INFERNO AT THE BORDER

The battlefield trembled as Benji and Solomon clashed, their raw power shaking the very air around them.

Benji moved first, fire erupting from his claws as he swung at Solomon in a brutal arc. Solomon deflected with his Halo Sword, the blade's radiant blue glow illuminating the night. Sparks flew as fire met divine steel, sending waves of heat and energy outward.

Solomon spun, using the force of Benji's strike against him, and swung his blade low toward the dragon warrior's legs. Benji leapt back, but before his feet even touched the ground, he propelled himself forward again, his fist coated in swirling flames.

The punch connected.

Solomon barely managed to brace himself as Benji's fist slammed into his chest, sending him skidding backward through the dirt. Smoke rose from the impact, the heat of Benji's flames burning into his chest.

But Solomon barely flinched.

In an instant, he recovered, his Halo Sword humming with radiant energy. He dashed forward with inhuman speed, his blade a blur as he unleashed a flurry of precise slashes. Benji dodged and parried with his forearms, his dragon scales protecting him from the worst of it.

Then, in one fluid motion, Solomon spun mid-air, flipping over Benji's shoulder, and brought his sword down in a devastating overhead slash.

Benji caught the blade between his flaming hands.

For a moment, the two warriors locked eyes—Solomon's calm and calculating, Benji's wild and burning with unrelenting fury. The Halo Sword burned into Benji's palms, but he gritted his teeth and forced the blade aside, twisting his body to deliver a savage kick to Solomon's ribs.

Solomon staggered but didn't fall.

Instead, he planted his foot firmly and lunged forward, ramming his shoulder into Benji's gut and knocking him back several feet. The force sent the dragon warrior crashing into a nearby tree, splintering it on impact.

Benji coughed, shaking off the hit. He wiped blood from his mouth and smirked.

"Not bad, Nordian," he spat, rising to his feet. "But I will break you."

He slammed his fists together, his entire body igniting in a fiery aura. Solomon readied his Halo Sword, its divine light intensifying, matching the flames in ferocity.

They dashed at each other once more, a whirlwind of clashing fire and divine energy. Solomon struck with blinding speed, but Benji countered with raw power, their blows sending shockwaves across the battlefield.

The battle raged in a violent, breathtaking display of skill and savagery—until suddenly, a voice roared from the sidelines.

"I told you he was mine, Benji!"

Leo, the water-lizard warrior, lunged into the fray, his twin blades glowing with condensed water energy. His rage was evident, his eyes burning with determination. But just as he was about to reach Solomon, another figure intercepted him—Zaia.

"You're facing me," Zaia said, her voice firm as she stood in Leo's path, her own weapon raised.

Leo grinned, his reptilian eyes narrowing. "Then I hope you're ready to die."

At the same time, Rubi, the half-snake warrior, slithered toward Zaia, attempting to strike her while she was distracted.

Before she could, Reo stepped in, halting her advance.

"If you're looking for a fight," Reo said calmly, drawing his weapons, "then you'll have to go through me first."

The battlefield was now divided.

Solomon vs. Benji.

Zaia vs. Leo.

Reo vs. Rubi.

Three duels that would determine the fate of this battle.

And not a single warrior was willing to back down.

As the battlefield burned with chaos, three clashes defined the night. The warriors of Jada fought with sheer ferocity, their monstrous forms tearing through the ranks of Platoon One, refusing to fall despite their overwhelming disadvantage. Roars and battle cries echoed through the darkened forest, elemental energy illuminating the night like flashes of lightning.

Amidst the carnage, three of Jada's strongest warriors stood against Solomon's mightiest captains, their duels raging like storms at the heart of the battlefield.

Zaia, Platoon One's Vice Captain, was a warrior whose presence alone commanded fear. In her grasp, she wielded the Venom Kissers, two ancient daggers infused with a deadly poison that seeped into the flesh with every cut. They pulsed in her hands like living creatures, eager to taste blood. Across from her, Leo, the half-lizard warrior of Jada, rolled his shoulders, his water-infused twin blades swirling with a misty aura. His scaled skin shimmered under the moonlight, droplets of inner-infused water dancing along his body, ready to be unleashed with every movement.

