The arena trembled beneath Dawson's newfound authority. Every muscle in his body burned with electricity as arcs of lightning danced across his arms, legs, and torso. His eyes glowed like twin storms, and even the clouds above seemed to pulse in reaction.
The Sovereignty Class barely had time to react.
Yuujin, finally breaking his calm facade, leaped forward. His aura flared—a whirlwind of shadows and water, piercing at Dawson—but it was too slow. Every bolt Dawson released struck the ground, the air, and reality itself, erasing distance with electrical speed.
Even the most seasoned Sovereignties were caught off guard. Each strike wasn't just raw power—it was precision guided by elemental intuition, testing openings in their defenses with deadly efficiency.
"No… this isn't possible…" one of them muttered, shielding himself from the onslaught.
Ard Arrives
A low hum vibrated through the arena. Dawson paused, sensing the shift.
"Not enough to handle all of them alone, huh?" a voice echoed.
Ard appeared—a silhouette framed by a faint multi-dimensional glow. His presence alone carried the weight of centuries of training in another world, the power given by Leo himself now fully honed.
Every Sovereignty in the vicinity stiffened. Their backs straightened, but their reactions were futile. Ard's eyes glimmered with awareness.
"Dawson," Ard called, calm but commanding. "Focus. You don't have to do this alone."
With a fluid motion, Ard moved to the frontline, his aura flaring like a dimensional storm. Where he walked, the ground warped subtly, hinting at the vastness of the power he now possessed.
Lightning arcs from Dawson seemed to merge with Ard's multi-dimensional energy, amplifying in ways that made the Sovereignties' defenses crumble. Some were sent tumbling mid-air; others screamed as their shields melted like wax under overwhelming force.
Yuujin's Counter
Yuujin realized the battle was slipping. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a torrent of shadowed water blades, each moving with lethal precision toward Dawson and Ard. But Dawson's lightning arcs split and redirected, intercepting Yuujin's projectiles with deadly efficiency.
Ard stepped in, warping the trajectory of remaining attacks across space itself, flinging them away harmlessly.
"You think you can challenge us?" Ard murmured, eyes cold, a faint smirk crossing his face. "We've trained for this… far longer than you realize."
Yuujin's eyes widened. "This… this is impossible…"
The Tide Turns
Dawson, empowered by the Lightning Element, pushed forward. His attacks didn't aim to merely strike—they tested every line of defense, targeting openings with precision guided by the elemental spirit itself.
The Sovereignty Class, even their strongest, faltered. Some shields shattered under the raw power; others were thrown aside by the gravitational pull of lightning arcs. The arena became a storm of white-hot electricity, arcing across space, leaving scorched craters wherever it touched.
Dawson's control, honed through the guidance of the Lightning Element and Ard's mentorship, allowed him to avoid collateral damage to allies, but only barely.
"He… he's unstoppable," one Crimson thought, hidden behind a barrier of energy.
Ard's aura began to radiate even further, dimensional energy twisting around his body. The combined force of Dawson's lightning and Ard's dimensional mastery pinned most of the Sovereignty Class in place, unable to react. Only Jayze and Yuujin remained mobile, watching, analyzing, waiting for the right moment.
The Calm Before the Next Storm
The Sovereignties were crushed, some thrown to the brink of unconsciousness. Dawson's lightning danced above the arena like a living entity. Ard's presence anchored it, preventing allies from being harmed while ensuring the Sovereignties felt the full brunt of raw power.
"Stay sharp," Ard said, eyes narrowing. "This isn't over yet. Some of them are just observing. We can't underestimate Jayze."
Dawson's chest heaved, lightning crackling across him. For a brief moment, he looked down at his hands—the same hands that almost destroyed them all—hands chosen by the element itself.
Aqua's calm whisper reached him, reminding him of control, restraint, and purpose. Dawson nodded, ready to maintain focus.
"Together," he murmured, "we finish this."
And above it all, in the shadows, Seraphyn's gaze pierced the battlefield, noting every move, calculating every outcome.