Her crimson wings unfurled—sharp, magnificent, and terrible—bathing the battlefield in a hellish glow that stained the ground beneath her.
"You've always been impatient, Pria," Val said, her voice calm but firm.
Pria's crimson lips curled into a lazy smile.
"I was excited to see my old sisters again. I couldn't keep you ladies waiting," she said sweetly, almost mockingly.
"You are no longer our sister!" Araya snapped, stepping forward with steel in her voice.
"Oh, don't be so mean, Araya," Pria replied, her grin widening.
"Can't we have a conversation first?"
Kalanie, standing just behind the main formation, whispered under her breath,
"That happened so fast."
"Keep your focus on her," Cecilia said lowly, never taking her eyes off Pria.
"She's very fast."
"And be ready to attack at a moment's notice," Ai added sharply, her stance tense, faint arcs of lightning already rippling across her shoulders.
"Right," Kalanie nodded, steadying her grip on her weapon.
Araya's eyes narrowed, blade lowering slightly as her voice cut in again.
"How did you get here so quickly?"
Pria laughed softly, spinning her flaming sword in one hand with ease.
"Flash Fire," she said proudly.
"It's something else, isn't it? I move almost as fast as Fyla's light speed now."
She tilted her head, feigning innocence.
"By the way… where is the old commander? Don't tell me she was killed before I got the chance to do it myself."
"She's taking care of your new friend," Araya answered coldly.
Pria blinked slowly, still smiling.
"Friend?"
"Sinso," Parka said flatly.
"We know you work closely with him."
Pria chuckled.
"He's not my friend," she said lightly.
"But hey… we have a common goal."
Val's expression darkened, her grip tightening around her blade.
"You were one of us when Sinso started attacking us.
How could you side with that demon?"
Pria's laughter rang across the battlefield, cruel and sharp.
"Oh, don't worry," she said casually.
"I'll kill that bastard once I've eradicated the entire Valkyrie Core.
Then I'll go after whoever's controlling him."
Parka's voice cut through, sharp and sudden.
"What do you mean controlling him?!"
Pria's crimson wings twitched slightly, her head tilting in mock disappointment.
"You don't even know that much?"
"Pretty disappointing for a Velari.
He's a puppet — a waste of time — until you get who's really in charge."
Silence spread like a crack in ice.
Val stepped forward, her voice gentler now, laced with sorrow.
"Pria, we could've done that together. All of us."
Araya's eyes stayed hard.
"You're wasting your breath.
She chose her path."
"Exactly!" Pria shouted, her eyes flaring with sudden fire.
"It's too late for that!
I'm not going to sit and wait for Fyla to move!
Especially when she couldn't even protect you!"
Her blade lifted, burning bright with rage.
"So I'll handle it myself—after I deal with her!"
"If you think we'll let you get to Fyla," Araya said, stepping forward, her voice dropping to a deadly calm,
"you have another thing coming."
Pria's smirk returned—sharper now, laced with cruelty.
"You can either ignore me and let me work…" she said, raising her sword high,
"or you can lay in a grave with her.
Your choice."
Flames erupted around her in a vicious spiral, the heat distorting the air, blackening the earth beneath her boots.
"Now step up…" she hissed, her voice crackling with fury,
"if you're ready to die."
The ground trembled beneath them.
Kalanie's chest tightened.
The heat rolling off Pria was unbearable—an inferno wrapped in the body of a Valkyrie.
Beside her, Malayna stepped forward, cool mist gathering at her fingertips.
Ai hovered close, lightning crawling up her arm.
Cecilia's fingers flexed, icy vapor curling from her shoulders like frost in bloom.
"We have no intention of losing," Araya said, raising her sword.
"And we have no intention of dying today," Val added, stepping into formation.
Kalanie stood between Cecilia and Malayna now, their group forming a tight line, bracing themselves for what was coming.
"Stick together," Cecilia whispered.
"We can do this."
Kalanie nodded. Her heart was pounding, but her grip didn't shake.
Without another word—
the battlefield erupted.
Pria launched first, wings flaring as she swung her sword in a wide, flaming arc.
Val was already there.
Their blades collided with a thunderous impact, sparks bursting like stars. The force shook the ground.
Parka dashed in from the side, blade low and deadly, slicing at Pria's knees. Pria twisted midair, avoiding the strike and retaliating with a burst of fire—
Araya surged forward, the wind howling around her, sweeping the flames aside with a sweeping gust.
"Now!" she barked.
Ai answered instantly, leaping into motion. Her platinum hair whipped behind her as she sent a piercing bolt of violet lightning straight at Pria's exposed flank.
Pria twisted—her sword spinning behind her without even a glance.
The bolt crashed against her blade, exploding into a shockwave that rippled outward, flattening the grass in every direction.
Malayna moved in next, hands weaving sharp arcs of water into the air—ribbons that cracked like whips as they snapped toward Pria.
Pria snarled, spinning into a tight defensive circle. The flames around her flared hotter—hot enough to vaporize the water on contact, releasing clouds of hissing steam.
But it was enough.
Val charged in again, sword burning bright with celestial light as she locked blades with Pria.
Parka followed, striking again and again—low, fast, relentless.
Steel hissed. Sparks flew. Flames roared.
Pria let out a growl, the heat around her pulsing outward like a furnace blast, forcing Val and Parka back.
Meanwhile, Cecilia and Kalanie advanced from the rear.
Cecilia snapped her hand forward—an elegant burst of ice petals spiraled into the air, razor-sharp, slicing through smoke and mist as they rained down on Pria.
"Kalanie, now!" she called out.
Kalanie raised her hand, diamond light flickering across her skin. With a sharp breath, she released a volley of shimmering shards—tiny, precise, deadly.
Pria's eyes narrowed.
She blocked high to deflect Cecilia's ice.
She couldn't guard low in time.
The diamond barrage slammed into her side, knocking her off balance and sending her skidding backward, boots tearing up stone and dirt.
Sparks erupted as she slid to a stop.
The Valkyries didn't hesitate.
Val was the first to move, sword raised high.
Araya flanked left.
Ai surged to the right, lightning glowing in her palm.
Malayna hung back, preparing her next wave.
For one second—it looked like they would overwhelm her.
But Pria smiled.
She slammed the base of her blade into the earth—and a pillar of black flame erupted from beneath her, exploding outward like a supernova.
The shockwave hit everyone.
Kalanie was thrown through the air, landing hard on her back.
She gasped, the wind knocked out of her. But her eyes stayed open.
Pria rose through the smoke, her silhouette framed by burning air.
"You're strong," she said, her voice low, edged with disdain.
"But you're not strong enough."
Kalanie wiped blood from her lip as Cecilia reached down and pulled her up.
"We're not done yet," Cecilia said firmly.
And in that moment, Kalanie believed her.
Because they weren't alone.
Not anymore.