My Infinite System.

The battlefield roared with fire and fury.

Karl stood grinning, his arms wreathed in red flame, claws glowing bright against the heat. Lucy steadied her stance a few paces away, Infernal Eclipse raised, its black edge burning brighter with every heartbeat. Before them, the two Gamma-ranked guardians—tigers the size of siege beasts—circled with bared fangs. Their striped hides shimmered with aura, claws carving trenches into the ground with every step.

The air shook as the first tiger lunged, a blur of black and silver cutting straight for Karl. He caught the strike with his forearm, fire bursting in a violent shockwave. The impact rattled his bones, but his grin only widened. He pushed back, claws sparking against claws, flames snapping across their locked arms.

The second guardian tried to break past, aiming for Lucian’s back—but Lucy moved. She cut across the tiger’s path, her blade dragging a river of fire that burst upward, forcing the beast to recoil. Infernal Eclipse screamed with its strike, black fire exploding outward in a spiral. The tiger leapt back, landing in a crouch, snarling as its eyes locked on her.

Karl laughed. ”Guess we’re dancing, sister.”

Lucy didn’t glance at him, her focus sharp as steel. ”Just don’t trip over your own feet.”

The guardians roared in unison and attacked again. Both tigers moved together this time, claws flashing, aura crashing against the ground like thunder. Karl met one head-on, ducking under a swipe and driving his fist into the beast’s ribs. The impact cracked bone, flames tearing across its side. The tiger roared, spinning with its tail, but Karl twisted with the blow, flames bursting from his shoulder to push the strike away.

At the same moment, Lucy clashed with the other guardian. Their strikes rang like blades meeting stone, each collision shaking the ground. She pivoted low, dragging Infernal Eclipse upward in a wide arc, black fire erupting in a fountain that split the air. The tiger dodged narrowly, but the flames licked across its flank, leaving seared stripes where fur had been.

The guardians regrouped, circling again. They growled, their auras flaring higher, claws glowing white-hot now. The battlefield cracked beneath their weight.

Karl wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, smirking wider. ”They’re angry. Good. Makes this more fun.”

Lucy glanced at him, the faintest smirk tugging at her lips. ”Then stop playing alone.”

For once, Karl didn’t laugh. He nodded. And when the guardians lunged again, they moved together.

The first tiger swung down at Karl, claws sharp enough to split stone. Karl ducked low, pushing its arm upward with a burst of flame. ”Lucy!” he barked.

She was already there. Infernal Eclipse cut through the opening he’d created, flames bursting upward in a sharp arc. The blade tore across the tiger’s chest, black fire searing deep into its flesh. The guardian screamed, staggering back.

The second guardian tried to take advantage, pouncing toward Lucy’s exposed side. Karl blurred forward, slamming into it with a shoulder strike. His flames burst outward in a violent wave, knocking the tiger off balance. Lucy twisted back into position, her blade flashing upward to catch the beast’s counterstrike.

For the first time, their movements weren’t separate. They weren’t just two fighters holding a line. They were working in rhythm—his brute force opening paths, her precision cutting through them, each strike flowing into the next.

The guardians realized it too. Their roars grew sharper, their fury wild. They split apart, circling wide, trying to separate the siblings.

Karl spat to the side, his grin fading into something harder. ”They want to divide us.”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed. ”Then don’t let them.”

The tigers struck at once, both from opposite sides. One went for Karl’s head with a crushing swipe, the other for Lucy’s legs with claws glowing white. Karl ducked under his strike, flames bursting upward as he shoved the beast’s claws away. At the same time, Lucy leapt, black fire spiraling around her as she flipped over the second tiger’s claws.

She landed behind Karl, Infernal Eclipse slicing outward in a wide arc. The flames roared like a storm, forcing both guardians back in the same instant.

Karl chuckled under his breath. ”Not bad.”

Lucy exhaled, her eyes locked on the beasts. ”Keep up.”

They pressed forward together this time. Karl barreled into the first tiger, claws ripping into its shoulder. The guardian snarled, snapping its jaws down toward him, but Lucy stepped in, her blade driving into its mouth. Black fire erupted, splitting its jaw apart in a burst of light. The beast screamed, staggering back with blood spilling from its throat.

The second tiger roared and leapt, trying to crush Lucy beneath its weight. Karl shoved her aside and caught the beast midair, his claws slamming into its chest. The two crashed into the ground, dust and fire exploding around them. Karl roared, his flames burning hotter, his fists slamming into the tiger’s ribs over and over until bone cracked under his strikes.

The guardian clawed back, slashing across his arm, blood spraying. Karl gritted his teeth, but before it could follow through, Lucy’s blade cut across its flank, severing the strike. Black fire poured into the wound, forcing the beast to roll back with a howl.

Karl rose, breathing heavy, blood dripping down his arm. He smirked anyway. ”Saved me. I’ll count that.”

Lucy didn’t smile this time. She lifted her blade again, her hair burning brighter. ”Focus. They’re not done yet.”

The guardians staggered, blood pouring from their wounds, but their auras flared again—wilder, stronger. They roared in unison, their bodies swelling with power. The ground cracked beneath them as

their forms expanded, muscles bulging, claws lengthening into white-hot blades of aura. Their striped hides shimmered like molten metal, steam hissing off their bodies as their Gamma Rank power spiked to its limit.

Karl tilted his head back and barked a laugh, blood still dripping from his arm. ”Now that’s more like it!” His flames erupted higher, curling up his shoulders like wings of fire.

Lucy didn’t laugh. She squared her stance, Infernal Eclipse raised, her black flames sharpening to a deadly stillness. The ground around her cracked as the blade’s aura grew heavier.

The first guardian roared and charged Karl with a speed that split the air, claws leaving a blinding trail of light. Karl blocked with both arms, the clash sending shockwaves across the battlefield. His legs dug deep into the ground, soil melting beneath him. The tiger snarled, jaws snapping for his head, but Karl leaned back, flames bursting from his chest in a fiery shockwave that forced the beast upward.

Lucy was already moving. She darted under the clash, her blade carving a perfect line across the tiger’s exposed underbelly. Black fire erupted, consuming fur and flesh alike. The guardian howled, staggering back, but Karl seized it by the mane, slammed its head into the ground, and roared flames directly into its face.

The second guardian lunged for Lucy in retaliation, its claws a blur of light. She blocked once—sparks exploding as Infernal Eclipse met its strike—but the sheer force sent her sliding back across the dirt. The beast pressed forward, roaring, its claws hammering down like thunder.

Karl blurred across the ground and smashed into the tiger’s side, intercepting the strike before it could land. His claws sank deep into its ribs, and his grin flashed wide. ”Told you, don’t trip!”

Lucy twisted out from under him, spinning her blade in one clean arc. The strike ripped across the tiger’s chest, black fire bursting outward in a storm that knocked the beast flat on its back.

For a heartbeat, silence hung between them. Then both tigers rose again, bloodied, furious, their eyes blazing with raw hatred.

Lucy and Karl stood shoulder to shoulder now, their auras mingling—red-gold flame twining with black fire. There was no hesitation, no banter. Just rhythm.