Lyssa floated effortlessly above the ground, her arms crossed casually, her sharp gaze fixed on the titanic struggle between Arnak and Zathor. The battlefield was a chaotic storm of fire and shadow, each clash shaking the city to its foundations. The once-majestic structures of Astoria were now little more than crumbling ruins, battered relentlessly by the thunderous impacts of their battle. Above, the sky flickered with bursts of energy, casting the clouds in brief flashes of red and black, like an ominous storm brewing.

  Around her, Zathor's minions—grotesque, twisted abominations—began to close in. Their disfigured bodies twitched with malice, weapons raised, but their hesitation was palpable. Lyssa barely acknowledged them. She could sense their malevolence, hear the whispers of their bloodlust, but to her, they were nothing more than pests.

  The first creature, a hulking brute with a face frozen in a snarl, lunged at her with a rusted blade. Without even glancing in its direction, Lyssa exhaled softly. The moment the blade neared her, the creature disintegrated into ash, its entire form—flesh, bone, and weapon—vanishing in an instant. The ash scattered like dust in the wind, leaving only silence behind.

  Another minion tried to sneak up from behind, hoping to catch her off guard. But as it crossed an invisible boundary around her, it too dissolved into nothingness, as if it had never existed. The remaining creatures hesitated, their grotesque forms trembling as they realized the futility of their efforts. Even approaching her meant certain death.

  Lyssa sighed, her gaze sweeping over the scorched landscape. The city was barely holding together, its foundations cracked and broken under the strain of the battle. Fires raged in the distance, their embers carried by the wind as they consumed what little remained.

  "Lord Viserion wanted this city intact," she thought, her fiery eyes flickering with exasperation as she recalled his command. "Well... at least there's still something left to rebuild."

  Her attention shifted back to the clash between Arnak and Zathor, her expression calm but distant, like a queen observing a chessboard. The battle had escalated into something cataclysmic. Arnak's fists blazed with ancestral fire, the Ember Heart blood within him burning hotter than a star's core. Every punch he threw shook the earth, molten fissures spreading beneath his feet like the planet's veins were being torn open.

  Zathor, though battered, fought with relentless ferocity. His shadowy energy coiled around him like a living shield, absorbing Arnak's blows and redirecting them with unnatural precision. It was a dance of destruction, a test of wills as much as power.

  "Fight back, demon!" Arnak roared, his voice challenging. "Show me what you're truly made of!"

  Zathor snarled, his eyes glowing with malice. "You think yourself a god? You are nothing more than a spark destined to fade." He lashed out with tendrils of dark energy, each one seeking to ensnare Arnak.

  But Arnak twisted in midair, dodging the attack, and with a burst of speed, he appeared behind Zathor. His molten fist slammed into Zathor's back, sending the demon king crashing into the ground with enough force to create a massive crater. The impact shattered the surrounding buildings, their ancient stone foundations unable to withstand the titanic energy unleashed.

  Zathor rose from the crater, his shadowy form flickering but unbroken. "Impressive," he admitted, wiping ichor from his lips. "But raw power won't be enough to save you."

  Without warning, Zathor's shadow exploded outward, engulfing the battlefield in darkness. Arnak growled, raising his hand as flames erupted from his palm, pushing back against the encroaching shadows. The two energies collided in midair—fire and darkness locked in a deadly struggle. The pressure was overwhelming, bending the very fabric of space around them.

  Arnak pushed forward, his body burning brighter as he poured more of his spirit into the fight. His flames roared, pushing the shadows back inch by inch, but Zathor's darkness was relentless, an ocean that could not be extinguished.

  "Is that all you've got, wyvern?" Zathor taunted, his voice a whisper that echoed like thunder. "You burn so brightly, but brightness is fleeting. Shadows... shadows last forever."

  With a surge of power, Zathor's form shifted, growing larger and more monstrous. His silhouette distorted, becoming a hulking mass of shadow and bone, wings and horns forming in the darkness. His voice deepened, reverberating through the air. "I will devour your flames. And when you are nothing but ash, I will consume this world as well."

  Arnak grinned, his body erupting in a fiery inferno. The flames blazed with white-hot intensity, pure and unrelenting. With a roar, he launched himself at Zathor once more.

  The collision was cataclysmic. Fire and shadow exploded outward, obliterating everything in their path. The ground beneath them gave way, collapsing into a fiery abyss. Buildings were reduced to rubble, streets torn apart as the forces of destruction consumed the city.

  Yet, the battle raged on. Arnak and Zathor moved so fast they were little more than blurs of energy, trading blows that could shatter mountains. Each strike sent shockwaves through the air, the atmosphere screaming in protest at the sheer intensity of their clash.

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  Arnak's fists blazed as they met Zathor's shadowy claws. Blood and ichor flew with every hit, but neither warrior would yield. Their eyes remained locked, filled with a savage hunger for victory.

  In the distance, Lyssa watched impassively as Zathor's minions continued to dissolve into ash around her. She glanced at the wreckage left in the wake of Arnak and Zathor's battle. "At this rate, there won't be a city left," she thought dryly.

  But there was no stopping it now. The battle had reached a fever pitch, and neither warrior showed any signs of backing down.

  Arnak roared, his flames burning brighter than ever. "You can't stop me!" he shouted, his voice booming over the chaos. "I will burn you to the ground!"

  Zathor grinned, his shadowy form writhing in response. "We shall see, wyvern. We shall see."

