Interstellar Arena, within the steel walls.
Swampfire swung his palms back and forth, hurling streams of searing fireballs. Wrapped in scorching heat, they flew straight toward Muddragon.
Muddragon was caught completely off guard. Faced with the relentless barrage, he faltered for a moment, scrambling to react. He had never imagined that a mere Earthling could transform into an alien like this.
The crowd around the arena erupted into even louder cheers, voices crashing together in a deafening roar.
"Come on, Muddragon! Take down that plant-man!"
"Yeah! What, are you scared now?"
"Muddragon, you have to win! I bet a whole piece of Taydenite!" the one-eyed alien shouted, his eyes bloodshot.
"Hahaha! I put a dollar on that Earthling! If he actually wins, I'll make ten grand. What a deal!"
In the stands, some spectators were crushed with despair, while others were already celebrating.
Everyone around the arena was fully focused, eyes locked on the fight, unwilling to miss a single moment of the spectacle.
Hearing the shouts from the crowd, Muddragon let out a furious roar, murderous intent surging through him.
He couldn't lose. Absolutely not.
He was the undefeated champion of this place. If he lost to a puny Earthling, where would his pride go?
"I will not lose to you, Methanosian!"
Muddragon opened his massive jaws and released a hoarse hiss. Then he drove his tail deep into the ground, wildly releasing thick bodily fluid.
Gurgle!
As the fluid seeped in, the entire arena floor began to soften, turning into a sticky, muddy mass caught between solid and liquid.
A hint of surprise flashed through Swampfire's eyes as he looked down at the spongy stone beneath his feet. He hadn't expected his opponent to possess such an ability.
He tried to pull his right leg free, but the softened stone slurry clung to him like glue, making it nearly impossible to move.
Muddragon burst into laughter.
"Heh, didn't see that coming, did you? This is a unique ability of our Orumiron people. We can soften rock and soil, creating a swamp domain. In this domain, I move freely. Other aliens? Not so lucky."
In truth, Muddragon felt a bit relieved. He was glad the arena floor was made of concrete. If it were steel like the surrounding walls, he wouldn't be able to control it nearly as well. After all, steel was far harder to soften than rock or soil.
"Is that so? A pretty impressive ability," Swampfire said with a faint smile. "Too bad it'll be mine soon enough."
As his words fell, Swampfire slammed both palms downward, releasing blazing flames that scorched the stone slurry beneath him.
The sticky, glue-like mass rapidly hardened under the intense swamp flames, losing its softness and viscosity.
With a sharp pull, Swampfire shattered the solidified sludge and stepped free, calm and unhurried.
Muddragon snorted, clearly not surprised.
"Don't think breathing fire is enough to beat me!"
With that, Muddragon leapt forward and plunged straight into the sludge. Mud splashed into the air as he vanished from sight.
Within the swamp domain, Muddragon could move as freely as a fish in water. His speed soared, and even his combat strength was enhanced. The softened rock, soaked with his bodily fluid, became incredibly viscous, a deadly trap that severely restricted his enemies' movements.
Feeling vibrations rumble up from beneath the ground, Swampfire's expression tightened as his mind raced.
There was no denying it. Muddragon's ability was formidable. He could create a domain of his own, turning the battlefield itself into his ally. Fighting him on the ground meant limited visibility and constant danger from the controlling slime. One wrong step could drag you under, ending with Muddragon's claws closing in.
At that moment, every spectator stared wide-eyed, fixated on the battlefield.
"It's over! Muddragon's using his trump card. That plant guy is done for!"
"Yeah, that's his signature move. Who knows how many opponents he's beaten with it…"
"Hahaha! Go, Muddragon! Kill that fire-spitting stinky tree, and I'll win my Taydenite!"
The one-eyed alien looked almost deranged, already seeing Muddragon's victory play out before him.
"What a waste… my dollar…" the small alien sighed softly.
...
"The outcome is still uncertain," Swampfire said calmly.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he extended his palm. Several seeds appeared in his hand, which he scattered in front of him.
The emerald-green seeds sank straight into the stone slurry.
Boom!
In the next instant, several thick green vines burst from the ground, twisting and coiling around each other like soaring green dragons as they shot skyward, dominating the center of the arena.
This was one of Swampfire's abilities: Sowing Vines.
Suddenly, a powerful vibration surged up from beneath his feet.
Swampfire didn't hesitate. He leapt toward the towering vines, his movements swift and fluid, landing lightly atop them.
Almost at the same moment, a sharp claw burst from the spot where Swampfire had been standing, tearing through the stone slurry with terrifying force.
Swampfire had dodged just in time, narrowly avoiding Muddragon's attack.
The strike missed. Muddragon immediately sank back into the ground, waiting for another opportunity.
Swampfire's tall, slender figure stood atop the vines, his eyes glinting as his thoughts shifted.
Recalling how he had solidified the stone slurry with flames earlier, a faint smile slowly crept onto his face.
If fire could harden the slurry, then…
"Then I'll seal you underground!"
Swampfire went all out. He raised his dark green palm, unleashing two blazing streams of flame that swept left and right, rapidly baking the slurry below as if scorching the surface of water.
"Oh my god, this is incredible!"
"Using fire to counter Muddragon? That plant guy is insane!"
"It's over, it's over! Muddragon's going to lose!"
"Not necessarily. Muddragon won't just sit there and wait for death. He's got other tricks," someone argued.
Under Swampfire's relentless flames, the stone slurry below hardened at an alarming speed, severely hindering Muddragon's movement and making every motion increasingly difficult.
Feeling the rising heat from the surrounding slurry, Muddragon's heart sank. If this continued, defeat was inevitable.
He hurriedly thrust his head out, bared his fangs, and spat a thick glob of mud that hurtled straight toward Swampfire's head.
The mud, mixed with Muddragon's bodily fluids, would drastically restrict movement if it hit directly, making it extremely difficult to break free in a short time.
Swampfire tossed out a fireball that collided with the mud midair, erupting in a violent explosion. Both forces canceled each other out, bursting into scattered clumps of mud and swamp gas that drifted slowly back down.
Unwilling to give up, Muddragon spat out several more globs in rapid succession, launching a furious barrage toward Swampfire.
High above the ground, Swampfire held the absolute advantage. He showed no fear at all toward Muddragon's ground-based assault.
With casual ease, he fired off several fireballs, effortlessly intercepting the attacks. Immediately after, he intensified his flames, wildly scorching the ground below.
The softened stone slurry grew hotter and harder by the second. Muddragon was now nearly immobilized, wracked with unbearable pain.
He feared high temperatures. Fire-breathing aliens like Swampfire were his natural nemesis.
Even so, despite suffering torment like a living hell, Muddragon gritted his teeth and remained underground, refusing to surface.
Because the moment he emerged, Swampfire would deliver a fatal blow, and the battle would be over.
Watching Muddragon stubbornly endure like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, Swampfire's lips curved slightly.
"Got some backbone. But… if you won't come out, I'll personally drag you out."
With a sweeping motion of his arm, Swampfire scattered emerald seeds, which fell precisely where Muddragon lay…