Sockoo, on
the ground behind her, barely conscious, coughed blood and tried to speak.
>
“Rizra… y-you don’t have to…”
Rizra
didn’t even glance back.
Her voice
softened just slightly.
> “You
fought enough. Let me return the favor.”
Daka, still
limping from his own battle, tried to push himself up, but saw Rizra’s
expression—and stopped.
He’d only
seen that look **once before**—when Rizra broke a **mountain-sized war golem**
in two during their training.
Jessica
stepped back from Hajime for a moment, eyes wide, whispering,
> “Is
she… really gonna take on *Alex* after that transformation?”
Hajime
didn’t answer. He just looked at Rizra, then muttered:
> “...If
anyone can do it with pure fists… it’s her.”
Alex, still
in her cursed royal fire state, **grinned**.
> “So
the musclehead steps in? Fine. Let’s see how long you last.”
Rizra
rolled her neck, bones popping. Then she clenched her fists, and the **ground
beneath her cracked**, just from the pressure.
She didn’t
reply with words.
She
**charged**, faster than she’d ever moved in the tournament.
Alex raised
her arms, flames surrounding her like a throne.
**CLASH!**
Fist to
flame—**the impact shook the stadium.**
Rizra’s
punch **blew away** the cursed fire coating Alex’s arm, and Alex’s eyes
widened. She stepped back.
Rizra
followed.
Another
punch—**uppercut this time**—and Alex’s body was lifted slightly from the
ground.
>
“This... isn't muscle," Rizra said quietly, her voice low and sharp.
"This is will."
Alex
growled, flame wings flaring behind her.
She tried
to bring down a meteor punch—
But Rizra
caught it. With **one hand**.
> “You
want Hajime?” Rizra said through clenched teeth.
> “Then
you better bury me first.”
And then—
**She
headbutted Alex. So hard, the flames bent backward.**
The crowd
gasped.
Sockoo,
barely hanging on, smiled through the blood.
>
"That’s...my teammate."
The fight
had only just begun—
And **Rizra
was just getting started.** Rizra stood firm, fists clenched, her breathing
steady but her mind storming.
She wasn’t
stupid.
She
**felt** it—the overwhelming, godlike pressure rolling off Alex in her
full-powered form.
Every
instinct in Rizra’s body screamed at her to back down.
But she
didn’t move.
Not because
she believed she could win—
But because
**someone had to stand**. Someone had to buy **time**.
She looked
at Sockoo, bruised and broken on the ground, still trying to push herself up.
She looked
at Daka, half-conscious, hands trembling, trying to summon a spell that
probably wouldn't come in time.
Her jaw
tightened.
>
“...Yeah,” she muttered to herself.
> “I’m
gonna lose. I know it. But—”
She dropped
into a stance, low and grounded, every muscle coiled like a steel cable.
> “If I
can buy just a few minutes… if I can give them just *one* opening…”
She grit
her teeth.
> “Then
I’ve already won.”
Alex,
watching her, could see it.
Rizra
wasn’t confident.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
She was
**cornered**.
>
“You’re not even sure you can touch me again,” Alex said smugly, floating above
the ground now with cursed fire spiraling around her like a storm. “So why
stand? What’s your play, huh? You gonna scream and punch rocks again?”
Rizra
didn't answer with words. She stared her down, calm and resolute.
In that
silence, Alex's grin faded slightly.
>
“...Tch. You're annoying. But fine.”
Alex flared
her wings and flew toward her at lightning speed—
**Rizra
lunged.**
They met
mid-air—flame and fist—
Rizra
**barely** blocked the blow, her arms **immediately burning**, skin blistering
from the cursed fire.
But she
didn’t fall.
She held
her ground.
>
"You're stalling..." Alex said darkly, pushing down.
>
"You think someone’s gonna save you?"
Rizra spat
blood to the side and smirked through the pain.
> “No,”
she said. “I’m stalling... so I can figure out how to beat you.”
Alex’s eyes
widened—just a bit—before Rizra **headbutted** her again and twisted her hips
into a brutal elbow.
Not
perfect. Not clean.
But it
**staggered** Alex.
Behind
them, Sockoo's hand began to glow faintly. Daka's wind began to swirl.
They just
needed more time.
And Rizra
would give them **everything** she had to buy it. As Sockoo’s body surged
forward, launched by Daka’s razor wind like a cannonball of fire and fury, time
itself seemed to stretch.
The heat
radiating off her was **blistering**. Her evolved cat form glowed white-hot
from overexertion. Flames flickered violently along her limbs, her body
trembling from the stress.
Her
**eyes**—once gleaming with determination—were now bloodshot, weeping **crimson
tears**.
Her
**nose** bled freely.
Blood
leaked from her lips with every breath.
She was
pushing far past her limits… and everyone watching knew it.
