(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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As the battle field is set.
Without warning, Mereoleona's presence vanished—
THUD.
"____"
One moment she was standing before Heatblast with that feral grin,
The next the air cracked with pressure as she darted forward with blistering agility.
Her grimoire snapped open mid-motion,
Its pages flipping like a living flame before halting on one marked with a crimson sigil.
Heat surged around her, the very air bending from the intensity.
"Calidus Brachium!"
Her fist ignited, wrapped in a furnace of blazing mana that roared hotter thanks to the volcano's natural energy feeding into it.
In less than a heartbeat, she was on Heatblast.
BOOM!
Her punch smashed into his obsidian jaw with enough raw force to rattle the mountain itself.
The impact sent Heatblast hurtling backward,
A streak of fire and smoke trailing his body as he crashed across the volcanic plain.
Rocks shattered, molten cracks split the ground,
And a shockwave rippled through the atmosphere like thunder.
But when he rose, brushing embers from his shoulders,
It wasn't pain in his eyes—
It was curiosity.
His molten brows arched upward,
A rumble of amusement echoing in his fiery chest.
"SO, IT'S NOT YOUR FIRE THAT HITS HARD… IT'S YOU."
He touched his jaw,
Which glowed faintly from the strike but showed no damage.
Heat didn't burn him,
But the raw physical power behind her blow?
That, he respected.
A slow, dangerous grin spread across his flaming face.
Grin~
"CRIMSON LIONESS… YOU REALLY DO LIVE UP TO YOUR NAME."
Mereoleona flexed her knuckles, fire still coating her arm as if her entire body were a weapon forged in flame.
Her laughter echoed, wild and unrestrained.
"Good! You're still standing. Let's see how long that lasts!"
Mereoleona's grin widened at the sight of Heatblast's molten smile.
Grin~
Without hesitation, she crouched low, muscles coiling like a predator about to pounce.
"Calidus Brachium!"
Both her arms ignited this time, the flames coating her fists blazing brighter, fed by the volcano's mana-rich air.
With a single leap, she launched herself straight at Heatblast, fists swinging in a furious blur.
Heatblast didn't retreat.
"____"
"____"
His molten fingers curled into fists, and with a roar, he met her charge head-on.
CRASH! BOOM!
The battlefield exploded with the sound of fists colliding,
Each impact sending out waves of heat and shock that split molten stone.
Mereoleona was relentless, her strikes like a beast unchained—
Raw, wild, and impossibly fast.
She slipped past Heatblast's guard again and again, knuckles slamming into his rocky frame.
Every mistake he made,
She punished immediately—
One sloppy guard left his ribs open, and she drove her fist into them with a fiery hook.
Another misstep in footing, and her uppercut clipped his jaw, sparks scattering.
But Heatblast wasn't just standing there.
He was learning.
"____"
Every exchange, every blow—
His movements became sharper, his defenses tighter.
The fiery alien was adapting, and fast.
Mereoleona went for another wild swing—
Heatblast twisted aside, his molten fist shooting forward.
WHAM!
His punch landed clean in her abdomen, driving the air from her lungs and making her body bend forward from the force.
Her grin faltered for a split second—
"____"
CRACK!
Heatblast followed up immediately,
His flaming fist snapping up and connecting square across her face, sending embers scattering into the night sky.
The Crimson Lioness staggered back, sliding across molten rock,
But her laughter returned almost instantly, sharp and wild.
Haha~
She wiped the blood from her lip with the back of her hand,
Flames burning hotter around her body.
"Not bad… not bad at all!"
She roared, eyes blazing with even more excitement.
"Now you're starting to fight like a real beast!"
Mereoleona lunged again, her fist cocked back and blazing.
But Heatblast slammed his fiery foot into the scorched ground.
THUD.
FOOM!
A wall of living fire erupted between them,
A molten barrier splitting the battlefield in half.
Her fist struck it, scattering embers, but the wall held strong.
"Impressive,"
She snarled, eyes gleaming through the roaring flames.
"But you'll need more than that to keep me back!"
She spread her arms wide, and the pages of her grimoire flipped furiously.
Mana surged around her, saturating the air until it nearly choked.
"Calidus Brachium Barrage!"
She roared.
Instantly, a storm of fiery strikes blasted outward from her body—
Like a lioness swiping in every direction at once.
