---
Ayan's gauntlet pulsed final amber. He roared, "Now—Magma Vortex!"
The Basilisk reared; chest plates parted like furnace doors. A hell-cone of molten rock and blistering gas belched outward, spinning in a corkscrew. Sand turned to glass on contact; the roar drowned even the cheering.
Judges triggered side-walls' emergency flare wards; sections of crowd ducked behind rune-shields.
Zephyr's drilled timing clicked: "Spark Dash! Up!"
Star's wings snapped; despite burned nerves, he vaulted on a column of his own flame, clearing worst of cone by inches. Heat licked his belly-plates, blistering but survivable.
Mid-air pivot—Zephyr slammed staff butt to ground, channeling Aura to mark Basilisk's throat. "Mark."
Star inhaled through singed throat sacs—and unleashed his highest-tier ranged skill:
Skill – Ember Lance (30-s cooldown)
