The world seemed to breathe around them, a scene where fire and destruction were the very reality. Vernasha advanced, each step made the ground tremble, each gesture projected waves of power that tested the Empress's limits. But Mei did not retreat. She danced, spinning between clones and purple spheres of chaos, her eyes attentive to every movement, absorbing every provocation, every word.
Vernasha didn't attack just with physical blows; she attacked Mei's essence. —You believe you are limitless only because you can create— Vernasha said, her voice echoing through the red air, cutting through reality. —But you only think about what you can bring forth. What lies inside you, Mei Nuhay? What does it mean to be?
Those words cut through Mei, heavy as incandescent embers. For the first time, it wasn't just about dodging or attacking. It was reflection, self-understanding, an analysis of her own flames. Every movement, every leap, every blow was a question: how far could her fire truly reach? And, more importantly, how far could she herself go?
She had tried something like this against Dante—erasing the notion of movement, creating an impossible technique, breaking rules. But now it was different. Every sphere spinning around her, every geometric projection flying beside her, was an extension of her consciousness. She saw the world as it truly was for one who masters fire: every trace of energy, every spark, every visible line of heat, a dance of chaos she controlled. It was her territory, her essence, her soul materialized.
Gray and ethereal geometric shapes spun around Mei, as if it were a materialization of her own imagination, her ideas in their most primitive possible form.
Vernasha watched, and a smile of surprise appeared on her face. —Fenra took a long time to begin understanding herself, I thought she and Mei were the same in that regard but… This woman is different— she murmured. —You are boundless, Mei Nuhay. And you've done this almost without me giving many hints.
Mei, absorbing every word, every attack, didn't just react—she transformed the chaos around her.
Then a thin, white circle formed around her. The spheres that came toward her, laden with pure destruction, touched the gray circle that had appeared around her. Instead of hitting, they slid, curved, ignoring her completely, as if obeying the very dance of fire that Mei conducted.
She smiled, and the power emanating from her was almost palpable: geometric shapes spun, collided, and exploded in impossible patterns, making the air vibrate with every movement. The technique was both devastating and poetic. Mei Nuhay wasn't just attacking—she was rewriting reality itself, bending the laws of space and energy to her will.
Vernasha, still surprised, realized she had underestimated not just Mei's strength, but her self-understanding. She had created a battle that tested not just speed or the power of blows, but the very essence of the Empress. And Mei responded not with blind fury, but with absolute control, turning every attack into an opportunity for evolution.
And in that moment, it became clear: Mei wasn't just a warrior, not just fire and destruction. She was the fire that understood itself, the Empress who understood what she carried within, and whose power had no limits because she was finally beginning to perceive her own being.
The geometric shapes spinning around Mei weren't just decorations of power—they were her thoughts taking primitive form, manifestations of her will. Every line, every projection, every spark was an idea made concrete. Mei could apply those sparks to everything she possessed, transforming her own perception into a weapon.
She saw the world as a field of infinite possibilities, where every technique carried a spark she could manipulate. And there, in that space where her thought was almost predominant, Mei created a gray circle around herself, a barrier of pure intent. The purple spheres Vernasha had launched simply collided with the circle… and disappeared, as if Mei had erased the very notion of the attack.
Now Mei didn't just create ideas—she changed ideas. She changed notions, altered perceptions, distorted the very concept of attack before it even existed.
Vernasha smiled, a cold, calculating smile. She saw Mei's leap and knew it was time to take the combat to another level.
The queen's body rippled, accelerating, flowing like living energy—an extension of Fenra's technique. Before Mei could react, Vernasha advanced. But Mei responded with a speed almost equal to hers, blocking and counter-attacking with inhuman precision. The clash of the two reverberated through the crimson dimension, creating waves of energy that burned trees, cracked the ground, and scattered purple spheres of chaos across the skies.
Clones appeared, trying to encircle Mei, launching attacks that exploded or were deflected by the Empress's barrier of thoughts. And Vernasha, now closer to Mei's true potential, approved with sharp words:
—That's it, Mei… keep thinking like that, and soon you'll end this.
Mei laughed, adrenaline consuming her. —I'm going to end you, Vernasha!— she shouted, with a smile of pure determination. And, with a brutal impulse, she punched the queen with all her strength, hitting her stomach. The impact echoed through the crimson forest, trees swayed, the ground exploded, and hurled Vernasha kilometers back, destroying everything around.
But Mei couldn't afford to rest. The clones kept coming, and she needed to transcend again, elevating her power to the maximum. Every clone that approached felt the heat of Mei's hostility, burning at the slightest sign of aggression, amplified by the barrier of intent she sustained.
