Wolfen saw her transformation—the halo of purple, the burning eyes, the power that made his frost blue form look like a child's sparkler—and he did something unexpected.
He turned his back on her.
Sat down. Looked sad.
Eva blinked. Her hands dropped. Her guard lowered.
Wolfen attacked.
His fist shot forward, aimed at her chest, full force—
She dodged. The area behind her exploded into rubble, the ground cratering from the force of the punch.
They both jumped back, landing in crouches, their eyes locked.
Wolfen's hand shot up. So did Eva's.
"Dominance Sphere."
Two spheres erupted at the same time—one frost blue, one burning purple. They met in the middle, grinding against each other, neither yielding.
Wolfen's sphere had one rule: anyone trapped inside couldn't use their powers.
Eva's sphere had one rule: she could drain her opponent's Pulse completely.
Simple. Clear. Brutal.
Or so they thought.
Wolfen felt his Pulse leaving his body—draining, flowing into Eva's sphere, feeding her power. His sphere flickered. Cracked. Collapsed.
Not because it was weak. Because Eva's sphere had a second rule.
Eva looked at him, her voice flat. "My sphere has a one hundred percent win chance."
Wolfen's arms ignited with icy fire. His frost blue form flickered back to life, his eyes burning.
Eva got ready.
They charged.
Their punches landed at the same time—his fist against her cheek, her fist against his face. Blood sprayed. The ground cracked.
Eva activated Pulse Amplification. It was easier now, her body absorbing Wolfen's Pulse, growing stronger with every second.
Wolfen was losing.
But Wolfen was still Wolfen.
He did something Eva didn't expect.
He let her hit him.
She pulled back for another punch—and he turned sideways, letting her fist slide across his cheek. Her momentum carried her forward, off-balance for just a split second.
His fist landed on her face.
The split second was all he needed.
He immediately tried to break her Dominance Sphere—not through force, not through will, but through something else. A risk. A gamble.
He released all of his Pulse at once, trying to overwhelm her sphere from the inside.
Eva was only distracted for that split second. But it was enough.
A halo of purple fire—her own power—shot forward and hit him in the chest. He flew backward, his sphere collapsing, his frost blue form flickering and dying.
He hit the ground. Rolled. Laughed.
His base form was back. Frost blue gone. Solar lava gone. Just Wolfen, lying on his back, staring at the sky.
Eva's halo faded. Her transformation dropped. She stood over him, breathing hard, her body trembling.
Ab 2 Eva watched.
She noticed it immediately.
Since they shared the same power, they shared the same growth. Wolfen's base form was now as strong as his solar lava form. Eva's base form was as strong as her halo purple form.
That meant they could get even stronger. The next time they transformed, they would be more than they were before.
Wolfen was still laughing.
Eva sat down beside him, exhausted.
"That was stupid," she said.
"It worked."
"It didn't work."
"It almost worked."
She shook her head. But she was smiling. Just a little.