A few minutes before Gareth and Alice's annihilation of the parasite horde.

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Solomon: Are you alright Pluvia?

Pluvia: yeah, I'm okay.

Standing beside her kneeling figure, Solomon Scanned Pluvia's large body. From watching her first bout with the Queen, Solomon clearly knew she was weaker. Not only was the Queen's trademark speed much faster than Pluvia's, but even in terms of strength and defence, Pluvia couldn't match up. In almost every aspect, Pluvia was weaker than the Queen. The only thing that was letting her barely face up to the Queen was her I wealth of experience. But Analysing the Queens attack from a moment ago, one could see that Pluvia was only alive because of Solomon. And even then it was only by using up a huge amount of Qi that Solomon had prevented Pluvia's death. So overall, the cost on their side was huge. But all they could manage was destroying one of the Queen's arms. It was a true demonstration of the gap in strength between the two sides. Considering that huge divide, Solomon desperately tried to devise a plan. But the more he thought about their situation, the more he realised how much trouble they were in. The thing they needed to do the most was slow the Queen down. They already knew that Solomon's attacks could hurt her. So the best plan would be to have Pluvia hold her down while Solomon attacks. But looking at how one-sidedly the last fight was, Solomon didn't think that sort of development was very likely. Especially now that the Queen was aware of how dangerous his attack was. Even if Pluvia had a method to pin the Queen down, she would probably catch onto our plan. Knowing that she can't take on Solomon's attack, she'd force her way out of whatever trap pluvia had put her in. At this point, Solomon regretted not organising a plan earlier. If Pluvia could have pinned her down before she knew about his attacks, then when he attacked her she would probably underestimate him. If they were unlucky, she'd escape with a serious injury. But if they were lucky, she'd die outright. Taking this mistake to heart, Solomon would be sure to not repeat it in the future.

Pluvia: Oh, she's feeling it now.

Speaking to herself, Pluvia was focusing in on the Queen. Standing a couple dozen meters away, The Queen's colossal body was swaying gently back and forth. As she continued observing the Queen, trying to find any weaknesses in her cold exterior, Pluvia noticed the Queen's body twitch. As she continued to watch, the twitching became more and more obvious. Though the Queen had tried to repress the twitching, the Queen couldn't hide it from Pluvia's keen senses. It seemed like the pain from losing her limb was beginning to kick in. Because it had happened so quickly, she hadn't had the time to feel the pain. But now that she'd taken a moment to process the signals in her body, she could feel the throbbing waves of discomfort emanating from her stump. luckily for her, the adrenaline flooding her body took away most of the pain. But even so, it wasn't something she could ignore.

Pluvia: So, what's the plan?

Keeping her eyes trained on the Queen, Pluvia questioned Solomon. Having taken a moment to recover, Pluvia was eager to get back into the fighting. The thirst for battle in her heart hadn't been dampened by her close brush with death.

Solomon: Honestly, I haven't got one. The only sure-fire way to kill her is to hit her with one of my flame serpent arts. But now that she's seen it once, she's not going to let it hit her again.

Agreeing with Solomon's words, Pluvia nodded her head. Having seen the devastating effect of Solomon's flame serpent art, she knew that a direct hit would kill the Queen instantly. The only issue was getting his attack to actually hit. Even when the Queen was grossly underestimating him, she managed to get away with only suffering a minor injury. But now She wouldn't dare to take on Solomon's attacks. Thinking it over, Pluvia knew the only way that they could ensure a direct hit would be to pin the Queen down.

Pluvia: I'm the issue, aren't I? if I could hold the Queen down for a few seconds, you could easily kill her.

Hearing Pluvia's words, Solomon didn't know how to reply. After a few seconds of silence, an awkward atmosphere developed. Though he knew what she'd said was partially true, he didn't want to make her feel like a burden.

Solomon: It's not that you're an issue. Without you, I wouldn't have even stood a chance against the Queen. The real problem is her insane speed. If we can't pin her down, Then my attacks won't hit. If we just had a way stop her, even if only for a second, I'm sure I could kill her.

Breaking the awkward silence that had developed, Solomon carefully chose his words. Diverting the problem away from Pluvia, he placed all of the issues onto the Queen. In this extremely delicate battle, he didn't want Pluvia to lose her morale.

Pluvia: You only need a second?

Solomon: That's right, I can just about get my attack out in a second.

