The boy and Zuko walked across the seemingly endless expanse of the volcanic wasteland.
After learning the fundamentals of spirit energy and becoming familiar with its basic principles, the boy felt as though he could finally hold his own against the old man he had encountered before.
He still knew he wasn’t strong enough to defeat him.
Not even close.
But at least now, he felt capable of defending himself.
That old man was still a mystery to him—an almost inevitable presence whose powers seemed borderline godlike.
The thought alone sent an uneasy feeling through the boy.
Something was wrong.
The boy and Zuko continued walking.
Then, only a few meters ahead, they noticed someone lying on the ground.
It was a little girl curled into a fetal position, trembling violently.
The boy tilted his head.
“Hey, kid.
Are you alright?”
The girl continued shaking.
“What have I done…?”
Zuko’s expression immediately became wary.
“I sense something ahead.”
He looked toward the girl.
“Hey, little girl.
What happened?”
The girl swallowed nervously.
“A tiger…”
Her voice trembled.
“It—it was chained up.
I felt so sorry for it…”
She lowered her head.
“So I freed it.”
Zuko froze.
A sudden wave of terror gripped his heart.
His eyes widened.
“VARM?!”
He stared at the girl in disbelief.
“HOLY SHIT!
YOU FREED VARM?!”
The girl’s face went pale.
“I-I’m sorry!
Please don’t kill me!
I didn’t know it was really him!”
The boy glanced between the two of them.
“It’s alright.”
He spoke calmly.
“It was a mistake.
You didn’t know.”
Then—
The ground began to shake.
A roar echoed across the volcanic wasteland.
It wasn’t an ordinary roar.
The sound seemed to tear through the very soul.
The boy and Zuko slowly turned toward the horizon.
Their eyes widened.
A gigantic black tiger raced across the Minor Realm at terrifying speeds.
Golden stripes stretched across its massive body as it tore through the landscape, leaving destruction in its wake.
Zuko’s eyes widened in horror.
“Ah, fuck…”
He clenched his fists.
“Damn it.
We really have to fight Varm.”
The boy looked at him and chuckled.
“What’s so bad about him?
He’s just a tiger.”
Zuko shot him an irritated look.
“That thing can tear through spacetime and create wormholes!”
He pointed toward the rapidly approaching beast.
“If we let him roam free, he’ll eventually destroy all the realms!”
The boy’s expression nearly dropped.
“…How are we supposed to deal with that?”
Zuko answered immediately.
“Since we can’t kill it…”
His eyes narrowed.
“We’ll have to subjugate it.”
The two immediately broke into a sprint.
As they ran, Zuko added,
“And we can’t hurt it either.”
The boy glanced at him.
“You know…”
A grin slowly formed across his face.
“A desperate creature can be the most dangerous.”
Zuko nodded.
“Exactly.”
They continued running until they reached the edge of a massive cliff.
Below them, Varm was wreaking havoc.
The gigantic tiger tore through the volcanic landscape, roaring like a wild beast.
Suddenly, Varm stopped.
His ears twitched.
He sniffed the air.
Something had caught his attention.
Slowly, the tiger raised his head.
His golden eyes locked onto the two figures standing at the edge of the cliff.
A low growl escaped his throat.
Then—
Varm turned around and sprinted away.
The boy blinked.
“…Did he just run?”
Zuko stared after him.
“Move!”
The two immediately gave chase.
Varm suddenly stopped.
The massive tiger dug his paws into the ground and turned around.
He released a defiant roar that shook the surrounding wasteland.
Zuko stepped forward.
“Alright.”
He glanced toward the boy.
“I’ll distract him.
You try to find an opening.”
The boy nodded.
Varm charged.
Zuko immediately took off in the opposite direction, drawing the tiger’s attention.
The boy waited for his opportunity.
Then he moved.
He sprinted behind Varm and grabbed his enormous tail with both hands.
The tiger’s head snapped backward.
A furious roar erupted from its throat.
Varm violently swung his tail.
The boy was ripped off the ground and launched through the air.
BOOM!
He slammed into a massive boulder, completely shattering it.
Dust filled the air.
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then the boy emerged from the debris.
He stood up.
A wild grin spread across his face.
“This is getting interesting.”
Varm suddenly leapt into the air.
Or rather—
He flew.
The gigantic tiger swiped its claws through empty space.
Reality tore open.
A rift appeared in front of him.
