FrostNova gasped for breath, hiding in a relatively concealed corner.
Explosions continued to thunder outside.
Talulah and Amiya were trading Arts in the open.
FrostNova craned her head out of the shadows and looked up at the sky.
"The Catastrophe will be here any moment. We can't keep stalling like this."
"And the communicator's useless under Catastrophe interference. I don't know what's happening on the old man's side either."
The thought weighed on her chest. Her father—Patriot—and the Shieldguards had intercepted nearly all of Rhodes Island's top-tier combatants. Even so, she and Talulah still couldn't bring Amiya down.
"If this drags on, Reunion will be buried under the Catastrophe. We have two choices: withdraw immediately, or get Chernobog moving again."
FrostNova's gaze locked on the building behind Amiya—the Chernobog command tower. The key was in Amiya's hands. If they wanted this city to move, they had to crush Amiya first.
Her eyes sharpened.
Then there was only one way forward.
All in.
She took a deep breath, sprang up, and burst from the shadows. Frost gathered in her palm. Amiya didn't even look her way, focusing her attacks on Talulah instead.
"Now!"
FrostNova hurled the ice crystal.
It sliced through the air, about to pierce Amiya—
A black sword snapped into existence in the girl's hand. One clean slash.
A wave of black sword-light shredded FrostNova's attack and carved through the ground as it came down on her.
FrostNova had expected it. She kicked left, dodging the strike.
But she'd drawn Amiya's attention.
Amiya flicked the black blade in a casual flourish.
A chill of foreboding crawled up FrostNova's spine.
Run.
She darted through the ruins. The very next second, black sword-arcs tore through buildings like paper, slicing open anything in her path.
Amiya moved like a commander conducting a massacre—the black sword in her hand was her baton, and every lazy swing unleashed a terrifying arc of destruction.
Seeing her best friend being driven ragged, Talulah shouted to pull Amiya's focus.
"Hey, Amiya—look here!"
Flames coiled in her hand and she whipped them toward Amiya.
The reply was a silent black sword-arc.
The fire split apart in midair, and Talulah had already vacated her position.
"This can't go on!" Talulah yelled.
"The Catastrophe is almost here!" FrostNova shouted back, dodging another arc while firing ice crystals to cover Talulah. "We either regroup our people and get out of Chernobog, or we beat Amiya, take the key, and move the city out of the Catastrophe's range!"
"As much as I hate to admit it," Talulah said while running, "with just the two of us, we can't beat her."
"...Then we only have one option. Kevin has already recovered the Doctor. We break through—right now—and leave Chernobog."
Talulah fell silent for a heartbeat.
FrostNova was right.
They had no solution left. Two of them versus Amiya was hopeless.
If Patriot were here, maybe they could gamble. But he'd led the Shieldguards to hold back Rhodes Island's elites from the start, buying them time. His fate was unknown.
They should run.
But Talulah couldn't accept it.
If they fled, who would stop the controlled Rhodes Island operatives?
Who would protect Chernobog?
FrostNova could sense Talulah's unwillingness. She shared it.
But unwillingness meant nothing on this land.
They had to choose.
And then—
A voice rang out without warning.
"Hey. Which one of you is Talulah, leader of Reunion?"
Amiya's attacks stopped. She turned toward the sound.
Two figures stood there. And Amiya's eyes locked on the hooded one in front.
"Do... Doc...tor."
The whisper was so small it barely existed, and for a split second, a spark returned to her eyes—
Then it was swallowed by emptiness again.
"Who are you? This place is dangerous—get out!" Talulah shouted at the strangers.
Too late.
Amiya moved.
She wasn't running.
She was—teleporting.
She stepped on open air, hovering above the Doctor's stunned face. Amiya closed her eyes, then opened them again. In her left pupil, an inverted geometric sigil spun. A smile bloomed on her lips.
"Welcome back, Doctor."
"...Who are you?"
"You still remember me, don't you?"
The hell I do, the Doctor ranted internally. I only heard about you from Ember. How would I know who you are?
And what is this—mind reading? I barely thought one little thing and you hit me with that line. That's ridiculous.
His thoughts were a riot, but his expression stayed eerily calm.
That calmness and her smile formed a sharp, unsettling contrast.
They stared at each other.
At last, Amiya closed her eyes and laughed softly.
"So something happened that I don't know about. My time is short, but it's fine..."
She opened her eyes again. The light inside them faded quickly.
"Later, you'll tell me yourself, Doctor."
The final word fell—and the last glimmer vanished from her gaze.
She raised a hand toward him.
At the exact same moment, the Doctor raised his hand too. Fingers interlaced.
He seized her.
"Got you!"
The two strongest fighters had been drawn off by trouble elsewhere, but he still had a partner.
"Kevin—now!"
Even though he felt an inexplicable familiarity with the rabbit-eared girl, this was no time to hesitate.
Fifth Stage: Shana!
With thirty-two times reinforcement, Kevin's fist tore through the air with a crack of sound.
He threw a full-power punch at point-blank range.
There was no way Amiya could react in time.
...Right?
She could.
Easily.
In Kevin's high-speed vision, Amiya's eyes tracked his incoming fist.
A bad feeling detonated in his gut.
The next instant, black Originium energy exploded outward.
Kevin couldn't dodge.
The shockwave hit him head-on and blasted him away.
The Doctor watched the blur fly past. His smile died.
Still gripping Amiya's hand, he forced a stiff grin.
"Shh... can we talk this out?"
-------
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