Kayan had risen. His face was dusty, blood dripping from his lip. His shirt was torn in the back from hitting the tree, his left shoulder swollen—possibly dislocated. But his eyes were blazing. Anger filled him, not just because he was hurt, but because he felt weak.
he snarled.
"I'll kill you!"
He launched a large fireball toward where Ryan had pointed. The ball was the size of a man's head, blazing, leaving a trail of black smoke in the air. The tree behind the target exploded. The explosion was violent. Burning branches flew in every direction, charred trunks falling to the ground. The heat was so intense Ryan felt it on his face despite the distance.
They saw a figure moving quickly through the smoke and falling debris.
It was the plant user. He wore a dark green robe, almost invisible among the leaves. His face was covered with a leaf mask, only his eyes visible—green, sharp, like a cat's eyes in the dark. He was running, trying to escape, jumping between trunks and avoiding the falling debris.
But Ryan was faster.
He raised his left hand. He froze the ground beneath the man's feet. A thin layer of ice, but it was enough. He wasn't trying to hurt him, just disrupt his movement. The plant user slipped and fell face-first. The sound of his body hitting the ground was heard, followed by a short cry of pain.
The mask fell off his face. He was a young man, around Ryan's age. His face was pale, his green eyes wide with shock. He gasped, trying to get up. His nose was bleeding.
Kayan shouted.
"Now!".
He raised his hand. Fire gathered in his palm. A small but dense fireball. He launched it toward the plant user's head.
It struck.
It wasn't beautiful. It wasn't quick. It was brutal. The fireball exploded on his face, his flesh turning to ash in a split second. He screamed—a short, muffled scream that didn't last long. Then his body turned to grey light.
He vanished.
No trace. No sound. He was there, then he wasn't.
This was death in this dimension. Fast. Clean. But the pain was real. And Ryan saw in the plant user's eyes before he disappeared—fear. Not of death, but of pain. Of the moment of burning.
Kayan said coldly.His voice was empty of emotion.
"One"
But there was no time to breathe.
A girl emerged from the trees.
Her hair was red as fire, long, flowing over her shoulders like frozen rivers that were literally burning—sparks flew from its ends. Her eyes were golden, gleaming like glowing embers. She wore a simple black robe, sleeveless, open at the front. Her arms were bare, covered in old scars—some from burns, some from bites, some from something else Ryan couldn't identify.
But what caught Ryan's attention was her hands.
They were burning. Not figuratively. Fire covered only her palms—not reaching her elbows. Dense orange flames moved like living liquid. They gleamed, they hummed, they searched for something to burn.
she screamed, her voice filled with pain and anger.
"You scoundrel, how dare you hurt my brother"
Kayan was still gasping, holding chest. He was tired.
No one ran toward her.Everyone was quiet and waiting..
But she ran.
She didn't run like an ordinary person. She ran as if flying. Her hands were burning, each punch capable of burning skin to the bone. Her feet drew burning lines on the ground as she ran.
She reached Kayan before he could raise his hands to defend.
She punched him in the face.
It wasn't an ordinary punch. It was a punch with fire. Fire ignited on his left cheek, on his eye. Kayan screamed. He screamed loud, painfully, a sound Ryan had never heard before. He stepped back two steps, trying to put out the fire with his hands, but the fire was stubborn. It devoured his skin.
She punched him again. In the stomach. The fire pierced his shirt, igniting the skin of his belly. The sound of sizzling was heard—the sound of burning flesh.
She punched him a third time. In the chest.
Kayan fell to his knees. He was screaming. He was bleeding. His face was disfigured by burns.
Lin attacked the woman with water arrows Trying to save Kayan. She fired seven arrows in succession, each aimed at a vital point—eye, throat, heart, stomach, knees, hands. But the woman was fast. She dodged the arrows skillfully, jumping, bending, spinning, like a skilled dancer.
She didn't care about anyone. She only cared about Kayan.
She grabbed him by his hair. His hair was short, but it was enough. She lifted him off the ground.
But the girl didn't care about anyone. She only cared about Kayan.
She grabbed him by his hair. His hair was short, but it was enough. She lifted him off the ground.
she screamed.
"This is for my brother!"
She punched him in the face again. Then in the nose. The sound of breaking bones was heard. Blood flowed from his nose like a river.
She punched him in the chest. In the stomach. In his injured shoulder.
Kayan screamed. He cried. He was in pain.
But she didn't stop.
She punched him in the mouth. Teeth fell to the ground.
Celine raised her hands. Small roots grew from beneath the woman's feet, but she tore them out quickly. The fire burned everything that came near her. The roots withered and turned to ash.
Celine screamed, crying.
"I can't Help him ,Her fire is too strong!"
Mara raised her hands. She tried to make the ground collapse beneath the woman's feet, but the woman moved too fast. She jumped, dodged, never staying in one place for more than a fraction of a second.
Mara shouted.
"I can't catch her!"
But Ryan was just watching. Waiting for his chance.