The battlefield was a storm of solar and lunar light, clashing with Sunburn's fiery aura and Moonfreeze's icy mist.
Jim was slowly adapting.
For every move Sunburn made, Jim countered.
For every drain Moonfreeze attempted, Jim disrupted it.
He was controlling the rhythm of the fight.
Heatsun and Moonsalt watched in awe.
"He's... learning their moves," Heatsun whispered.
Moonsalt's eyes shone.
"He's not just fighting them," she said softly. "He's breaking their strategy."
Jim's confidence was growing - not just from his own skill, but from the presence of his parents.
He could feel it - Heatsun's unyielding Solar strength, Moonsalt's quiet but fierce Lunar grace - both flowing within him, pushing him forward.
And the siblings noticed.
Jim's relentless attacks kept disrupting their cycle - preventing either of them from maintaining the energy drain.
And more than that - they saw the spark in Jim's eyes.
The same spark they saw in Heatsun's blazing fury.
The same quiet, steely determination of Moonsalt.
"They... they're fighting as one," Moonfreeze muttered, a slight tremor in her voice.
Sunburn's smirk had vanished.
"This isn't just any warrior," he said, gritting his teeth. "We're fighting against a family and a bond like that... impossible..."
His words hung heavy in the air.
Jim's Solun Lance danced like a streak of light - each swing perfectly timed to break Sunburn and Moonfreeze's draining rhythm.
Their once-unshakable teamwork was unraveling.
Moonfreeze's icy glare faltered.
She stumbled back, breathing heavily, as Jim's lance grazed her shoulder - not deep enough to wound but enough to break her focus.
Sunburn's flames wavered.
His once-smug expression was replaced by a snarl as Jim twisted his lance, using the Solar partition to deflect a burst of fire and the Lunar edge to absorb a wave of frost.
For the first time in their lives - the siblings felt cornered.
"Is this all you've got?" Jim's voice cut through the air like a blade - calm yet piercing.
Sunburn's fury ignited.
"You think you're winning, Grey Warrior?" His voice cracked like thunder. "You're just a child pretending to be something greater!"
Jim simply tightened his grip on the Solun Lance as response.
The more Sunburn lashed out - the more his balance slipped.
Heatsun noticed.
"He's breaking their focus," Heatsun whispered. "He's forcing them to fight as individuals... not as a team."
And Moonsalt saw it too.
Their unity - the very thing that made Sunburn and Moonfreeze deadly - was starting to crumble under Jim's unrelenting pressure.
After few more exchanges...
Sunburn's rage boiled over.
"Enough!" he roared, his flames flaring wildly.
He suddenly abandoned his draining tactic - lunging at Jim with a furious, reckless Solar strike.
At the same time, Moonfreeze panicked - she, too, discarded her usual pattern and fired an uncontrolled wave of Lunar frost.
Their synchronization was gone.
They were attacking blindly - desperately.
Jim's eyes narrowed.
"They're breaking apart," he thought.
He sidestepped Sunburn's flames, ducked under Moonfreeze's ice blast, and with a sharp twist of the Solun Lance - he struck both siblings simultaneously.
The Solar part slashed across Moonfreeze's arm - the heat singing her skin.
The Lunar part grazed Sunburn's side - a chilling cut that made him gasp.
As a result—
Sunburn and Moonfreeze found themselves bleeding frustrated.
_ _ _
But as their blood hit the ground - a dark aura rippled from their wounds.
Jim's instinct screamed at him - something wasn't right.
Heatsun and Moonsalt's expressions darkened.
"That energy..." Moonsalt muttered. "It feels... corrupted."
And then - Sunburn grinned.
"You really thought you could win by pushing us apart?" he hissed, his voice almost feral. "Did you forget, Grey Warrior - we're not just siblings... we're something much more."
The dark aura spread from their wounds - twisting like tendrils of smoke, crackling with an unnatural energy.
Jim's heart pounded.
