Chapter 17 - 16. Duel
The sun dipped low over the outskirts of the Spark Empire, casting crimson light over the abandoned playground. The meeting between Leo and Arnold had ended in a handshake—an agreement forged more from necessity than trust. But the air still pulsed with unspoken tension.
Perhaps it was pride. Perhaps suspicion. Or perhaps they simply needed to know.
What would happen if they fought?
Leo was the first to speak. "We're both walking into something dangerous. If we can't understand each other's strength, then we're just pretending to be allies."
Arnold stretched his arms lazily, white feathers shifting and gleaming under the fading light. His arms bore the unmistakable mark of the Pale Watcher—a divine-like being of silence and thought. The feathers grew from his forearms like a cloak, faintly glowing with ethereal sheen. He rotated one arm, cracking his shoulder.
"You want to spar?" Arnold asked, voice tinged with amusement.
Leo nodded. "No holding back. If either of us dies, then it was never going to work anyway."
A grin pulled at Arnold's lips. "Finally, something interesting."
They stepped back, ten meters apart. The cracked earth between them became their arena. The air grew dense with mana. Distant crows scattered from nearby power lines, sensing something primal stir.
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Leo moved first.
He summoned three of his five flame beads, aligning them in a slanted cross pattern across his left forearm. Each bead emitted a faint orange glow as he mentally visualized the pattern required.