The Emberfang Tiger stood motionless across the arena, its golden eyes locked onto Kael with the kind of ferocity only a true apex predator possessed.
The air surrounding the beast shimmered violently beneath the overwhelming heat pouring from its body. Every breath escaping its nostrils sounded like a forge bellows feeding an already raging inferno, carrying waves of scorching heat across the arena.
Then it moved.
Boom!
The Emberfang Tiger exploded forward.
The stone beneath its paws blackened and curled from the heat alone, leaving behind scorched footprints that continued to smolder long after the beast had already crossed dozens of meters. Its massive body blurred through the air with astonishing speed, reducing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
Kael didn’t retreat.
Instead, he lowered his center of gravity, planting both feet firmly against the arena floor. Every muscle in his body tensed as he calmly watched the charging beast.
The next instant, the Emberfang Tiger arrived before him.
Its enormous jaws snapped open, rows of razor-sharp fangs glistening beneath the dancing flames as they clamped toward Kael’s head with enough force to crush solid steel.
Kael pivoted.
His body rotated just enough to slip past the snapping jaws before his right arm shot forward. Rather than clenching his hand into a traditional fist, Kael locked every finger together, stiffened his wrist, and drove the entire length of his forearm upward like a massive war hammer.
Crack!
The strike landed squarely beneath the Emberfang Tiger’s lower jaw.
The tremendous impact snapped the beast’s head upward, its entire skull trembling from the force as the collision echoed throughout the arena.
Yet at the same time...
An unbearable burning sensation spread across Kael’s hand.
The Emberfang Tiger’s body radiated such terrifying heat that simply making physical contact with it caused the skin across his knuckles to blister almost instantly.
Kael glanced briefly at his hand before letting out a helpless sigh.
"If I still had Earth Energy..."
He shook his head.
"...this level of heat wouldn’t even reach my skin."
Even a thin layer of Earth Energy coating his body would’ve rendered the beast’s flames practically meaningless.
Unfortunately...
The simulation couldn’t reproduce the Primordial Genesis Sutra.
He was forced to rely solely on his physical body.
The Emberfang Tiger let out a furious howl, the sound resembling sheets of molten metal grinding against one another. Before its body had even finished recoiling, its enormous tail whipped around like a flaming iron rod, streaking toward Kael’s head with explosive force.
Kael lowered himself.
Not simply to dodge.
The moment his body dropped beneath the burning tail, he flowed seamlessly into his next attack.
His supporting leg rooted itself against the cracked stone while his other leg rose high into the air before descending in a brutal chopping arc.
His heel became the blade of an executioner’s axe.
Boom!
The strike crashed directly against the Emberfang Tiger’s flank.
The tremendous impact forced the beast sideways as it skidded violently across the arena floor. Its claws gouged deep trenches through the stone, but rather than slowing its momentum, blazing flames erupted from every claw mark.
Within an instant...
A line of fire spread outward.
Then another.
And another.
The blazing trails curved around Kael from multiple directions before joining together.
In only a few seconds, he found himself boxed in by a circle of roaring flames with the arena’s spectator stands behind him.
The Emberfang Tiger saw the opportunity immediately.
It lowered its head.
Then charged.
Its body became a crimson blur as it slammed forward, using the hardest part of its skull like a battering ram.
Boom!
The headbutt struck Kael squarely in the solar plexus.
An overwhelming wave of force exploded through his body while the searing heat coating the beast erupted against his chest like a furnace door being thrown open.
Kael was blasted backward.
His feet left the ground before he crashed across the arena floor, sliding dozens of meters before finally coming to a stop near the outer edge of the battlefield.
Smoke curled from his clothes.
Much of the fabric had already been burned into blackened tatters.
Sweat poured from his skin, only to evaporate almost instantly beneath the relentless heat blanketing the arena.
Kael slowly exhaled.
His lungs burned with every breath.
Even inhaling felt like drawing scorching air directly from a furnace.
Still...
He ignored it.
His gaze never left the beast.
The Emberfang Tiger circled him patiently.
Its crimson-striped fur now glowed with a dull orange radiance, making it resemble a beast carved from molten rock rather than flesh and blood. Every step it took left faint scorch marks across the stone beneath its paws.
Kael rolled his shoulders and stepped forward without hesitation, walking straight into the suffocating heat.
His expression remained calm, almost indifferent, despite the burns covering his body.
The distance between them rapidly vanished.
Then...
Kael lunged.
His lead hand shot forward.
Not as a punch.
Not as an open palm.
But as the point of a spear.
His fingers remained perfectly aligned as his entire arm thrust toward the center of the Emberfang Tiger’s chest with ruthless precision.
The beast answered with a roar before charging straight at him.
Neither side attempted to evade.
They collided head-on.
Boom!!
The impact shook the entire arena.
The air between them exploded into a violent shockwave while the grey stone beneath their feet finally surrendered under the tremendous force.
Cracks spread outward like a spider’s web before the ground collapsed entirely, leaving behind a smoking crater several meters wide.
Kael’s strike missed its intended target by only a fraction.
The Emberfang Tiger had shifted its body at the last possible moment.
Instead of piercing through its chest...
His spear-like strike buried itself deep into the beast’s left shoulder.
Crunch!
Bone cracked.
The Emberfang Tiger roared in pain as blood mixed with flames burst from the wound.
The enormous beast staggered several steps backward before finally regaining its footing.
Kael also retreated, sliding across the broken stone until both of them stood several dozen meters apart once again.
Silence returned to the arena.
Neither moved immediately.
They simply circled one another.
This time, however...
There was an obvious difference.
The Emberfang Tiger’s left shoulder hung noticeably lower than before.
Every step placed on that injured limb carried a slight stiffness.
It tried to hide it.
But Kael noticed it immediately.
His attack had done exactly what he intended.
The injury wasn’t fatal.
Far from it.
But it was enough to affect the beast’s balance.
The Emberfang Tiger also seemed to realize this.
Its golden eyes became even more savage than before.
Hatred.
Pure, unfiltered hatred.
It no longer cared about testing its prey.
It wanted Kael dead.
A deafening roar erupted from its throat.
The sound echoed throughout the arena as flames burst from every inch of its body.
Without the slightest hesitation, the beast charged once more.
Its massive frame blurred across the battlefield like a living comet wrapped in crimson fire. It paid no attention to the injury in its shoulder anymore, allowing instinct and rage to completely consume it.
Kael quietly watched the beast close the distance.
The surrounding temperature had climbed to an almost unbearable level.
Even his vision had begun to blur around the edges from the relentless heat.
His clothes had long since become little more than charred rags clinging to his body.
Burns covered his arms, chest, and neck.
Yet despite all of that...
His breathing remained steady.
His stance remained unwavering.
He looked at the charging Emberfang Tiger and calmly adjusted his footing.
A faint whisper escaped his lips.
"...Time to end this."
There wasn’t the slightest excitement in his voice.
He wanted to know exactly how much of his combat ability remained after losing access to Earth Energy, the Primordial Genesis Sutra, and several of his strongest skills.
Now...
He had his answer.
There was no reason to waste any more time.