Rizra,
mid-swing with Alex, felt a strange *pressure* behind her.
Her body,
honed by years of combat, screamed:
>
**“MOVE—NOW.”**
She twisted
at the last possible moment, ducking by the slimmest of margins.
And then…
**BOOOOOOM!**
Sockoo
**collided** with Alex with the force of a falling meteor.
Her
fist—wreathed in pure, burning flame—erupted into a **Fiery Extreme Wave**, a
condensed blast of blazing elemental fury.
It didn't
just explode **on** contact—it **ripped** through the air, leaving shockwaves
blasting outward like a bomb.
The arena
floor **cracked**.
The stands
trembled.
The **sky**
lit up with a column of white-hot fire shooting upward.
Alex's body
was **slammed** back across the battlefield, skipping like a stone, tearing up
the arena in her wake. The flaming wave left a deep scorch path—jagged, molten,
and smoking.
Everyone—**everyone**—was
silent.
Rizra,
crouched low from her dodge, was wide-eyed.
>
"That would've **killed** me..." she muttered.
Daka, now
collapsed on one knee, managed a weak grin.
>
"That’s... Sockoo for you..."
But Sockoo
herself… was falling.
Her body
limp. Blood pouring. Flames flickering and sputtering out.
She had
given **everything** in that one strike.
As she fell
from the sky, barely conscious, Hajime took a step forward from the
sidelines—his face no longer calm.
His eyes
glowed a faint **blue**.
>
“...Don’t you dare die on me…” he whispered.
Because
this fight… wasn’t over yet. The entire stadium fell into a deep hush.
Alex—one of
the most formidable fighters in Team Felix—was *down*. The smoke around her
body still sizzled from Sockoo’s final, devastating strike. Medics rushed to
her, but all eyes had already shifted to the next storm brewing:
**Hajime
vs. Jessica.**
Brother and
sister.
Same blood.
Same fire.
But
different hearts.
Jessica
stood across from Hajime, her clothes torn in places, her breathing sharp but
controlled. Her red eyes burned with wild determination, flames dancing in her
palms.
Hajime
stood tall, his black outfit scorched at the edges, the **white “X”** on his
chest glowing faintly with his blue flame aura. His face was calm—but his eyes,
a bright and intense **sky blue**, locked with hers.
There was
no room left for jokes. No funny anger.
Only the
fire of two warriors with history older than most knew.
Jessica
smirked as she lowered her stance.
> “I
guess it’s just us now, big bro.”
Hajime
cracked his neck.
> “Yeah.
Just like old times… minus the screaming and diaper throwing.”
Jessica
rolled her eyes.
> “Tch.
I was three!”
> “You
screamed like you were fifteen.”
The crowd
chuckled, tension momentarily lightened—but those in the know? They were
sweating.
Because
Hajime Hamamoto wasn’t just any fighter.
And Jessica
Hamamoto wasn’t just his sister.
She was the
**only** one who ever matched Hajime flame-for-flame as a child.
And she had
awakened *Fire Angel Magic*.
They both
slowly began to walk toward each other, their magic flaring—Hajime’s blue
flames twisting and snapping like lightning, and Jessica’s golden-red fire
wings unfurling behind her back.
Then—
**BOOM!**
They
clashed.
Jessica
struck first—a wing slash of searing angelic flame.
Hajime
ducked under, spinning with a breakdance kick that sent a fiery shockwave up
her side. Jessica flew back, using her wings to twist and avoid the follow-up.
She came
down like a meteor, striking the ground and sending a pillar of flame at
Hajime.
Hajime
raised his hand—
>
“**Blue Flame: Barrier Shift.**”
A
translucent wall of flickering blue fire **deflected** the blast, then
shattered into shards that chased Jessica midair. She weaved through them, a
blur of gold and red.
> “You
got faster,” she called out.
> “You
got louder,” Hajime replied, leaping after her.
Their fists
met midair—again. And again. And again.
Boom. Boom.
**BOOM.**
Flame and
fire, wind and heat—every punch was like a cannon, every clash creating
shockwaves through the arena.
On the
sidelines, Sockoo barely conscious, whispered:
>
“…Raging…”
Daka looked
at her. “What?”
> “He’s
starting to rage,” she muttered. “That blue fire… he’s not playing anymore.”
Rizra
narrowed her eyes. “Then neither is she…”
Because
this wasn’t just a battle of power—
This was a
battle of identity.
Of
childhood.
Of
**pride**.
And it was
just getting started. Hajime's breathing grew heavy—his chest rising and
falling with each gasp of oxygen. His black outfit was now scorched, parts of
the white "X" burned off, and his blue flames flickered, weaker than
before.
He stumbled
slightly after dodging Jessica’s aerial spin kick.
**Jessica
landed gracefully.** Her posture perfect, her breathing steady, eyes locked
onto him with a fierce glow. Not a drop of sweat on her face.
