The arena thundered with cheers.
Azure Sky Academy had never been so alive.
> [Flame Path Grand Finals – Countdown: 1 Hour]
Match: Jiang Han (Team Dawnflame) vs Shen Lianfeng (Team Nightspire)
Location: Grand Flamewheel Colosseum – Central Flame Nexus Unlocked
Jiang stood in the preparation chamber. He tightened his gloves, checked Emberfang, and glanced once at Tempest and the Phoenix Hatchling, perched side by side in radiant flame.
Tian Xue entered behind him.
> "No matter what happens," she said softly, "you've already changed the world."
> "Then let's make sure it keeps changing," Jiang replied.
---
The Assault Begins
Outside, the crowd stirred. The flame banners fluttered.
Then—the sky cracked.
Not with thunder, but with static void light.
Dozens of portals opened over the Flamewheel Colosseum.
From within: Ascenders.
Draped in white and gray flame-resistant battle robes. Faces calm. Eyes glowing silver. Their presence pulsed with null-flame—a type of fire that drained the very concept of heat and will.
One of the judges shouted—
> "Ascender forces detected! Break formation—defend the core!"
Too late.
The Flamewheel Core Pillar began to fracture.
---
System Override
> [Flamewheel Authority Breach Detected]
Attempted Override: Ascender Directive – "Purification Protocol"
Objective: Terminate All Legacy Flameholders / Reboot Flamewheel Cycle as Void Alignment
Jiang's mind flashed back to Long Chen's message:
> "They don't want to destroy the world... they want to sever it."
A massive voice echoed through the colosseum—mechanical, fused with soul code.
> "Your flames are flawed. They carry pain. They carry self. We offer peace."
Jiang stepped forward, flames already rising.
> "You're not offering peace."
> "You're offering extinction."
---
Emergency Alliance
Ye Qingmei, Leng Qingyun, and other elite instructors arrived at the scene.
> "Jiang Han," the Headmistress called, "you're not a student anymore."
> "You're a flame pillar now. Command. Lead. Burn."
Jiang nodded, eyes sharp.
> "Form up. We defend the core. We hold the wheel."
Bo Ren, Yue, Zhao Kai, Tian Xue—all by his side.
A mixed squad of the top 10 teams aligned behind him.
> "You want to erase our history?" Jiang called to the sky.
> "Then face it!"
---
Battle at the Core Pillar
The Flamewheel Core Pillar stood towering over the arena—a 500-foot glyph-inscribed column of soulflame energy. The Ascenders surrounded it, unleashing nullfire glyphs to destabilize its lattice.
Jiang launched forward with Tempest and the Phoenix fused—burning skyward with lightning-scorched fire.
> Flame Art: Heavenbreaker Echo – Judged Form!
Phoenix Boost: Rebirth Pulse Added – Damage Multiplied Against Null Entities
He shattered one of the glyph beacons midair, sending a chain reaction through three Ascender squads.
Below, Zhao Kai body-slammed a null-wielder through a wall of flame.
Yue launched a triple-arrow soul-shot into a skirmisher's core flame.
Tian Xue activated her Twilight Resonance, shielding a squad of juniors from a collapsing void rift.
---
A Familiar Enemy
And then—Yun Wuxin returned.
But this time, he didn't attack.
He stood between two Ascender units, flame shield up, facing both sides.
> "I thought I understood the Ascended Path," he said. "But it was a lie."
He turned to Jiang.
> "Let me fight beside you."
Jiang raised his blade.
> "Then let's burn the void together."
---
Turning the Tide
Together, they pushed through—Jiang and Yun Wuxin moving like mirrored storms.
When the final seal around the Flamewheel Core flickered—
Jiang raised his soulflame.
> "I carry the legacy of those who bled for this world."
"And I reject your silence."
> [Soulflame Singularity – Flamewheel Anchor Pulse Initiated]
The core stabilized.
The sky blazed.
And the Ascenders fled, their plans shattered—for now.
---
Aftermath
> [System Update: Sovereign Emergency Resolved]
Flame Path Grand Finals Postponed 3 Days – Council Review in Progress
Jiang Han awarded Temporary Title: Guardian of the Wheel
Tian Xue took his hand.
> "They'll come again."
> "Let them," Jiang said. "Because this time... we're ready."