The fight against Seraphyne, all past combats, had taught Mei to deeply understand her own power, making this transcendence much more natural. Now, it wasn't just fire, wasn't just creation—it was the very essence of Mei Nuhay flowing, controlling, altering, destroying, and recreating simultaneously.
And Vernasha watched, realizing that, finally, Mei was no longer just an Empress who mastered fire… she was a force capable of bending reality itself around her, and the battle was only beginning.
She was understanding that her fire wasn't just for heating or burning, but a flame present in the very idea of creation.
The fact that Mei could create was never exclusively due to her Tsuki lineage, the one that manifests power through personality. No—what she carried was something much greater. She possessed the flames of creation, the fire that governs everything, that generates and destroys, that molds the very essence of the world.
Without that, even a pure Tsuki would never be capable of conceiving so many absurd techniques, so many geometric projections, so many manipulations of reality. And, amidst the battle, Mei finally understood the depth of what she carried. She didn't just create… she was the fire that creates.
Vernasha realized this too. Her golden eyes, cold and calculating, shone with the combination of Azaroth and Fenra, the powers she now fused with the purple spheres. Every sphere multiplied, cutting through space and exploding everything around, a spectacle of absolute chaos.
Even with the gray circle Mei had created protecting her, Vernasha advanced. Every step was a challenge to the very notion of defense. She created clones, each attacking from a different angle, seeking the Empress's weakness.
Then, with surgical precision, Vernasha launched a concentrated sphere. Not at Mei… but beside her, in a surprise attack.
Boom.
The impact was surreal, almost atomic. The ground exploded, trees turned to ash instantly, and the air split in waves of heat and shock. The force of the explosion seemed to want to erase the crimson dimension itself.
Mei felt the ground disappear for an instant. Her vision blurred with fire and dust, but she remained firm, breathing deeply, absorbing the energy of the explosion. Every movement now wasn't just reaction—it was a living comprehension of the power she carried.
Vernasha hovered at a distance, watching the destruction, calculating. Her scarlet smile was now a mix of amusement and respect:
—Hm… let's see if you survive this, Mei Nuhay.
And, from the center of the explosion, Mei rose, surrounded by the circle of gray energy and the geometric projections that spun like a reflection of the very essence of creation. Every spark, every line, every shadow was now an extension of her will, ready to react to the next attack.
She wasn't just fighting. She was discovering who she truly was, while Queen Vernasha tested every limit, every reflex, every flame Mei could generate.
Vernasha saw Mei rise amidst the fire and, for the first time, smiled genuinely. The scene was almost divine: the Empress of Flames remained intact, walking slowly through the chaos, with an aura that seemed to defy the very destruction around her. Amidst flames, debris, and smoke, she reigned.
The gaze of the two met. There were no clones, distractions, or artifices—it was the true Vernasha against the true Mei. Without hesitation, Mei leaped, advancing with absolute determination. It was what she wanted: to face the queen head-on, confront the real power hiding behind the cruel appearance.
Mei punched with brutal force. Vernasha tried to block, but felt a sharp pain in her ribs, being thrown to the ground violently. The impact tore the ground, uprooted trees, and shattered rocks around. Vernasha could barely comprehend what had hit her. How was it possible? Mei didn't have enough speed for such an instantaneous attack… it was impossible.
Without losing rhythm, Mei advanced again, now with a kick aimed at the queen. Vernasha switched dimensions in an instant to escape, but Mei followed, without hesitation. They appeared in a blue, cold, and silent dimension, almost covered in snow—the place where Mei had been trapped once before. The cold contrasted with the intensity of the fire still emanating from her, but it didn't diminish her fury.
Mei launched a thread of flames trying to bind Vernasha. The queen cut it with her hand, but felt something invisible pulling her foot. Without understanding, she lost her balance and fell, and Mei was upon her in an instant.
Vernasha reacted quickly, switching dimensions once more. She returned to the crimson dimension, but not to the ground—she remained in the air, avoiding being crushed by Mei's attack. Yet, again, something invisible pulled her foot, a force she could feel but not see.
In the air, the battle reached its peak. Mei attacked with precise blows: a kick aimed at Vernasha's face, another hitting the same right rib. The first kick caused extreme pain, the second completely shattered it. Two blows at the same point, brutal and merciless. Vernasha spat blood and was hurled away, tearing the space around.
Mei held Vernasha by the invisible thread in the air, controlling every movement with supernatural precision. In a wild impulse, she pulled the queen against herself and hurled her with force into the ground. The impact was brutal: rocks broke, trees toppled, and the ground cracked in deep lines. Smoke and dust rose, covering Vernasha completely.
Even wounded, shrouded in the cloud of destruction, Vernasha didn't lose the beat. Like a vengeful shadow, she emerged from the smoke, golden eyes gleaming, and launched a rain of purple spheres at Mei, each one spinning with chaotic energy and pure destruction.
