Primordial Heir: Nine Stars

Elreth’s gaze locked onto Nero, her fiery eyes glinting with anticipation. He only chuckled in response, as if amused by the inevitability of it all. This clash couldn’t be avoided. And truth be told, even though he disliked the thought of seriously engaging the princess, a part of him longed for it. His blood surged, boiling with battle-hunger.

The two stepped onto the stage, tension heavy in the air.

Nero raised his longsword, flames curling around the blade like a living serpent. His ominous crimson eyes narrowed dangerously, sharp and merciless. The woman before him could never be underestimated.

Elreth’s orange eyes blazed back with equal ferocity. She didn’t bother concealing her lust for battle; it radiated from her with every breath. Spinning her spear in a graceful arc, she lowered into her stance, flames gathering along the weapon’s length, crackling and hissing in the heat. Two knights, both wielders of the Law of Fire. For the first time, they would cross blades in earnest. Even if it was only a spar, it promised to be nothing short of epic.

”Let’s fight to our heart’s content,” Elreth declared with a smile that carried both warmth and danger.

Nero nodded once, silent but resolute.

Lux was about to give the signal, both fighters controlled their prana, focusing it deep within their cores—then vanished at the same time, moving with blinding speed.

Around them, the audience (some people from the Leclair’s family joined in) leaned forward, every eye glued to the clash about to unfold. Adam had tried setting up a gambling table, but Azalea smacked him into submission, forcing him to stop. Not that it mattered—no one wanted to miss what was happening on the stage.

The instant Lux’s hand dropped, signaling the start, the air on the stage exploded with heat.

Nero and Elreth blurred from sight, their prana-charged steps cracking the ground beneath them. In the next heartbeat, steel rang against steel — Nero’s flame-wreathed longsword crashing against Elreth’s spear, sparks and embers scattering like fireworks.

The crowd gasped. Even though they knew it was a spar, it didn’t feel like one. This was war condensed into movement.

Nero’s eyes gleamed red as fire crawled up his sword, licking hungrily at the air. He pressed forward, swinging with strength that cracked the air like thunder. Elreth spun her spear effortlessly, deflecting each blow in arcs of precision, her orange eyes burning brighter with every exchange.

”You’re holding back,” she shouted between clashes, grinning like a beast set free.

”You too,” Nero responded, his lips curling into a dangerous smile.

Their weapons collided again, and this time both pushed forward, flames from their Laws spilling outward. The temperature spiked, waves of heat rolling over the stage. The protective barrier groaned under the strain, but it held, shimmering with distortions.

Elreth twisted, sliding her spear under Nero’s sword before flicking it upward. A crescent of fire shot from her weapon, tearing through the air. Nero didn’t flinch — he met it head-on, slicing downward, his own fire surging from his blade like a crashing wave. The two attacks collided midair, erupting in a firestorm that painted the entire stage in brilliant orange light.

The audience shielded their eyes, yet none dared look away.

Nero burst through the flames, thrusting his sword like a burning arrow. Elreth met him with a sidestep, spinning her spear and slamming the shaft against his weapon, redirecting his thrust. She countered with a sweeping slash, her flames trailing behind like the wings of a phoenix. Nero ducked low, embers flickering off his shoulders, before springing upward with a slash that roared with power.

Steel screamed. Sparks flew. Every exchange was faster, heavier, more explosive.

Elreth’s grin widened. ”That’s it! Give me more!”

Nero’s smirk was sharp, dangerous. ”You’ll regret asking for it.”

He unleashed a surge of prana, his sword blazing brighter, the flames turning almost white at the edges. His movements quickened, each swing leaving afterimages of fire in the air. Elreth countered, matching him with fluid grace, her spear twirling faster, her fire forming spirals around her like a storm.

To the crowd, it looked less like two people sparring and more like a duel of fiery titans. Their flames crashed, devoured, and twisted around each other, filling the stage with explosions of heat.

Adam whistled low. ”They’re insane.”

Khione, arms crossed, watched silently, her face calm but her eyes sharp. Azalea was leaning forward, unable to hide her excitement. Even Blake, who usually couldn’t be bothered, sat upright, eyes reflecting the battlefield.

Back on stage, the clash only grew fiercer.

Nero pressed hard, slashing from above with all his might. Elreth braced her spear, catching the blow. The ground beneath her feet cracked from the force, but she didn’t yield. Instead, she pushed back, twisting her weapon to break free, then spun into a low sweep that nearly clipped Nero’s legs. He jumped back just in time, but Elreth was already in his face, her spear thrusting like a fiery serpent.

He blocked once. Twice. The third strike grazed his side, burning his clothes. Instead of anger, Nero laughed, a sharp sound full of exhilaration.

