Arata hovered above Zahra, his wings beating slowly as he watched her struggle to rise. The golden light surrounding him glowed even brighter as he prepared to deliver the final blow. Zahra’s once powerful form now lay battered and broken, her Snow Leopard body barely able to hold itself together.

Despite her condition, Zahra’s eyes still burned with defiance. She raised her head, baring her teeth in a final snarl. “You think you’ve won?” she rasped, her voice hoarse from exhaustion and pain. “I will never submit to you.”

Arata descended slowly, his feet touching the ground with a soft thud. His expression was unreadable, but there was a quiet determination in his eyes as he stepped toward her. He could feel the power of the Angel Ring surging through him, filling him with a divine strength that urged him to end the battle once and for all.

Zahra struggled to rise to her feet, her claws scraping against the ice as she tried to stand. But her body had reached its limit. She collapsed again, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she glared up at Arata with hate-filled eyes.

“I won’t let you win,” she repeated, her voice barely more than a whisper. But this time, there was no strength behind her words. Her body was broken, her energy spent. She was defeated, and they both knew it.

Arata stood over her, his glowing form casting a long shadow across the icy battlefield. For a moment, he hesitated. Zahra had been a formidable opponent, and despite her cruelty, there was a part of him that respected her tenacity. But the battle was over. It was time to end it.

Raising his hand, Arata summoned the divine light of the Angel Ring. The golden energy coalesced in his palm, swirling in a bright, radiant sphere. The power was immense, and Arata could feel it humming through his veins, waiting to be unleashed.

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“Zahra,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “This is the end.”

Zahra’s eyes widened, and for the first time, there was a flicker of fear in them. She tried to move, to scramble away, but her body wouldn’t respond. She was trapped, helpless beneath the weight of her own defeat.

Arata brought his hand down, the sphere of light descending toward her. The energy crackled in the air, growing brighter with every passing second as it neared its target.

But just before it struck, Arata stopped. The light hovered inches above Zahra’s prone form, pulsing with power but held in check by Arata’s will.

Zahra’s eyes flicked up to meet his, confusion flickering in them. “Why?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Arata’s expression softened, just for a moment. “Because I’m not like you,” he said quietly. “This doesn’t have to end in death.”

With a flick of his wrist, the sphere of light dissipated, its energy fading into the air. The battlefield fell silent, the only sound the soft crackle of melting ice.

Zahra collapsed fully, her body giving out as she fell unconscious. The battle was over.

As Arata stood over the defeated Zahra, a figure approached him from the shadows—Angela, the mysterious advisor who had been watching the fight unfold from a distance. Her eyes gleamed with approval, and there was a small smile on her lips as she looked down at Zahra’s unconscious form.

“You fought well,” Angela said, her voice smooth and confident. “But now there’s something you need to do.”

Arata turned to her, confused. “What do you mean?”

Angela gestured to Zahra’s wrist, where the Snow Leopard Ring still glowed faintly with its icy blue light. “The Ring,” she explained. “It’s still a part of the Ten Ring Collection you need to gather. Even though Zahra is defeated, the Snow Leopard Ring can still be used.”

With a deep breath, he knelt down beside Zahra and gently removed the ring from her wrist. Angela smiled. “Now you’re one step closer.”

As Arata rose to his feet, his gaze shifted across the battlefield, past Zahra’s unconscious form, past Angela’s approving smile. His eyes locked onto Usman, who stood at the far end of the room, watching the entire scene unfold with a calculating expression.

For a moment, neither of them moved, the air between them charged with unspoken tension. Arata’s eyes narrowed, his expression hardening as he stared at the man who had orchestrated this whole event.