Adelasta was a streak of golden-orange fury in the sky, her entire body encased in roaring divine flames.
She flew with an almost reckless intensity, zigzagging through the air, each movement faster than the creature's colossal tentacles could track. The seven-eyed monstrosity let out another one of its ear-piercing metallic screeches, its massive body shifting as its glowing blue irises blinked in unison, each eye focusing entirely on her.
Her flames weren't just for show, either. They hissed and roared, consuming the air around her and igniting the very particles in the atmosphere. Every time she thrust her hands forward, massive fireballs erupted, each one arcing through the air like miniature suns before slamming into the creature.
The first fireball smashed into one of the creature's tentacles, exploding with enough force to send waves of heat across the city. The monstrosity reeled back, the impact causing its grotesque form to wobble. Its tentacles writhed furiously, slamming into the ground in retaliation, each strike creating craters large enough to swallow entire buildings.
Adelasta didn't stop. She thrust both hands forward, a continuous stream of golden fire blasting from her palms in a concentrated beam. The flames connected with one of the creature's eyes and for a brief moment, the entire city was lit in a blinding light.
The creature screeched again, its irises blinking rapidly as it reared back in pain. But it didn't stay on the defensive for long. A tentacle lashed out at her, impossibly fast for something so massive, but Adelasta twisted midair, narrowly avoiding it. Her flames surged around her, propelling her higher into the sky.
"Don't get too close, don't get too close," she muttered to herself, repeating Vastarael's rules like a mantra.
The monstrosity wasn't just sitting there taking her punishment. Its seven eyes began to glow brighter and Adelasta's instincts screamed at her to move. She shot to the side just as a massive beam of blue energy erupted from one of its eyes, narrowly missing her. The beam slammed into the ground below, leaving behind a smoldering frozen crater that stretched for hundreds of meters.
"Okay, that's new," she muttered, wiping sweat from her brow, though the flames around her evaporated it instantly.
The creature wasn't done. It opened its grotesque, newly-formed mouth again, and this time, instead of vomiting out more minions, it let out a wave of freezing mist. The mist shot toward her like a tidal wave and even from her position in the sky, she could feel the bone-chilling cold radiating from it.
Adelasta reacted instantly, thrusting her hands downward and releasing a massive burst of flames. The heat clashed with the freezing mist, creating a thunderous hiss as the two forces battled for dominance. Steam billowed out in all directions, obscuring her vision for a moment.
"Not good," she muttered, her flames intensifying around her to keep the cold at bay.
As the steam began to clear, Adelasta didn't wait for the creature to attack again. She clapped her hands together, summoning a series of fireballs that hovered around her like a halo. With a flick of her wrist, the fireballs shot forward, each one trailing golden flames as they spiraled toward the creature.
The first fireball exploded against one of its eyes, causing the iris to blink rapidly in pain. The second and third struck its tentacles, leaving charred, smoldering marks on its grotesque flesh. But the creature was relentless. Even as her fireballs rained down on it, its tentacles lashed out, moving faster and faster with each attack.
After all, it was an Overload Rank Krepsuna. It felt pain but it was not severely injured, not even dented at all.
Adelasta twisted and flipped through the air, dodging the attacks by the narrowest of margins. One tentacle came dangerously close and for a split second, she felt the icy chill of its proximity.
'Don't let it touch you,' Vastarael's voice echoed in her mind and she pushed herself to move faster, her flames roaring even louder in response.
Adelasta stretched her arms outward, golden flames surging around her like a fiery cyclone. She brought her hands together in front of her, and a massive fire beam shot forward, cutting through the air like a blazing sword.
The beam slammed into the creature's main body, and for the first time, the monstrosity staggered. Its tentacles flailed wildly, smashing into the ground and sending debris flying in all directions.
But Adelasta wasn't done. She extended her hands to the side, summoning dozens of fire missiles that hovered around her like fiery spirits. With a wave of her hand, the missiles shot forward, each one leaving a trail of golden fire as they homed in on their target.
The missiles struck the creature's body and eyes in rapid succession, each explosion rocking the battlefield. The sheer heat of her attacks turned the ground below into molten slag, and the air itself shimmered with the intensity of her flames.
Despite her relentless assault, the creature wasn't going down easily. Its movements became more erratic, its tentacles moving in unpredictable patterns that made them harder to dodge. Its eyes glowed brighter, the beams of blue energy coming faster and more frequently.
Adelasta was sweating now, though her flames evaporated it as quickly as it appeared. The rules Vastarael had given her echoed in her mind, but they were becoming harder to follow with each passing moment.
"Don't look at its eyes, don't let it touch you, don't use physical attacks, don't get too close, don't kill it," she muttered under her breath, dodging another tentacle strike. "Yeah, no pressure or anything."
She could feel the cold creeping in, the creature's aura sapping the heat from the air around her. Her flames flared brighter in response, but she knew she couldn't keep this up forever.
From the ground below, Vastarael and Phaenora watched her fight with wide eyes.
[She's insane,] Phaenora said, her tone somewhere between awe and disbelief.
[She's better than I expected,] Vastarael admitted, his voice calm but impressed. [But this is getting dangerous.]
[You think?] Phaenora shot back, her eyes following Adelasta as she dodged another tentacle and unleashed another fireball. [She's one mistake away from getting herself killed.]
But Adelasta wasn't thinking about the danger. All she could see was the monstrosity in front of her, and she was determined to bring it to its knees. Her flames burned brighter than ever, her movements faster and more precise.
With one final burst of speed, she launched herself high into the sky, her flames trailing behind her like a comet. From her elevated position, she summoned every ounce of her power, forming a massive fireball above her head.
"This is for you, Vastarael," she muttered, a small smile tugging at her lips.
And then she hurled the fireball downward, the golden-orange inferno descending like a falling star. The impact was cataclysmic, the explosion lighting up the entire battlefield and sending shockwaves rippling across the ground.
The creature screeched louder than ever, its tentacles flailing in pain as its seven eyes blinked rapidly. But it wasn't defeated-not yet.
Adelasta hovered in the air, her flames still roaring around her, determination burning in her eyes. "Alright, big guy," she muttered, gripping her daggers tighter. "Round two."