  The ground trembled beneath their clashing energies, the air crackling with power. The ruins of Astoria buckled under the strain as the two titans unleashed their full might. Arnak's spiritual energy blazed from his body, a swirling conflagration of molten fire, while Zathor's dark aura coiled around him like a living shadow, devouring light itself.

  "Dark Rebirth!" Zathor roared, his voice echoing unnaturally. The shadows around him thickened, spiraling upward before crashing down in waves of dark energy. The earth groaned, great chasms opening as the dark tendrils consumed everything in their path.

  Arnak's eyes narrowed in defiance. "Blazing Fury!" he roared, his aura exploding into a towering inferno. The flames collided head-on with Zathor's wave of darkness, creating a massive shockwave that flattened the surrounding ruins. The sky tore asunder, stars blinking out as the night itself faltered under the immense spiritual pressure.

  Arnak pushed forward, his muscles straining as he poured more of his soul into the flames. His fiery aura expanded, swirling higher and higher, warping the air around him. The world itself seemed drawn into his inferno.

  Zathor's shadows fought back, writhing and coiling like snakes. "You think fire will save you, dragon?" Zathor spat. "You will burn yourself out before you ever touch me."

  Arnak's eyes burned with defiance. "Then I will burn brighter!" he roared.

  With a tremendous surge, Arnak's flames burst outward, forming the image of a colossal dragon in the sky. The Dragon of the Inferno roared, plunging toward Zathor's shadowy form.

  "Obsidian Abyss!" Zathor bellowed, summoning a massive black void behind him. The shadows formed a towering serpent, the counterpart to Arnak's fiery dragon. The two beasts clashed mid-air, their roars shaking the heavens and earth.

  The clash was cataclysmic. The shockwave flattened the surrounding ruins for miles, the spiritual pressure overwhelming. Arnak gritted his teeth, his body pushed to its limit, but he refused to yield.

  "Ember Ascendance!" Arnak shouted, his flames surging once more, growing hotter and brighter until they became white-hot. The spectral dragon roared, melting through Zathor's shadows with sheer force.

  Zathor's grin twisted into a snarl as he was pushed back. The black serpent dissolved under the relentless onslaught of Arnak's flames. With a final roar, Arnak's flames surged through the dark serpent and crashed into Zathor's body. The impact was earth-shattering, a detonation of fiery energy that tore through the city.

  The earth split open, a massive chasm forming as the ground gave way. The sky above seemed to shatter as fire and shadow tore at reality itself. And then, silence.

  The flames dissipated, and the shadows faded. Arnak stood in the center of a smoldering crater, his chest heaving with exertion. Zathor, battered and broken, lay at the edge of the crater, his shadowy form flickering weakly.

  Arnak grinned, wiping blood from his mouth. "Still think shadows last forever?" he taunted.

  Zathor snarled, his eyes blazing with fury. "This... is not over, wyvern. I will rise again. And when I do, you will be nothing but ash."

  Arnak's grin widened. "We'll see about that," he said, stepping forward to finish the fight.

  As the crater smoldered, the air thick with ash and burning stone, Arnak stood victorious. Zathor was no more. Arnak wiped the blood from his lips, his fiery aura dimming but still controlled. He glanced at the destruction around him, a smirk of triumph on his face. Yet, even in victory, he couldn't shake the feeling that this world wasn't strong enough.

  Lyssa descended from the sky, landing gracefully at the edge of the crater. Her silver hair shimmered in the glow of the molten rock, her piercing eyes surveying the chaos.

  "You had fun," she remarked, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

  Arnak chuckled, rolling his shoulders. "Fun? That creature was strong. The battle... it was exhilarating." His eyes gleamed with the memory of their clash. "But in the end, it wasn't enough."

  Lyssa sighed, gesturing to the ruined city around them. "And this? What are you going to say when Lord Viserion sees what's left of Astoria?"

  Arnak frowned, glancing at the devastation. "We can still rebuild it," he muttered, though he didn't sound convinced.

  Lyssa shook her head. "Lord Viserion is going to be pissed, Arnak. This city was supposed to be left standing."

  Arnak scratched the back of his head, his grin faltering. "We dealt with Zathor, didn't we? The city's still here... just a little worse for wear."

  Lyssa's eyes narrowed, but a reluctant smile curved her lips. "Still here... barely."

  Before Arnak could respond, the sky above them lit up with a radiant energy, bathing the ruined city in a golden glow. The air crackled with raw power, an intense light spreading across the horizon.

  Lyssa's eyes widened. "It has begun," she whispered. "Our lord... he's clashing with the enemy."

  Arnak's grin returned, wider this time, the fire in his veins reigniting. He could feel the sheer magnitude of power rippling through the heavens. Thanor was engaging an enemy powerful enough to send shockwaves through the earth and sky.

  "I can feel it," Arnak muttered, his gaze fixed on the source of the light. "It's like the world is holding its breath."

  Lyssa nodded, her sharp eyes reflecting the brilliance of the sky. "We've done our part. Now, it's up to him."

  Arnak exhaled, his fiery aura calming as he watched the distant sky. "If this is what it feels like from here," he said, shaking his head, "I can only imagine what it's like up there."

  Lyssa stood beside him in silence, her mind racing. Though they had faced a powerful foe, this was something else entirely. This was a clash of titans.

  And as they stood amid the ruins of their victory, neither could shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. The true battle was still unfolding above them, in the skies where Thanor and his enemy clashed with a force that could reshape worlds.

  For now, they could only watch, their eyes fixed on the distant light of battle consuming the sky.