Something emerged from the hole.
A small meteor.
Despite its size, the object radiated enough destructive force to make the boy’s instincts scream.
“Move!”
The boy and Zuko barely managed to dodge.
The meteor slammed into the ground.
BOOOOM!
The entire realm shook.
Volcanic rock erupted into the air as a massive shockwave spread across the wasteland.
The two immediately recovered and continued the dreadful chase.
They followed Varm across the shattered landscape until they spotted something ahead.
The tiger’s enormous tail had become pinned beneath a massive boulder.
Varm struggled violently.
The boulder barely moved.
The boy’s eyes narrowed.
“This is our chance.”
He accelerated.
Spirit energy surged through his legs.
His body launched forward with terrifying speed.
His jagged sword suddenly materialized in his hand.
The boy raised it.
Then—
He drove the blade directly into Varm’s eye.
The tiger released a deafening roar.
Varm thrashed violently.
With one final burst of strength, his tail broke free from beneath the boulder.
The tiger stumbled forward several enormous strides before leaping into the air.
Then—
BOOM!
Varm slammed his head into the ground.
The impact nearly fractured the boy’s bones.
The tiger violently shook his head, throwing the boy away from his face.
The boy crashed into the ground.
He immediately forced himself back onto his feet.
Zuko appeared beside him.
He smiled.
“Alright.”
He cracked his knuckles.
“Let’s dance.”
The three collided.
Blow after blow was exchanged.
The battle quickly became chaotic.
They fought across the entire volcanic wasteland, their movements tearing through the landscape and shattering the ground beneath them.
The boy was far more terrifying now that he could properly utilize spirit energy.
His physical abilities had become significantly more dangerous, and when combined with his unpredictable fighting style, he was difficult to read.
Beside him was Zuko.
Mischievous.
Intelligent.
And possessing abilities the boy still didn’t fully understand.
Together, they formed a harrowing duo.
The boy managed to get behind Varm once again and grabbed his tail.
Varm’s eyes widened.
Then the tiger violently spun his entire body.
Faster.
And faster.
And faster.
The rotation became so violent that the surrounding air began twisting into enormous super hurricanes.
The boy was nearly ripped from the ground.
He dug his feet into the volcanic earth, desperately trying to resist the force.
“ZUKO!”
He gritted his teeth.
“NOW!”
Zuko extended both hands.
Illusory chains suddenly materialized from the void.
They wrapped themselves around Varm’s enormous neck.
Zuko poured nearly all of his spirit energy into them.
The chains tightened.
And tightened.
And tightened.
Until—
CRACK!
Varm’s neck snapped.
The enormous tiger collapsed.
The boy staggered backward, breathing heavily.
Zuko immediately turned toward Varm.
“Quickly!”
He rushed toward the fallen beast.
“I’ll have to rip the key from its heart!”
But before Zuko could even take another step—
Varm’s body jolted.
The tiger’s tail suddenly moved.
It whipped through the air and slammed directly into the boy.
BOOM!
The boy was sent flying.
At the last possible moment, he channeled spirit energy throughout his entire body.
The attack still carried tremendous force, but the energy absorbed much of the impact.
He slammed into the ground and rolled across the wasteland.
For several moments, he struggled to move.
Eventually, he forced himself back onto his feet.
He stared at Varm in disbelief.
“How…?”
Zuko suddenly appeared beside him.
His expression was deeply unsettled.
“How unsettling…”
He stared at the seemingly dead tiger.
“He’s still unbound by death.”
Time seemed to slow.
Varm moved.
Not quickly.
Not extremely quickly.
His movement simply defied the laws of physics.
One moment, he was across the wasteland.
The next—
He was directly in front of them.
Varm opened his enormous jaws.
The boy barely had time to react.
The tiger lunged.
The boy shoved Zuko out of the way.
“GET OUT OF THE WAY!”
The jaws closed around him.
The tiger’s teeth clamped down.
Then Varm began dragging the boy across the volcanic wasteland.
The boy desperately tried to pry the tiger’s jaws apart.
But the sheer strength of the beast was overwhelming.
Varm eventually threw him aside.
The boy was sent flying through the air before crashing violently into the ground.
He rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.
He slowly lifted his head.
A grin spread across his face despite the pain.
He spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
Zuko appeared beside him once again.
His expression was concerned.
“Are you alright?”
The boy slowly pushed himself up.
He grimaced.
“Barely.”