Chapter 108 : Battle of Familiars' Conclusion

Sora watched, holding his breath, as Netsu’s power surged. Flames roared around him, growing more intense with every passing instant. The fire elements in the battlefield were drawn to him, feeding his strength, until the heat rose to an almost unbearable level.

‘He’s using that skill… To think he’d go this far in less than two weeks after being born. Hiyoko really has it easy,’ Sora thought, his chest tightening at the sight of his familiar pushing himself so hard to win.

Nearby, the [Azure Dragon], still catching its breath, flinched as a stray flame brushed against its scales, instantly melting through. The dragon frantically tried to extinguish the fire, but the flames spread like wildfire, devouring half of its body before burning out. Heavily injured and shaken, the dragon backed away, its gaze filled with fear as it stared at Netsu. Though trapped in a near-frozen state, Netsu exuded such overwhelming aura that the dragon instinctively floated farther back, desperate to get away.

Not far from the dragon, the [Time Dragon] trembled, its scales trembling as it poured every ounce of its energy into keeping Netsu locked in time.

But Netsu’s willpower and rising strength were pushing the [Time Dragon] to its breaking point. Exhausted, the dragon turned to the female [Nine-Tailed Blood Fox], its eyes silently pleading for her to finish the fight.

The fox responded without hesitation. Her tails began to glow as she formed deadly blood spears, each one aimed at Netsu’s heart. But as she drew closer, the heat became unbearable. She gritted her teeth, struggling to hold the spears steady as they began evaporating near Netsu’s blazing chest.

The fox’s frustration was clear in her eyes, but she refused to give up. Abandoning the blood spears, she decided to use her claws instead. With precise, powerful strikes, she broke through Netsu’s defenses, managing to sever his remaining wing. The wing fell, free of the time-lock’s effects, but the fox grimaced as her paws burned from the contact.

With precise strikes, she sliced through his defenses, managing to sever his remaining right wing. The severed wing fell, freed from the time shackles effects, and her face twisted in pain as her paws burned from the contact.

Each attack cost her too much. She retreated, her tails glowing red as she tried to extinguish the flames and heal her wounds. But the fire was relentless, spreading up her paw. Panic flickered across her face as the fire climbed toward her chest, forcing her to sever one of her front legs to stop it.

Sora watched in awe as Netsu, who had been motionless moments ago, began to move. Slowly but surely, he struggled forward, flying toward his enemies. His eyes burned with determination as he tracked their every move with focus.

Then, all of a sudden, the flames surrounding Netsu reversed course, flying back toward, reabsorbed into his body at an astonishing rate. There was no more despair on the phoenix’s face, as it was  replaced by a calm expression. Combined with the flames rushing to him, the sight sent shivers down his opponents’ spines.

The Time Dragon, already struggling to maintain its hold over Netsu, was clearly at its limit. Blood trickled from its ears, nose, and mouth, its eyes, red, revealing the toll the fight had taken. Its body trembled violently, unable to contain the phoenix who was breaking free of its grasp. Desperation flickered in its gaze as it glanced between the phoenix and its fox ally, hoping for her to strike before it was too late.

The fox froze for a moment, her confidence shaken by Netsu’s determination to fight to the end. She knew she couldn’t hesitate, yet the intensity of his gaze left her momentarily scared. Gritting her teeth, she forced her body into action.

With one final burst of courage, she poured every ounce of strength she had left into her tails, pulling together the last reserves of blood from her body. Condensing it into a single, massive spear, she raised it high, aware that failing her attack meant her team's loss.

As the suffocating heat had been absorbed by her opponent, giving her room to breathe, she launched herself forward, flying directly at Netsu. Her blood spear, glowing with a red light, was aimed directly at his eye. Knowing her control over her blood would weaken with distance, she closed the gap with her highest speed, hoping to end the fight with a single blow.

As she closed in, Netsu seemed to grow brighter, his body radiating with intensity like a miniature sun. Her instincts screamed at her to run away, warning of imminent death, but she silenced them, her focus entirely on her target. Her blood spear sliced through the air with precision, finding no resistance. 

The spear started piercing her opponent's eye in a direct, devastating strike.