The battlefield darkened.
The once-vivid Solar flames and Lunar frost now twisted into something unnatural - corrupted by the black tendrils of Dark Void's influence. The air reeked of burning flesh and icy venom as Sunburn and Moonfreeze's bodies mutated before their eyes.
Their forms stretched and warped - skin darkening, veins glowing with an unholy mix of Solar and Lunar energy.
Sunburn's fiery aura turned blackened orange, his body growing larger with molten cracks running across his arms and face. His once-arrogant smile twisted into a jagged, toothy sneer.
"I'm not just Sunburn anymore," he growled, his voice layered with a monstrous echo. "You can call me... Mega Sunburn."
Moonfreeze's transformation was just as horrifying. Her pale skin darkened into a haunting shade of blue, her hair becoming frozen spikes. Her limbs elongated unnaturally, and a deadly frost encased her fingers like claws.
"And I am now... Mega Moonfreeze."
They stood there - grotesque and powerful - their new monstrous forms oozing with dark energy.
Jim still didn't flinch.
He gripped the Solun Lance tighter, his heart steady despite the terrifying sight before him.
But behind him - his parents were struggling to hold their composure.
Heatsun's fiery demeanor flickered. He tried to maintain his tough exterior, but his clenched fists and furrowed brow told a different story.
He had already lost his son once - and now, faced with these monstrous foes - the fear of losing him again clawed at his mind.
Moonsalt, however, was visibly shaking.
The thought of watching her son - the child she thought she had lost for 15 years - face these nightmarish versions of her enemies was unbearable.
Jim noticed.
And so, without hesitation, he softly spoke:
"Father... Mother... I will be fine."
Moonsalt's heart skipped a beat.
That word - Mother - echoed in her mind, louder than the battle, louder than the growls of the corrupted siblings before them.
Fifteen years.
Fifteen years of believing her son was gone had perished in the cold void of space.
And now - he was standing there - not only alive, but fighting to protect her.
Her lips quivered. "Mother..." she repeated under her breath, as if trying to convince herself this wasn't a dream.
Tears welled in her eyes, but not from fear this time - from a fierce, undeniable sense of hope.
But before they got the time to settle there emotions fully...
Mega Sunburn sneered.
"Touching, truly." His voice was now deeper - almost otherworldly. "But do you really think your little family reunion will save you?"
Mega Moonfreeze chuckled. "You may have survived 15 years ago, kid," she hissed. "But you won't be so lucky this time."
Without warning - they attacked.
Mega Sunburn's corrupted Solar flames erupted like a blackened inferno, twisting and curling unnaturally as they surged toward Jim.
At the same time, Mega Moonfreeze unleashed a blizzard of razor-sharp ice shards - now darker, deadlier, and coated in the same dark aura.
Jim reacted instantly.
He spun the Solun Lance in a wide arc - using the Solar blade to absorb Mega Moonfreeze's icy barrage, and the Lunar blade to cut through Mega Sunburn's corrupted fire.
The battlefield became a storm of clashing auras.
It wasn't easy.
Despite his skill and strategy, Jim could feel the shift in their power.
The dark aura didn't just boost their strength - it made their attacks unpredictable.
Mega Sunburn's flames moved like living snakes, twisting in the air, while Mega Moonfreeze's frost expanded unnaturally - freezing anything it touched almost instantly.
Jim dodged, blocked, and countered - but each movement took more effort than the last.
The corruption was a problem.
But as Jim fought, his mind didn't spiral into fear.
He felt something stronger - his parents' presence.
He didn't have to fight alone this time.
Even if they weren't battling beside him - Heatsun and Moonsalt were with him.
Their bond was stronger than Sunburn and Moonfreeze's dark, corrupted unity.
He wasn't fighting for himself anymore - he was fighting for his family.
For the mother who thought she lost him.
For the father who never gave up on him.
And for himself - the Grey Warrior who had finally found where he belonged.
