Zander closed in on Huo Xie. “You lost. I didn't go out.”

Huo Xie, filled with anger, shouted, “Then kill me! I lost, so I have no right to live. So kill me!”

Zander made his sword smaller, and Huo Xie dropped to the ground, falling back and looking up at Zander.

“No. Sylvian still wants you alive.” He said

Sylvian emerged from the temple and knelt at Huo Xie's level. “Huo Xie, I still want peace between the Lignumkin and the Hellstorm Legion.”

“Hell no! After everything your kind has done to us!” Huo Xie retorted.

“What?” Sylvian asked, taken aback.

“You came into our land, killed my people, and stole everything we had. You all... you all killed my mother. There will never be peace between us,” Huo Xie shouted.

“Sylvian, what is he talking about?” Zander asked, confused.

“I... Huo Xie, we were just like the Hellstorm Legion. We had nothing. The Lignumkin had no food, no water, no wealth. Our families went days without eating, dying of starvation with nowhere to live. We had to raid your people to survive... I’m sorry your mother was caught in the process.”

“Sorry? Ha! Now I don’t want your land; I want to kill your kind,” Huo Xie seethed.

Zander quickly pulled Sylvian back as Huo Xie burst into flames, his entire body engulfed in fire.

The fire legion soldiers stared in awe as Leo fought against them, equally amazed.

“What is he?” Zander thought to himself.

Huo Xie transformed into the General of the Flames. “I will kill every Lignumkin in front of your eyes, Sylvian. Then, I will destroy the Great Lands of Waterfall. But first…”

Huo Xie, now empowered by his flames, tackled Zander at high speed, propelling them both to the surface. With a swift motion, he threw Zander down, using his fiery form to soar above the chaos of battle, a blazing figure amidst the tumult.

Leo watched the scene unfold, his heart pounding with determination. "Zander, I will come help!" he shouted, sprinting after Zander.

Sylvian's wife rushed to his side, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay, my darling?” she asked, concern etched on her face.

“Yes... I am, Lyra,” Sylvian replied, grateful for her presence amid the chaos.

“Now you will burn into ashes,” Huo Xie declared, his voice filled with malice.

In response, Zander cloned himself fifty thousand times, each replica armed with a bow. They drew their arrows back in unison, a forest of deadly projectiles aimed at Huo Xie.

With a wicked grin, Huo Xie extended his hands, flames erupting around him. As the arrows were released, he incinerated them individually, reducing them to mere ashes in the air. Huo Xie summoned a massive fireball, hurling it toward the army. It exploded in a fiery blast, sending shockwaves through the ground. Determined to stop the devastation, Zander took to the sky, soaring upward with newfound power.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Having made it to the surface just in time to witness the scene, Leo stared up in astonishment. "Since when could you fly?!" he shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos below.

“Want to fight me in the sky?” Huo Xie taunted, flames flickering menacingly around him.

“Yep,” Zander replied confidently, dashing toward Huo Xie. His sword gleamed as he swung it in rapid arcs, each strike aimed with precision. Anticipating the intense heat, Zander thickened the blade, reinforcing it to withstand Huo Xie’s fire, preventing it from melting upon contact.

Huo Xie dodged the strikes swiftly, following up with punches that unleashed intense flaming heat. Zander deftly weaved and ducked under the blazing punches with lightning speed. In the same fluid motion, he summoned a clone, sending it to grab hold of Huo Xie from behind. The clone began to melt under the intense heat, but Zander seized the moment. With a swift and powerful strike, he swung his sword at Huo Xie, sending him plummeting downward.

Zander thought, “Got him!” But Huo Xie quickly rose, the heat radiating from him scorching the ground. Without hesitation, he unleashed a barrage of fireballs at Zander. Zander weaved and dodged each one, but he knew he needed a strategy. Getting close to Huo Xie was impossible in this state. “I need a way to cool him off”, he mused.

Zander shouted toward Leo, “Leo, can you hold him off for a while?”

“Hold him off for what!?” Leo replied, confusion etched on his face.

“You’ll see!” Zander exclaimed, taking to the skies. He soared back toward the underground of the Great Lands of Waterfalls.

Leo gazed at Huo Xie with determination, charging at him with a massive swing of his sword. Huo Xie caught the blade, a smirk on his face. “It will melt,” he taunted.

To his surprise, the sword held firm, not yielding to the intense heat. With a surge of strength, Leo pressed on, managing to land a powerful blow that sent Huo Xie flying back.

“What?” Huo Xie exclaimed, bewildered.

“You think your flames can hurt me? Ha! A grave miscalculation. I had my rest, and now I'm ready for anything!” Leo declared.

Huo Xie fired three fireballs at Leo. Leo blocked them with his sword. Seizing the moment, he charged at Huo Xie, grabbing him and slamming him to the ground. The impact echoed as Leo followed up with a colossal kick, shattering the earth beneath them and sending shockwaves.

“ How is this possible? He should have melted by now. Even just touching me.”

When Leo and Zander drank from the Rivers of Strength, they gained an extraordinary amount of power. First, their physical abilities enhanced significantly, allowing them to withstand more than ever before. Leo, though initially lacking special abilities, found his strength multiplied, while Zander's arsenal of powers expanded exponentially.

Leo's body was strong, but it grew even stronger, enabling him to withstand Huo Xie's intense heat. Huo Xie ignites in flames as Leo leaps off. He rises, summoning a blazing sword—a weapon powerful enough to lay waste to the entire Great Lands of Waterfalls. He slams the fiery sword down, sending a vertical wave of flames hurtling toward Leo. Leo raises his guard, but the wave moves too fast, striking him head-on. The flames scorch Leo, but his resilient body withstands most of the impact, though pain still courses through him.

"Argh! Where the hell is Zander?" he growls, charging at Huo Xie, ready to engage once more.

Underground, Zander turns to Sylvian. "Do you have any spare wood lying around?"

Sylvian nods. "Of course. There’s plenty down here."

"Great," Zander says. "Can you have your guardians bring as much as they can to me?"

Sylvian commands his army to gather wood for Zander, and soon, thousands upon thousands of logs are delivered, with even the Lignumkin chipping in to help. Piles of wood stack high around Zander, fueling whatever plan he has in mind.

Meanwhile, Sylvian speaks quietly with his wife, watching the effort unfold.

Lyra asks, “What’s the little one doing?”

“I have no clue, dear. But let’s hope it’s something—”

Then they both see it: a HUGE BUCKET made entirely of wood.

“Let’s use this bucket!” Zander shouts proudly.