Dominion of The Beast Masters

Sitting in front of Crystal, Gabriel clenched his fists, his expression hardening as he looked down at the table.

Crystal's words hung in the air, her words echoing in his mind and building an implosion of emotions.

Then, suddenly, he shot up, nearly knocking his chair over as he shouted,

"That's… that's unforgivable!"

The room around them went silent. Heads turned, a few customers openly staring, and a waiter paused mid-step, raising an eyebrow.

Gabriel's face reddened as he realized the scene he'd just caused.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he lowered himself back into his seat, glancing apologetically at the people around him.

Crystal's surprised expression softened, and she chuckled quietly.

"Well… I can't say I expected that reaction. But… somehow, I'm glad. It feels… nice to have someone care enough to get angry for me." Her smile was faint but genuine. "Makes me feel supported."

Gabriel shook his head, letting out a frustrated groan.

"It's not just about support, Crystal. It's about doing what's right. I can't believe he did something like that, and that you had to live with it for so long."

Crystal looked down at her cup, her fingers lightly tracing the rim.

"I had to, Gabriel. By then, people had already decided he was important, and I was just… a voice no one wanted to hear."

"It doesn't matter who he's become," Gabriel said firmly, his gaze intense. "Tomorrow, I'll knock some sense into this guy. I'll make sure he understands exactly what he's doing."

She looked up, surprised by the fire in his eyes. For the first time in a long while, she felt a glimmer of hope.

The following day at noon, the sun lit up the arena, and the crowd was louder than ever, ready for the quarter-finals.

Thousands of fans filled the stands, buzzing with excitement and eager to see who would make it to the semifinals.

In one section, Cassie, Roger, Colin, and Milo watched the arena closely. Milo was on the edge of his seat, fists clenched, unable to contain his excitement.

Across the way, the Genova Academy students chatted, their eyes on the field where the fighters would soon enter.

And in another area, Victoria, Zara, and Ryder sat quietly, each of them waiting impatiently for the battles ahead.

Inside the locker room, the atmosphere was tense but focused. Sia leaned against her locker, arms crossed, looking calm but intense.

Gabriel sat across from Eratz, who was already warming up with some weights, lifting them with steady focus, his movements precise as he readied himself.

Kaida sat nearby, her eyes on the ground, lost in thought, preparing herself mentally. Mercury sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, breathing slowly and calmly in deep meditation.

Nearby, Catarina toyed with a ball, tossing it from hand to hand, her lightheartedness bringing a touch of relief to the room, while Raya was immobile for an hour, blending with the decorations of the room.

Suddenly, the sound of fireworks boomed from outside, followed by loud cheers from the crowd. It was the signal: the celebration was over, and the real battles were about to begin.

A staff member stepped into the room, his voice clear and direct.

"Mercury Banks. Sia Verizion."

Mercury's eyes opened, Sia straightened up.

The time had come.

The arena roared as the crowd shifted their attention to the grand entrances as the gates opened.

Mercury and Sia stepped onto the field, each with a look of deep focus.

Mercury's eyes were sharp, her stance relaxed, every step paced. In front of her, Sia moved with the same poise, her face icy calm.

They stopped at the center, both renowned for their command over their respective elements, standing face to face in the center of the battlefield.

In the stands, fans were split, each side cheering fiercely for their favorite. Mercury's supporters yelled her name, calling for the Raging Wave.

On the other side, Sia's fans shouted for the Frost Empress.

Then, the arena quieted, a hush falling over the stands as the two fighters took their stances, waiting for the signal.

A beat passed, then another. The announcer's voice echoed.

"Ladies and gentlemen! It's time for an elemental clash of titans! The Frost Empress, Sia Verizion, against The Raging Wave, Mercury Banks! Let the battle... begin!"

Without hesitation, Mercury's aura exploded, a vibrant blue shimmering around her as she conjured her field spell.

Water burst from the ground and coiled around her, forming a vast and shimmering barrier that hummed with an almost otherworldly power.

The water sparkled, catching the light as it enveloped the entire battlefield in an oceanic mist, its currents swirling with palpable energy.

Sia responded with equal force, a chill spreading from her feet and cascading outward in waves of pure ice.

Her own field spell manifested, and the ground froze beneath her, cracking as towering shards of crystalline ice erupted from the earth.

The air turned frigid, visible breaths escaping the spectators' lips. The arena's temperature plummeted as frost crawled over Mercury's field, the two elements colliding with an ominous crackling sound.

The crowd gasped as frost and water clashed in mid-air, splintering and reforming in a fierce tug-of-war. Spectators murmured about the sheer scale of power on display.

"I've never seen anything like this," one whispered. "Their field spells are cancelling each other, but they're both holding on!"

At the center of the icy mist, Sia's cold, focused gaze met Mercury's steely eyes. Mercury could feel the chill creeping over her water, threatening to solidify it and snuff out her momentum. But she smirked, defiant.

With a flick of her wrist, Mercury summoned a school of water serpents that danced through the mist, each glinting with a lethal shimmer.

Sia's response was swift, she raised her hand, and a pack of icy wolves burst forth, their frosty breath visible as they charged.

The two forces collided, beasts of water and ice snapping, clashing, and tearing through each other with a ferocity that matched their creators.

