Maris stood in the middle of the arena.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
Sweat rolled down his face, mixing with dust and ash.
The final match had already pushed both fighters beyond what the audience expected.
But Maris was no longer thinking only about the fight.
He thought about his mother.
About Guris.
About Sophria.
About Foshi.
And about the boy standing across from him.
Melio.
His oldest friend.
His greatest rival.
Maris tightened his jaw.
He thought, “I won’t lose.” His eyes sharpened.
“Not now.” A gust of wind moved around his feet.
“Not ever.” The air began to tremble.
Maris slowly raised his hand.
“I have to show him…” His fingers curled.
“…my true power.” The wind intensified.
At first, it was normal.
Then— Something changed.
The light around Maris began to dim.
The wind became darker.
Not gray.
Not shadowed.
Black.
A thick vortex formed around his body.
Sophria’s eyes widened.
“It’s…” She struggled to breathe normally.
“It’s black.” The wind spiraled faster.
“The air…” Her hair whipped violently around her face.
“…it’s suffocating.” Foshi stepped backward.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
“What…” He stared at Maris.
“What is this?” The black wind expanded.
“Air…” Foshi’s voice became quieter.
“…is turning black?” Liberia stared from the sidelines.
For once, even she had nothing sarcastic to say.
She whispered, “This isn’t ordinary pressure.” Her eyes remained fixed on Maris.
“It’s concentrated power.” Then she noticed his eyes.
“Wait…” Maris opened them.
His usual blue irises were gone.
Deep black surrounded his pupils, faintly illuminated by the strange aura surrounding him.
Foshi’s expression changed completely.
He thought, “That isn’t Level 1.” His eyes narrowed.
“Nor Level 2…” The black wind twisted around Maris.
He thought, “Fire can burn air.” His gaze locked onto Melio.
“But what happens when the air itself becomes something else?” The vortex intensified.
“What happens when it stops behaving like ordinary wind?” Melio’s flames erupted.
He slammed his fists together.
“Then I’ll find out!” He charged.
BOOM!
Fire exploded around him.
The temperature of the arena rose instantly.
Melio swung his flaming fist.
Maris didn’t move.
The black wind surged forward.
WHOOOOSH!
The two elements collided.
For a moment— Fire and black wind struggled against each other.
Then the wind wrapped around the flames.
The fire flickered.
Melio’s eyes widened.
“What!?” The black wind compressed around his flames.
The fire weakened.
Not disappearing instantly.
Not defeated effortlessly.
But being steadily smothered.
Melio gritted his teeth.
“Come on!” He pushed more energy into his attack.
The flames roared again.
The black vortex responded.
BOOM!
The collision sent a shockwave through the arena.
Melio staggered backward.
His flames had been reduced to scattered sparks.
He stared at his hands.
“My fire…” His expression hardened.
“…it’s losing power.” Maris raised his hand.
The black wind gathered around his palm.
Then— A familiar shape emerged from the ground.
A small wind dragon.
The same creature Maris had summoned before.
But this time— It was different.
Black aura covered its body.
Its once-bright form had become dark and almost shadow-like.
Its wings stretched outward.
The creature rose behind Maris.
The audience fell silent.
Pinezoku stared.
“That…” His eyes widened.
“That’s his Wind Dragon.” Foshi looked at it carefully.
“No.” He corrected himself.
“It’s the same technique…” His expression became serious.
“…but something has changed.” The dragon opened its mouth.
There was no roar.
Instead— The air around it suddenly collapsed inward.
Dust rose from the arena.
Small stones rolled across the ground.
The walls trembled.
Sophria stared.
“That’s…” Maris stepped forward.
His voice was calm.
“This is my answer, Melio.” The dragon circled behind him.
“The wind that refuses to obey.” The black aura intensified.
“The air that devours whatever stands in its way.” Melio’s smirk disappeared.
He stared at his childhood friend.
“Maris…” For the first time during the battle— Melio looked genuinely uncertain.
“What are you?” Maris didn’t answer immediately.
The black wind coiled around his arms.
He stepped forward.
“I don’t know.” Everyone froze.
Maris looked at his own hand.
“But I know one thing.” The wind intensified.
“I’ve spent my entire life being told what I couldn’t become.” His eyes returned to Melio.
“Weak.” A gust exploded outward.
“Useless.” The arena shook.
“Behind everyone else.” His expression hardened.
“But every time I reached a limit…” The black aura rose behind him.
“…I broke it.” Melio clenched his fists.
Fire returned to his hands.
“So you’re finally showing me.” Maris nodded.
“Yes.” Melio smiled.
Not arrogantly.
Not mockingly.
Like a rival who had finally found what he’d been waiting for.
“Then don’t hold back.” Fire erupted around him.
Maris’ black wind answered.
The arena trembled between them.
Sophria and Liberia exchanged nervous glances.
Sophria whispered, “This isn’t normal.” Liberia swallowed.
“No.” She watched the black vortex.
“This is beyond anything we’ve seen.” Foshi remained silent.
His eyes stayed fixed on Maris.
He thought, “Manglet…” His expression darkened.
“Did you know this was inside him?” The black wind dragon rose higher.
Its wings spread across the arena.
Maris lowered his stance.
Melio did the same.
For several seconds— Neither moved.
Then Maris thought, “This is for every promise we ever made.” His fists tightened.
“For every limit I swore I’d break.” Melio’s flames surged.
“And for the future…” Maris’ eyes burned beneath the black aura.
“…I’ll carve with my own hands.” BOOM!
They charged.
Wind collided with fire.
The arena shook.
The spectators screamed.
The black storm swallowed the battlefield.
And for the first time— Maris wasn’t simply fighting with the power he had learned.
He was fighting with something he didn’t understand.
Something ancient.
Something abnormal.
Something that had been waiting inside him.
The battle had begun anew.
Not merely between fire and wind— but between what Maris had been and what he was becoming.