The Final Ordeal

Roy lay sprawled on the blackened rock, his body a wreck of burns, torn flesh, and exhaustion so deep it felt like his very soul had been drained. Every breath was agony. His limbs twitched, his muscles screamed, and his vision blurred between reality and darkness.

He had done it. He had passed the trial.

But at what cost?

His body had been pushed beyond its limits, every fiber of his being torn apart and reforged by the lava's unforgiving embrace. His fire core pulsed weakly, struggling to maintain his consciousness. He could barely move, barely think, yet his instincts screamed—he was still not safe.

A shadow loomed over him.

"You are still alive."

Ignis Fang's voice was unreadable, neither pleased nor disappointed. The sword's presence remained unwavering, its power still pulsing through the cavern.

Roy forced his eyes open, his breathing shallow. He could just barely make out the fiery sword, still half-buried in the ground, its dark metal gleaming ominously. The World Ring remained untouched, waiting.

"You fought well," Ignis Fang continued. "Better than I expected."

Mimi fluttered frantically above Roy, her voice filled with worry. "Pi Pi! User! You're gonna die! You need to rest! This was too much!"

Roy barely had the strength to respond. His body felt like it weighed a thousand tons.

But then—

Ignis Fang's next words sent a fresh jolt of awareness through him.

"But you fainted."

The cavern fell silent.

Roy's breath hitched.

What?

Ignis Fang continued, his tone sharp. "I had to save you. You collapsed before the final strike. A true warrior does not fall until the battle is won by their own hands."

Mimi's frantic flapping slowed. "Pi Pi…?"

Ignis Fang's presence pulsed, the air around the cavern shifting.

"Because of this, you have failed."

A chill that had nothing to do with temperature ran down Roy's spine. His teeth clenched, but he had no strength left to argue.

"I could let you leave. You have earned the right to walk away alive," Ignis Fang continued. "But if you leave, you take nothing with you. No sword. No ring. No inheritance."

Roy's heart pounded.

"However…" The voice grew heavier, more ancient. "If you are truly determined, if your will is greater than your exhaustion… I will give you one final chance."

The cavern trembled.

Magma churned violently in the pool behind him. The air crackled with heat. The energy in the room shifted once more, as if something immense was stirring beneath the surface.

Ignis Fang's voice dropped into something more… intrigued.

"You have shown me something rare, boy. Not just power, but will. Even with your body breaking, you fought."

A pause. Then—

"And you have something I have never seen before."

Roy barely had the strength to lift his head, but he could feel the shift in Ignis Fang's attention.

It wasn't on him.

It was on the mech suit.

Even in his battered state, Roy felt a flicker of satisfaction. Yeah… it's mine.

Ignis Fang hummed in thought. "A machine… forged for war. Not by soul power, nor by magic, yet it fights like a warrior. Your world is strange."

A deep silence stretched between them before Ignis Fang spoke again.

"Very well. One final test."

A low rumble shook the cavern. The magma pool surged violently, and from its depths, something monstrous began to rise.

Roy's pulse spiked.

Even half-dead, his body reacted to the sheer pressure of what was coming.

Mimi shrieked. "Pi Pi! No more! User, run!"

A monstrous shape pulled itself free from the molten abyss.

The Final Trial: Infernal Titan

Roy's entire body trembled, his breath ragged and shallow. His muscles screamed in agony, his skin cracked from burns, and every ounce of strength he had left was hanging by a thread. He could barely stand, yet he stood.

Because if he fell now—everything would have been for nothing.

Before him, the Infernal Titan fully emerged from the lava pool. A colossal beast, wreathed in liquid fire, its molten veins glowing like rivers of destruction. Its obsidian hide cracked and shifted as it moved, heat distorting the air around it.

It was not just a monster.

It was a force of nature.

Roy clenched his fists. His entire body screamed for rest, but his heart roared with something greater.

I can't stop here.

Ignis Fang's deep voice resonated through the cavern, thick with something unreadable.

"You still stand?"