Mei prepared to nullify the attack, extending her hand and invoking the power of the gray circle around her. But as the spheres approached, Vernasha smiled. In a precise motion, the spheres collided with each other, exploding in a wave of surreal energy that swept across the battlefield. The heat burned, the air trembled, but Mei remained firm.
She did not stop. No pain could hold her back. With eyes aflame and an aura transcending the limits of fire, Mei ran through the middle of the inferno that did not burn her. Even wounded by the explosion, her accelerated regeneration allowed her to rise, traversing the smoke with pure determination, her hair and flames undulating like living flames.
Vernasha barely had time to react before Mei appeared above her. The exchange of blows began: rapid, brutal, and nearly impossible to follow. Mei transformed into the queen of feints. One punch aimed at the face, but hit the knee; another aimed at the knee, but struck the face. Every movement was instantaneous, unpredictable. Vernasha watched, without understanding, as the circle around Mei seemed to distort intentions, confuse attacks, change perceptions.
Finally, Vernasha retreated, taking distance, trying to comprehend that imaginary area Mei had created—perhaps illusions, perhaps manipulation of the very intent of the attack. But Mei did not hesitate. Like an animal in pursuit, she advanced, eyes burning with fury, body wreathed in light and fire.
Vernasha tried to run by increasing her speed thanks to Fenra's essence. But the transcendence was happening faster than Vernasha could imagine.
Mei reached Fenra's speed, pursuing Vernasha with absolute determination. But the queen did not give up: she accelerated even more, disappearing and appearing before Mei in a blow that promised to destroy everything in its path.
The clash was colossal. Mei reacted in time, raising her forearm to block. The impact exploded in waves of force and energy—every centimeter of the blow transmitted mass multiplied by speed. The air around tore with the thunderous crash, and Mei's flames vibrated in response, as if every spark was a roar of survival.
And Vernasha understood that even Mei's transcendence was savage.
Vernasha was incredulous. Mei's evolution was absurd, dizzying—too fast even for someone like her to keep up with. Every movement, every feint, every explosion was instantly surpassed by the Empress of Flames. Vernasha no longer knew how to raise the battle to the next level. It wasn't just incapacity; it was fear. Fear of giving her all and still being surpassed. The thought burned like white-hot iron: what if Mei was still beyond her reach?
Without time to hesitate, Vernasha ran, channeling Fenra's speed. A blur of energy cutting the air like sharp blades. Mei, even without possessing such speed, reacted to every assault. Her eyes followed every blow, her arms blocked, dodged, and almost counter-attacked. The gray circle around Mei vibrated softly, a prelude to contained chaos. It was small, limited, but within it, Mei was practically absolute.
Then, Mei raised her hands. The circle vibrated intensely. Vernasha advanced, believing she had found an opening to attack—and with that, she made a fatal mistake. She tried to retreat, but everything around her seemed to move in slow motion, every second a hammer of tension.
Mei turned her face. The circle extended, enveloping Vernasha with near-surgical precision. The Empress's gaze pierced the queen, burning as if it could rip out her very essence. And then, Fenra's speed, that destructive force, was inverted. Vernasha felt herself being sucked toward Mei, powerless, as if every step were determined by the Empress's dominion.
The shock came instantaneously: Mei received her with a blow that seemed like a punch to the face—but it was a perfect feint. The true attack aimed at Vernasha's stomach, sure and brutal. The impact made the queen fly backward, cutting through the air, crushing trees, and cracking the ground beneath her. If it weren't for the manipulation of bodily resistance and regeneration, Vernasha would have died instantly, being evaporated.
Mei did not stop. She never stopped. The circle expanded with every movement, dragging Vernasha back whenever she tried to escape. Every contact with the area meant pure brutality: kicks, punches, blows that confused perception and intention. It was the lethal dance of an Empress transcending her own limits.
Vernasha, desperate, conjured her purple spheres, each one pulsing with the force of absolute destruction, ready to obliterate everything before it. But Mei, within her dominion, would not let anything escape her will. She tried to contain the energy, redirect it, invert the force of the spheres.
But the power was colossal. When the spheres collided, the explosion that followed was surreal. Rocks and energy were hurled through the air, creating a flash that seemed to swallow the very dimension. Mei and Vernasha disappeared into the chaos, erased by the impact of forces beyond comprehension.
When the glare finally ceased, Vernasha breathed deeply, her mind in turmoil. She understood, for the first time with clarity: Mei could not contain everything. Her dominion was powerful, absolute within her area, but not infinite. There were limits. Finally, an opening.
And in that instant, Vernasha saw her chance.
To be continued…