The night exploded.

*CLAAAAANNNGGG!*

A sound like the world cracking in half tore across the beach. A blinding violet-white flash lit everything sand, faces, waves as bright as day for one frozen heartbeat. When the light vanished, Alaric's massive red sword was no longer whole. The top half spun through the air, glinting once under the moon, then stabbed deep into the sand thirty feet away, quivering like an arrow that had found its target. The broken stump in Alaric's hand smoked and hissed, the jagged edge glowing dull red.

He stared at it, mouth actually hanging open. Blood dripped from his chin and mixed with the sand stuck to his green-black skin. His red eyes were huge, the glow inside them flickering like someone had just yanked the plug.

"Heh."

I stood tall, black sword still raised high, purple-black aura dripping off the blade like liquid starlight. My grin showed every tooth.

"That's… impossible," Alaric rasped, voice cracking for the first time all night.

I let the sword drop to my side and dropped low, knees bent, left fist pulled back. Every bit of power left in me rushed into my arm, swirling around my knuckles in a tight, violent storm.

"Everything's possible when you're facing me, big guy."

My grin turned wild.

"Black Flash!"

The punch landed dead-center on his jaw.

There was no time to block, no time to blink. The air in front of my fist ripped open with a boom that rattled windows half a mile away. Alaric's head snapped back so hard his whole body flipped horizontal. He shot backward like a meteor in reverse, red aura trailing behind him in a burning streak.

He flew over the torn-up beach, over broken chairs and spilled drinks, over the heads of a hundred stunned people, and finally crashed into the shallow surf.

*SPLASH—THUD!*

Water exploded upward in a perfect circle. He landed half in the waves, half on the wet sand, one arm flopped into the water, chest barely moving. The broken sword piece lay nearby, the red glow finally dying out.

I stayed exactly where I'd thrown the punch, boots planted wide, left fist still smoking, right hand resting my black sword on my shoulder like I was posing for a painting. The moon poured silver light over me, and the wind tugged at my coat like it was trying to applaud.

Silence. Five full seconds of pure, stunned silence.

A woman's voice, tiny and shaking: "Did… did he just win?"

Her boyfriend's answer came out a whisper. "Looks like it…" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Then the beach detonated.

"ZERO DID IT!!!"

The scream came from everywhere at once. People threw their hands straight up, jumping so high they crashed into each other. A woman in a blue sundress fell to her knees in the sand, tears streaming, laughing like she couldn't believe she was still alive. A huge guy lifted his girlfriend clean off the ground and spun her until they both toppled over, still screaming. Someone started stomping the sand and shouting my name; within seconds the whole crowd picked it up.

"ZE-RO! ZE-RO! ZE-RO!"

The sound rolled across the island like a wave. Villas farther away heard it, lights flicked on, windows flew open, more voices joined the roar. In less than a minute the entire island was one giant, wild celebration.

The rooftop pool at the far end of the island glowed soft blue under strings of fairy lights. Music still played low from hidden speakers, but nobody was dancing anymore. Everyone had drifted to the edge of the terrace, phones up, staring toward the beach where the sky kept flashing purple and red.

Mia floated on her back in the shallow end, pink bikini catching the water's shimmer. She tilted her head toward the sudden roar rolling across the island.

"Whoa… listen to that," she said, kicking upright. "Sounds like the whole beach just lost its mind."

Lisa leaned over the infinity edge, blonde hair dripping. "Everyone's screaming at once. Something huge just happened."

John hauled himself out of the pool in one smooth pull-up, water streaming off him. He grabbed a towel, grinning like he already knew the answer. "That's the sound of Zero winning," he said, casual as hell. "Bet he just turned that alien into a highlight reel."

"I swear the sword broke clean in half!" one guy said, hands wide like he was holding the blade himself. "Then Zero hit him with some insane glowing punch and yeeted him straight into the ocean!"

Down near the shore, a heavy concrete hatch creaked open from what looked like an old storage bunker half-buried in the dunes. Lyra stepped out first, red one-piece clinging to her skin, hair messy, cheeks still flushed from everything that had happened underground. Afa followed a second later, clothes hastily pulled back on, hairs wild.

The moment they emerged, the roar of celebration hit them like a wave.

Lyra stopped, hands on her hips, taking it all in. People were jumping, hugging, fireworks popping overhead. Someone had started a conga line right through the sand.

"Wow," Lyra said, laughing softly. "Everybody's real happy all of a sudden."

"Master…?" The word came out tiny, scared out of Afa.

Lyra glanced at her, then back at the cheering crowd, and a slow, satisfied smile curled across her lips.

"From the way they're acting," she said, voice warm with victory, "I'd say your master's officially done."

Afa's head snapped toward her, teeth clenched. "Shut up. Just… shut up."

Lyra shrugged, already walking toward the beach, barefoot in the sand. "Come on. Let's go see for ourselves."

She didn't wait. Her steps were light, almost skipping, like someone who'd been waiting all night for this exact moment.

Afa hesitated, fists tight at her sides, then hurried after her.

"Wait for me…" she muttered, voice cracking, half-running to keep up.

Behind them, the island kept screaming my name, louder and louder, until the sound felt big enough to carry all the way to the stars.