The rain had stopped hours ago, but the air inside the stadium was still thick humid with tension, electric with expectation. The crowd's roar rolled like distant thunder as Blaze stood by the touchline, his right leg tightly wrapped beneath the reinforced exo-bandages. Every flex of his knee sent a muted throb up his thigh, a warning his body refused to heed.

He'd waited weeks for this, weeks of recovery, meditation, and silent agony, Now, the first match in weeks, a side tournament more fierce than the domestic league would decide whether he had truly returned… or if his dream would end beneath the floodlights.

Jason's voice broke through the blur of noise.

"You only play if you feel it, Blaze. Not because you want to prove something. Understand?"

Blaze nodded, even though he didn't. He had to prove something to himself, to Anastasia, to the world that doubted him, and to the memory of his mother.

"Number 9, Blaze Titan… entering the pitch!"

The announcement hit the air like lightning. The stands erupted. Banners of white and crimson rippled across the terraces. REST ON, TO THE TITAN'S MOM — the fans still carried her message, still remembered.

As Blaze jogged in, his body felt foreign heavier, slower, less obedient. Yet within that frailty, something else stirred: the pulse of his Aura Flames—wild, unstable, but burning. His Elemental Speed tingled under his skin, yearning to explode, while his Cosmic Telepathy whispered fragments of his teammates' fear, adrenaline, and faith.

He could hear Diego's voice in the back of his mind. "Don't push too hard, hermano. Your leg's not ready. "I'll make it ready," Blaze replied silently.

The ball spun toward him, Diego flicking it across the field with the sharp snap of his wrist. Blaze caught it mid-stride, leaning low as a Helios defender lunged in. The man's aura flared a dense, yellow energy like molten iron. Blaze sidestepped, his body twisting, right leg screaming. The air around him rippled as Elemental Speed activated, his form blurring past two opponents in less than a heartbeat.

The crowd gasped. The pain was excruciating, but the motion—that motion felts pure again.

He lifted his eyes. Ahead, three defenders formed a wall, and behind them, Helios's captain glowed like a solar flare his Radiant Barrier Technique turning the air golden. Blaze grinned, Perfect.

The old Dante would've stopped there. But this wasn't Dante. This was Blaze the Titan who'd crawled from pain, who'd been reborn in a century that forgot his name.

"Let's dance," he whispered.

His Aura Flames ignited, crimson and gold swirling like twin serpents around his limbs. The flames licked the turf, flickering in rhythm with his heartbeat. He lunged forward—Jörmungandr Formation—his body weaving like the mythical serpent that devours its own tail. His right foot struck, sending the ball spinning in a sharp arc around the defenders. A flash of heat followed its path, searing through the golden barrier.

Goalkeeper reflex. Catch it? Block it? Too late.

The ball curved past his fingertips and slammed into the top corner of the net.

1–1.

The crowd detonated into chaos. Jason punched the air. Diego sprinted over, grabbing Blaze by the collar and shaking him, laughing.

"You're insane, hermano!"

Blaze could barely hear him. The world had narrowed to the throb of his leg and the shimmering trail of Aura lingering in the air. But his eyes drifted toward the stands, finding her—Anastasia.

She stood near the dugout, hands clasped over her heart, eyes glassy beneath the stadium lights. When their gazes met, the noise of the crowd dissolved. For that single moment, time bent his Cosmic Telepathy touched her mind. "You shouldn't have played.""You knew I would.""Then don't die on me, Blaze."

He smiled faintly. "I'll live… I promised, didn't I?"

The second half was a storm. Helios retaliated viciously. Their captain unleashed Solar Burst Kicks, each strike carrying enough kinetic energy to scorch the air. Dante's aura flared to counter, his flames struggling to maintain stability as sweat streamed down his face.

By the seventy-fifth minute, he could barely breathe. His body screamed, muscles twitching from overuse of aura channels. The medical staff signaled Jason, but the coach hesitated. He saw it in Blaze's eyes the refusal to yield.

"Stay close to him," Jason muttered to Diego. "If he falters, pull him out."

But Diego couldn't. No one could.

Blaze's right leg burned literal fire crackled beneath his skin. The Aura Flames were leaking, unstable, reacting to both his exhaustion and raw emotion. He couldn't contain them anymore.

Then, the unthinkable happened, a long pass from Helios cut through the midfield like a blade. Their striker broke free. The scoreline threatened to vanish in seconds.

Time slowed.

Blaze clenched his fists. No.

He released everything. Cosmic Telepathy connected him to every teammate on the field—their instincts, fears, positions. Elemental Speed surged through his bloodstream. And then came the Aura Flames—that new, wild spirit that bent to emotion rather than will. It roared inside him like a living dragon.

His body blurred a streak of crimson and gold. He intercepted the ball mid-flight, spinning into a low martial stance, twisting his hips, and channeling the new synthesis of all three abilities. The world seemed to fold into a tunnel of light as he shouted—

"Solar Serpent Drive!"

The kick tore through the air like a meteor, trailing flames shaped like a coiling dragon. The ball smashed past half the field, ricocheted off the post, and curved back toward Diego, who was sprinting in sync through their telepathic link.

Diego caught it with a rising volley, his aura fusing blue with Blaze's gold.

The explosion of energy that followed blinded everyone for a second.

GOAL.

2–1. Victory.

The crowd erupted in disbelief. Commentators screamed. Fans leapt, chanting his name, his mother's name, his team's name. But Blaze didn't move. His right leg finally gave out, and he crumpled to his knees.

The flames faded.

Anastasia ran from the bench before anyone could stop her, sliding beside him, clutching his shoulders. His body was burning hot to the touch, eyes half-open, a weak grin on his lips.

"You idiot," she whispered. "You could've destroyed your leg again."

"Worth it," he murmured. "Did you see it? Solar Serpent Drive. I think… I finally mastered it."

Her eyes shimmered, both furious and heartbroken. "Stop trying to be a hero."

He chuckled, resting his forehead against hers. "I'm not trying. I just… can't stand watching the people I love lose."

The medics rushed over, lifting him onto a stretcher. The fans chanted louder, the sound rolling like a wave

"Titan! Titan! Titan!"

As they carried him off, Blaze looked up at the storm clouds above the stadium roof. The light rain had started again, cold against his overheated skin. Anastasia walked beside him, holding his hand. The flames in his veins had calmed but they weren't gone. They were alive now, part of him.

He closed his eyes, whispering to her through their faint telepathic link.

"I'm not done yet. This is just the beginning."

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