diff --git a/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/TextRenderer.cs b/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/TextRenderer.cs
index a0252518..bef2e2ca 100644
--- a/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/TextRenderer.cs
+++ b/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/TextRenderer.cs
@@ -29,7 +29,15 @@ public sealed unsafe class TextRenderer : IDisposable
 
     private readonly List<float> _textBuf = new(8192);
     private readonly List<float> _rectBuf = new(1024);
-    private readonly Dictionary<uint, List<float>> _spriteBufs = new();
+    // Submission-ordered sprite segments: consecutive DrawSprite calls with the
+    // SAME texture batch into one segment; a texture change starts a new segment.
+    // Drawing segments in submission order preserves painter z-order for
+    // sprite-on-sprite UI. (The old per-texture dictionary drew a REUSED texture
+    // at its FIRST-insertion point, so later bar sprites covered glyphs emitted
+    // earlier via the shared dat-font atlas — the stamina/mana numbers vanished.)
+    private sealed class SpriteSeg { public uint Texture; public readonly List<float> Verts = new(256); }
+    private readonly List<SpriteSeg> _spriteSegs = new();
+    private int _segUsed;
     private int _textVerts;
     private int _rectVerts;
     private Vector2 _screenSize;
@@ -65,7 +73,7 @@ public sealed unsafe class TextRenderer : IDisposable
         _screenSize = screenSize;
         _textBuf.Clear();
         _rectBuf.Clear();
-        foreach (var b in _spriteBufs.Values) b.Clear();
+        _segUsed = 0; // pool the SpriteSeg objects across frames
         _textVerts = 0;
         _rectVerts = 0;
     }
@@ -139,12 +147,24 @@ public sealed unsafe class TextRenderer : IDisposable
     public void DrawSprite(uint texture, float x, float y, float w, float h,
         float u0, float v0, float u1, float v1, Vector4 tint)
     {
-        if (!_spriteBufs.TryGetValue(texture, out var buf))
+        SpriteSeg seg;
+        if (_segUsed > 0 && _spriteSegs[_segUsed - 1].Texture == texture)
         {
-            buf = new List<float>(256);
-            _spriteBufs[texture] = buf;
+            seg = _spriteSegs[_segUsed - 1];   // extend the current same-texture run
         }
-        AppendQuad(buf, x, y, w, h, u0, v0, u1, v1, tint);
+        else if (_segUsed < _spriteSegs.Count)
+        {
+            seg = _spriteSegs[_segUsed++];      // reuse a pooled segment
+            seg.Texture = texture;
+            seg.Verts.Clear();
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            seg = new SpriteSeg { Texture = texture };
+            _spriteSegs.Add(seg);
+            _segUsed++;
+        }
+        AppendQuad(seg.Verts, x, y, w, h, u0, v0, u1, v1, tint);
     }
 
     private static void AppendQuad(List<float> buf,
@@ -177,8 +197,7 @@ public sealed unsafe class TextRenderer : IDisposable
     /// <summary>Upload + draw accumulated rects + text. font may be null if only DrawRect was used.</summary>
     public void Flush(BitmapFont? font)
     {
-        bool hasSprites = false;
-        foreach (var b in _spriteBufs.Values) if (b.Count > 0) { hasSprites = true; break; }
+        bool hasSprites = _segUsed > 0;
         if (_textVerts == 0 && _rectVerts == 0 && !hasSprites) return;
 
         _shader.Use();
@@ -201,9 +220,10 @@ public sealed unsafe class TextRenderer : IDisposable
         //   1. RGBA dat sprites  — window chrome / panel backgrounds (behind)
         //   2. Untextured rects  — widget fills (e.g. vital bars) on the chrome
         //   3. Text glyphs       — on top
-        // NOTE: this type-bucketed order is correct while bars are solid rects.
-        // When bars become gradient SPRITES, this must move to true submission
-        // (painter) order so sprite-on-sprite z is preserved (D.2b follow-up).
+        // Bucket 1 (sprites) draws in SUBMISSION (painter) order via _spriteSegs,
+        // so sprite-on-sprite z is preserved — each meter's dat-font number draws
+        // after its own bar sprites. Buckets 2 (rects) + 3 (debug text) composite
+        // on top, in that order.
 
         // 1. RGBA dat sprites first — one draw call per distinct GL texture.
         if (hasSprites)
@@ -211,12 +231,13 @@ public sealed unsafe class TextRenderer : IDisposable
             _shader.SetInt("uUseTexture", 2);
             _gl.ActiveTexture(TextureUnit.Texture0);
             _shader.SetInt("uTex", 0);
-            foreach (var kv in _spriteBufs)
+            for (int i = 0; i < _segUsed; i++)
             {
-                if (kv.Value.Count == 0) continue;
-                _gl.BindTexture(TextureTarget.Texture2D, kv.Key);
-                UploadBuffer(kv.Value);
-                _gl.DrawArrays(PrimitiveType.Triangles, 0, (uint)(kv.Value.Count / FloatsPerVertex));
+                var seg = _spriteSegs[i];
+                if (seg.Verts.Count == 0) continue;
+                _gl.BindTexture(TextureTarget.Texture2D, seg.Texture);
+                UploadBuffer(seg.Verts);
+                _gl.DrawArrays(PrimitiveType.Triangles, 0, (uint)(seg.Verts.Count / FloatsPerVertex));
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/src/AcDream.App/UI/UiMeter.cs b/src/AcDream.App/UI/UiMeter.cs
index bb5bb55b..f93737a3 100644
--- a/src/AcDream.App/UI/UiMeter.cs
+++ b/src/AcDream.App/UI/UiMeter.cs
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ namespace AcDream.App.UI;
 /// </summary>
 public sealed class UiMeter : UiElement
 {
+
     /// <summary>Fill fraction provider; a null result draws an empty bar.</summary>
     public Func<float?> Fill { get; set; } = () => 0f;
     /// <summary>Centered overlay text provider (e.g. "291/291"); null = none.</summary>