In the dark alley,
dim sunlight filtered down from above,
enveloping Bai Ge completely in its glow.
Yet though he stood in the light, Bai Ge felt no warmth whatsoever.
To be honest, he was already prepared to call down a Falling Star on the spot.
Signora's condition was unclear.
Her purpose was unknown.
If she chose to invoke the Tsaritsa's divine power, Bai Ge would have no room to resist at all.
So there was only one option—make the situation explode.
Under intense vigilance, beads of sweat slid down his forehead.
He waited for Signora to speak.
But today's Signora was very different.
As if deliberately competing with him in a silent standoff, she stood there lazily and alluringly, one hand on her hip, simply watching him.
She didn't look hurried in the slightest.
"Hehe…"
A faint laugh slipped from her crystalline pink lips. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the sight of Bai Ge like this.
After a while longer, Bai Ge couldn't hold out.
"Signora, what exactly do you want?" he asked.
"Heh…"
She chuckled again.
Then, instead of answering directly, she said:
"So it seems you don't know everything after all. You can't always keep that 'everything is under control' composure, can you?"
"..."
Bai Ge's heart tightened.
It seemed that everything he had revealed at Heyu Teahouse—including his strength—had been completely seen through.
"Heh, I'm not omniscient… and besides, who wouldn't fear the Tsaritsa's power?" Bai Ge replied lightly.
At the same time, he forcibly steadied himself.
"So—what exactly did you come here for?"
"Simple."
As she spoke, frost scattered into the air.
Then—
her voice came from behind him.
"You only need to fight me once. Consider it a continuation of our battle that day."
"After all, viewpoints should be proven with strength, shouldn't they?"
She spoke in a seductive tone, warm breath brushing his ear.
Two long, slender arms slipped around his waist from behind, pulling him into a soft embrace.
Yet despite being held like a lover—an intimacy countless people could only dream of—Bai Ge felt no pleasure whatsoever.
Because her fingertips were ice-cold.
They glided across his neck and waist, back and forth.
White frost spread in their wake.
"So fast—!"
Only now did Bai Ge truly react.
Appearing behind him in what was nearly the blink of an eye—such effortless elemental control—
It was beyond imagination.
If she had possessed this level of mastery before, how could he possibly have shattered her ice cocoon in their last fight?
Sensing his reaction up close, Signora seemed pleased.
"Well? Fast, isn't it?"
She murmured beside his ear, her delicate head resting against his back. Even her hair carried a faint chill.
"All of this… is something you helped me learn after that day."
"Once I resolved to abandon my past… I became stronger."
Why, in the original storyline, had Signora—ranked eighth—been defeated by a three-element Traveler, while Tartaglia, ranked last, could overwhelm a two-element Traveler with ease?
Was the Traveler truly that much stronger?
No.
It was because Signora had been too weak.
As the Crimson Witch of Flames, she had been sealed and restrained by the Tsaritsa's supreme divine ice.
But she was, at her core, an undying flame.
What could sealing truly accomplish?
The fire within and the ice without constantly consumed one another.
While bearing the Tsaritsa's divine power, she could indeed act with overwhelming force.
But after that power was used against Venti, her own strength inevitably declined.
Now, having realized that the past should remain in the past, she made a decision.
She borrowed the Tsaritsa's power and compressed all her Crimson Witch flames into a single core—sealing it.
And she intended to discard that core entirely, severing herself from her past.
With the internal conflict weakened, more of her own power was released.
The strength she once possessed as Sumeru's finest scholar resurfaced.
Her combat ability had increased by more than double.
Hearing her explanation, Bai Ge was stunned.
He had never imagined that his earlier verbal assault would actually push Signora to grow stronger.
But after the shock passed, he calmed down.
Lowering his gaze slightly, he watched her slender fingers trace across his chest.
Frost formed playfully—only to melt moments later from his body heat.
This display was nothing more than a demonstration of her exquisite elemental control.
If she had truly wanted him dead, he would already be gone.
Such an attitude meant only one thing.
She wanted something.
As for her claim that she wanted to fight him?
He didn't believe it.
What qualifications did he have to truly battle Signora at her peak?
Having reached that conclusion, Bai Ge steadied himself.
"So," he asked calmly,
"what do you actually want?"