Roselle, in her empowered Elemental Fusion form, faced off against Chalcon, who had unleashed Sanda Collosus Level 3.

  Roselle took a deep breath and felt the power coursing through her veins. The combination of fire, ice, and earth, along with the Poison Bde in hand radiating purple lightning.

  Chalcon, his own aura of lightning and energy enveloping him, grinned in response. “I’ve been waiting for this, Roselle! Come at me and don’t hold anything back!”

  With those words, Roselle and Chalcon cshed with explosive force. Roselle, in her Elemental Fusion form, focused her elemental powers to attack Chalcon. She first channeled the power of fire, unleashing a torrent of bzing fmes towards Chalcon. The fire roared towards him, but with a swift motion of his sword, Chalcon created a protective barrier of lightning that absorbed and nullified the fiery assault.

  Undeterred, Roselle then harnessed the icy aspect of her elemental fusion. She projected a frigid aura that formed icy shards within it. They barraged Chalcon; however, he exhibited evaded the icy onsught in a blue of lightning fast speed.

  Chalcon released a surge of yellowish energy towards Roselle, but in response, she called upon the earth’s strength to create a defensive barrier of rocks and boulders around her. This protective shield seemed impenetrable at first gnce, but Chalcon shattered the earthy defenses with a thunderous shockwave.

  “Yellow Dragon Strike!”

  Chalcon unleashed a colossal, yellowish-type dragon that surrounded him, engulfing the battlefield in its powerful aura.

  However, Roselle Held out one hand, producing fire within it and combined it with her toxic bde which held both her poison and purple lightning with it.

  “TOXIC FIRESTRIKE THUNDERCLAP….SUUURURRGEE!!!!”

  With a fierce ssh, she unleashed a rapid, spinning fan of crackling electricity. Purple lightning intermingled with fiery streaks and toxic haze. The vortex spun outward towards Chalcon’s Yellow Dragon Strike.

  The two powerful moves collided in an explosive csh.

  Chalcon’s yellow dragon roared and attempted to resist the onsught, but the combined force of Roselle’s attack was overwhelming Chalcon. The earth trembled with the two opposing forces.

  , Chalcon’s attack started to intensify. His aura fred, crackling with an increasing intensity of lightning and fury. The Yellow Dragon, now surrounded by purple sparks, roared with renewed power. Chalcon’s eyes were alight with fierce determination as he pushed his sword magic to its utmost limits.

  Roselle, eyes wide with shock, watched as her own attack began to falter. The purple lightning she had conjured was being absorbed by Chalcon’s dragon, weakening her offensive force. The overwhelming energy from Chalcon’s attack was overpowering her defense, and she struggled to maintain the bance.

  Roselle gritted her teeth, then raised her arms, pouring every ounce of her remaining energy into her attack. The vortex of purple lightning and fmes struggled against Chalcon’s enhanced dragon. With a desperate scream, Roselle tried to infuse more energy into her Toxic Firestrike Thundercp.

  The combined force of Chalcon’s enhanced Yellow Dragon Strike and Roselle’s desperate Toxic Firestrike Thundercp caused a cataclysmic explosion of power which engulfed the entire arena.

  The sheer pressure from the explosion rippled through the arena, causing the ground to quake violently. Stonberg’s protective barrier above the arena could no longer withstand the immense force. The barrier, already battered and cracked, now began to show small holes under the overwhelming pressure. Stonberg’s eyes widened with concern. He struggled to repair the barrier in real-time. With fierce concentration, he managed to close up some of the holes. Sweat streamed down his face, but he remaine focused on his task.

  The audience, though caught in the grip of the explosion’s raw power, erupted into deafening cheers. The roar of the crowd surged through the arena.

  The Announcer tried to regain composure, then she shouted, “HOLY SMOKES! That bst is so big, it’s got the whole arena shakin’! I can barely see a thing through all this smoke and debris!”

  When the smoke cleared from the explosive csh of power, Chalcon stood behind Roselle with a face of disappointment. Roselle, on the other hand, appeared shocked.

  Roselle slowly looked down to see a massive gash across her chest. The wound marked the point where Chalcon had managed to strike her during the intense exchange.

  With a sense of pride, Chalcon expined, “Idiot…Well, I can’t really call you an idiot since you didn’t know. Roselle, at Sword Magic Level 3, my Sanda Colossus allows me to absorb thunder and lightning. So when you tried to combine your lightning and fire energy along with your poison, my bde was able to absorb the lightning part of your attack’s power. It cut your attack’s power in half, and the result is what you see here.”

  Roselle, wounded and weakened, dropped to the ground. The Announcer boomed throughout the stadium, “And Roselle is down! The countdown’s startin’ now! Will Roselle find it in her to get back on her feet?!”

  The countdown of 60 seconds began. Risebelle and Runebelle, standing on the sidelines, exchanged worried gnces. Risebelle muttered to herself, “This isn’t good...”

  Runebelle’s eyes deepened with sadness. She whispered, “Roselle…”

  Risebelle turned to Cha. “That Chalcon... he hid the fact that he could absorb lightning up until now. Roselle’s lightning is uniquely artificial, unlike mages...Something like this has never happened before.”

  Cha replied with a steady tone, “It doesn’t matter what type of lightning it is. The Thunder Dragon will consume it. Chalcon’s ability to absorb lightning is a fundamental aspect of his Sword Magic, and it’s always been a part of it.”

  Risebelle’s brows furrowed.

  Cha turned to Risebelle and Runebelle and spoke calmly. “What you need to understand is that while Roselle, you, and Runebelle may not be fully human, the fundamental ws of elements and magic still apply to all beings. The essence of your powers, even if unique or artificial, adheres to these universal principles.”

