The training arena hummed with tension as the crowd leaned forward, eyes locked onto the battlefield. The earlier excitement hadn't faded instead, it sharpened into something heavier. This wasn't just a match anymore. It was becoming a test of endurance, control, and pride.
Tyouro stood near the center of the arena, shoulders rising and falling with each breath. Burn marks covered parts of the floor around him, evidence of his earlier blasts. Across from him, Dracula rolled his neck slowly, faint sparks of electricity dancing across his arms like living veins of light.
Neither of them rushed.
Not anymore.
They had already felt each other's power.
Now they were thinking.
Dracula smirked slightly, lifting his hand as electricity began forming into a thin, blade-like shape. It crackled violently, unstable but precise. "You're loud," he said casually, his voice calm compared to the chaos around him. "Your power screams. Explodes. It's obvious."
Tyouro wiped the sweat from his jaw and grinned back. "And yours?" he replied. "It looks flashy, but you haven't put me down yet."
A few students in the audience reacted with low murmurs. The tension between them was building again.
Without warning, Dracula moved.
A streak of electricity shot forward, his body following behind it at blinding speed. The blade in his hand extended mid-run, transforming into a longer spear of lightning aimed straight at Tyouro's chest.
Tyouro didn't dodge.
Instead, he planted his foot firmly and raised his arm.
"Come."
The moment the electric spear reached him, Tyouro released a compressed blast from his palm. The explosion didn't spread wildly like before it hit directly, clashing against the lightning in a violent collision of force and energy.
The impact shook the arena.
Cracks spread across the floor beneath them as both powers fought for dominance. Sparks and heat mixed into a chaotic storm between them.
For a second, neither side won.
Then-
BOOM!
Both of them were pushed back.
Tyouro slid across the ground, his boots scraping hard before he forced himself to stop. His arm trembled slightly from the impact, but his eyes stayed locked forward.
Dracula landed lightly, electricity flickering around his body again. This time, though, his expression changed just a little.
"…You adjusted," he said.
Tyouro exhaled slowly. "Yeah," he replied. "I'm not just blowing things up anymore."
In the stands, Kairo leaned forward, eyes focused. "He's controlling it now," he said quietly.
Yura nodded slightly. "He's compressing his blast before release. Less waste. More impact."
Hero crossed his arms. "Still reckless though."
Kimimaru didn't speak, but his eyes followed every movement carefully.
Back in the arena, Dracula lifted both hands this time. Electricity surged outward, forming multiple shapes blades, spikes, even small floating constructs that hovered around him like weapons waiting for command.
"You're improving," Dracula admitted. "But you're still too simple."
The constructs shot forward all at once.
Tyouro reacted instantly, his body moving with more precision than before. He stepped to the side, avoiding the first wave, then slammed his foot down and released a burst from below him, launching himself upward just as the next set of electric weapons struck the ground.
From above, he clenched his fist.
"Let's see you block this."
Energy gathered around his arm not exploding yet, but building, condensing, tightening.
Then he dropped.
The moment he reached striking range, he punched downward, releasing the stored blast directly toward Dracula.
The explosion wasn't wide.
It was focused.
A straight, destructive force aimed at one target.
Dracula's eyes sharpened.
Electricity surged around him instantly, forming a defensive field. The blast collided with it, creating a violent eruption of light and sound that forced everyone in the arena to shield their eyes.
The shockwave spread outward, rattling the entire structure.
When the light faded, both fighters were still standing.
But now-
They were closer.
Dracula's arm twitched slightly, small sparks breaking off from his control.
Tyouro's breathing had gotten heavier, but his stance didn't break.
"…Not bad," Dracula said again, though this time his voice carried more weight.
Tyouro smirked, though sweat ran down his face. "You say that a lot."
"Because it surprises me every time you don't fall."
That earned a small laugh from Tyouro.
"Same to you."
For a brief moment, the fight paused again not because they were tired, but because they understood something now.
This wasn't ending quickly.
Dracula stepped forward slowly, electricity pulsing stronger than before, spreading across the ground in thin lines like a web.
"You rely on impact," he said. "Big hits. Big energy."
Tyouro didn't deny it.
"And you rely on speed," Tyouro replied. "And control."
Dracula tilted his head slightly. "Exactly."
Then his expression sharpened.
"So let's push it further."
The electricity on the ground suddenly surged upward, forming multiple pillars that shot toward Tyouro from different directions.
At the same time, Dracula vanished again faster than before.
Tyouro's eyes widened slightly, but instead of panicking, he reacted.
He didn't try to track Dracula.
He couldn't.
So he changed approach.
"Then I'll just hit everything."
He slammed both hands down.
A burst of explosive energy expanded outward not uncontrolled, but wide enough to intercept everything around him. The electric pillars shattered as they collided with the blast, while the pressure forced Dracula's movement to reveal itself for a split second.
There.
Tyouro turned instantly and threw a punch.
Dracula barely blocked it in time, electricity clashing with raw blast energy at point-blank range.
The impact forced both of them back again, but this time neither gained clear advantage.
In the stands, even the teachers were watching more closely now.
"This is no longer basic level," one of them muttered.
Shougo, standing with his arms crossed, didn't look surprised.
"They're adapting mid-fight," he said quietly. "That's what matters."
Back in the arena, Tyouro rolled his shoulder, wincing slightly but still smiling.
"Man… you're fast," he admitted.
Dracula exhaled slowly, the electricity around him calming just a bit.
"And you're stubborn."
Tyouro laughed. "Yeah. I get that a lot."
For a moment, both of them stood there again, the arena silent except for the faint crackle of electricity and the heat rising from the ground.
Then Tyouro stepped forward.
"Let's finish this properly."
Dracula's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Yeah," he replied.
The energy around both of them surged again.
Not explosive.
Not chaotic.
But focused.
Controlled.
The fight wasn't over.
Not even close.
And the next exchange
Would decide everything.