The battle raged on for 15 more minutes for Jim's boosted resolve.
Jim's Solun Lance clashed against the monstrous forms of Mega Sunburn and Mega Moonfreeze.
Their corrupted strength was overwhelming, each attack more vicious than the last.
Jim's movements were sharp but slowing. His mind raced, grasping for a solution.
The Solar-Lunar Finale - his most powerful attack - was the only way to end this.
A move that required him to raise his hands to the sky, drawing energy from the Sun and all natural satellites present - gathering celestial power into a single, devastating sphere of combined Solar and Lunar energy.
But every time he tried...
-Mega Sunburn's black flames would lash out, burning him before the energy could fully gather-
-Mega Moonfreeze's deadly frost would shatter the forming sphere-
Five times.
He had tried five times and failed.
Jim panted, his body aching from the repeated interruptions.
He was in a pinch - outmatched and running out of options.
Just as doubt started to creep in-
"Jim!"
He heard his father's voice - steady, resolute.
"If you need time to prepare that attack - we'll stall them!"
Jim's eyes widened. "But-"
"No buts!" Heatsun barked, flames flickering around his fists. "We're your parents - we won't stand by while you fight alone."
Moonsalt, still shaken but fierce, stepped forward. "We can hold them off, Jim. Just focus on whatever attack you need to finish this."
Jim's heart twisted.
His mind racing and signs of nervousness was seen in his face.
"You'll get hurt-". Jim finally shouted to them
"We'd rather get hurt fighting for you than watch you fall," Moonsalt said softly.
For the first time, Jim saw the fierce love in her eyes - a mother's resolve.
Their words - their resolve - left him no choice.
Jim clenched his jaw and, in a flash, rushed to his parents.
Before they could react, he placed a hand on both of their backs.
A soft glow of Solar and Lunar energy pulsed from his fingertips, seeping into Heatsun and Moonsalt's bodies.
Their wounds began to close, and though they were far from fully healed, Jim poured just enough of his strength into them to revitalize their stamina.
"Jim...?" Moonsalt whispered in shock, feeling the renewed energy course through her.
Heatsun flexed his hands, fire surging once more. "You... you still had this much power left?"
Jim stepped back, his own body trembling slightly from the effort.
"I trust you."
His voice was steady, but his heart was pounding.
With that, he sprinted across the battlefield, putting distance between himself and the corrupted siblings.
Jim raised his hands to the sky - focusing all his willpower.
The Solar-Lunar Finale required total concentration.
He had to draw from both the Sun's fiery core and all the moons - balancing their energy, combining it into a swirling sphere of celestial power.
As Jim began the process again, his fingers trembled with raw energy.
Above him - the sky rippled.
The Sun's rays pulsed, streams of golden light twisting down toward him like radiant veins.
From the moons, beams of deep blue Lunar energy slowly joined the golden streams - spiraling together into a growing sphere between Jim's hands.
It was working - but barely.
Meanwhile - Heatsun and Moonsalt charged into battle.
Heatsun's Solar flames roared around his fists as he clashed with Mega Sunburn.
Moonsalt's icy Lunar strikes tried to slow Mega Moonfreeze's attacks.
But it was obvious - the corrupted duo's dark mutations had made them even more dangerous than before.
Heatsun was knocked back by a blast of blackened fire.
Moonsalt barely dodged a frozen spike meant to impale her.
Every hit they landed felt like punching solid stone - their enemies weren't just stronger, they were relentless.
Mega Sunburn grinned. "Is this your idea of a stall? Pathetic."
Mega Moonfreeze laughed. "You're barely standing, and your son thinks you can buy him time?"
Heatsun spat blood, wiping his mouth with a defiant smirk. "You'd be surprised what a parent can endure."
Moonsalt, her legs wobbling, still kept her fists raised. "We're not giving up."
As the battle raged on, Jim was slowly and gradually getting the time to prepare his Ultimate attack.
He focused every bit of his energy on absorption.