The tal man let out a sharp laugh, the sound echoing through the battlefield. His tal-covered body glead under the flickering lights from the fires burning around them. He tilted his head, eyes locked on Lana.
"I’m giving you one more chance to walk away unshattered," he said, voice deep and rough, almost amused. "You’re gorgeous. I’d hate to ruin that face."
Lana smiled softly. There was no fear, no hesitation. Just calm. "If you won’t attack," she said, her voice smooth, steady, "then I will."
She took a slow step forward. The ground beneath her foot cracked slightly, and a faint hum filled the air. Her hand lifted, palm facing the tal man.
A deep red fla burst to life in her palm—hot, slow, and heavy. It didn’t flicker like normal fire. It burned like molten energy, swirling in her hand like it was alive.
The tal man’s eyes widened for a brief second before he grinned. "Aggressive?" he said with a smirk. "I like you already."
He took a step forward, his body creaking as the tal along his arms thickened, plates forming over his shoulders. Sparks leapt from his skin as he prepared to strike.
The air around them grew hotter. Even the bystanders who had managed to stay near the battlefield stepped back, feeling the heat rolling off her flas.
Lana moved first.
Her hand cut through the air, sending a blazing streak of red fire toward him. It tore through the ground like an explosion, splitting the earth open.
The tal man crossed his arms to block it. The fire smashed into him, and for a mont, he vanished behind the burst. When the smoke cleared, he was still standing—but his tal arm was glowing faintly red.
He looked down at it and grinned wider. "That all?"
Lana didn’t answer. She flicked her hand, and the fla shot upward, reforming in the air like a whip. She swung it fast, and before he could fully react, it slamd against his side.
The sound echoed like thunder.
He stumbled back, tal plates dented and smoking. The audience watching through the news feed gasped as the cara zood in on his chest.
"Holy shit, she’s strong!"
"Is that... fire? It’s red, not orange!"
"She’s lting his armor!"
"Wait—who is this woman again?!"
The comnts flooded every screen. Even the reporters were speechless.
Kelly, Ann, and the others stood frozen behind her.
Dickson’s jaw clenched as he whispered, "When the hell did she get that strong?"
Ann said quietly, "She’s controlling it so perfectly... that’s not normal."
Vanessa’s eyes stayed on Lana, unable to look away. "She must’ve been training," she said softly. "A lot."
The tal man shook his arms, knocking off the molten flakes of steel. "You’re not bad," he said. "But you’ll need more than that."
Lana stepped forward again, flas swirling around her like red ribbons. Her expression didn’t change—calm, almost relaxed—but the heat from her body made the air shimr.
"Alright then," she said, "let’s make it interesting."
The tal man roared and charged forward. His arm shot out like a spear, tal forming into a sharp blade at the end. Lana ducked low, the blade slicing through her hair as she slid across the floor. Her palm hit the ground, and flas burst upward behind her in a wave, cutting him off.
He turned sharply, tal forming over his face as he pushed through the fire. But the flas clung to him. They didn’t just burn—they stuck, spreading along his body like living heat.
He tried shaking them off, but they only grew brighter.
"Get off!" he shouted, slamming his arms against the ground.
Lana snapped her fingers, and the fire exploded.
A massive burst of heat and light shot outward, forcing everyone nearby to shield their eyes. Even the caras on the news feed glitched from the brightness.
When the smoke cleared, the ground was blackened. The tal man was on one knee, steam rising from his body. His armor was half-lted, his breathing heavy.
He lifted his head, glaring at her through the haze. "You’re playing with fire, girl."
Lana raised an eyebrow. "I thought that was obvious."
He pushed to his feet, fury building in his eyes. His body shifted again, the tal darkening, hardening. The air vibrated as he stomped forward, each step cracking the ground.
But Lana didn’t move.
She stood there, flas swirling lazily around her, eyes fixed on him. When he lunged forward again, she t him head-on. Their collision was deafening—fire and tal clashing in a violent explosion that sent shockwaves across the field.
She moved faster than before, almost too fast to follow. Every movent was sharp, precise, controlled. Her fists left trails of fire with each strike, and each ti they connected, sparks and molten shards flew.
The more he fought, the more he realized she wasn’t just strong—she was toying with him.
Every burst of fire grew hotter, stronger, more focused.
At first, people thought that was her limit. Then she increased it again. And again.
Each ti she did, the heat spiked higher. The flas deepened in color, shifting from red to crimson, almost like liquid light.
The ground around her started to crack from the pressure, glowing faintly under her feet.
Vanessa whispered, "What the hell is she doing..."
Seo Yeon shook her head slowly. "That’s not fire anymore. That’s—"
Before she could finish, Lana slamd both hands forward.
A massive surge of red fire burst out, hitting the tal man square in the chest. It didn’t explode this ti. It pierced. The flas cut through his armor like molten glass through wax, sending him crashing backward, his chest smoking.
He lay there for a mont, chest heaving, armor cracked open.
Lana stood still, her hands still burning softly, her face calm as ever.
People watching the live stream couldn’t believe it.
"She’s insane."
"She’s not even breathing hard."
"Is this really the sa model who disappeared?"
Even Dickson, bruised and silent, couldn’t help but grin a little. "Yeah," he muttered under his breath. "She’s a damn monster now."