Flaming fists of pure mana erupted around her,
Each one a miniature explosion,
Forcing Heatblast to throw his arms up in defense as fireballs crashed into the ground,
Tearing apart molten stone.
The force of the barrage drove her backward,
Giving her breathing space as pillars of fire spiraled upward, painting the sky red and gold.
The Ultime-Volcano itself seemed to roar in answer.
Heatblast lowered his guard slowly,
His molten cracks glowing brighter as his body absorbed the heat rather than burning.
He tilted his head at her, amused.
"SO THAT'S HOW YOU WANT TO PLAY, HUH?"
His voice was like magma bubbling.
He planted his feet, the ground beneath him glowing white-hot.
The flames around his body swirled tighter, compressing into a searing vortex that twisted upward like a tornado of fire.
The battlefield began to split into two blazing domains—
Hers wild and explosive, his concentrated and intense.
Mereoleona bared her teeth, fire crackling over her skin like armor.
"Good,"
She shouted over the roar of flame.
"Show me everything you've got, Heatblast!"
Heatblast's hands ignited, flames condensing unnaturally tight,
Until the air shimmered from the pressure.
With a sharp sweep of his arm,
He unleashed the gathered fire.
A crescent-shaped arc of compressed flame shot forward like a blade of molten energy, carving through the volcanic air.
Mereoleona's instincts screamed—
She twisted her body at the last instant, the crescent grazing past her and leaving a smoking gouge in the cliffside behind her.
"___"
Her eyes widened.
"Such precision…!"
But before her feet could fully touch the ground, the battlefield itself betrayed her.
WHOOOM!
From beneath her,
A towering pillar of fire erupted, swallowing her whole in an infernal column.
The shockwave rattled the molten terrain,
And glowing sparks rained down like meteors.
When the blaze finally subsided,
Mereoleona emerged—
"____"
Her clothes singed and torn, skin marked with streaks of soot, yet her grin burned brighter than ever.
The wild lioness looked more alive than before.
"YES! That's how it is!"
She roared, fire still flickering across her fists.
But Heatblast calmly raised a molten hand,
His voice steady as his flames dimmed slightly.
"TAKE IT EASY, CRIMSON LIONESS. THIS ISN'T A DEATH MATCH."
For a moment, the air stilled, the volcano's heat humming around them.
"…Hah."
Mereoleona exhaled, the wild fire around her body dispersing into smoke.
Her grin softened, but the flames in her eyes didn't.
"You're right. If we kept going, we'd bring this mountain down."
The two warriors stood amidst the scorched battlefield—
Each acknowledging the other, not with words,
But with the unspoken bond of those who tested their strength.
With a flash of green light,
Flash~
Heatblast's fiery form condensed back into human shape, his clothes lightly singed but his expression calm and composed.
The scorched battlefield of Ultime-Volcano Mountain lay quiet, smoke curling in lazy spirals into the sky.
Mereoleona, brushing a streak of soot from her cheek, tilted her head and let out a playful grin.
Grin~
"Since we're done here… how about you join me at my private hot spring?"
Ben raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Your private hot spring?"
She nodded eagerly, pointing toward a narrow path winding down the volcanic slope.
Nod~
Steam rose from below, carrying the scent of minerals and the faint crackle of geothermal heat.
"It's my little hideaway after intense training. Perfect for relaxing and… comparing skills with friends."
He chuckled softly, shaking his head.
Chuckle~
"Alright, lead the way."
As they made their way toward the hot spring, the tension of the battle slowly melted away.
Mereoleona's steps were light, almost bouncing with excitement,
While she animatedly recounted parts of her training regimen, her grin infectious.
Ben, for once, allowed himself a rare moment of ease—
Enjoying not only the warmth of the mountain air but also the cheerful energy of the fiery lioness beside him.
By the time they reached the private steaming pool,
The late afternoon sun painted the rocks around them in golden light, casting dancing reflections across the rising mist.
Mereoleona sank into the water with a satisfied sigh,
While Ben simply leaned against the edge, letting the heat seep into his muscles.
"____"
"Not bad,"
He said, glancing at her.
"This might actually be better than sparring."
Mereoleona laughed, the sound echoing across the rocky walls.
"You think so? Don't worry, next time we spar again, I'll make sure you feel the real heat!"
And for a moment, amidst the steam and volcanic warmth, the volcano itself seemed to pause in approval, letting the two warriors simply enjoy the calm after the storm.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N)Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review on this Fanfic.
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