. As they entered the Frostspire section of the stands, Kaisy waved them over. "Took you both long enough. We thought you were skipping." "I overslept," Nox said plainly as he took a seat beside Toren. Zara flinched. "I… I tried to wake him up! He's just hard to deal with in the morning!" Nox snorted. "Says the girl who fled the room like it was on fire." Zara shot him a glare, her blush returning full force. "Shhh!" Drake, nearby, hushed them. "It's starting!" Down in the arena, two teams stood on opposite ends of the battlefield. On the left, dressed in deep crimson and black armor, stood the Inferno Kingdom's team—led by the infamous Inferno Prince, Valkor. His red eyes glowed like smoldering coals, his aura pulsating with heat. Beside him stood Elise, his trusted partner, her flowing hair dancing with sparks as she twirled a burning dagger leffortlessly around her wrist. Facing them was the Lightning Kingdom's team—eight warriors adorned in blue and silver garb, lightning coursing visibly over their skin. Their captain, Raziel, stood front and center, arms crossed, his tall frame crackling with barely-contained voltage. "Tch. The air's already heavy," Fenix muttered, her eyes narrowing. "This is going to be brutal." The competition officiator's booming voice echoed across the stadium. "Let the battle… BEGIN!" With a thunderous crack, Raziel vanished in a blur of lightning. He moved so fast that most of the normal netizens present could only catch a blur of his figure. A wide grin broke out on Valkor's face as he met the speed with a wall of flames that exploded outward. "Elise!" "Already on it." Elise shot forward as magic circles lit up in front of her. From the circle, a pillar of flame shot out, catching one of the lightning warriors mid-charge and flinging him across the field with a sizzle. "Whoa! That was fast!" someone shouted from the crowd. Lightning bolts rained down as Raziel summoned a spear of thunder and hurled it toward Elise. She leapt, mid-air somersaulting as her dagger—coated in a thick layer of blazing flames—swung up and deflected the lightning strike. "Is that all you've got?" "You talk too much!" Raziel flashed behind her, palm charged with electric energy. "Thunder Fist!" But before the strike landed, flames erupted between them—Valkor had intercepted with a fiery punch that split through the air and generated a powerful flame, sending the Lightning Dragon Prince skidding backward. Unlike the time with the Water Dragons, the Inferno Prince didn't dare to underestimate the Lightning Dragons—he was going all out! Meanwhile, the other six members of both teams clashed—blades, fireballs, and arcs of lightning filled the arena in a chaotic dance. The crowd roared with each explosive impact. On the stands, Drake leaned forward. "Their synergy is quite impressive. They've got good instincts," he muttered, his eyes narrowed as he studied the fighting pattern of both Elise and Valkor. "True. Fighting the two of them at once is like a suicidal mission," Toren nodded with a slightly bitter expression on his face as he watched the half-transformed Lightning Prince struggling. Nox nodded slightly. He was paying attention—not only because he was taking note of their skill, but also because he was trying to analyze them. The fighting style of the Inferno Dragon Kingdom was very effective. While the six members fought against the Lightning Kingdom's seven men, the two strongest warriors in the team—Elise and Valkor—targeted Raziel. Raziel was powerful, without a doubt—the trump card of the Lightning Kingdom. But how would he fare while facing two enemies who possessed the same level of strength as him? On the platform, the pair of flaming daggers Elise had wielded from the beginning vanished in a burst of flames, and when the fire appeared again, a chainblade made out of pain gleamed under the sunlight. Without wasting a moment, Elise spun her chainblade in a wide arc, creating a fiery ring that forced two lightning warriors to disengage. "Raziel is getting desperate," Drake noted, his eyes gleaming strangely. "He's trying to isolate Valkor now," Zara muttered. Sure enough, the Lightning Prince shouted an order and two of his teammates flanked Valkor, launching a coordinated barrage of lightning spheres from both sides. Valkor didn't move. Instead, he raised both hands. "Infernal Cage." A dome of hellfire erupted around him, swallowing the lightning attacks completely. For a second, everything was quiet. Then—BOOM! 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚 The dome exploded outward, knocking back all three lightning warriors in a single burst. Valkor growled and clenched his fist as he spoke in a calm voice, despite the chaos of battle. "Elise! Plan C!" "Understood!" Elise charged forward like a meteor, flames coiling around her body. "Let's see how much heat you can handle!" Raziel leapt high into the air, his entire body turning into a lightning bolt that crackled fiercely. CRASH! Lightning and fire collided in the center of the arena in a spectacular explosion that shook the stands. That explosion caused the crowd to go wild. When the smoke cleared, both Raziel and Elise were on their knees, panting heavily. Their teammates had paused their skirmishes as they were equally exhausted. The only person who seemed less exhausted was Valkor. The Inferno Dragon Prince stood tall—his broad back like an immovable mountain—and a faint scorch mark on his arm was the only visible damage. He raised his hand. A radiant purple flame started to crackle in his palm. The Lightning Prince's eyes shrank when he recognized the flame. He tried to move his muscles but found that the fight with Elise had greatly weakened him—even his teammates were helpless. "Damn," the Lightning Prince clenched his fist. All this while, most of the fighting had been done by Elise and the six members of the Inferno Kingdom—Valkor had only exchanged a few attacks, preserving his strength. "Tsk. I forfeit!" he declared on behalf of his teammates, his voice filled with regret and resignation. The match officiator stepped forward, raising a hand. "The Lightning Kingdom is no longer able to fight. Victory goes to… Inferno Kingdom!" The Inferno side of the stadium erupted in cheers. Nox leaned back in his seat, eyes narrowed. "That Valkor… he's holding back." Drake nodded. "Yes. He only showed a glimpse of his Starlight Flame to scare Raziel. I'm thinking he's saving it for us in the finals." Zara finally managed to speak. "What about Elise?" "She's a monster in close-range," Drake said calmly. "But she's not the problem. Xevian's the real threat." From below, at that precise moment, Valkor looked up toward the Frostspire stand—his eyes meeting Nox's for the briefest second. He smiled. Nox didn't blink. "Looks like he's marked you," Drake whispered bitterly. Nox only smiled, but before he could respond, a ding echoed in his head, followed by the system voice. [Ding! Few hours left till all recorded skills will expire.] Nox's eyes gleamed. "Oh right, I almost forgot the command I gave to the system." It was time to claim another new set of skills.