> “Huff…
huff… *What the hell...*” Hajime muttered, wiping the blood from the side of
his mouth. “You got some kind of cheat code or something?”
Jessica
tilted her head, grinning softly, flames still calmly burning around her hands.
> “No
cheat code. Just good training… and maybe better genes.”
> “I’m
literally your brother,” Hajime snapped, annoyed.
>
“Half-brother,” she said, teasing but sharp. “Maybe I got the better half.”
Hajime’s
fists clenched. He wasn’t just exhausted—he was confused.
He was the
**ace** of the Music Strikers.
He was the
one who fought *Strikeka*, who rivaled Streetka, who trained with Ray, who endured Izaya's madness
And yet—
Jessica was
standing like she hadn’t even broken a sweat.
>
“Why... why aren’t you tired?” he demanded, taking a step back.
Jessica
didn’t answer right away. Her red eyes softened—not with pity, but with truth.
>
“Because I had to train every day to *meet you someday again, big bro.* You
were the legend I was chasing. Mom and Dad told me everything. How strong you
were. How you fought. How you *raged.*”
> “So
while you were saving the world, I was building mine—just to reach you.”
Her flames
flared out again, wings of fire stretching wide like a phoenix.
Hajime
stood still, eyes twitching. The blue flame around his body was growing
unstable.
Sockoo,
still recovering, whispered in panic:
> “He’s
burning out.”
Daka looked
on nervously. “He’s losing control of his breathing—Jessica’s *not just
strong*, she’s built to last.”
Rizra
scowled. “She’s a stamina tank with angel fire… He’s not gonna outlast her.”
Jessica
raised her hand slowly—her calm demeanor returning.
> “Give
up, Hajime. You’ve done enough.”
But Hajime
just laughed weakly.
> “Give
up? I *never* give up.”
His legs
wobbled, but he raised his fist, blue fire igniting again with defiant rage.
> “You
can have stamina, angel wings, a million push-ups a day… But I have one thing
you don’t.”
Jessica
raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
>
“**Rage.**”
His blue
flame erupted around him again, more unstable now, more desperate—but it
*blazed.*
He
staggered forward. Step by step. Pure willpower.
> “So
let’s rage it… to the very end, Jess.”
And then,
despite everything—his exhaustion, his pain, his cracking bones—
**He
charged.**
Again. Hajime
stumbled to his knees, but as the flames flickered out around him, a sudden
*spark* of warmth and firelight ignited behind his shoulder.
A small,
bright **orange bird**—barely the size of his hand—fluttered into view. Its
wings shimmered with embers, its eyes glowing like tiny suns.
The crowd
murmured in confusion.
> “Wait…
is that—?”
> “Is
that a… *bird*?”
> “No
way—that’s not just any bird…”
**Phoenix.**
The
legendary flame spirit that only responds to hearts filled with both
desperation… and unbreakable will.
Perched on
Hajime’s shoulder, the Phoenix cocked its head and spoke in a voice only Hajime
could hear, soft but ancient.
>
**Phoenix:** “You called me, Hajime. What is it you desire?”
Hajime
looked up, blood trailing from his lip. His body trembled. But his eyes—his
**eyes were burning.**
>
**Hajime:** “I want to beat her.”
The Phoenix
narrowed its fiery eyes, and for a second, it seemed like it might deny him.
But then it
saw what it needed:
– The
cracked resolve that refused to break.
– The
pride.
– The pain.
– The
*rage.*
The Phoenix
nodded, its feathers glowing.
>
**Phoenix:** “Then rise, Specter Devil.”
Suddenly,
it burst into flames, spiraling into the air above Hajime’s head. The flame
curled downward—*not to burn him*, but to **bless him**.
>
“**Armor Charge.**”
The fire
enveloped Hajime—blue, red, orange swirling like a cyclone of fury.
Piece by
piece, the fire *forged* itself into glowing armor:
* A
**crimson chestplate**, outlined in burning blue
* Black
gauntlets with flaming claws at the fingertips
* Leg
guards that left **trails of sparks** when he moved
* A small,
fiery insignia of a phoenix glowing brightly on his back
His hair
spiked upward, his eyes glowed orange, and smoke curled from his fists.
The stadium
went silent in awe.
Jessica
flinched, finally showing emotion—**shock.**
>
“W-What is that…?”
Hajime
cracked his neck.
>
**Hajime:** “This is your final warning… little sister.”
>
**Jessica:** “You had this and waited to use it?!”
>
**Hajime:** “I didn’t want to hurt you. But now I want to win.”
He stepped
forward, fire surging under his boots with every stomp.
The
Phoenix’s voice echoed once more, soft and proud.
>
**Phoenix:** “Make this rage... burn eternal.”
And Hajime
roared—
>
“**RAAAAAAGE ON!!**”
