The sky split open in a magnificent display of flames as Valkor's purple starlight flames detonated where Nox stood.
The thunderous explosion rocked the stage and the entire arena, shaking the platform and sending a violent gust through the arena, which traveled far and wide but was only stopped by the invisible protective dome.
"Did he really take out Kawl?!"
Everyone momentarily held their breath, their eyes fixed on the spot where Nox and Kawl had been clashing prior.
Elise was also distracted by this for a split second, which gave Drake an opening to strike the side of her ribs, severely injuring her.
She groaned, but before she could regain her balance, the frost prince—half-transformed—was already upon her, his dragon claws swiping across the air, creating an afterimage.
Though the purple starlight flames were special and much more destructive compared to usual flames, Drake believed that it wouldn't be enough to deal with Nox, who had been performing miracle after miracle since the beginning of the fight.
So he barked at his teammates to not get distracted and continue their fights.
Mira, Kaisy, Fenix, Toren, and Zara—they were barely holding on against the relentless Inferno Dragons. Each of them was not in good shape, much worse compared to the fight with the Light Kingdom or any prior battle.
…And in a way, it was safe to say this was the moment Frostpire Kingdom was closest to being overwhelmed.
Elise gritted her teeth, blood trickling from her lips. Her vision swam as she barely dodged another strike from the feral Drake. Her body was screaming—but she couldn't afford to fall. Not now. Not when everything they had worked for was on the line.
But Drake was merciless.
Meanwhile, the gazes of the audience, including all eight Dragon Monarchs, were fixated on the thick smoke that billowed from the center of the stage, obscuring everything.
Valkor hovered above the crater, breathing heavily, a satisfied smirk on his face. From the beginning of the fight, he had placed that circle in plain sight, and all his moves and attacks had been to lure Nox toward it.
It was a success! Valkor grinned. As he deactivated his starlight flame and took a step back, he shot a glance at the officiator and bellowed in an arrogant, cold voice:
"What are you waiting for? Announce his elimination already!"
But the officiator didn't declare anything. He was staring intently into the smoke.
Because something was off.
"…Something is wrong." Valkor muttered, frowning.
A single sound, like a sheet of glass breaking under pressure, echoed, and in the blink of an eye, the entire battlefield was frozen in an intricate design of frost. The purple flames were sealed mid-burn, locked in ice like insects in amber. And from the center of the freezing purple inferno… stepped a figure.
Not burned. Not bruised. Untouched.
The ice coating around his boots cracked as he walked forward slowly, his katana casually resting on his shoulder.
"What…?" Valkor's pupils trembled.
"Nice move," Nox said, brushing a speck of dust from his shoulder. "But I don't appreciate being used to show off."
During that critical moment, Nox had deactivated every single skill in his arsenal and activated Inferno Dominion: Emperor Everblaze. Though it cost a whopping 1000 MP per activation, it also granted something Nox believed was a game changer, and that was:
Grants immunity to flame and heat, Nox thought. He had already deactivated the Inferno Dominion skill even before stepping out from the ice-frozen flames in order to avoid any suspicion.
Nox had already revealed his other skills to Valkor in the Ancient Forest—he'd be damned to do that again. Even a fool could put two and two together and connect the dots.
Sigh, it pains me that I have to deactivate the skill so early, Nox thought, bitterly lamenting the 1000 MP he had lost.
Now his total mana reserve was dangerously low.
Nox raised his hand slightly.
I need to finish this quick.
The purple flames beneath him shattered like glass—revealing the frost layer underneath.
Everyone watching was stunned into silence.
It was then they realized that Kawl had frozen the infamous purple starlight flames.
From the royal stand, Dracos couldn't help but chuckle quite loudly. "Although the purple starlight flame is powerful, at the end of the day, that kid's ice manipulation skill is at the ultimate tier while the starlight flame is only at the advanced rank."
The Inferno Dragon Monarch huffed, wisps of smoke coming out of his nostrils, not pleased with this information.
Nox's eyes met Valkor's—cold and calculating. "You said I should be honored… but I think you should be honored. You're the first person to push me to use this technique I've been training for the last couple of days midfight."
Valkor's scalp tingled and he flinched slightly, not liking the way Nox sounded.
At that precise moment, Nox pointed the katana at Valkor, and suddenly the atmosphere shifted. What was once a duel between two prodigies now felt like something far greater.
Valkor's confidence wavered.
"Don't falter now, Valkor!" the Inferno Monarch shouted from his stand when he noticed the slight trace of fear in his son's eyes. "You're the prince of the Inferno Kingdom!"
Gritting his teeth, Valkor raised both hands. The temperature around him soared. All the flame magic in the arena seemed to respond to him. His hair fluttered, glowing embers swirling around his body.
"I admit… you're stronger than I expected," Valkor said. "But you won't walk away from this unscathed."
The sky above began to turn purple.
Purple flames gathered in a condensed spiral above him. Spectators started shielding their eyes. This was a technique Valkor had created with his purple starlight flames.
[Stellar Inferno Bombardment] —a technique he never planned to use in competitive combat due to its wide-scale destruction. But now, if he wanted to get rid of this so-called Kawl and avoid any harm befalling his childhood friends, he had no choice!
The officiator looked ready to intervene, feeling the tremendous aura emitting from the purple sky.