Molvok threw his head back and released a deep roar that shook the surrounding buildings. Lava seeped through the seams of his heavy armor, glowing bright orange between the cracked black plates. Waves of intense heat rolled off his massive frame, causing the air to shimmer and warp. He planted his feet firmly apart, bent his knees, and drove both fists downward into the street with all his strength.
The pavement exploded under the force. Asphalt crumbled and melted instantly into a surging river of molten rock that spread rapidly in every direction. Abandoned cars sank into the flow as their metal bodies twisted and sagged. Tires burst one after another, sending plumes of black smoke upward. Underground pipes ruptured, releasing bursts of steam that mixed with the rising ash.
"DRAWN IN HELL, BITCH!" Molvok bellowed, his voice echoing across the ruined avenue.
The molten wave barreled straight toward Tempestia. Storefront windows cracked from the rising temperature. Traffic lights bent and toppled into the lava. The entire block transformed into a blazing inferno.
Then she vanished from sight.
Molvok straightened up slowly, his broad shoulders heaving with each heavy breath. Lava dripped from his clawed gauntlets onto the melting ground. He scanned the street from left to right, turning his upper body sharply while smoke curled around his armored form.
"What?" he growled, confusion mixing with rising anger in his tone.
"Where did you go?"
"You are too slow, asshole."
Her voice carried down from above, calm and steady.
Molvok jerked his head upward so forcefully that the plates along his neck scraped together. Tempestia hovered high overhead, her short cape fluttering gently in the upward heat currents. Her silver-blue eyes remained fixed on him with unwavering focus. She held one hand loosely at her side while the other rose with deliberate slowness. Her wrist rotated once before she flicked her fingers outward in a casual motion.
The space surrounding Molvok distorted at once. The air compressed inward from all sides, creating circular ripples that locked everything in place. The advancing lava wave halted mid-surge, droplets suspended motionless above the street. Burning debris hung frozen in the air. Molvok's body locked in position, one arm raised halfway through a swing. His muscles bulged visibly beneath the strained armor as he pushed against the invisible force. New cracks spread across his chest plating from the mounting pressure.
Tempestia descended gradually until she floated directly in front of him, her boots stopping just inches above the destroyed pavement. She leaned her head slightly closer, studying his frozen expression for a moment. Her posture stayed relaxed, almost casual, despite the chaos around them.
"It is pointless for you to resist," she said in a quiet, controlled voice. "Time is not frozen here. I simply removed it entirely."
She drew one arm back in a smooth motion, then drove her fist forward. The punch connected with devastating force. A powerful triple shockwave erupted outward, shattering windows in buildings several blocks away. The ground beneath them split open in deep fissures that raced across the avenue. Deep underground, rock layers shifted and groaned under the transmitted energy.
Molvok's face crumpled under the impact. His jaw deformed inward. Teeth flew from his mouth along with thick streams of dark blood that hung suspended for a brief instant. Fragments of his facial armor burst outward.
Then everything was released.
Sound rushed back into the area all at once. Molvok launched upward from the street in a violent burst of compressed air. His body shot through the sky like a projectile, tearing through multiple layers of clouds as he climbed rapidly. Far above the city, in the thinning atmosphere, his momentum finally faded. He floated unevenly, limbs dangling. One side of his face had caved in completely. Blood drifted away from his ruined mouth and damaged eye socket in slow, floating trails. Frost began to form across the cracked sections of his armor as the extreme cold took hold.
Below on the ground, Tempestia extended her right arm toward the sky, fingers spreading wide. She exhaled once through her nose.
"Hmph, It is over," she stated flatly.
Invisible force wrapped tightly around Molvok's distant body. His limbs jerked and twitched as her telekinetic grip seized full control. Tempestia pulled her hand downward in a sharp, decisive tug. The demon plummeted back toward the surface at hypersonic speed. Friction ignited the air around him, creating a blazing trail that cut across the sky.
He struck the center of a fully evacuated office tower with tremendous force. The upper floors disintegrated on contact. Concrete and glass exploded outward in massive clouds. Steel support beams twisted and folded like thin wires. Floors pancaked downward one after another, sending a rolling wave of dust and debris across the surrounding streets. Overturned vehicles slid across intersections from the secondary shockwave.
Across the battlefield, Megalodon continued to float in place with all four arms crossed over his broad chest. He tilted his head slightly to one side while observing the collapsing tower, his expression remaining largely neutral and unimpressed. Debris drifted past him without drawing any visible reaction.
Moon-Light stood nearby on a pile of rubble. He let out a low whistle and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his boots scraping against broken concrete. Dark energy continued to swirl faintly around his forearms. He scratched the side of his jaw with two fingers and allowed a faint smirk to cross his face.
"Sheeesh, you dropped one in less than two seconds," he remarked. "Impressive work. Hopefully the other two fold just as easily."
Tempestia kept her gaze fixed on the rising smoke from the ruined building. She turned her head slightly toward Moon-Light.
"Maybe," she replied in an even tone. She paused briefly before adding, "Are you planning to help or just commentate?"
Moon Light raised both hands in front of him at once and took a couple of steps backward over the uneven ground.
"Nah. Not yet," he answered. "I am watching first. I need to see how they move before I commit to anything. There has to be something we can exploit if they start playing dirty."
Megalodon finally shifted his attention directly toward Tempestia. His deep voice carried clearly across the devastated area.
"How disappointing," he said. "I expected far more from your species. Especially from you… you should be infinitely stronger, faster and better."
A sharp, shrill scream tore across the battlefield. Nyzzor twisted his skeletal body violently toward the smoking crater. His long tendrils whipped through the air behind him while his claws carved fresh gouges into the broken pavement. His chest rose and fell in uneven, ragged breaths. Black fluid dripped steadily from his talons as rage overtook his initial shock.
"No…" His voice cracked with raw emotion. "Molvok!"
The demon's head snapped toward Tempestia. Saliva flew from his mouth as he pointed one clawed finger directly at her.
"You whore," he snarled. "I will kill you for that!"
Tempestia turned to face him fully. She raised one hand and curled two fingers toward herself in a clear, mocking invitation. A faint smirk formed at the corner of her mouth while her silver-blue eyes continued to glow steadily.
"Come try."