The fiery attack ignites the entire sky, a blast of heat so massive that the clouds above burn orange for a moment. Blaze's visor cracks, sparks flickering across his suit as Larenzo's flames wrap around him like a living furnace.
Blaze tries to pull back, teeth clenched against the heat swallowing him whole.
Blaze yelling through the flames
"Let go!"
Larenzo's grip only tightens, fire coiling around his arms like red serpents.
Larenzo voice shaking with power
"No."
He turns the heat up even higher. The flames flare from orange to bright red, coating his whole body in a shimmering inferno. Blaze's suit starts to burn away, armor plates glowing, melting, and peeling off. His chest plating snaps open from the pressure.
Larenzo, getting the edge, bends his left leg—
and kicks off the air, blasting them both higher into the sky.
The two rocket upward, leaving a spiral of fire tearing through the clouds.
Larenzo shifts his hand from Blaze's face to his neck, fingers locking in like steel hooks. His eyes flare bright orange—then glow even hotter as the fire around him erupts into a massive red blaze, crackling violently.
Larenzo
screaming with everything in him
"SUPA NOVAAAAA!!"
The explosion bursts outward a violent, red supernova lighting up half the district.
Windows shatter from blocks away. Cars flip. Street lamps melt. The shockwave tears the air apart.
Blaze grips Larenzo's arm, yelling, voice breaking under the pressure.
Blaze struggling, shaking
"L-Let… go…!"
Soon, Blaze loses the strength in one hand and his right arm drops. The flames overwhelm him.
Larenzo immediately reacts he grabs Blaze's face again, fingers digging in as the last waves of fire fade.
The sky dims back to normal, smoke trailing off Larenzo's arm.
Larenzo swings his right arm to the side still holding Blaze's face and his entire arm covered in dense, raging red flames, swirling violently around his elbow and shoulder.
Blaze grabs Larenzo's arm with both hands, struggling, body still on fire, his movements slowing as exhaustion pulls at him.
Larenzo looks down at the building and streets below with a tired, steady, burned-out stare, no emotion, no anger left, just the weight of the moment.
Larenzo breathing hard, voice low
"You've been set ablaze."
With one brutal motion, Larenzo twists his body and throws Blaze downward.
Blaze doesn't fall he plummets like a meteor, his entire body wrapped in trailing fire. The air breaks around him, leaving a burning streak from the clouds to the ground.
He hits the building
BOOOOM
The impact detonates on contact.
The entire side of the building collapses inward, floors caving one after another as fire bursts from every shattered window. A massive dust cloud surges into the streets while flaming debris rains down.
The building crumbles, swallowed by the force of Blaze's landing until nothing but a burning skeletal frame remains.
Larenzo hovers above, flames fading from his arm, chest heaving.
The city beneath him burns.
Larenzo hits the ground hard, shoes skidding across ruined concrete as the last flames of his "Supa Nova" still lick the sky behind him. He lands in a half-crouch, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his chin. His limbs tremble not from fear, but from the raw energy he just forced through his Mark.
The building Blaze crashed into is still burning, half-collapsed, glowing red like molten metal.
The entire street is quiet for a moment.
Too quiet.
Larenzo lifts his head, eyes narrowed, breathing sharp.
SIRENS — distant but closing in fast.
CHOPPERS — the thumping air pressure rolls across the rooftops.
The MP are mobilizing.
The Blaze Unit, specifically.
Their reinforcements move faster than any normal response team.
Larenzo's jaw tightens.
< If I stay here… this becomes suicide. MP choppers, ground units… they'll swarm this whole block in minutes. >
He turns slightly, glancing back toward the direction Sam was blasted away. Even from here, he can see faint sparks of Sam's yellow Mark fading in the debris, flickering like a dying ember.
A deep frown cuts across Larenzo's face.
< And dragging Sam out of here… that slows me down a lot. Running with dead weight? I might as well handcuff myself. Damn it. >
He takes a single step toward Sam—
Then freezes.
A sound rises from the burning rubble.
Laughing.
Not normal laughing.
A distorted, echoing cackle warped by pain, rage, and sadistic joy.
Larenzo's head snaps toward the ruined building, eyes widening as he feels a familiar pressure grip the air.
A Mark signature — sharp, red, violent.
His stomach sinks.
Larenzo:
"…You gotta be fucking kidding me."
Deep inside the flaming rubble, something shifts.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM
Like a heartbeat.
Like someone punching their way out of hell.
The concrete splits.
Flames twist.
And then—
BLAZE ERUPTS OUT OF THE RUBBLE.
He bursts upward from beneath the debris in a pillar of red light and molten dust, landing atop the cracked street with a heavy thud that sends small shockwaves rolling outward.
He stands there breathing heavily, steam curling off his skin.
His entire suit is destroyed — only his MP-issued pants remain, the rest burned away to reveal his toned, scarred torso, glowing slightly from overheated Mark energy.
His hair is singed. His skin is marked with scorch lines.
But Blaze?
He's grinning.
A wide, wild, cocky smile.
Blaze:
"LARENZOOOOOO!
YOU REALLY PUSHED ME THIS TIME!"
His aura explodes around him, red patterns crawling up his arms like living flames. The air distorts from heat.
Larenzo instantly takes a step back, stance lowering. His eyes scan Blaze's body, analyzing, calculating.
He's exhausted.
Completely drained.
His Mark output is barely a flicker now.
Blaze, meanwhile, feels like a rising sun.
Larenzo:
"…No way. You tanked that?"
Blaze lifts his arm, letting his Mark flare violently in response.
A menacing pulse.
A sadistic smile.
Blaze:
"Come on, Larenzo.
You didn't really think that little stunt was enough to put me down, right?"
Larenzo clenches his jaw. Sweat rolls down the side of his face.
< He's stronger now. Like the pain boosted him… or the Mark adapted mid-battle. Shit. >
Blaze takes one step forward, the ground cracking beneath his heel.
Blaze:
"Let me show you"
He raises his hand, red energy gathering around his fist.
Blaze
"the difference in power, Larenzo."
Larenzo staggers, legs barely holding.
The two stand across from each other:
Larenzo: burnt, exhausted, aura thin, body shaking
Blaze: shirtless, energized, aura blazing bright crimson, confidence overflowing
A fallen warrior versus an ascending monster.
The air vibrates.
The flames behind them howl.
The sky reflects red light, as if the city itself is holding its breath.
Larenzo narrows his eyes, tightening what's left of his stance.
Larenzo:
"…Round two, huh?"
Blaze smirks, leaning forward slightly.
Blaze:
"No.
This is your execution."