I need a freaking break! Amelia sprouted bat-like wings and jumped upwards, away from her pursuer’s reach. But for Scarlett that was just an inconvenience.

“Rocket Jump!” Scarlett shouted, propelling herself with a burst of fire produced out of the plant of her feet. “A satellite’s place is up in the far reaches of the sky!”

Amelia looked in shock at the incoming menace and shut her eyes. This is going to hurt...

“Fire Style, Meteor Punch!” Scarlett cast, sending Amelia back to land with a blasting punch. She then used another bursting impulse from her flaming feet to pursue her target in a downward trajectory.

Before Amelia crashed against Caeruleum Mountain, Scarlett performed a wrestling ‘cross chop’, pushing both through 700 feet of layers of rock.

When they reached their final underground destination, the impact leveled the surrounding area.

Amelia coughed blood and her form started to falter.

“You know what’s funny about all this?” Scarlett said, tossing a boulder aside. Although the attack had also hurt her, a smirk on her face showed she could do it again. “That you won’t tell a soul of what happened here and why we’re doing this. You don’t want to be the party-pooper that breaks this fake world’s peace, do you?”

“What are you pretending to do? Are the Administrators involved in this?!” Amelia asked before Scarlett grabbed her by the neck.

“That’s none of your business, princess,” Scarlett said, closing her fist and expecting to hear the satisfying sound of her neck breaking. As she smirked, something caught her eye behind Amelia’s body. There was a recent dug hole below. The ground around it was still burning hot. What the…?

“Fine, keep the fucking secret,” Amelia said behind her.

Scarlett got stabbed in the back until the tip of the blade come out of her chest. T-this thing is empty... she thought, staring at the lifeless body in front of her. “When did you…?”

“Just before you got up,” the real Amelia chuckled while her armor-ignoring katana started to accumulate heat. The magically constructed Stranded Hell’s Princess disappeared, letting Amelia recover some of her mana for one last attack. “Release all of your might and burn her entrails, Feumori!”

The power behind the katana’s name made it shine with energy. Scarlett’s stomach exploded and a burst of fire escaped in a straight trajectory, burning everything in its path.

As Scarlett lost her Super Form, Amelia’s maniacal laugh echoed through the caverns.

“Take that, you Vitality brute! How many times have I killed you already?!” She held the agonizing Scarlett by her hair while laughing. “Thank you for helping me with this experiment! I can now finally beat that short-ass! Did you hear that, Astrid?! Your reign of terror is over, I’ll come for--!” Amelia shut her mouth after hearing cries of help. She looked at her surroundings, finding half of the Slime Village destroyed by the collateral damage. “N-no way…”

She looked at Slime people helping others to escape out of the burning huts. She glanced at lifeless bodies turning into pixels. At the melted walls her power took down with extreme ease.

It was not my intention to...

They’re just code, right! So it doesn’t matter if they die! But why are my chest tightening and my breath faltering then? Alan, you wouldn’t get mad at me, do you? Because I did it to save your ass! It was an accident!

Sloochie, you don’t have emotions, do you? Is there someone here that you would miss?!

“Should have finished me off!” Scarlett shouted, piercing Amelia’s stomach with a punch. “I know this isn’t fair, but we’re not having an official duel here, princess. You even said it yourself. But I’ll admit it was fun. It’s the first time someone has forced me to break my limits.”

** Your Berserk State has been satiated. **

Scarlett pulled out her arm with a quick, messy move and let the pyromancer’s body collapse.

Despite her condition, Amelia reached out her hand to her. “A-are y-you—g-going—after—A-Alan?”

“That’s right, kiddo. That man is cursed by knowing too much. Blame his bad luck. Serenity would like to capture you too, but I doubt you’ll last long enough.”

With that said, Scarlett strolled to the caves that would take her to the exit.

** Warning! Insufficient Mana to close your wound. **

That he’s unfortunate? You could say so...

** Notice: By canceling your Fire Clone, you could recover the necessary Mana to heal yourself. **

The guy spent almost a year outside, working, while we were having a great life here...

** Do you accept? - Yes / No **

“Y-yes…”

** Fire Clone - Withdrawn. **

With the hope of seeing his lover again maintaining him sane...

** Applying Auto Pyrokinetic Construction Healing. **

“C-call Alan W-Ward-den,” she ordered to her User Interface before crying out loud in pain as flames appeared on her wound and started constructing flesh and organs. “A-Alan?”

Only for that bitch to let him go? If I was her, I would have chained him so she could not leave my side ever again! But...

“Amelia, are you okay?!”

There he goes again. His worried voice is kinda cute. But something is bothering me… Something I should have asked him a long time ago, back when we discussed in The Drinking Banshee.

He barely remembers but is okay. I have already made my mind.

“Let’s have a d-date after this battle is over…”

** You’re out of Mana. **

“I... I would love to.”

“It’s a promise then…”

**Super Mode requirements met. Would you like to-- **

She stood up, even though all her body trembled.

“Yes!”

A fire whirl rose to the cave’s ceiling, getting the attention of Scarlett. What the hell is this surge of energy? she thought, looking back. Is she still alive?

“What’s your deal, Princess?” Scarlett shouted. “What could you possibly do in this situation? You’re out of mana!”

“Path of The Sage…” Amelia stepped forward while the orange flames embracing her changed to indigo. Her hair and eyes were now the shade of the aquamarine gemstone.

“Your amazing, Sis!” Marissa had said to her the first time Amelia showed her that form. “But it needs a name, doesn’t it? I now! Although it’s kind of funny. You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. How about--”

“Amelia Blueflamme...” she announced. As she strolled forward like being in a trance, the color of her clothes also changed to reflect her new appearance.

Her gaze looked lost in thought and her stance was full of openings, which Scarlett would take advantage of. She’s not exerting any mana output. A Super Mode that does not increase her Spirit? A hit will tell me everything I need to know.

“Whatever you’re trying to do, you have zero mana, Princess! Try defending yourself from this!” Scarlett jumped, shortening the distance in less than a couple of seconds, getting her fist engulfed in flames, meeting Amelia’s relaxed blue eyes. “Meteor--!” While in midair, she felt something piercing her knuckles, palm, and carpal bones. “What?!”

She looked in horror at the shiny black spikes sprouting out of her bloodied fist. Is this her Pyrokinetic Construction? How?! She can’t control fire that is not her own! You bitch! I’ll crush you with my whole body! Scarlett stretched out her legs and landed, making the whole cavern shake, but when the dust settled, she noticed Amelia standing by her side. Did she dodge? No way!

Something blueish caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. The fire consuming Slime Village had turned indigo and was advancing toward her.

“No, you won’t!” Scarlett threw a punch, but Amelia’s passive Overshield come into play.

“You lost your last chance,” Amelia finally spoke, looking at her with no discernible irises.

The accumulated fire rained upon Scarlett, forcing her to kneel. Yet, she had the strength to sneer. “You know what’ll happen if you don’t eliminate me this time.”

“Don’t you know?” Amelia said with no emotion in her voice. “Blue flames are hotter.”