He turned to look at the teacher directly, his eyes wide."So ARE WE SURE and I really want you to think carefully before you answer this,ARE WE SURE that staying at ground level, at what is essentially ground zero for a dragon battle, is a SMART idea? Or should we maybe, possibly, perhaps consider RUNNING FOR OUR LIVES?!"His voice had risen to almost a shout by the end.The teacher glanced at him, and despite the obvious tension in his own body, he let out a small laugh.It sounded forced. Like he was trying to convince himself as much as Clarks."Clarks, you worry too much. You always have. Remember during the entrance exams when you were convinced the building was going to collapse?"He waved his hand dismissively, but his knuckles were white where they gripped the railing."This arena was built specifically to withstand extreme flame battles. The architecture is reinforced with flame-resistant materials. The structural supports are designed to handle impacts from high-level techn

The spring mechanism let go all at once,all that built-up pressure releasing in a single explosive burst.‘’BOOM!’’They launched upward like a cannonball fired from the world's largest cannon.The acceleration was INSTANT,zero to maximum velocity in the span of a heartbeat.The arena floor fell away beneath them at dizzying speed.Ten feet. Twenty. Thirty. Forty.The wind screamed in their ears. Their stomachs lurched into their throats. Brick made a noise that might have been a scream or might have been laughter,it was hard to tell at that speed.They shot upward in a perfect vertical line, rising so fast that everything became a blur.Fifty feet. Sixty.At the peak of their arc, their upward momentum finally exhausted itself.For just a fraction of a second, they hung suspended in mid-air,weightless, floating, the world spread out beneath them.Then gravity remembered they existed.They started to fall."MIRA!" Jabber shouted. "NOW!"Mira's hands came up,still maintaining her gri

The Emperor Dragon blocked all three, but the third impact actually drove him back a step.His back foot slid on the cracked stone.Ragnar saw it."Getting TIRED, little brother?"His grin was manic now, wild."We're just GETTING STARTED!"He spun the glaive in a full circle, building momentum, then brought it down in a devastating overhead strike.The Emperor Dragon crossed both swords above his head, catching the glaive blade between them.The impact drove him to one knee.The ground beneath him didn't crack,it shattered, chunks of stone flying outward as a crater formed under the force of the blow.Ragnar pressed down, adding his weight to the strike, trying to drive the Emperor Dragon to the ground completely.The Emperor Dragon's arms were shaking,Asta's muscles screaming in protest, pushed far beyond their limits.‘’Can't... hold…’’‘’’You can. You MUST.’’’‘’’But…’’‘’’HOLD!’’’The Emperor Dragon gritted his teeth,felt something in his jaw pop from the pressure and PUSHED.Not

He could feel the vessel straining under the power he was channeling. Could feel Kaito's consciousness buried deep in the back of his mind, locked away but still aware, still watching.‘’Sorry, boy.’’ Ragnar thought with something that might have been regret. ‘’I know this hurts. I know you didn't ask for this. But I NEED this. I NEED to prove myself.’’’‘’’Just hold on a little longer. This will be over soon.’’’He broke the blade lock with a sudden twist, spinning away, his glaive coming around in a wide slash that forced the Emperor Dragon to duck.The Emperor Dragon went low, both swords sweeping out in horizontal cuts.Ragnar jumped, avoiding the blades, already bringing his glaive down in an overhead strike.The Emperor Dragon rolled forward, under the strike, coming up behind Ragnar.But Ragnar had anticipated it,spun in mid-air, landing to face the Emperor Dragon, already attacking.They moved faster now.So much faster.The exchanges that had seemed impossibly quick before

This boy who understood,truly, deeply understood,what strength was really for.A smile spread across Asta's face, the Emperor Dragon's control, but Asta's emotion.‘’’You…’’’The Emperor Dragon's mental voice was thick with feeling.‘’’You are a really tough one, boy.’’’‘’So are you, old dragon.’’Asta's mental voice had softened, warm despite the terror of what they were about to do.‘’Now let's do this. Together.’’‘’Together.’’The Emperor Dragon's hands moved.Asta's hands,but moving with centuries of dragon precision combined with human determination.The two iron swords came up, crossing in front of his chest.Then, with deliberate care, he adjusted the angle.Blade to blade. Edge to edge. Forming a perfect V-shape with the handles at the top, the tips pointing down and forward.A wedge.He gripped both handles,one in each hand,his fingers wrapping around the worn leather, knuckles already white from the pressure.His arms were shaking.Not from fear. From the effort of holding