The moment Altopereh plunged into the battlefield, everything erupted.
There was no hesitation.
No buildup.
Only impact.
Altopereh hit the ground like a falling star.
The force of its landing alone shattered the already fractured terrain, sending shockwaves tearing across both domains. Ice spires collapsed instantly. Rivers of magma burst outward, colliding violently with frozen plains, hissing into clouds of steam that blanketed the battlefield.
And before the dust could even settle—
It moved.
A blur.
A streak of dark motion.
The plasma blade in its right arm ignited fully, a jagged arc of unstable energy roaring to life as it cut straight toward Tikadello.
Tikadello reacted instantly.
A wall of absolute ice surged upward—
Too slow.
Altopereh cleaved through it in one motion.
The blade didn't just cut the ice—it erased it, slicing clean through the barrier and continuing forward without losing momentum. The strike carved across Tikadello's chest, sending shards of frozen armor exploding outward in all directions.
The impact drove the massive creature backward, its enormous frame crashing through layers of its own domain.
Before Tikadello could even stabilize—
Altopereh was already gone.
Fire Meet Steel
Albatros came in from the side like a comet.
A torrent of fire—dense, concentrated, and blinding—erupted from his body, swallowing the space where Altopereh had been.
For a split second—
It looked like a direct hit.
Then—
A beam of crimson light tore through the flames.
Altopereh emerged from within the inferno, its frame glowing faintly but unharmed. Its shoulder cannons flared to life, unleashing a barrage of focused laser fire straight into Albatros' core.
Each beam struck with surgical precision.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
The impacts staggered Albatros mid-flight, breaking the flow of his attack as chunks of burning armor were blasted away.
He roared, unleashing a counterwave of heat—
But Altopereh was already above him.
Precision and Brutality
The orbiton twisted mid-air, both arms shifting—
From blade to cannon.
A low hum filled the battlefield.
Then—
It fired.
Micro singularity rounds.
Tiny spheres of compressed energy launched downward, barely visible for a fraction of a second before detonating.
The explosions weren't loud.
They were violent.
Each impact crushed space inward, imploding everything caught in its radius before releasing it in a violent outward burst.
Albatros took two direct hits.
The first ripped into his shoulder, collapsing part of his upper frame inward before violently tearing it back out. The second struck near his spine, forcing him downward with overwhelming force.
He crashed into the ground—
Hard.
The terrain collapsed beneath him.
A roar echoed across the battlefield.
Tikadello returned.
Faster this time.
Sharper.
The damage from the first strike had not slowed him—it had enraged him.
Massive pillars of ice erupted upward in rapid succession, forming a jagged forest of frozen spikes aimed directly at Altopereh.
This time—
They came from every direction.
Altopereh didn't retreat.
It advanced.
The plasma blade extended, splitting into dual edges as it moved. Each swing was precise, efficient—cutting through incoming spikes without slowing its forward momentum.
Left.
Right.
Upward slash.
Downward carve.
The ice never reached it.
It was dismantled mid-attack.
Then Tikadello himself emerged from within the storm—
A massive arm swinging downward with enough force to crush mountains.
Altopereh raised its blade—
And met it head-on.
The collision shook everything.
Ice fractured.
Energy flared.
For a moment, the two forces held against each other—
Then—
Tikadello's arm split open.
The plasma blade carved straight through it, slicing cleanly from wrist to elbow. Frozen fragments scattered as the limb was severed mid-swing.
Tikadello staggered.
For the first time—
He was losing ground.
A surge of heat exploded from behind.
Albatros had recovered.
Faster than expected.
His entire body ignited, flames condensing into a concentrated spear of fire as he launched himself directly at Altopereh.
This time—
He didn't miss.
The impact connected.
A direct hit to Altopereh's side.
The force sent the orbiton skidding across the battlefield, carving a deep trench through ice and stone alike.
For a moment—
Stillness.
Smoke rose from Altopereh's frame.
The glow dimmed.
Then—
It stood up.
Slowly.
Unshaken.
Youri's eyes didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't react.
Inside the cockpit, everything was silent except for the steady hum of the machine.
"Too slow," he muttered.
Altopereh moved again.
But this time—
Faster.
Dominance
It vanished from sight.
Reappeared behind Albatros.
The blade came down—
A clean, brutal arc.
It tore across Albatros' back, splitting open layers of burning armor and sending a wave of fire scattering outward.
Before Albatros could turn—
A laser burst hit him point-blank in the chest.
Then another.
And another.
Each shot forced him backward, breaking his stance completely.
Tikadello charged in again—
Desperate now.
A full-body attack.
Ice gathered around him, forming a massive, crushing wave aimed directly at Altopereh.
Altopereh didn't dodge.
It fired.
Three micro singularity rounds.
The wave collapsed before reaching him.
Tikadello was caught in the blast—
His massive body forced downward, slammed into the ground by the implosive force.
The fight had shifted.
Completely.
This was no longer an even clash.
Altopereh stood at the center of the battlefield—
Unchallenged.
Every movement was faster.
Sharper.
More decisive.
Tikadello struggled to rise.
Albatros staggered, flames flickering unevenly across his body.
And in the middle of it all—
Altopereh advanced.
Step by step.
Blade in hand.
Weapons ready.
Unstoppable.
It didn't give them time to recover.
It never did.
A barrage of lasers rained down on both targets, forcing them apart, denying any chance of coordination.
Then it closed the distance—
First to Tikadello.
A rapid series of strikes.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
Each slash carved deeper than the last, breaking through frozen armor and exposing the core beneath.
Tikadello roared—
But it was already too late.
Then Altopereh turned.
Toward Albatros.
Albatros gathered everything he had left.
Flames surged violently, forming a massive eruption that engulfed the entire battlefield in a final attempt to overwhelm the orbiton.
For a moment—
Everything burned.
Then a single beam cut through the inferno.
Straight.
Unbroken.
Altopereh emerged from the flames—
Untouched.
It raised its arm one final time.
Energy gathered.
Condensed.
Focused.
And fired.
The battlefield shook as the blast connected, swallowing Albatros in a wave of overwhelming force.
Silence Returns
When the light faded—
Everything was still.
Tikadello was down.
Albatros was barely standing.
And Altopereh—
Still stood tall.
Unmatched.
Unchallenged.