"What is it?" Nina asked, frowning as she noticed Max suddenly curse mid-conversation.
"Where were you last night?" Max asked, his tone calm but his eyes sharp.
"I left to get some air," Nina replied, her expression turning solemn.
"Uh-huh."
She narrowed her eyes. "What, you don't believe me?"
"It's not that I don't believe you," Max said slowly, leaning back in his chair. "It's just… I find the timing of everything a little too coincidental." His gaze slid toward her in quiet suspicion.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Nina said, crossing her arms defensively.
"Right… I believe you. I really believe you," Max muttered, his voice dripping sarcasm.
Nina frowned. "Is that sarcasm?"
"I don't know," Max said with a shrug. "You tell me. Maybe it's just another coincidence because it seems to be the theme lately."
She groaned, exasperated. "Alright, can you stop being cryptic for once and just tell me what's going on?"
Max sighed. "It's your mom."
Nina blinked. "What about her?"
"She's on her way here," Max said, rubbing his temple, "and she's very pissed off ,thanks to my shadow clones that keep screwing me over."
Nina's face went pale. "You're joking right?."
Max gave her a deadpan look. "Do I look like I'm joking?
"So… what are you going to do?" Nina asked, worry etched into her features.
Max sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well… this spares me the awkward situation of having to tell her myself that she is Thena's mother. But I hope Thena is ready for the revelation."
He turned his gaze toward Thena, who was still sitting under the shade of a tree, happily enjoying her ice cream, blissfully unaware of the storm approaching.
"Trust me, she's ready," Nina said, placing a reassuring hand on Max's shoulder. "No one knows her better than I do. After all… she is me."
Max sighed in exhaustion. "I hope you are right ."
Nina glanced at him, determination flickering in her eyes. "What do you need me to do?"
"I need you to keep her friends busy during the ordeal," Max replied, his tone deceptively casual. "They have this annoying ability of always managing to put me in a foul mood with just their presence alone. Distract them, occupy them,it's up to you."
Nina nodded firmly, understanding the weight of his request. "Got it. I'll handle it."
Max turned and walked toward Thena,
Outside, Nina shifted nervously, though inside, she was practically doing a victory dance, muttering under her breath, "Phase one… complete. Time for phase two."
Max's head snapped toward her. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Nina replied quickly, her voice a little too high-pitched, betraying her attempt at innocence.
Max narrowed his eyes, watching her for a long moment. Then, with a faint smirk, he resumed his walk toward Thena, though his mind churned with thoughts 'I wonder who you think you're fooling. Just because you've grown as tall as me, you think that makes you smarter than me ? Ha!,fat chance because I can clearly see through your bullshit'.
Max paused mid-stride, his gaze narrowing as he sensed a sudden spatial distortion nearby.
"It seems some of them have arrived," he muttered.
"Well, that's my cue," Nina said, adjusting her coat. "Anything else you want to say before I go?"
"Have fun," Max replied absently without turning toward her. "And don't go too far."
"You've gotten soft," Nina teased with a faint smirk before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
Max ignored the remark and called out, "Hey, Thena! Come over here for a sec."
Thena, who was busy licking her fingers after finishing an entire bucket of ice cream, reluctantly stood up and walked toward him.
"You know that was supposed to be your ice-cream intake for the whole week," Max said flatly. "So for the next seven days,no ice cream."
"Huh? No fair! It was a gift from Aunt Nina. Was I supposed to decline it?" Thena protested.
"No," Max said sternly, "but you shouldn't have eaten it all at once."
"Fine," she grumbled, crossing her arms in defeat. Then she glanced around and frowned. "Wait,where's Aunt Nina?"
"Oh, she left to take care of something," Max replied. "She'll be back soon."
Just then, a thunderous explosion echoed in the distance, followed by the rise of a massive purple barrier of flame that shot into the sky.
"Whoa! What's that?" Thena gasped.
"That," Max said calmly, eyes narrowing again, "is the Violet Flame Barrier Formation. Probably your aunt's work."
"Who's she fighting?" Thena asked.
"I don't know."
"Then let's go watch!" she said eagerly, tugging at Max's sleeve.
But Max didn't move an inch. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, his tone firm. "I can't go. I'm waiting for someone."
"Is it a powerful enemy?"