A fleeting surge of satisfaction washed over her as she felt the spear sink into its target. They won. But just as a triumphant smile began to form on her face, an overwhelming force struck all of her body.

Her body was obliterated by her opponent's retaliation.

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Sora's mouth hung open as he took in the scene before him.

Every trace of fire element had vanished, drawn into his familiar's body. Even the flames that had once engulfed the battlefield were gone, leaving parts of the area eerily frozen where heat had given way to chilling cold.

He watched as the blood spear tried to pierce Netsu's eye, but his familiar shone so brightly it was like staring into the heart of a sun. The light grew too intense, blinding him from seeing the moment of impact.

Then, a tremendous sound shook the air. The explosion's roar reached him seconds later, deafening in its force.

"He actually self-destructed..." Sora whispered in awe before thinking, 'Even with my [Prestige], I still fear death. But this guy... he creates a supernova in his first serious fight.'

[Supernova (Legendary)] [Description: Consume all remaining mana, body, and life force to trigger an explosion, unleashing the destructive force of a dying star. Obliterates everything within range, but results in the user’s death.]

Sora’s mind was conflicted as he recalled the skill. Its power was undeniable, capable of turning the tide in even the most desperate battles. But the price... was his life.

As the blinding light dimmed, the battlefield came back into view. The forms of the [Azure Dragon], [Time Dragon], and [Nine-Tailed Blood Fox] were nowhere to be seen.

On the ground, however, lay a scorched body, its limbs missing and barely recognizable. Sora's heart clenched as he took in what remained of his familiar. Barely anything of Netsu’s once-proud form was left.

"Did we win? Why is there no notification?" Brodus asked, clearly confused by the system's silence.

"Maybe we did? The Phoenix erased them from the battlefield; that should count for something. But maybe it died before the explosion killed the others? Who knows how it works when everyone dies on the field..." Melinda speculated, her frustration evident as she did not want to miss out on additional points and a better ranking.

"Who says everyone died?" Sora's voice was sharp. "Your familiars are the only ones that died." He cast a hard look at his teammates, his displeasure evident. Their lackluster performance had forced his familiar into a corner, putting all the pressure on Netsu.

'I guess there's one more cheater on the team now.' Sora relaxed, aware of what was happening.

Confused, his teammates looked at him, expecting clarification. Without a word, Sora raised a hand and pointed at the sky above his familiar’s scorched body.

As they looked on, the mana in the air began to tremble, responding to an invisible force. It headed toward Netsu's remains, gathering like a whirlpool. The flow accelerated, dense streams of mana seeping into the scorched feathers, fragmented bones, and flesh.

Absorbing something buried in the remains, the mana transformed, turning into a burning fire. This fire was unique, forming a molten substance that pulsed. It spread, devouring the remnants of the Phoenix.

As the final traces of Netsu’s body were consumed by the burning mana, the molten fire changed. Slowly, a shape began to emerge. Small and delicate at first, a wing broke through the surface of the fire, followed by another—tiny, yet unmistakably alive.

A small head emerged, its beak glowing, eyes closed tightly. The small phoenix, now fully visible, stretched its wings, and began absorbing the remaining flames around him, drawing the fire liquid into his body. The fire fed him, invigorating his small frame, helping his feathers regain their brilliance as he grew rapidly, gaining in size, quickly reaching half of his former stature.

Standing up, the phoenix turned toward his master. Seeing the radiant smile on Sora’s face, Netsu flew toward him, landing gracefully, exuding pride and satisfaction.

Sora sent him a message. "Congratulations on your victory. You are officially the best familiar now. You were amazing. Go rest in the Beast Space for now. We’ll talk later." Netsu nodded, accepting his master’s words, and vanished into the Beast Space, his presence fading from the battlefield.

[Your team won the Tie-Breaker match: +10,000 Ascension Points]

[Fourth Trial: [Battle of Familiars] has ended]

[Your team has ranked 1/400 in the trial. ] 

[Total individual points accumulated during the trial: 129,500 Ascension Points]

Smiling as he read the notifications, he saw his teammates disappearing, heading to the waiting room between floors of the tower. As soon as Sora's surroundings started to change, he heard another  series of notifications, including three he did not expect.