Cheyin straightened fully, rolling her shoulders once more before letting her arms rest at her sides. Her gaze lingered on Idalia. Admiring.

  "You fight beyond my expectations," Cheyin said. There was approval in her voice, warm and genuine. "Most would have broken themselves trying to escape that hold. You chose to become smaller. That takes instinct, not training."

  Idalia's chest still heaved, breath rasping in and out, but her ears flicked forward. Pride flared bright and hot. "Heh. You think that was impressive?" She bared her teeth in a grin. "Wait until I really start biting."

  Cheyin laughed. "Then you have earned a reward for getting this far."

  Idalia blinked, then scoffed. "A reward? What, you giving up already?"

  Cheyin's smile only widened.

  Instead of answering, she leapt backward in a single smooth bound, creating distance between them. Her feet barely seemed to touch the ground before she landed, light and balanced.

  She brought her hands together in front of her chest and began to move them.

  The motions were strange. Circular, overlapping, folding inward on themselves in ways that made no immediate sense. They were not sigils Idalia recognized, nor casting forms like Lief used. Yet as Cheyin moved, Idalia's eyes narrowed.

  She could see it. Her {Oblivion Sight} activated.

  Heat shimmered along Cheyin's veins, a faint glow beneath the skin that pulsed and flowed toward her hands. Mana, dense and alive, threading through muscle and bone like molten light. It gathered with every motion, coiling tighter, hotter.

  Then Cheyin bit down on the tip of her thumb.

  It was quick and deliberate. Her teeth pierced the skin where intricate identity marks were etched, and a bead of blood welled instantly. Without hesitation, she reached forward as a massive scroll burst into being before her, taller than she was, its edges rimmed with ember-like light.

  In one fluid gesture, Cheyin unfurled the scroll and pressed her bleeding thumb into the parchment.

  The ground thrummed and heat exploded outward as fire roared into existence, spiraling up in a violent column of scarlet and gold. Feathers formed from flame itself, each plume burning with arrogant brilliance. Wings spread wide, blotting out the air as a towering Phoenix emerged beside Cheyin, her presence oppressive and regal.

  Idalia's fur stood on end instantly.

  The heat rolling off the creature was unbearable, not burning, but commanding. Her instincts screamed at her to bow, to flee, to bare her throat before something far beyond prey or predator.

  The Phoenix lifted her head high and regarded the arena with open disdain.

  Cheyin rested a hand against the air near her side. "This is Zuzie."

  Zuzie huffed, flames rippling along her wings. "You summon me without ceremony again," she said, her voice rich and haughty. "How tiresome."

  Idalia swallowed, her claws digging into the floor. This was the legendary bird that the elders spoke of: the shape, the fire, the authority. She had heard legends whispered in both reverence and fear. There were tales that the Phoenix was unlike other creatures.

  They could resurrect anytime they were defeated.

  The Phoenix tilted her head slightly, finally deigning to look at Idalia. Her gaze was sharp enough to cut.

  Idalia grinned despite herself. Fear and delight tangled together in her chest. "You're loud," she said, unable to stop herself.

  Zuzie scoffed. "And you are small."

  Before Idalia could gather herself, Cheyin raised her other hand.

  Three more scrolls appeared in a fan around her, each sealed tight, each radiating power so dense it made the air vibrate. The heat layered, oppressive, promising devastation.

  Cheyin's eyes gleamed as she looked back to Idalia. "Each of these holds a monster equal to Zuzie."

  Idalia's pulse thundered, her heart hammering at the statement. Equal. Three others equal to Zuzie and she had to fight Cheyin. Her blood sang at the thought, terror sharpening into exhilaration.

  Zuzie rolled her eyes dramatically, flames flaring. "I have no equal."

  Cheyin laughed.

  Idalia did not retreat. Her fear was sharp, electric, and intoxicating. Her tail lashed once, hard. Against the crushing heat, against the impossible odds, her grin returned, feral and defiant.

  "Yeah?" she growled. "Then show me the other beasts." Another thought clicked in her mind. Idalia glanced from Cheyin to Zuzie and counted two. There were three scrolls as well. That would mean Idalia would be up against five opponents. Wasn't this considered interference?

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  She peered upward, her gaze sharp on Lief and Elemae. "What gives?! This seems unfair, right? I thought this was supposed to be a one-on-one duel!"

  The orb drifted downward, then Lief's spoke from it. "Well. Certainly you are correct. Technically, Zuzie is… how do I explain this to you, Ida… Zuzie is contracted to Cheyin as a familiar, which means she is a part of Cheyin's abilities in this duel. In essence, you're still facing just Cheyin—but she is enabled by the bond she shares with Zuzie."

  Idalia's eyes narrowed as she failed to mask her irritation. "Oh, is that how it works? I don't get to summon my own legendary monster, then?"

  "Not unless you have one," Lief responded, unfazed.

  Idalia squinted at the Phoenix, who was now preening her feathers,. "So, it's like having a powerful pet? A glorified weapon?"

  Zuzie squawked in protest. "You little brat. How dare you—"

  Cheyin chuckled. "You can think of Zuzie that way if it makes you feel better."

  "I'd burn you if we weren't contracted," Zuzie snarked. She finally turned her gaze back to Idalia. "And I will enjoy this fight as much as you, little beast. Do not think of me as merely a weapon. I am the flame that will illuminate your path forward—or burn it to ashes."

  "Careful," Cheyin warned with mock seriousness. "She can get a little carried away when she feels inspired."

  "True," Zuzie replied. "Now, are you ready, Idalia Idarift? Or shall we chat until the sun sets?"

