A cluster of sharp ice spikes launched upward from the stone floor, erupting in a scattered pattern directly beneath where Jelo was landing.

Each spike was thick as a forearm and wickedly pointed, designed to impale or force extreme evasive action.

Jelo saw them coming and used Wingburst without hesitation. Fire exploded from his back in a controlled burst, the force launching him sideways through the air. He cleared the spike field by mere inches, feeling the virtual wind resistance as he dashed. His trajectory carried him several meters to the left, and he landed in a controlled roll, immediately coming up into a ready stance.

He didn't give her time to close distance again. His hands moved in rapid succession, forming and launching two fireballs in quick sequence. The first one streaked through the air directly at Hawkgirl's center mass, fast and precise. The second followed half a second behind, aimed slightly to her left to cut off a potential dodge route.

Hawkgirl saw them coming. Rather than evading the first fireball, she braced herself and took it head-on. The compressed flame struck her chest and exploded, the impact sliding her backward across the stone. Her health bar dropped, but not as much as Jelo had expected. She'd somehow reinforced herself, possibly with ice armor beneath her visible outfit.

She stayed upright, her boots scraping against the ground as she arrested her backward slide. Then, in a move that genuinely surprised Jelo, she rotated her body and swung her arm like a bludgeon, smashing the second fireball aside with raw physical strength. The fireball detonated against her ice-hardened forearm, dispersing in a scatter of flames that didn't seem to affect her much.

Jelo's eyes widened slightly behind his avatar's face. That wasn't a normal defensive technique. Most fighters would dodge or try to counter projectiles with opposing elements. Simply batting a compressed fireball aside required significant power and precise timing. It spoke to combat experience and confidence in one's own abilities.

Hawkgirl stood in the dispersing flames, her hawk mask fixed on him, clearly ready for the next exchange.

Then she rushed again.

This time there was no weapon formation, no ice blade extending from her arm. Instead, her fists became reinforced with dense ice that covered her knuckles and wrapped around her forearms like gauntlets. The ice wasn't shaped for cutting—it was formed for impact, thick and solid, designed to hit hard and transfer maximum force.

She closed the distance with that same explosive speed, covering the ground between them in a blur of movement. Her body twisted mid-sprint, her right fist already cocking back. Jeloraised his fire sword to intercept, but she adjusted her angle at the last moment, ducking under his guard and driving her ice-reinforced fist directly into his ribs.

The impact was brutal. Jelo felt the collision through his entire virtual body, the damage registration making it feel viscerally real. The force lifted him slightly off his feet and sent him skidding sideways across the stone floor, his boots scraping against the ground as he tried to maintain balance. His health bar dropped noticeably, and he could feel the phantom ache where her fist had connected.

He recovered quickly, muscle memory and combat instinct taking over. His feet found purchase, and he stabilized his stance, shaking off the impact. His mind was already working through options, analyzing what had just happened. She hit harder than her rank suggested she should. That wasn't just ice reinforcement—that was strength backed by technique and timing.

Jelo decided it was time to test his new skill.

He activated Fire Vortex, pulling his flames inward first before expanding them outward. The fire responded to his will, gathering and condensing around him in a swirling mass. Then he shaped it into rotation, the flames spinning faster and faster, creating a visible column of fire that burned bright and hot. The vortex grew in intensity, the heat distorting the air around it.

He released it forward with a pushing motion, directing the rotating mass of flame directly at Hawkgirl. The vortex tore across the arena, its base ripping into the stone floor and leaving scorched marks in its wake. The spinning flames created a devastating path of destruction as they traveled, the sheer force of the rotation adding kinetic energy to the elemental damage.

The Fire Vortex slammed into Hawkgirl with tremendous impact. She saw it coming and braced immediately, crossing her arms in front of her body and reinforcing them with additional ice layering. The vortex hit her defensive position and the opposing forces collided—spinning fire against solid ice.

She was pushed back hard, her boots dragging across the stone as the vortex's momentum drove her backward. The flames wrapped around her crossed arms, trying to burn through her ice defense. She gritted her teeth behind her mask, visible tension in her posture as she resisted the pushing force. Her health bar dropped from the sustained contact, but she did not fall. She held her ground through sheer determination and defensive reinforcement, weathering the attack until the vortex finally dissipated.

When the flames cleared, Hawkgirl was still standing, though her ice armor showed visible cracks and her breathing was heavier. She exhaled sharply, the sound carrying across the arena, and immediately increased her pressure.

She came at him again, but this time with a different approach. Instead of single committed strikes, she chained rapid punches and kicks in a flowing combination. Each hit was backed by ice density rather than sharp edges—her fists and feet were reinforced for impact, turning her entire body into a bludgeoning weapon. She was testing his durability, probing his defenses, looking for weaknesses in his guard

Jelo blocked most of them, his arms coming up to deflect punches and his fire sword intercepting kicks. But two solid hits broke through his defense—one catching his shoulder and spinning him slightly, another clipping his jaw and making his vision flash.

The impacts registered as sharp drops in his health bar, and he could feel himself being pushed backward by the relentless assault.

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