The tal man groaned as he pushed himself up, barely standing. His chest was scorched, his tal plating lted in places.
Lana tilted her head slightly. "Still want to walk away?"
He didn’t answer. His eyes burned with rage as molten tal dripped from his arm.
And Lana just smiled again.
The tal man’s breathing turned rough. Each inhale sounded like grinding gears. He was pissed now, the calm arrogance from before replaced with anger. His chest glowed faintly, heat pulsing under his cracked armor.
"Alright," he muttered, voice shaking with fury, "no more holding back."
He slamd both fists together. A heavy echo rippled through the air. The ground trembled. Pieces of tal from nearby cars and broken buildings began to rise off the ground, drawn toward him like a magnet. They circled his body, spinning faster and faster until he looked like a living storm of steel.
Lana stood quietly, watching him rebuild himself. Her eyes reflected the orange glow from the tal fragnts. She didn’t look afraid. Just patient.
He lifted one hand and pointed at her. "Let’s see you lt this."
The spinning tal around him suddenly shot forward. Blades, pipes, and chunks of steel scread through the air, slicing toward her at high speed.
The crowd gasped. Even the reporters ducked, forgetting they were hundreds of ters away.
Lana exhaled softly and moved.
She twisted her wrist, and the red flas that once danced around her arms flared into an inferno. A do of fire erupted around her, swallowing everything that ca her way.
The flying tal hit the flas and lted instantly, turning into droplets of liquid steel that rained down to the ground with hissing sounds.
The man gritted his teeth. "You think that’s enough to stop ?"
He stomped on the ground. The mont his foot landed, the floor cracked open, and tal spikes shot up from underneath her. Lana jumped back, flas trailing her feet. The spikes missed, but the next wave ca faster.
He was relentless now, using every trick he had.
Each strike ca from a different angle. So from the ground, so from the sides, even from above where shards of tal fell like rain.
But she adapted fast. Her movents were smoother now, cleaner, confident. Every ti she moved, flas flared to cover her path. Every ti he attacked, she answered with fire that swallowed his steel.
"Jesus Christ, this isn’t human!" one of the cara operators shouted from the broadcast booth.
"Look at the temperature readings! It’s spiking past the sensors!" another replied.
The people watching at ho had no idea what to think.
"She’s winning!"
"No way, he’s still standing!"
"Wait... is that another guy joining?!"
They weren’t wrong.
The second man—the huge one with ridiculous strength—finally stepped forward. His knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists, the ground shaking under his weight.
"tal," he said to his partner. "You’re dragging this out. Move."
The tal man growled but didn’t argue. "Fine. Let’s end it together."
The big guy stomped once, sending a shockwave through the ground that broke apart the cracked asphalt. He then pushed off the ground, charging forward like a bull.
Lana turned her head slightly, just in ti to see him coming. He was fast for his size, too fast. His fist slamd forward like a cannon.
She brought her arm up to block, flas wrapping around her skin. The impact sent a loud boom through the field, shaking nearby buildings. She slid back several feet, leaving deep burn marks on the ground where her feet had dragged.
Her hair was slightly ssy now, her clothes torn at the sleeve, but her face was still calm. Her eyes glowed faintly red.
"That’s more like it," she said quietly.
The two n attacked together. The strong one went for brute force, while the tal one stayed back, shaping weapons midair to shoot at her. Spears, blades, chunks of steel—all flying while his partner kept her busy.
It was two-on-one, and the advantage was clear.
She moved fast, her body twisting and spinning through their attacks. Her fire exploded in short bursts, deflecting or burning through what she could, but even she was starting to feel the pressure.
A tal shard sliced across her arm, drawing a line of blood. She looked at it for half a second, then sighed. "Annoying."
Her flas flared brighter, hot enough to burn the air white for a mont. The ground around her turned red, lting slightly under the heat.
The strong man lunged again, aiming straight for her chest.
She sidestepped and grabbed his wrist mid-swing. Her fingers burned red, heat so intense that steam rose where she touched him. He roared in pain, but before he could pull back, she kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing backward into his partner.
Both of them fell hard, tal shards scattering everywhere.
The audience gasped again.
"Did she just knock them both down?"
"What is she even made of?"
"Her power’s rising again!"
Vanessa’s eyes followed every move Lana made. "She’s fighting like she’s done this a hundred tis before."
Back in the fight, the two n stood up again, both panting now. The tal one’s armor was cracked and lting in places. The big guy’s shirt was gone, his skin covered in burns.
Lana stood across from them, breathing slow and steady, eyes half-closed.
Her fire dimd a little, becoming tighter, more controlled.
"You two done?" she asked softly.
They didn’t answer. The big guy roared and charged again, while the tal man threw his arm forward, sending a storm of steel blades through the air.
Lana didn’t move this ti.
She lifted her hand, and the flas around her condensed into a single, blinding point. Then it exploded outward in all directions, a sphere of fire that swallowed everything.
The blades lted instantly. The shockwave sent both n flying backward again.
When the light faded, Lana was still standing in the middle of a burning crater.
Her hair was glowing faintly, her hands dripping with molten heat.
She looked at the two n crawling out of the smoke.
"Guess we’re still not done," she said quietly. "Alright. Let’s make this quick."
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