Looking at Pluvia, Solomon was curious about her questioning. Though he suspected she'd come up with something, he didn't want to jump to conclusions. looking anxiously over at her, Solomon waited for her response. But even after 15 seconds of silence, she didn't look like she intended to speak. Thinking he'd misjudged her question, he was going to move onto another topic. But before he could, Pluvia suddenly turned towards him.

Pluvia: I'll get you that second. Just make sure that when I do, you don't waste it.

Without waiting for Solomon's reply, Pluvia turned back around to face the Queen. In the few minutes that Solomon and Pluvia were discussing their plan, she'd managed to deal with her wound. Looking at the grotesques stump, Pluvia was surprised to see a huge improvement. Instead of a bumpy knob of flash that leaked green puss, Pluvia was faced with a smooth red stump. A thin red scab had formed over the wound, stopping the bleeding. The fact that in a few minutes, the Queen could recover from such an injury showed how potent her healing factor is. Given enough time, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Queen regrow her lost limb.

Taking in the appearance of her Enemy, Pluvia Prepared herself. The idea that she had was only on the spur of the moment, But she was confident in it. But what here was that, even if the plan was executed perfectly, there was no guarantee that the Queen paralysed long enough for Solomon to attack.

Pluvia: AAARRRGHH!!!

Deciding to put her worries aside, Pluvia bellowed at the Queen. Charging straight towards the Queen, Pluvia didn't have a single glint of fear in her eyes. Covering the short distance between herself and the Queen, Pluvia leapt up towards the Queen's face. Extending out her pearly white claws, Pluvia slashed towards the Queen's beady eyes. But just as her claws was about to gouge out the circular orbs, The Queen's massive body disappeared from sight. Unlike the last time though, Pluvia had been prepared for it. Just as the Queen's figure had started to blur, she had pushed her senses to the limit. Using both her amazing hearing and sense of smell, she quickly locked onto the Queen's presence. Even when the Queen moved at such a tremendous speed, Pluvia's senses were able to quickly find their target. Honing in on the Queen's hoarse breathing and putrid stench, Pluvia tracked her movements. Coming to a stop after a few seconds, the Queen was hovering a few meters above Pluvia's body. Relying on gravity to pull her down, the Queen slowly fell towards Pluvia. From her actions, it was easy to see that the Queen was using the same strategy as before.

Pluvia: Not this time bitch!

Already knowing the Queens tactics, Pluvia wasn't just going to obediently wait to die. Shifting her centre of gravity, she used the momentum from her charge to jump forwards. Extending out her wings, she swiftly Glided 25 meters away. Covering the distance in less than a second, she gently landed back onto the ground. looking up at the Queen's airborne figure, a grin snuck onto her face. In the brief moment that the Queen was suspended in the air, she could carry out her plan. Swallowing a lungful of air, Pluvia activated her fire breath. As the flames travelled up her throat, the golden scales on Pluvia's neck began to shine bright red. By the time the flames had entered her mouth, The scales covering her whole neck were shining brightly. Seeing Pluvia's Actions, the Queen became anxious. She was wondering whether she had underestimated this opponent of hers as well. Back when the Queen had used this strategy for the first time, Pluvia hadn't even been able to figure out where she was. But this time around, she had not only escaped the Queen's attack but was also counterattacking. Confronted by this huge difference in reactions, the Queen didn't have any choice but to admit she'd underestimated her opponent. Having trodden all over Pluvia a few minutes ago, the Queen had become careless. In the end, that carelessness had backfired on her. Looking at the fiery pattern on Pluvia's neck, the Queen felt a bad sense of foreboding creep into her mind. Her instincts were telling her that whatever Pluvia was doing was definitely not good for her. But as she was still falling through the air, the Queen wouldn't be able to dodge whatever was coming.

Pluvia: FWAAAAAA!!!

Having finished preparing her attack, Pluvia spewed out all of the flames that she'd gathered in her throat. Erupting out of her mouth, the torrent of flames quickly spiralled towards the suspended body of the Queen.

Queen; SCREEEEE!!!

Feeling the scorching heat coming from the approaching flames, the Queen screeched in panic. Not having any other way to defend herself she Slashed out her last remaining claw. When the hot flames collided with the deadly claw, They quickly engulfed it. Unlike Solomon's flame serpent art, Pluvia's flame breath didn't take a form. So when the Queen's arm collided with it, the formless flames attached themselves to the outstretched appendage.

