The announcer steps forward to the centre of the arena, his voice echoing clearly across the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we will now take a short break of a few hours so that both finalists may recover their energy and return to full strength. After the break, the final match of the Divine Alchemy Academy competition will begin!"
A wave of murmurs spreads across the audience.
The tension that had built during the semi-finals slowly relaxes.
The arena attendants quickly enter the battlefield to repair the damaged ground. Broken stone is replaced, crystal fragments swept aside, and the scorched marks left by spells are smoothed over with fresh alchemical stone.
As the arena is restored, performers enter the centre stage.
Musicians carrying strange instruments sit near the edges of the arena floor.
Soft melodies begin to rise.
Dancers dressed in flowing desert garments move gracefully across the arena. Their movements shimmer under the bright alchemical lights, and their dresses swirl like golden sand caught in a gentle wind.
Singers follow, their voices rising into the night sky beneath the stars.
Though the moon is absent, the glowing pyramids surrounding the city cast their faint radiance across the arena walls.
The city remains awake.
Some spectators discuss the matches.
Others place bets for the final battle.
Many whisper excitedly about the mystery surrounding the hidden voice from the highest private box earlier.
Above it all, Kaelan remains silent, watching.
Hours pass.
Finally, the performers withdraw from the arena floor.
The announcer returns.
"The time has come! The final match of the Divine Alchemy Academy competition will now begin!"
The crowd erupts into cheers.
Two gates on opposite sides of the arena slowly open.
From the eastern entrance, Maelak steps forward confidently.
The audience explodes with support.
"Maelak!"
"Maelak!"
Many already believe the result is decided.
He is openly recognised as an Official Alchemist.
His earlier victory displayed overwhelming strength.
From the western entrance, Shetj enters quietly.
His metallic mask still hides his face.
Only a smaller portion of the crowd cheers.
"Shetj!"
The voices are fewer but determined.
Many others remain silent, watching carefully.
The announcer raises his voice once more.
"Final match! Maelak of House Akhekh-Nesret versus Shetj!"
Both contestants take their positions in the centre of the arena.
The announcer lowers his hand.
"Begin!"
The moment the signal is given, Shetj moves first.
For the first time, he releases the true aura of an Official Alchemist.
A visible wave of spiritual pressure spreads across the arena.
Gasps ripple through the audience.
Maelak's eyes narrow.
Shetj raises both hands.
"Nature Alchemy: Frostwood Dragon!"
A massive hybrid formation spreads across the arena floor.
Wooden vines surge upward while icy water currents spiral around them. Wind gathers along the twisting structure until the formation shapes itself into the head of a dragon made of wood, ice, and wind.
The dragon roars and surges forward.
Maelak immediately responds.
"Fire Alchemy: Dragon Flame!"
A deep crimson formation appears before him.
Flames spiral upward, forming another dragon of burning fire.
The two dragons collide in the centre of the arena.
The impact sends a shockwave across the battlefield.
The wooden ice dragon shatters partially, but the fire dragon also breaks apart into scattered flames.
The battle escalates instantly.
Shetj launches another spell.
"Nature Alchemy: River Root Storm!"
Water streams rush across the ground while vines erupt beneath them, creating a storm of flowing roots and currents that rush toward Maelak.
Maelak leaps aside and counters.
"Fire Alchemy: Crimson Dragon Claw!"
A massive flaming claw forms and slashes downward, burning through the incoming roots and evaporating much of the water.
Shetj does not retreat.
"Nature Alchemy: Wind Ice Lance!"
Dozens of icy spears propelled by the wind shoot toward Maelak.
Maelak spins and casts another formation.
"Fire Alchemy: Dragon Shield!"
A circular wall of dragon-shaped flames surrounds him, melting the incoming ice spears before they reach his body.
The arena fills with exploding elements.
Water steam rises.
Ice shatters.
Flames swirl across the air.
Both alchemists move constantly.
They dodge attacks, counter spells, and release new formations one after another.
Maelak continues casting powerful Fire Attribute spells shaped in dragon forms.
"Fire Alchemy: Twin Dragon Burst!"
Two blazing dragons spiral outward and slam toward Shetj.
Shetj answers with layered hybrid spells.
"Nature Alchemy: Frost Gale Bloom!"
Cold winds sweep across the arena, freezing moisture in the air while thick vines intercept the flaming dragons.
The clash creates a massive explosion of steam and frost.
At first, the crowd chants only one name.
"Maelak!"
But as the battle continues, the tone begins to shift.
Shetj holds his ground.
He blocks Maelak's attacks.
He counters them.
Several times, he nearly forces Maelak backwards.
The neutral spectators begin to realise something.
This is not a one-sided battle.
Gradually, new voices join the cheering.
"Shetj!"
"Shetj!"
The crowd grows louder as the masked alchemist continues matching Maelak spell for spell.
The arena floor trembles under the constant explosions of Star Tier and Elemental Tier magic.
Neither contestant shows signs of surrender.
The final battle intensifies beneath the star-filled sky.