”That’s more like it!”

Elreth’s eyes blazed. ”Don’t fall behind then!”

They charged again. Sword and spear clashed, over and over, ringing like a war drum. Each strike carried so much force that the air itself trembled. Flames rolled out in waves, battering the barrier, and the ground inside was scorched black with each step they took.

Finally, they broke apart, both standing on opposite ends of the stage, chests heaving, weapons glowing red-hot.

For a moment, silence. Only the crackle of lingering fire could be heard. Then, as if on cue, they both grinned.

And moved again.

This time, they didn’t hold back at all.

Elreth lunged, her spear cloaked in flames that coiled like dragons. Nero met her, his sword blazing like a miniature sun. Their Laws clashed with such intensity that the crowd could feel the heat even through the barrier. Fire twisted, split, and devoured itself, painting the entire arena in a world of red and gold.

Every strike was faster. Every clash louder. Their eyes locked — grins wide, sweat glistening, neither giving an inch.

It was no longer just a spar. It was a battle of wills, of pride, of fire itself.

The stage shook with every impact, firestorms tearing across it in violent bursts. Still, they pressed forward, their laughter ringing out through the chaos.

Two flames, equal in ferocity, colliding again and again — until the very air seemed to shatter under their clash but neither was satisfied yet so the clashed continued.

The battle showed no sign of slowing down. If anything, the fire in their hearts only grew hotter.

Elreth’s prana surged violently, spiraling around her body in blazing coils. Her back ignited with a furious glow, and then—fwosh—a pair of fiery wings burst forth. They stretched wide, majestic and deadly, every feather made of condensed flame. The ground beneath her melted into cracks of glowing red.

Nero’s eyes narrowed. ’So she could use them too.’

He wasn’t about to let her have the sky to herself.

His back erupted with searing heat, fire spiraling upward like a storm, before his own wings of flame unfurled. Larger, heavier, their glow was deeper, fiercer—like molten magma tearing free from the earth. The moment they spread fully, the barrier itself trembled, golden ripples shivering across its surface.

The crowd gasped in awe. Adam, Lux and Blake were shocked by this move, realization flashing through their minds.

Without a word, the two launched into the air.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The shockwave from their takeoff rattled the stage, scattering embers and smoke in all directions.

Up above, their silhouettes glowed like twin stars locked in orbit, orange and crimson wings painting streaks across the night-blue sky. The sound of their weapons rang out again, but now their blows shook the heavens instead of the ground.

Nero dove first, sword raised high, flames roaring around him. Elreth shot upward to meet him, her spear a blazing lance. When they collided midair, the resulting explosion of fire lit up the entire training ground, as if a miniature sun had been born.

”Magnificent...” Lux muttered, shading his eyes from the glow.

Adam clenched his jaw. ”This... this isn’t sparring anymore.”

Above, the duel raged on.

Nero slashed in wide arcs, each swing leaving trails of fire across the sky. Elreth answered with dazzling spins, her spear jabbing, twirling, slicing in bursts of precision. They moved like predators—one strike always followed by another, one counter immediately answered.

Each time their weapons collided, the force created shockwaves that rippled outward, flattening clouds of flame around them. The air was a furnace, the barrier stretched to its limit, yet the two warriors laughed in the chaos.

”Don’t tell me you’re already slowing down!” Elreth shouted, her orange eyes blazing like fire crystals.

Nero’s smirk widened, his own crimson gaze sharp and dangerous. ”You wish.”

He pushed harder, his wings flaring. Fire spiraled from his back, and with a single flap, he shot forward with impossible speed. His sword became a streak of burning light, slamming down toward her.

Elreth crossed her spear to block. The clash detonated into another firestorm, sparks raining like meteors. For a moment, the entire sky above the Leclair estate was painted in blazing orange and red.

The two didn’t stop. They spun around each other, darting, striking, parrying, their wings leaving radiant trails behind them. To the onlookers below, it looked like two comets colliding again and again, their fiery paths tangling into a breathtaking storm.

Every second, the fight intensified. Their flames twisted around one another, not canceling out but feeding the clash, growing brighter and hotter.

Finally, they both pulled back at the same time, hovering in the sky, sweat steaming off their bodies, their wings flapping slowly in the heat-heavy air.

Their smiles hadn’t dimmed. If anything, they burned even brighter than the fire around them.

”...Shall we take it higher?” Elreth asked, her voice trembling with excitement.

Nero raised his sword, fire coiling around him like a dragon. ”Until one of us burns out.”

And with that, the two launched again—higher, faster, brighter—turning the sky itself into a battlefield of fire.