Mercury lunged, her arms commanding the serpents to twist and wrap around the wolves, binding them in a deadly embrace.

Water and ice crackled as they merged and shattered, droplets and shards scattering across the battlefield.

The wolves snarled and shattered in explosions of frost, but the serpents dissipated into mist with every blow. Mercury narrowed her eyes, her heart pounding with excitement.

Sia raised her head, her calm demeanor unbroken. She lifted her hands and brought them down in a sharp motion, summoning a wall of ice spikes that rose like a fortress, obstructing Mercury's line of sight.

"If you want hide yourself, just build a cage," Mercury taunted, her voice echoing across the frozen arena.

Sia's gaze flickered.

"I'll keep that in mind for your coffin."

Mercury clenched her fists, her fingers trailing trails of water. With a deep breath, she raised her arms, the surrounding water swirling in response, thickening and spreading into a dense fog.

Sia's ice wall was obscured, shrouded in mist. Mercury moved forward, her steps silent, feeling the cool water shift around her as she prepared her next move.

A sudden crack split the air as Sia shattered her own wall, sending jagged shards of ice flying through the mist like deadly spears.

Mercury ducked, weaving between the shards, her body moving with the grace and fluidity of water.

She could feel the cold slice through the air just inches from her skin, every movement sending a thrill through her veins.

Sia's gaze was fixed, calculating. She stepped forward, her breath even and calm, despite the escalating intensity of the battle.

She could feel her power building, an icy storm waiting to be unleashed. She raised both hands, and the temperature around her dropped to an unbearable cold.

Frost spread faster, coating the ground in a thick layer of ice that spread over Mercury's water, threatening to freeze it solid.

In response, Mercury let out a deep exhale, her breath misting in the cold air. She concentrated, calling forth the power of her strongest beast.

With a motion of her hand, she summoned a whirlwind within her field spell, currents of water spiraling around her, churning with the force of a brewing storm.

The mist thickened, mixing with the ice in the air, creating a swirling tempest around her. The water began to sparkle, glints of light reflecting from the icy fragments caught within the vortex.

The two women locked eyes, both knowing that this was only the beginning. Sia took a steadying breath, feeling the cold settle deep within her bones.

Her heart beat slow and steady, each pulse syncing with the rhythmic hum of her ice field spell.

"Freezing already, Raging Wave?" Sia's voice echoed.

Mercury shot her a glare, water pulsing around her in response.

"I'd worry about that smug attitude, Sia."

Then, with an unsettling calm, Sia extended her hand once more, and the air turned deathly still.

The crowd's murmurs turned to gasps as an enormous creature materialized behind her, a saber-toothed beast, every inch of its white body glistening with frost as its fangs caught the light.

It growled, a low, rumbling sound that sent chills down spines.

"Behold, the Frost Calamity, Nivalys," Sia announced, her voice steady and commanding.

Mercury's eyes widened as she took in the beast before her, feeling its cold, formidable energy crackling through the air.

This wasn't just any creature, the energy, the feeling, and that death sentence of a name Sia used.

Nivalys was a calamity beast, a walking disaster, a powerful monster, on par with Zephyraquiel.

Mercury's alarms rang altogether.

"Fine," Mercury murmured, lifting her arm. "If that's how you want to play it."

She summoned Zephyraquiel.

The massive water-wind beast appeared beside her, its feathers shimmering, wings spreading with grace that sent waves rippling through the air.

The crowd erupted into an incredulous roar,

Witnessing the two calamity beasts facing off for the first time, the public fell silent, a collective gasp rippling through the stadium.

"What... what kind of beasts are those?"

"I've never seen something like that... They're massive!"

In the Genova section, the students stared wide-eyed, barely believing their own eyes.

Kenny looked as if he'd seen a ghost, his will was already crushed, but this was the final hammer on his coffin. Crystal's jaw dropped, and even Lisa looked stunned.

"What… what did she even summon?" one student stammered.

"... Frost... Calamity?" a teacher whispered, barely able to contain his shock.

Victoria, watching from her seat, broke into an excited smile, her eyes alight with amazement.

"Incredible… absolutely incredible," she murmured, pleased beyond words.

This level of power was exactly what she'd hoped to see, and she watched every move with eager fascination.

Beside her, Zara leaned forward, her eyes gleaming as she took in the beasts with a mix of awe and intrigue.

"I knew they were strong, but this… this is beyond anything I imagined," she muttered, almost to herself.

Ryder could hardly sit still, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Those things… they're absolute monsters! Since when did she have that?!"

In the locker room, everyone was glued to the screen. Kaida's eyes went wide, a mixture of amazement and disbelief.

"Mercury… what kind of monster is that?" she murmured, her voice barely audible.

Catarina blinked, her usual playful attitude replaced by stunned silence. "She... She wasn't going all out then that's her real ace?"

Even Eratz's expression shifted as he watched. He had known calamity beasts existed, but to see Sia wielding one, and an ice variant of all thing was stunning.

"So, Sia has one too," he murmured, his usual confidence replaced with a flicker of surprise.

Each of them was left in awe, unable to tear their eyes away from the colossal beasts on the field, wondering what kind of battle they were about to witness.

"Zephyraquiel," Mercury whispered. "Let's show them what we can do."