Flames roar across the arena as Maelak unleashes another spell.
"Fire Alchemy: Dragon Spiral!"
A twisting column of crimson fire rises from the arena floor and coils upward like a massive serpent. The blazing spiral surges toward Shetj, devouring the air in its path.
Shetj moves swiftly.
"Nature Alchemy: Icewind Bloom!"
Cold air bursts outward from his formation. Ice condenses instantly within the swirling winds, forming layers of frozen petals that spread outward like a storm. The icy currents slam into the Dragon Spiral, cracking the fire vortex apart into burning fragments.
The audience watches breathlessly.
Both alchemists are now casting Star Tier spells continuously.
Sweat forms on Maelak's brow, but his eyes burn with determination.
He raises his hands again.
"Fire Alchemy: Crimson Dragon Surge!"
Three dragons of blazing flame erupt from his formation and rush across the arena, their bodies weaving through the air like living creatures.
Shetj answers immediately.
"Nature Alchemy: Waterroot Hydra!"
The ground beneath him bursts open. Vines, water, and frost combine into a massive hydra-shaped construct with several heads formed from twisting roots and icy currents.
The hydra charges.
The dragons collide with the creature in an explosion of fire and steam.
The arena floor cracks under the impact.
The crowd roars.
High above, Kaelan watches quietly.
His eyes remain calm even as the battlefield erupts in chaos.
Below, the duelists circle each other.
Maelak launches another barrage.
"Fire Alchemy: Dragon Rain!"
Hundreds of flaming projectiles descend from above like a storm of fire.
Shetj lifts both hands.
"Nature Alchemy: Windwater Veil!"
A spinning curtain of wind and water forms around him. The fire projectiles strike the barrier and explode into clouds of steam.
Time passes.
The battle does not slow.
Spell after spell fills the arena.
Vines tear through stone.
Flames scorch the ground.
Ice spreads across broken tiles.
Wind howls through the battlefield.
Gradually, the stars above begin to fade.
The horizon grows pale.
Morning approaches.
Yet neither combatant stops.
The crowd has remained through the night.
Many spectators stand now, unable to sit any longer as the duel continues.
Maelak roars in frustration.
"Fire Alchemy: Dragon King's Breath!"
A massive torrent of red flame bursts from his formation and sweeps across the arena like a burning tide.
Shetj leaps upward.
"Nature Alchemy: Frost Gale Step!"
Wind lifts his body while ice forms beneath his feet, allowing him to glide through the air above the incoming flames.
From above, he counters.
"Nature Alchemy: Verdant Icefall!"
A rain of frozen vines descends toward Maelak.
Maelak spins and releases another spell.
"Fire Alchemy: Blazing Dragon Guard!"
A rotating shield of fire dragons forms around him, burning the falling vines before they can reach him.
The battle becomes faster.
More brutal.
Both alchemists push their limits.
The first rays of sunlight begin to appear beyond the distant dunes.
Golden light creeps across the arena walls.
Still, the duel continues.
Maelak gathers his energy again.
"Fire Alchemy: Dragon Fang Meteor!"
A blazing sphere of fire condenses above him before launching toward Shetj with incredible speed.
Shetj counters with a hybrid formation.
"Nature Alchemy: Stormwood Barrier!"
Layers of wood, wind, water, and ice combine into a rotating defensive wall.
The meteor crashes into it.
The explosion shakes the entire arena.
Dust and steam fill the air.
When the smoke clears, both fighters remain standing.
Their breathing grows heavier now.
Their robes torn by the violence of the duel.
Maelak snarls.
He launches forward suddenly.
"Fire Alchemy: Twin Dragon Slash!"
Two blazing arcs of fire sweep toward Shetj.
Shetj counters with another formation.
"Nature Alchemy: Icevine Guard!"
The shield forms just in time.
But Maelak follows with another strike.
"Fire Alchemy: Dragon Break!"
A concentrated blast of fire crashes directly against the shield.
The impact shatters the icy vines.
The explosion throws Shetj backwards across the arena.
He lands hard but rises again immediately.
The crowd roars louder than ever.
Both fighters raise their hands again.
Two massive formations begin building simultaneously.
Maelak's flames gather into the shape of a colossal dragon.
Shetj's elements combine into a swirling storm of wind, water, wood, and ice.
They launch their attacks together.
The two forces collide in the centre of the arena.
The explosion is enormous.
The shockwave blasts outward across the arena floor.
Stone cracks.
Dust rises into the air.
When the smoke clears, both alchemists stand close to each other.
Maelak moves first.
"Fire Alchemy: Dragon Talon!"
A blazing claw of flame slashes toward Shetj's face.
Shetj tries to dodge.
But he is a fraction too slow.
The flaming claw grazes his mask.
The metal shatters.
Fragments scatter across the ground.
The mask breaks apart.
For the first time, Shetj's face is revealed.
Maelak freezes.
His eyes widen.
Then his expression twists into shock and fury.
He roars across the arena.
"Horuk!"
"You are not dead!"