Using fire against a dragon was the worst combo a sane person could think of, but that was exactly what Judge was doing against Liam. But hey, who can complain — first and foremost, Judge is NOT a sane person.
There was one thought going through his mind, if you hit hard enough, even a bag of marshmallows will cry. And he was not thinking about a bag of marshmallows here.
"Yeah," Liam nodded in approval "that is more like it."
Judge smirked, flames flickering at his fingertips as he cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let's turn up the heat."
Liam's expression didn't waver. If anything, he looked almost amused. "You do realize fire isn't exactly our weakness, right?"
Judge shrugged, twirling a small fireball between his fingers. "Oh, I know. But I also know that fire is great at one thing — making people panic."
Liam scoffed. "Please, I'm a dragon. I don't panic."
Judge flicked the fireball toward him.
Liam didn't even flinch. "Really?"
Judge grinned. "That wasn't the attack."
A second fireball shot up from the ground directly beneath Liam's feet, courtesy of Judge's clever little sleight-of-hand. Liam barely managed to leap back before his boots turned into crispy toast.
"Alright, that was cheap," Liam muttered, dusting off his coat.
Judge grinned wider. "You literally tricked me with an illusion. I'm just returning the favor."
Liam cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders. "Okay, okay. No more games."
Judge raised an eyebrow. "Says the guy who made me dodge a hallucination."
"I'd just say that's a skill issue" Liam mocked him before dashing forward with a burst of speed. He feinted left before suddenly twisting right, throwing a palm strike aimed straight at Judge's chest.
Judge, instead of dodging, leaned back.
Which, by all logical accounts, should have been a terrible decision.
But instead of getting his ribs caved in, he simply let the momentum carry him backward, rolling onto his hands and flipping over Liam's attack with the grace of a circus acrobat.
Liam blinked. "...Did you just cartwheel out of danger?"
Judge landed smoothly, dusting off his sleeves. "Yes. And I looked cool doing it."
"Debatable," Liam deadpanned.
"Undeniable," Judge countered.
Liam let out a deep breath, clearly losing patience. "Fine. If you wanna be fancy about it — "
He raised his hands, and suddenly, the entire arena trembled. The ground beneath them began to crack, shifting like something alive. Large stone spires shot up around Judge, boxing him in from all sides.
Judge frowned. "Oh great, an earth cage. Very original."
Liam smirked. "Oh, it's not just a cage."
Judge arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Then what is it?"
Liam snapped his fingers. The moment the sound echoed, the stone walls began to move — closing in fast.
Judge's eyes widened. "Oh, you sneaky little — "
Before he could finish, he shot straight up into the air, fire bursting from his feet like twin rockets.
Liam sighed, crossing his arms as he watched Judge hover above the arena. "Are you seriously flying right now?"
Judge spread his arms wide. "Behold! The majestic art of not getting squished!"
Liam groaned. "You are the worst."
Judge wiggled his fingers. "Aww, thanks. I do try to be one."
Liam, not willing to let Judge show off any longer, jumped after him, using a burst of wind to propel himself upward.
Judge's eyes widened. "Okay, rude! I was having a moment! And when did you learn wind?"
"Oh I've had time to," Liam spoke as he closed in "unlike a certain someone, I was fighting life or death battles in the woods.". He twisted mid-air, launching a powerful spinning kick aimed for Judge's face.
Judge tilted his head to the side, barely but confidently avoiding the strike, before flicking his wrist and sending a streak of fire toward Liam.
Liam moved out of the way with ease, but his left sleeve did catch fire and still died easily. However, the fire on his clothes managed to draw Liam's attention, and that moment was quickly noticed by Judge.
He quickly spun mid-air with the help of his flames behind his legs and slammed his kick for Liam's cheeks. The kick landed squarely over his ears, and Liam was launched over to the audience gallery were Melina was sitting, but she did nothing but look over, her face looking almost proud.
"Ouch! That one is gonna hurt," She commented in a low voice, but loud enough for Liam to hear.
He quickly rose to his feet, wiping the blood dripping from the corner of his lips and from his ears.
Judge did not stand on ceremony, he planted his feet on the ground, bent his knees, and propelled forward in a great burst of speed. But he stopped his advances abruptly and clasped his hands together, a burst of flames shot out from them.
Liam countered with a burst of wind, snuffing out the flames with an effortless flick. "You'll have to do better than that."
Judge grinned. "Oh, I intend to."
He suddenly twisted in the air, his flames shifting color — no longer the bright red-orange of normal fire, but a deep, almost golden hue. The temperature around them spiked instantly.
Liam's smirk faltered. "...That's new."
Judge cracked his knuckles. "I call this the 'Hotter-Than-Bad-Life-Decisions' flame."
Liam sighed. "Of course you named it."
Judge wagged a finger. "Of course I did. Everything cool needs a name."
Liam didn't respond. He just clenched his fist, and the wind around him began to swirl violently, coiling into a visible, twisting force.
Judge narrowed his eyes. "Ohhh, are we about to clash with full power? Is this that the novel moment where we yell dramatic things and charge at each other in slow motion?"
Liam smirked. "Only if you promise to actually land a hit."
Judge gasped in mock offense. "How dare you."
And then they both moved.
Flames and wind clashed violently in mid-air, sending shockwaves through the entire arena.
Melina, still watching from the stands, let out the deepest, most exhausted sigh of her life.
"Why do I even bother?" she muttered.
The mansion trembled from the force of the battle, and somewhere in the distance, a poor, unsuspecting butler dropped a tray of expensive porcelain teacups, not that the family cared.