Calum threw his head back, releasing a roar that seemed to split the sky. A wave of raw energy radiated from him, shaking the air like a shockwave. Rumble! The blazing meteorites plummeting from above collided with that terrifying force and exploded like wet sparklers—each one fizzling out instantly. Not a single ember came close to touching him. The savage ice thorns, which could have frozen the entire range into crystal sculptures, shattered bit by bit, scattering into a sparkling storm of shards. One single roar was enough to obliterate the coordinated strike of two peak level eleven elites. This was the brutal reality of a higher-tier warrior overpowering weaker foes. Marcus and Lucien observed, but fear did not take hold. Instead, a hotter, fiercer fire of battle ignited in their eyes.They surged toward Calum again. Flames and frost blazed in their gazes, and they became twin streaks—one of fire, one of ice—slashing in from opposite sides. Smoke swallowed the battlefield instantly. The ground trembled, cracking and splitting under the force. Calum finally moved. His massive frame shot forward like a streak of white lightning, tearing through the air, locked on the phoenix hovering above. His speed made distance irrelevant. In a blink, he appeared before Lucien. "So fast!" Lucien's eyes narrowed in astonishment. Calum's claws, sharp as steel, struck with a metallic force capable of tearing through anything. He brought them down with brutal precision. The impact seemed capable of ripping the sky itself. Had the strike landed fully, even a divine beast would have been gravely injured.Yet in the instant of contact, his motion faltered—barely perceptibly. He slowed deliberately, leaving a clear opening that Lucien could have slipped through effortlessly. Calum had no intention of winning this spar. His goal was simple—to show Emma his strength. He had no wish to truly harm her mate. With Lucien's combat instincts, the opening was obvious—a beacon in the dark. Avoiding it would have been trivial. But, to Calum's surprise, Lucien didn't evade. He leaned in, practically offering his magnificent wings to the tiger's claws. A sly grin flickered in those fiery phoenix eyes. "You!" Calum's eyes went wide as the truth hit him. Lucien had been baiting him on purpose. There was no time to think. Calum yanked back the force in an instant. The mountain-crushing, stone-splitting energy reversed sharply, hard as stone. And yet, his claws still brushed the edge of Lucien's wing. Calum had already released ninety percent of his power. The remainder merely skimmed the wingtip, sending a few fiery feathers spiraling into the air. Though the strike looked brutal, the damage was superficial. A potion would heal it within hours, leaving Lucien's combat ability untouched. Lucien watched him retreat, satisfaction flashing briefly in his eyes before vanishing. Good. Calum had passed the test. With perfect timing, Lucien emitted a cry of pain, collapsing like a kite cut from its string. He fell backward, graceful and tragic, yet chaotic. Calum, still reeling from the recoil of his own energy, barely had time to react before Lucien's sudden scream and plunge drew his gaze downward. Calum was speechless.Aren't we sparring? Faking a strike is one thing. But now—playing dead? Pretending to surrender? Boom! The phoenix slammed into the ground, carving out a massive crater. Calum stared in disbelief, tail to nose. What is Lucien trying to do? Before Calum could even grasp Lucien's true intent, a bone-chilling wave of ice surged at him from behind. Marcus shot forward like an ice-blue bolt, wolf claws honed with freezing law energy sharp enough to slice space itself, aiming straight for Calum's exposed back. Faced with the deadly ambush, Calum instinctively tried to dodge to the side. With his speed and reflexes, avoiding the strike would have been effortless. Yet, as his muscles coiled to move, his body froze midair, as if held by an unseen force. He straightened instead, exposing his back fully to Marcus. Shhk!The wolf's claws tore through what should have been an invulnerable hide. Blood sprayed in a fiery crimson rain. "Raaagh—!" Pain detonated through him, and Calum's roar came out strangled and raw. His massive white tiger form could no longer sustain flight. Like a fighter jet cut from the sky, he plummeted, heavy as stone. Boom! The crash shook the ground, louder than Lucien's fall. Dust and debris shot into the air, swirling into a rising plume. The impact punched a crater beneath him, even deeper and wider than the one Lucien had made.