BOOM!
At the exact same moment—
A surge of overwhelming, terrifying power exploded across the sky, rippling outward like a shockwave.
Vaelstra's eyes went wide with horror. Her face drained of color as the realization hit her—hard. Even though her Crimson Ultimate rank was close to Ataneya's—an S versus an SS—it was now painfully, brutally clear just how massive the gap between them really was.
"No!"
"I can't keep this up… If I do, I'm going to die!"
Panic surged through her. She turned to flee—but froze.
The space around her… when had it been sealed off?
She was trapped.
A bird in a cage.
No way out.
All she could do was watch, helpless, as Ataneya came at her again.
In a desperate move, Vaelstra gathered every ounce of her remaining power, compressed it into a glowing orb, and hurled it forward.
But then—
"If you're thinking of running… sorry, but you're not even qualified to escape in front of me."
The voice came out of nowhere, calm and cold.