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call her an enemy," Max said, eyes narrowing slightly, "but they sure are powerful."
"Is she stronger than you?" Thena asked curiously.
"Not even close," Max replied without hesitation.
"So… are you going to fight her?" Thena's eyes sparkled with excitement; she always loved watching Max in action.
"Probably not," he said calmly. "But I will be defending myself,and for that, I need you to stay clear of this place. My shadow clone will take you somewhere safe."
He formed a single hand seal, and a shadow clone puffed into existence beside him. The clone gave Thena a reassuring nod before gently taking her hand.
"So I won't be seeing an epic battle today, huh?" she asked sadly.
"Probably not today," Max said with a faint smirk, "but definitely It'll make what will today look like child's play."
Before she could reply, the clone vanished with her in a body flicker.
Max stood alone once more. He reached into his system space, summoning his gunbai and scythe.With a deep breath, he sat down cross-legged, resting both weapons beside him and waited.
Minutes Earlier
A boom tube tore open in the middle of the forest, scattering dust and leaves as Cyborg and Barry Allen stepped through.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Barry asked, speeding around the clearing in a blur of yellow lightning as he searched for signs of life.
"It's the right coordinates," Cyborg replied, scanning the area with his sensors.
A calm voice cut through the air.
"Oh, it is the right place. You just showed up sooner than expected."
Both heroes looked up sharply. A black-haired woman stood upside down on a tree branch, arms folded, watching them with faint amusement.
She dropped gracefully to the forest floor and straightened her coat.
"Who are you?" Cyborg demanded, his arm shifting into a cannon.
"Oh, where are my manners?" she said with a mocking bow. "I'm Nina, Max's sister. A pleasure to meet you."
Barry leaned closer to Cyborg and whispered, "Did you know Max had a sister?"
"No," Cyborg muttered back, "but now I do."
Barry's tone hardened. "So you're here to stop us from interfering, I presume?"
"Yes," Nina replied casually, a sly smirk tugging at her lips. "So do us both a favor and scram—because there's no way you're winning this."
Cyborg's cannon began to glow brighter. "What is Max planning to do with Diana?"
Nina shrugged lightly. "Hmm… maybe he wants to kill her. Or maybe he just led her somewhere quiet so he can cut loose without worrying about breaking things."
Her eyes suddenly shifted—the Sharingan spiraled to life, then evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan, casting a crimson glow over her face.
Cyborg's tone grew firm. "Look, I don't like to harm a woman,but if you insist then you leave us no choice."
"I tried to keep things civil," Nina said, cracking her neck with a grin. "But honestly… it would've been boring if you'd backed off."
In a flash, she leapt into the air, gathering chakra in her lungs. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive ball of flame surged toward the heroes. Barry dashed aside effortlessly, while Cyborg blasted upward, the fireball colliding with the ground and exploding in a thunderous blast that shook the forest.
Before the smoke cleared, Cyborg fired his White Noise Cannon, but Nina flipped aside midair, the blast missing by inches.
Barry appeared behind her in a lightning blur, intent on ending the fight quickly—
but the moment he came within striking range, black flames erupted around Nina like a living inferno.
Barry skidded to a halt, the heat licking at his suit. "What the hell?!" he shouted, jumping back.
Nina's Mangekyō spun faster as she formed a single hand seal. Four shadow clones puffed into existence around her, each vanishing in a burst of speed to form a square perimeter.
In perfect unison, they slammed their hands to the ground.
"Four Violet Flames Barrier!"
A massive violet dome of fire erupted around the entire area, sealing them all inside.
Cyborg raised his arm to shield his sensors from the glare. "What is this thing?!"
Nina looked up, her expression calm and cold. "A cage," she said simply. "And now… to cook you alive."
Her eyes flared, and she whispered, "Amaterasu."
Instantly, black flames burst across the forest floor, consuming trees and spreading toward Barry like a creeping tide. The Speedster's eyes widened as he bolted sideways, the fire chasing him like a living shadow.
Cyborg hovered above, analyzing the heat signatures. "Those flames,they're not normal! They're eating through everything they touch!"
Nina tilted her head up at him in acknowledgement "yes, your are right,these flames aren't normal,they are inextinguishable and will continue to burn for seven days and seven nights.I doubt you'll last that long " Nina said
End of chapter