Both fighters halted for a brief instant—just long enough for the crowd to draw a breath—then their spirit energy surged in unison.

A deep, resonant hum filled the air as the bond between them and their beasts ignited. Behind Tian Lei, the blazing phantom of the Golden Sun Bird burst forth fully, its radiant wings spreading wide enough to eclipse half the arena. Golden light streamed down like divine fire, coating Tian Lei's body in molten brilliance.

Across from him, Xue Lan's Snow Falcon shimmered into clarity, its feathers gleaming like carved ice under moonlight. A piercing cry cut through the storm of heat, and frost spread across the cracked arena tiles, forming intricate snowflake sigils beneath her feet.

The two energies—sun and frost—resonated violently, spiraling together and tearing up the ground between them.

"Resonance Fusion—complete!" the elder in the sky murmured, eyes widening. "Both have reached full synchronization with their spirit beasts!"

Tian Lei moved first. His aura exploded outward, forming a burning halo around him. "Solar Break—Blazing Wing Strike!" he roared, his punch descending like the fall of a miniature sun.

Xue Lan met him without hesitation. "Frost Wind—Feathered Wall!" she commanded, and her falcon's cry echoed her will. Thousands of razor-sharp feathers formed a glacial barrier before her, each one imbued with freezing intent.

Fire met frost once more—but this time, it wasn't balance. It was domination versus endurance. The explosion that followed lit up the entire arena, golden and white energies spiraling upward in a blinding vortex.

When the dust cleared, both were still standing—breathing hard, spirits hovering protectively behind them.

The crowd had fallen utterly silent.

Tian Lei wiped a streak of blood from his lip, his eyes glowing faintly with golden light. "Not bad," he said quietly. "But now…"

He raised his hand, fire swirling around his arm like a coiling serpent.

"…let's see how you handle real heat."

The air shuddered.

Tian Lei's aura shifted—no longer the fierce, untamed blaze from before, but something deeper, heavier. The golden light around him condensed, pressing outward in every direction. The very space inside the arena seemed to bow beneath it.

"Golden Dominion…" someone whispered from the stands, awe creeping into their voice.

Within moments, the entire field was engulfed in shimmering radiance. Golden fire no longer burned chaotically; it flowed, forming lines and patterns in the air, intricate and deliberate. Each flame obeyed Tian Lei's will, orbiting him like solar rings around a blazing core.

Xue Lan narrowed her eyes. The frost at her feet hissed, evaporating as the temperature soared. "So this is your domain," she murmured, lifting her hands as the Snow Falcon shrieked above her.

Tian Lei stepped forward. The golden ground beneath him rippled like liquid light, and each step left behind trails of molten brilliance. "You'll need more than frost to stop this."

His right fist drew back—golden fire coalescing tighter, brighter, until it shone like a second sun. Then he vanished.

A heartbeat later, he appeared before her, arm lashing out in a blinding arc. The impact didn't just strike—it engulfed, waves of solar pressure spreading outward like a tide of molten air.

Xue Lan crossed her arms, calling her falcon's power in full. Icy gales erupted around her, wings of frost forming in a defensive spiral. The collision sent shockwaves through the entire stage, the golden domain trembling under the clash.

For a moment, frost actually pushed back the flame. The two forces crackled against each other, light and snow intertwining in a chaotic dance. But then—Tian Lei's eyes flared gold. His aura surged again, the domain pulsing like a beating heart.

The golden blaze burst forward, overpowering the frost completely. The heat rolled over the stands, forcing even the elders to raise barriers.

Xue Lan was flung back, her barrier fracturing midair before she caught herself in a skid, frost bleeding from her boots. Her breathing grew ragged, her falcon's cry faltering for the first time.

Still, her eyes gleamed with defiance. "You're strong, Tian Lei…" she said through the haze of heat. "But winter always finds a way back."

Tian Lei smiled faintly, golden fire swirling once more around his shoulders like a living crown."Then come," he said softly, voice steady as the sun itself. "Show me winter's last stand."

The air froze.

Literally.

For the first time since Tian Lei had unleashed his Golden Dominion, the heat faltered. Tiny flecks of frost began forming midair—then thickened, multiplying until the blazing light dimmed behind a curtain of falling snow.

Xue Lan exhaled slowly, her breath turning to mist. "Snow Falcon—Resonant Ascension."

Her falcon answered with a sharp, echoing cry that split the heavens. Its form dissolved into radiant motes of ice that streamed into her body, wrapping her in a cocoon of silver-white light. When the glow faded, she was standing tall—eyes gleaming pale blue, feathers of frost spiraling from her back like wings of moonlit snow.

The crowd gasped. Even the elders leaned forward.

Within Tian Lei's golden domain, a second presence had appeared—cold, pure, unyielding. The two forces strained against each other, splitting the air between them into rippling distortions.

Tian Lei's grin widened. "Good," he said, lowering his stance. "Let's finish this properly."

She didn't reply. She moved.

The world blurred. Xue Lan became a streak of frost and moonlight, vanishing and reappearing with impossible speed. Every strike she threw sent arcs of freezing energy slicing through the golden air, each impact cracking the molten floor beneath Tian Lei's feet.

But he was no less relentless. His golden flames condensed, wrapping him like armor. Each counterstrike shattered through her icy blades, erupting into bursts of solar fire that turned shards of frost into glittering mist.

It was speed against force, precision against power—each exchange faster, louder, more furious than the last.

Then—both stopped.

Across the ruined arena, they stood locked in place, a frozen breath apart.

Xue Lan's voice was barely more than a whisper. "Last move."

Tian Lei nodded once. "Agreed."

Light and frost flared at once.

"Solar Wing—Divine Descent!"

"Winter Gale—Final Bloom!"

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