  Risebelle frowned. “So, you’re saying that despite our artificial nature, the basic rules of elemental interaction still govern how our powers work?”

  Cha nodded. “Exactly. Chalcon’s ability to absorb lightning is a direct extension of his Sword Magic. It’s a fundamental part of his elemental affinity. In the same way, the ws of fire, ice, and earth are inescapable for Roselle. No matter how powerful or unique the magic, these elemental rules remain constant.”

  Runebelle seemed even more troubled after hearing this. She pced her hands together.

  Kintovar, who had been watching the battle intently, leaned forward in her seat, her brow furrowed with concern. The sweatdrop that had formed earlier returned.

  Time passed, and the tension in the arena continued to mount. The Announcer said through the mic, “Well, folks, thirty seconds have ticked by! Chalcon’s attack was somethin’ else! It was as fierce as a tornado, I tell ya!”

  Chalcon, standing over the fallen Roselle, maintained a gre on his face.

  When the countdown reached its final moments, Roselle summoned every ounce of her strength to push herself off the ground. It was a struggle, but she made it to her feet.

  The Announcer boomed, “Roselle’s back on her feet! She ain’t givin’ up without a fight, that’s for sure!”

  Chale smiled from the sidelines. Risebelle and Runebelle, who had been concerned about their sister were visibly relieved.

  Cha thought to herself, ‘Chalcon, you really enjoy this, don’t you? The thrill of a challenging battle. You want to see her push herself to the limit.’

  Chalcon’s face twisted into a sadistic smile, “Still alive? That’s what I wanted to see. Roselle! You’ve got to keep fighting! We’ve gotta keep fighting, forever!”

  Roselle looked at Chalcon with a weak but defiant smile. “Of course I’m still alive. This isn’t a fight to the death.”

  Chalcon’s sadistic smile widened. “I know. I was just being dramatic. Now come on! Let’s fight like there’s no tomorrow!”

  Roselle steadied herself, despite her weakened state. “We can’t fight forever, Chalcon. In the end, there has to be a winner.”

  Chalcon’s grin remained. “True enough. Let’s see how far you can push yourself. That’s what makes this so exhirating!”

  Roselle quickly checked her lifeforce, and a system message fshed before her eye.

  [System Message]

  LifeForce: 50%

  Time limit: 1 Minute

  ‘This next minute will decide the entire fight,’ she murmured to herself. ‘I have to end this.’

  As vivid memory from Roselle’s past emerged. It was the battle against Mystimona, someone who had harnessed the power to fuse elements together the way she does but with a mastery over at his disposal.

  Roselle pushed herself to the limit. Her power surged wildly, causing her to scream outwards .The purple lightning that enveloped her intensified, crackling with even more energy. Her magical power began to rise, surpassing the already impressive 400% mark.

  The arena crackled with energy as Roselle’s purple lightning surged wildly around her. She began to scream outward as her purple lightning began to have streaks of green within it.

  Risebelle and Runebelle, with their unique systems, could sense the increase in Roselle’s magical power. Risebelle lowered her eyes and whispered, “She’s pushing herself beyond her limits like in her fight against me…. That could be dangerous.”

  Runebelle nodded in agreement.

  Cha, curious about Risebelle’s whispered concerns, leaned in closer to the sisters. “What do you mean?”

  Risebelle expined. “As you know, we’re not like humans. We are creations of Kintovar, and our systems work differently. If we push ourselves too much, we risk damaging or even destroying ourselves.”

  Cha, considering this, nodded slowly. “Well, in a way, that’s not so different from humans. When we push ourselves beyond our limits, we can end up hurting ourselves too.”

  Risebelle sighed but continued, “But the difference is that Roselle doesn’t always know her own limits, and she often underestimates the danger she puts herself in. She’s always been so stubborn...”

  Cha chuckled softly, “You know, it’s funny... Chalcon and I share a simir drive. He wants to become a Sword God, and I aspire to reach that level as well. But the truth is, we both have our limits. Even I haven’t reached that level yet.”

  Risebelle raised an eyebrow. “But wait, you’re the Champion of the Eastern Annual Tournament from st year. Everyone thinks you’re already a Sword God. What do you mean you haven’t reached that level yet?”

  Cha grinned, “It’s true that I’ve achieved a high level of mastery, but there’s always room for growth. I may be the champion, but there are challenges that come with the mastery of Sword Magic Chalcon and me. Becoming a Sword God is not an easy feat... no matter how strong we get, there is always something stopping us from reaching that power...”

  Cha’s gaze shifted toward Chalcon, who stood on the battlefield. “I said all of this to let you know that I believe in Chalcon’s decisions, just as you should believe in Roselle’s choices,” Cha stated with sincerity. “We all have our own paths to follow, our own battles to fight. It’s that drive that pushes us to keep going, to get stronger. And sometimes, it takes a seemingly impossible challenge to reveal our true potential.”

  Risebelle listened intently, absorbing Cha’s word. She looked back at Roselle, who was pushing her limits and sighed.

  “I understand,” Risebelle said while still holding concern. “I just don’t want Roselle to do something reckless and blow herself up.”

  Cha giggled softly, her gaze still fixed on the battlefield. “You’ll just have to trust that she won’t.”

  Runebelle, also with a concerned look, added, “Sisters fight together. We support Roselle.”

  Risebelle nodded with her face softening slightly. “Yes, we’ll support Roselle. We’ve always fought together, and this is no different.”

  She shifted her demeanor. Her worried look melted away into her usual serious one, though now it was accompanied by a faint, encouraging smile. Her arms folded confidently and focused back on the battle.

  Cha smiled. “That’s the spirit. Keep cheering for her, because I have a feeling this battle is far from over.”