"Okay… how are we going to defeat them?" Rudra asked, trying— and failing— to sound brave.
Amanda stared at him. "…"
"Where's all that confidence gone? And stop shaking your legs," she said, genuinely shocked at how fast his confidence has faded
"You do realise I don't have any divine blessings, right? I am genuinely scared for my life right now," Rudra said, eyes pleading, hoping she would understand he wasn't kidding.
"You…" Amanda sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Fine. Listen to me. You take the weaker ones, and I'll handle Sammy."
"You're not in a very good condition, Aman—"
"Neither are you. In fact, how are you even alive right now?" Amanda asked, finally taking a proper look at him.
The man standing in front of her was barely holding himself together. His clothes were torn to shreds, the entire right side of his body was burned, and the injuries on his left side were so severe she could see bone poking through.
"Are you okay?" Amanda asked, concern tightening her voice.
"Better than ever," Rudra said, forcing a grin through the pain.
Before Amanda could respond, Sammy's bored voice cut through the clearing. "If you two are done talking, can we start the show?"
"Fin—"
Rudra didn't even get to finish the word.
Sammy lunged at him with lethal intent, aiming to end the fight in a single strike. But Amanda intercepted him mid‑charge, spinning into a roundhouse kick that slammed into Sammy's ribs. She followed it with a crushing blow to his stomach, forcing him to take a few steps back, struggling to stay standing.
"Defeat me before you go anywhere near him," Amanda said, her tone sharp, deliberately trying to provoking him.
Sammy straightened, wiping blood from his lip. "Fine then. Let's play by your rules."
The moment the words left his mouth, the fight erupted.
Amanda didn't hold back. She summoned a barrage of burning meteorites, each one blazing through the sky and crashing toward Sammy with devastating force. The jungle floor trembled under the heat.
But before the meteors could land, massive chunks of ice materialised above Sammy and smashed them apart effortlessly.
Amanda froze mid‑step, eyes wide. "Wha… what?"
Sammy laughed—really laughed—until tears streamed down his face. "Why are you even surprised, Amanda? How do you think I survived this long?"
"Shut up, you idiot!" Amanda snapped, furious that her attack had been neutralised so easily.
Now
As Amanda dashed towards Sammy, the jungle seemed to be afraid of the heat radiating from her body. The center of the jungle—normally a quiet, sacred clearing—had become a battlefield of clashing elements.
There was only one hour left before the test ended. One hour to prove who deserved the title of the winner. One hour to survive.
Sammy stood at the opposite end , calm as a frozen lake which was completely different from his usual self. His palms glowed with a pale blue colour, swirling with water and ice. he watched Amanda's charge with a steady, almost pitying gaze.
"You're burning too hot," Sammy murmured. "You'll exhaust yourself before you reach me."
Amanda didn't slow. "Then I'll burn the whole jungle down if I have to!"
She leapt, fist blazing like a miniature sun. Sammy raised his hand, and a wall of water erupted from the ground, slamming into Amanda mid-air. Steam exploded outward as fire met water, engulfing the surrounding in a thick fog.
Amanda landed hard, sliding across the damp soil. She coughed, wiping mud from her cheek. "Cheap trick."
"Efficient," Sammy corrected.
The fog parted as Sammy stepped forward, his presence soo chilling that the air out of Amanda's breath came out in white puffs. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a spear of ice hurtling toward Amanda.
Amanda rolled aside, the spear embedded to the tree with a crack that echoed through the jungle. She sprang up, thrusting both palms forward. Twin streams of fire roared from her hands, spiraling together into a blazing vortex.
Sammy's eyes widened. he swept her arms upward, summoning a towering wave from the moisture in the air. The wave crashed into the vortex, and the resulting explosion of steam blasted both of them backward.
Amanda skidded across the ground again, but this time she forced herself up instantly. She couldn't afford to lose time. The test was ticking down, and Sammy was too strong to let the fight drag on.
Sammy, however, rose slowly, brushing frost from his arms. "You're reckless.
"And you're always talking," Amanda snapped. "Let's fix that."
She slammed her foot into the ground, sending a ring of fire outward. The flames raced across the clearing, igniting fallen leaves and dead branches. Sammy reacted quickly, raising a dome of water around himself . The fire washed over it harmlessly, but the heat forced him to reinforce the barrier.
Amanda smirked. "Got you."
She launched herself upward, using a burst of fire from her feet. She soared above Sammy's dome, twisting mid-air. Flames spiraled around her leg as she brought it down in a fiery axe-kick.
Sammy's eyes widened. he dropped the dome and dove aside just as Amanda's flaming heel smashed into the ground, sending molten earth spraying outward.
The whole jungle shook violently.
Sammy retaliated instantly. he thrust his hands forward, and a torrent of icy water surged toward Amanda. The force of it slammed Amanda into a tree, which greatly injured Amanda.
Sammy approached, frost forming along his arms like armor. "You can't win this. Water beats fire. Nature beats destruction."
Amanda spat out a leaf. "Nature also burns."
She ignited her entire body in a huge fire, so intense that the tree behind her caught fire. Sammy shielded his face, stumbling back as the heat washed over him.
Amanda charged again, faster this time, her movements fueled by fury and adrenaline. She threw punch after punch, each one leaving trails of fire in the air. Sammy blocked with walls of water, but Amanda's speed was overwhelming. The water hissed and evaporated before it could fully form.
Sammy gritted her teeth. "You're pushing too hard!"
"That's the point!"
Amanda unleashed a spinning kick, flames spiraling outward. Sammy froze the moisture in the air, forming a shield of ice. The kick shattered it, sending shards flying.
Sammy winced as a shard grazed his face.
Amanda saw the opening.
She lunged, grabbing Sammy's wrist with a burning hand. Sammy started to scream in pain as steam rose between their skin. Amanda twisted, flipping Sammy onto her back.
The ground was very hot beneath Sammy as Amanda pinned her down, fire swirling around her fists.
Sammy struggled, summoning a burst of icy mist that numbed Amanda's arm. Amanda hissed but didn't let go.
"You're strong," Sammy gasped. "But you're not thinking straight."
Amanda leaned closer, flames reflecting in her eyes. "I don't need to think. I just need to win."
Sammy's expression hardened. he thrust his free hand upward, releasing a concentrated blast of ice. It struck Amanda square in the chest, launching her backward.
Amanda crashed into the dirt, rolling until she slammed into a boulder. She groaned, clutching her ribs.
Sammy rose shakily, frost spreading across his arms again. "One hour left. You won't last at this pace."
Amanda pushed herself up, flames reigniting around her body. "Watch me."
The jungle around them crackled with heat and frost, the clearing transforming into a battlefield of steam, fire, and ice. The test clock continued to tick down, but neither girl looked away from the other.
The real fight was only beginning.