cosmic outbreak

Chapter 18: The Real Battle Begins

As the morning sun rose, Hikaru sat at the dining table, his eyes drifting toward Fyodor, who was sitting alone, watching the birds outside. The air was still, filled only with the distant sounds of nature.

Hikaru approached him. "You seem lost in thought."

Fyodor sighed. "We lost too much," he murmured. "Have you ever fought an alien that used elemental powers?"

Hikaru nodded, his expression darkening. "Yeah… his name was Zorlak. He killed one of my friends."

Fyodor clenched his fists. "I see... That must've been hard."

Before Hikaru could respond, a small creature approached—the mysterious healing cat. Fyodor raised an eyebrow. "Who's this?"

Hikaru smirked. "This cat appeared out of nowhere when we were fighting Zorlak. It healed Ryo's arms after they were torn off. But it can't bring back the dead."

Fyodor's eyes widened. "That's insane… this cat is more useful than half of us."

Suddenly, Ojiisan's voice boomed through the hall. "Everyone, assemble!"

Hikaru and Fyodor exchanged glances before heading toward the gathering.

---

The Duo Matches Begin

Standing in front of the assembled warriors, Ojiisan declared, "Today, your real battle begins. You will fight in teams, using both your elemental abilities and the spells you have learned. This is not just about power—it's about strategy and teamwork."

He then announced the matchups:

Toma & Takeshi vs. Ryo & Hiroshi

Emi & Luna vs. Kaito & Fyodor (Fyodor groaned, "Damn… not Luna.")

Asahi & Aoi vs. Kiyoshi & Fyodor

Daiki & Tatsuya vs. Akito & Zaghi

Kuroshin & Santino vs. Hikaru & Muscle

The first fight began.

---

Match 1: Toma & Takeshi vs. Ryo & Hiroshi

The battle commenced with Hiroshi smashing the ground, sending earth spikes toward Toma. Toma dodged, but Takeshi had to maneuver quickly to avoid them.

"You're going down," Hiroshi smirked.

Takeshi activated Speed Spell, dashing toward Hiroshi with a powerful strike, but Hiroshi countered with a well-timed Ice Punch, sending Takeshi crashing to the ground.

"Damn… he's fast," Takeshi muttered, struggling to stand.

Toma retaliated, forming a fireball in his hands, but Ryo countered with ice, extinguishing the flames. Before Toma could react, Hiroshi launched an Earth Sphere, shattering Toma's left arm.

Toma screamed in pain, clutching his broken limb.

"Give up," Hiroshi said, stepping forward.

Suddenly, Takeshi awakened, his body surging with water energy. His form shifted, liquid rippling over his skin. With a wave of his hand, a massive tsunami erupted, swallowing Hiroshi whole.

Hiroshi fought to break free, but a giant water fist materialized, striking him down.

One down.

Ryo immediately responded with an Ice Spike attack, aiming directly for Takeshi's heart.

Just as it was about to pierce him—Ojiisan intervened, stopping the fight.

"No killing allowed!" he bellowed.

The healing cat rushed over, restoring both Takeshi and Hiroshi.

Now, only Toma and Ryo remained.

"You should surrender," Ryo said. "This fight is over."

Toma smirked. "Not yet."

Suddenly, his body ignited. His entire form became fire, blazing with overwhelming heat. His eyes glowed, his hair burned like embers.

"Beautiful," Hikaru whispered, watching in awe.

Toma formed a massive fireball in his hands and hurled it forward, engulfing Ryo in flames.

Ryo barely countered with his ice, but the sheer heat overwhelmed him.

Before he could react, Toma closed the distance, activating Strength Spell—delivering a devastating flaming kick to Ryo's chest.

Ryo collapsed. Defeated.

Everyone watched in shock.

Ojiisan finally spoke. "The winners are Toma and Takeshi!"

Fyodor chuckled. "I knew it."

Hikaru grinned. "That was incredible."

As the next fight prepared to begin, an electrifying tension filled the air.

---

To Be Continued…