A fierce battle unfolded between the two teams.
激烈な暑さで外に出るのがつらい。
The intense heat makes it hard to go outside.
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency news and common usage.
Variant kanji form; rarely used in modern Japanese.
Compound of 激 (intense, violent) and 烈 (fierce, severe). Both kanji reinforce the meaning of extreme intensity.