Meanwhile, Reo, another captain of Solomon's elite, stood tall with his prized weapon—Tenshiryu, the Heavens Dragon. The massive curved blade pulsed with an inner presence so strong it almost seemed alive, its edge crackling with violent energy. Opposing him was Rubi, the half-snake beast, her serpentine eyes narrowed as flames coiled around her arms. Her every movement was fluid, her coiled muscles promising lethal speed.

The battlefield trembled as their fights erupted all at once.

Benji and Solomon clashed with earth-shattering force, the Halo Sword meeting Benji's burning claws in a storm of divine energy and raging fire. Solomon's swings were precise and devastating, each arc of his blade slicing through the air like a judgment from the heavens. Benji roared as he caught a strike mid-swing, his flaming tail whipping toward Solomon's ribs. The Nordian general barely managed to block, gritting his teeth as the force sent him skidding backward. Before he could recover, Benji lunged, his maw opening to release a blast of scorching fire.

At the same moment, Leo and Zaia engaged in a deadly dance of speed and precision. Leo struck first, his twin swords moving like waves in a storm, fluid yet relentless. Zaia twisted away from each strike, her Venom Kissers flashing in the moonlight, slicing through the air in sharp, unpredictable angles. She dipped low, slicing at his legs, but Leo leaped over her, twisting mid-air to bring his blades down like a crashing tide. Zaia barely managed to roll away, but as she rose, Leo was already upon her again, pressing forward with a relentless series of slashes.

Across the field, Rubi and Reo's duel was just as fierce. Reo's Tenshiryu moved with the weight of a falling meteor, each swing carrying the force of a divine beast. Rubi slithered around his attacks with terrifying grace, her snake-like reflexes allowing her to weave through openings and counter with deadly precision. Fire spiraled around her arms, her movements hypnotic as she struck out, her flaming claws aiming for Reo's throat. He parried just in time, his blade colliding with her fiery assault, sending embers scattering through the night.

The battlefield around them was chaos. Jada's warriors were still holding their ground despite being severely outnumbered, their monstrous forms tearing through the ranks of Platoon One with sheer force and fury. But the Beserkers were relentless, their superior numbers beginning to overwhelm the beasts, slowly pushing them back toward the ruined border.

Solomon roared as he parried another of Benji's strikes, their battle escalating in sheer brutality. Benji's flames flared wildly, his rage fueling his attacks as he clawed at Solomon's defenses. The Halo Sword gleamed brilliantly as Solomon countered with a devastating upward slash, cutting deep into Benji's shoulder, drawing a spray of blood. Benji staggered, but his lips curled into a grin.

"You Nordians… you take and take and take. I've hated your kind since the day I was born," Benji growled, his fire burning even brighter. "Tonight, I return the favor."

Solomon's eyes remained cold, his grip tightening on his sword. "Hate me all you want. It won't change the fact that you'll die here."

Benji charged, his body igniting into an inferno as he lunged once more.

Zaia and Leo's fight raged on with equal intensity. Leo's blades were relentless, but Zaia was faster, her daggers flickering in and out like fangs striking at their prey. She feinted left before darting right, slashing across Leo's ribs. He grunted, but instead of retreating, he used the momentum to spin, his tail lashing out and striking Zaia across the stomach, sending her crashing into the dirt. She wiped blood from her lips and smirked.

"You're not bad, lizard boy," she taunted.

Leo cracked his neck, his blades shimmering with condensed water. "And you're quick. But I only need to hit you once."

Rubi and Reo's battle was just as unforgiving. The two warriors clashed with terrifying force, the Tenshiryu meeting fire-coated strikes in bursts of explosive energy. Reo swung downward, aiming to cleave Rubi in half, but she coiled her body unnaturally, dodging just enough to counter with a fiery kick to his chest. He slid back, eyes narrowing.

Rubi grinned. "You're strong. But you're predictable."

Reo exhaled sharply, gripping his blade tighter. "Let's change that, then."

The battle was reaching its climax, and neither side was willing to back down. In the heart of the carnage, Jada's strongest warriors stood their ground, refusing to yield to the overwhelming numbers of Platoon One. This war was far from over.