Queen; ACREEE!!!

Screaming out in pain, the Queen flailed around violently. Under the attack of Pluvia's flames, the Queen had no way to protect herself. Being partially formed with Qi, the flames easily ate away at the Queen's hard shell. When the raging flames had finally died down, the Queen's heavily charred arm came back into sight. Almost all of the pitch black protective shell had been stripped from her arm, revealing the bare muscles underneath. At the claws tip, where the fire hit it first, even the Queen's muscles had burnt through to reveal bone. looking at the horrible state of the Queen's arm, even Pluvia felt a little sympathy.

Queen: AGREEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Collapsing to the ground, the Queen let out the most pitiful screech Pluvia had ever heard. Feeling the intense searing pain coming from her arm, the Queen couldn't help but scream out. Comparing this pain to what she had felt at losing her other arm, The Queen knew that there wasn't even a contest. Unlike the last time when she'd instantly lost her arm, this time she had to sit there and feel it melting away. As the first layer of hard shell disappeared, the Queen's sensitive nerves had became exposed to the fire. As the flames ate away at her nerves, she felt the most soul shattering pain of her entire life. Buckling under that pain, she collapsed to the floor. Rolling around, she screeched like a dying pig. But no matter how much she screamed, it wouldn't help her deal with the pain. Seeing the Queen's reaction to Pluvia's attack, Solomon was about to attack her. But before he could, Pluvia's voice called out to him.

Pluvia: Don't!!!

Confused, Solomon quickly over at Pluvia. Glancing back towards the Queen's writhing figure, he didn't want to let the opportunity pass.

Solomon: Why?!!!

Looking over at Solomon, Pluvia quickly Explained herself to him. Seeing his restless face, she knew that if she remained silent he'd attack.

Pluvia: She's tricking you.

Explaining herself in those three simple words, Pluvia looked back over at the Queen. Copying her, Solomon also looking back over at her. The previously writhing body of the Queen was now perfectly still. Slowly getting back to her feet, the Queen stared at Pluvia with hate filled eyes. Seeing such intense hatred appear in the Queen's eyes, Solomon was once again amazed. Emotions like hatred were normally far beyond the level of insects. Being able to display such emotions showed how special, and dangerous, the Queen was. Having realised that Pluvia was onto her, the Queen didn't bother putting up the act anymore. Standing back up, The Queen stared straight at Pluvia.

A moment ago when she'd collapsed on the floor, her sorrowful screech was completely authentic. The sudden pain she'd felt was really enough to break her. But after a few moments of soul wrenching pain, her arm had gone dead. Looking at her own arm, the Queen was confused. But using her intelligence, she'd quickly realised what was happening. The fire that was covering her arm had Completely incinerated the nerves in her arm. Looking at her flame covered arm, The Queen was happy to have lost all of the feelings in it. Just as she was about to get up and charge at Pluvia for doing this to her, an idea surfaced in the Queens mind. She knew, just as well as her enemies, that this attack wasn't enough to kill her. So she could tell that there was another reason for using it. Remembering the incredibly destructive power of Solomon's attack, the Queen Rapidly figured out their next step. It would definitely be to attack. Though she was temporarily paralysed by the Flames, they would know she wasn't even close to death. So it would only make sense to use this moment to kill her. Realising that, the Queen continued to roll around on the floor. Being sure to keep an eye on the hairy man, she prepared herself to swiftly dodge his incoming attack. Seeing him lift his hands towards her, she felt ecstatic. But just as he was about to attack her, Pluvia called out to him. As he lowered his arms back down, the Queen knew her scheme had failed. Not wasting any more time, she got back up to her feet. Feeling a deep rage bubbling inside of herself, she glared at Pluvia. Thinking about how she'd just been put through so much pain, as well as having her trick ruined, by Pluvia, The Queen could barely contain her rage.

Pluvia: Solomon, be ready to attack on my signal.

looking at the Queen's expression, Pluvia knew that she'd infuriated her. Smiling slightly, Pluvia noticed the Queen's rage take another step up. Watching the white froth seep out of the corners of the Queen's mouth, Pluvia knew that it wouldn't be long before she lost her patience and attacked. Determined to not let the Queen take the initiative, Pluvia knelt slightly. then using her Qi reinforced legs to spring forward her body shot towards the Queen like an arrow.