  Idalia's heart raced as she felt the electrifying spark of battle ignite her senses. "Ready!" she barked. "Let's see what you've got! With all that heat around you, I wonder if you taste like spicy chicken—baked or fried…" She began to drool at the tantalizing thought.

  Cheyin raised an eyebrow, and even Zuzie's fiery feathers fluffed up in indignation.

  "You dare compare me to fried poultry?" Zuzie squawked, flames licking dangerously from her beak. "You will regret such insolence!"

  "I'll take my chances. Let's see if you can keep your feathers intact when I'm done with you!"

  Amused, Cheyin lifted her chin slightly, eyes alight, and turned her palm outward.

  "Since you are still standing," she said, voice calm and pleased, "it would be rude not to finish the introduction."

  She clapped her hands together once. The sound cracked through the sanctum like a signal flare.

  The three remaining scrolls tore open simultaneously. The first slammed down into existence with catastrophic weight.

  Stone screamed.

  The ground buckled and split as an immense shadow swallowed the arena. Plates of ancient shell emerged first, rising like a moving fortress, each segment scarred and ridged as if it had endured centuries of war. Then the body followed. Thick, pillar-like legs planted themselves with earth-shaking force, each step sending violent tremors rippling outward.

  Idalia staggered, barely keeping her footing as the sanctum floor convulsed beneath her paws.

  From the shell, a massive neck uncoiled and stretched outward, long and serpentine, ending in a broad, draconic head crowned with horned ridges and ancient, unblinking eyes.

  The creature exhaled. The breath alone displaced air like a storm front.

  Cheyin stood directly before it, utterly unmoved, hair barely stirring despite the seismic presence behind her.

  "This is Genbu," Cheyin said. "He bears the weight of endurance."

  The titanic turtle lowered his head slightly, eyes like weathered stone settling on Idalia. His next step made the ground quake hard enough to rattle Idalia's teeth.

  Idalia's instincts screamed that there was no outrunning this one. No overpowering it. Genbu was not meant to be fought. He was meant to be endured.

  As Idalia understood that terror, the second scroll ignited.

  Water surged upward from nothing, twisting and spiraling as if the air itself had liquefied. The water froze mid-motion, shimmering blue, then shattered into scales as something vast and sinuous slid free.

  A leviathan took to the air.

  It did not fly with wings. It glided, its massive body undulating smoothly as if swimming through invisible currents. Wide, manta-like fins extended from its sides, translucent and edged with faintly glowing veins. Its long body stretched endlessly, reptilian and aquatic at once, with a head shaped like a predatory sea titan.

  Blue light pulsed beneath its scales.

  Idalia's mouth fell open. Woah, she mused. The behemoth made her think of the Sharkusrex!

  The Leviathan looked like a flying carnivorous manta ray, but sharper, older, more deliberate. Its presence pressed down like deep ocean pressure. Not crushing, but absolute.

  "This is Qingryu," Cheyin said. "He commands flow and the oceanic depths."

  The dragon circled once above, silent and massive, easily larger than Zuzie and yet dwarfed by Genbu's immensity. Its eyes locked onto Idalia, and for a blink she felt like prey seen from the depths.

  Zuzie clicked her beak in irritation as Qingryu passed overhead. "Watch your wake."

  Qingryu ignored her.

  Then the final scroll unfurled. There was no explosion. No quake. No roar. Cold crept outward instead.

  Frost traced delicate patterns across the floor, racing silently, and the air sharpened until every breath bit. From the curling mist stepped something sleek and spectacular.

  A white-furred beast emerged, spotted like snow-dappled stone, its form a seamless blend of lynx, cheetah, and something far more dangerous. Its body was low and powerful, muscles coiled tight beneath its skin. Five long tails swayed behind it, each one tipped with a faint shimmer of ice.

  It was the smallest of the four, and yet it nearly doubled Cheyin's height.

  Something about it made Idalia's hackles rise higher than the others. Not its size. Not its weight. It looked like it had speed. It reminded her of a Liorex, if one ever decided to remain forever on its four paws.

  "This is Biakomi," Cheyin said. "She hunts."

  The white beast's eyes snapped to Idalia instantly. Pale. Focused. Measuring. Frost curled from her breath as her claws etched silent lines into the stone.

  Biakomi's lips pulled back in a slow, knowing grin.

  Idalia felt it then. The four of them together.

  Genbu behind, unmovable and world-shaking. Qingryu above, endless and circling. Zuzie blazing at Cheyin's side, radiant and domineering. Biakomi in front, coiled and ready to disappear in a blink.

  Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. Still, her grin crept wider.

  Cheyin looked at her then, truly looked, and laughed softly. "Four beasts," she said. "Each my equal in their domain."

  Zuzie scoffed again. "Debatable."

  Biakomi flicked one tail. "I am faster."

  Qingryu drifted lower, silent and vast.

  Genbu simply stood.

  Cheyin spread her arms and hands to emphasize her summons' grandness. "So, Idalia Idarift? Want to yield?"

  Idalia lowered herself into a crouch, claws scraping stone, breath steaming as fire, frost, and drifting stone knocked against her fur. Fear burned through her veins, sharp and intoxicating.

  Her tail lashed, and her eyes gleamed. Deep down, as a Harbinrex, her heart raced with exhilaration. It even caused the air to ripple and the earth to quake, and none of the beasts before her were any the wiser as to what they were up against.

  {Heart's BPM: 210 → 420 (35%)}

  "Which one of you," she growled, voice trembling with wild delight, "do I eat first?"