The battlefield cracked and roared as their final clash began.
Flames erupted around Nara, her entire body engulfed in a searing inferno.
Gorran charged forward, his fists like boulders, his stance unshaken despite the unbearable heat.
Neither held back.
Neither would stop.
This was it.
The Last Exchange
Nara's fire was at its peak. The air around her wavered, heat distorting the very fabric of the battlefield. The ground beneath her blackened, molten cracks forming where she stepped. Every movement sent a pulse of scorching heat outward, turning nearby patches of dry grass to ash.
But Gorran was a fortress. His body, reinforced by sheer will and mastery over stone, refused to give in. His muscles tensed like forged iron, veins bulging under the sheer strain of maintaining his defensive stance.
The ground cratered beneath them as they collided one final time.
Her fist—coated in flames—met his open palm.
For a moment, the world stood still.
Then—
A shockwave erupted outward.
Flames and dust surged into the air as the force of their blows tore apart the battlefield.
The magical barriers around the arena flickered, straining under the sheer force.
Competitors staggered back, shielding their faces.
The noble spectators rose from their seats, murmuring in awe.
And then—
One of them gave in.
The Collapse
A loud crack echoed across the battlefield.
Not from Nara's flames.
Not from the impact of their blows.
But from Gorran's back.
His legs buckled as pain shot through him.
For the first time, his stance wavered.
His arms trembled as he struggled to hold his ground.
Why…?
He had taken stronger hits before. He had endured worse.
Then—realization dawned.
Nara hadn't just been attacking his defenses.
She had been testing them.
Every strike—every blow—had been aimed at a single weakness.
And now, with this final hit—
She had found it.
Gorran felt it the moment her flames met his last layer of defense.
The solid rock plating over his back—the result of his mana reinforcement—shattered.
He felt his muscles tear. His bones creaked.
His own weight, once his greatest weapon, now turned against him.
The Fall of the Stone Wall
Gorran took a step back.
Then another.
And then—
He fell to one knee.
The battlefield grew silent.
The once-immovable giant had fallen.
And standing before him—flames still crackling around her—was Nara.
Her breaths were ragged, sweat dripped down her face, but her smile remained.
The fight was over.
The Aftermath
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then, the audience erupted into cheers and gasps.
Some were stunned that Gorran had fallen.
Others were thrilled by Nara's display of sheer force and tactics.
Even among the nobles, murmurs began to spread.
One of them chuckled.
"The orc girl… she might be a real contender."
Another nodded, watching closely.
"She didn't win with just brute force. She learned. She adapted. That's dangerous."
From the noble stand, Lyra let out a breath, relieved.
Jhaeros, still moving through the battlefield, had caught sight of the impact from afar.
He let out a low whistle.
"She actually did it."
Even Kalem, perched on his metal crate far away, had taken notes.
Gorran's Last Words
Still kneeling, Gorran let out a slow breath.
His entire body ached.
But he wasn't angry.
Instead, he laughed.
Deep. Loud. Amused.
The sound startled some of the spectators.
He looked up at Nara, eyes filled with respect.
"Guess I ain't unbreakable after all," he muttered.
Nara grinned, offering him a hand.
"Not today."
He took it.
The fight was over.
Winner: Nara.
As the battle came to an end, a single thought lingered in Nara's mind.
Something about the way his back gave out—**the way the stone reinforcement failed so suddenly—**felt… off.
She didn't know why.
But something wasn't right.
And she intended to find out.