Roy lifted his head. His vision blurred at the edges, his legs felt like they would give out at any moment, but he grinned.

"I'm still breathing."

Ignis Fang chuckled, his presence crackling like a distant inferno. "Fascinating… A boy at the brink of death, yet still defiant."

The Infernal Titan let out a deafening roar, the sheer force of its voice shaking the cavern walls. The heat surged, forcing even the lava to churn more violently beneath it.

Roy's mind screamed for him to run.

But running was not an option.

Mimi zipped around frantically. "Pi Pi! User, you are crazy! This is suicide! Let's just leave, okay?! You already proved yourself!"

Roy didn't answer.

He planted his foot forward.

I won't run.

The Titan moved.

A massive fist, wreathed in flames, came crashing down like a falling mountain. The impact sent shockwaves through the cavern, shattering the rocky ground beneath them.

Roy dodged—barely.

The sheer heat of the attack seared his skin as he rolled across the molten ground, the force of the impact blasting him backward. His body screamed in protest, but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward.

The Titan lunged again, its molten arms splitting into jagged tendrils of fire, striking like whips.

Roy reacted.

With a roar, flames erupted from his arms, spiraling into twin infernos. He swung his fists, clashing against the Titan's attacks. Each strike sent out bursts of heat, but Roy held his ground, countering blow for blow.

Then—

The Titan changed tactics.

It stomped, and the entire cavern trembled.

The ground beneath Roy shattered, sending him hurtling into the air. His eyes widened—

The Titan was waiting.

From its massive chest, a glowing core of molten energy pulsed—then—

A beam of pure fire erupted toward him.

Roy's instincts screamed.

He twisted his body mid-air, but the attack grazed his side—searing pain exploded through him as his skin burned away. Blood mixed with embers as he crashed onto the fractured ground, rolling to a stop.

His vision dimmed.

His arms wouldn't move.

The Titan loomed over him.

Ignis Fang's voice rang out. "This is your limit. Yield, and I will spare your life."

Roy's body wanted to give in.

But his heart—

His heart refused.

Sara's face flashed in his mind. His mother's voice. His father's strength. Siddharth.

They're waiting for me.

His fingers twitched.

Then his hands clenched into fists.

A deep breath.

And then—

A mad grin spread across his bloodied face.

"You're wrong…" he muttered, forcing himself onto his knees. His breath was uneven, but his will burned hotter than ever.

Ignis Fang's presence sharpened. "Oh?"

Roy stood.

Barely.

His fire core flared weakly. His mech suit, battered and cracked, still flickered with energy.

I'm not done yet.

His fire shifted.

Before, it was wild. Explosive. Destructive.

But now—

Now it focused.

A deep red glow enveloped his form. His flames condensed, burning hotter than ever before. The air itself trembled around him.

The Titan charged.

The Titan swung a devastating fist toward him.

Roy—

Did not dodge.

Instead, he stepped forward.

His flames erupted.

And he punched through the attack.

A shockwave of pure destruction exploded outward as Roy's strike connected directly into the Titan's molten chest.

BOOM!

The Titan staggered.

But it wasn't enough.

It roared, molten energy surging to life again.

Roy had one chance.

His fire core pulsed. His mech suit flared. Man and machine, fused as one.

He gathered every last ounce of power he had left—

Then threw everything into a final attack.

His fist collided with the Titan's glowing core—

A blinding explosion consumed the entire cavern.

A deep, bone-shaking crack echoed through the chamber.

Then—

Silence.

The Titan froze.

The molten energy within its body flickered—then shattered.

With a final, earth-shaking tremor—

The Titan collapsed.

Its molten body crumbled, disintegrating into embers before vanishing completely.

Victory.

Roy stood there, swaying. His body was broken. His vision was dark.

Then—

He collapsed.

Mimi's panicked cries echoed in the distance.

Darkness swallowed his vision.

But before he lost consciousness, he heard a voice.

Ignis Fang.

A deep chuckle.

"Now this…"

The voice rumbled with something almost satisfied.

"…this was worthy."

Then—

Silence.