"You want your stupid necklace? Fine. But I'll be taking much more than that from you Elsie. Maybe your fingers? Your tongue? Or… hmm… maybe I'll carve out those pretty little snake eyes of yours."

With a burst of speed, she shot forward, her bladed hands slicing through the air with insane speeds. Elsie, however, didn't even flinch.

"Tsk, tsk, Selvira! So violent! You never learn, do you?" she chirped, twirling her medical instruments between her fingers like a street performer juggling knives.

The instant Selvira's blades came within striking distance, Elsie flicked her wrist, her tiny scythes meeting the attack at the perfect angle. Instead of a direct block, she used the blunt side of her weapons to deflect the strikes, redirecting the force rather than absorbing it. Selvira's blades slid off course, her attack barely grazing past Elsie's skin.

Still, the sheer power behind Selvira's charge forced Elsie back a step, her heels skidding slightly across the ground. Selvira's eye gleamed with satisfaction. "Not so fast now, are y—"

"Ohhhh, Selvira, Selvira, Selvira…"Elsie interrupted, letting out a delighted hum as she regained her footing. "You're so quick! But what's the point of speed if you can't even touch Elsie?"

Selvira's smirk twitched.

Elsie tilted her head, watching her opponent carefully. Selvira was fast, slightly faster than her even, but that didn't matter too much. Because while Selvira relied on speed, Elsie had something better. Instincts.

Selvira lunged again, aiming a rapid, precise slash straight at Elsie's throat. This time, Elsie didn't bother blocking. Instead, her body moved in a fluid and effortless manner, slipping just out of reach at the very last second.

Then another attack. Then another. Each time, Elsie evaded with perfect timing, her movements playful, almost lazy. She swayed, twirled, weaved between the deadly arcs of Selvira's slashes like she was dancing to some invisible tune.

"Oh dear, oh dear~!" Elsie giggled, flicking one of her scythes between her fingers. "Selvira's trying so hard! But still nothing, still nothing! Is Selvira getting frustrated~?"

Selvira's breath sharpened. Elsie beamed, hopping lightly on the balls of her feet. "Maybe Elsie should slow down for you? Give you a little handicap? Oh! What if Elsie fights with her eyes closed? Would that make it fair?"

Selvira said nothing, but her fingers flexed and her grip tightened as her patience thinned. "Awww, are you mad?" Elsie teased, putting a hand over her heart in mock sympathy. "Don't be mad, Selvira! Be happy! You get to spend more time with Elsie! Doesn't that sound wonderful~?"

As Elsie playfully swayed and danced around Selvira's slashes, completely immersed in her own fun, she failed to notice the narrowing space behind her. With each step, she was being pushed back, her foot brushing against uneven debris scattered near the alley's edge.

Then her back met cold stone, making her blink in surprise. The rough texture of the wall pressed against her spine, a stark contrast to the fluidity of her movements. For the first time, she had nowhere to slip, no space to weave, and Selvira took full advantage of it.

A slow, wicked grin spread across her bruised face. "Nowhere left to run, Elsie."

Selvira's face tightened with concentration as she channeled every ounce of her strength into the horizontal slash. The blade tore through the brick wall as if it were paper, sending debris flying in all directions. The sheer force of the strike should have left Elsie bisected, or at the very least forced her to dodge in some predictable manner, but instead, Elsie walked up the wall.

Not jumped. Not flipped. Walked.

Selvira's pitch-black eye widened slightly, the blood-red one narrowing as if struggling to process what she had just witnessed. It was as if gravity itself had bent to Elsie's whims, allowing her to take leisurely steps up the vertical surface, each movement so fluid and natural that it looked almost like an illusion.

Then, before Selvira could fully comprehend what was happening, Elsie kicked off the wall with explosive force, leaving a small crater where her foot had been. She rocketed toward Selvira, her body twisting through the air with extreme agility, one leg extended in a perfectly aimed strike at Selvira's face.

Selvira barely had time to react. She jerked her head back at the last second, but even then, Elsie's foot grazed her chin, the sheer impact sending a shockwave through her skull. The moment their bodies crossed paths, Elsie flipped effortlessly over Selvira, landing behind her with a playful bounce, balancing perfectly on the tips of her toes.

"Ohhh, that almost hit!" Elsie chirped, spinning one of her medical scythes around her finger like a toy. "Elsie is so disappointed, Selvira! Are you getting slow? No, no, no, that can't be right. Selvira is fast! But maybe... just not fast enough?" She let out a mock gasp, placing a hand over her chest as if heartbroken. "Poor Selvira… always missing! Always chasing! Always losing!"

Selvira's jaw clenched, the veins in her neck tightening as her hands trembled at her sides. "Shut up," she growled, her voice dangerously low.

Elsie only laughed, tilting her head in delight. "Oooooh, is Selvira mad? She's mad! Cute, cute, cute! Elsie loves it!"

Selvira's patience snapped. With a hiss, she lunged at Elsie again, her bladed fingers slicing through the air in a rapid flurry of strikes, each one aimed to carve deep into flesh. But Elsie, grinning ear to ear, simply danced around them, slipping between the slashes like a ribbon caught in the wind.

"Tsk, tsk, Selvira," Elsie taunted, easily sidestepping another deadly swipe. "You're so angry today! Maybe Elsie should prescribe you something? Oh! Maybe a nap? Or—" Selvira roared in frustration and threw her entire weight behind her next attack, a vicious diagonal slash aimed to cut Elsie in half.

And yet—once again—Elsie was simply gone.

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She ducked. She twirled. She twisted through the space Selvira's attack should have cleaved her in two, moving with an effortless, almost lazy grace. As Selvira's blade-hand cut through empty air, Elsie used the momentum of her spin to bring up one of her scythes, striking Selvira's wrist with the blunt side of the weapon, making a dull crack ring out.

Selvira winced, instinctively pulling back, but before she could reset, Elsie was already moving again. She ducked under another swipe, then flicked her wrist, bringing the back end of her other scythe slamming into Selvira's ribs.

Selvira stumbled to the side, her breath hitching from the impact. Her movements weren't slowing down, but she felt it now—small bruises forming under her skin, dull pain creeping through her body. She glared at Elsie, but the snake-toothed woman just spun her scythes, whistling a cheerful tune as she swayed from side to side, perfectly at ease.

"Mmm~! Selvira is fun!" Elsie sang, giving her scythes a quick flourish before settling into another stance. "But!" She tapped a finger against her lips, pretending to think. "Elsie is getting so bored of always winning! Maybe if Selvira actually landed a hit, she wouldn't be so grumpy all the time?"

Selvira's blood-red eye twitched. "Enough," she seethed, sharpening her fingers even further, her breath coming out in slow, controlled exhales. "You think this is a game?"

Elsie's grin widened. "Life is a game, silly, and Elsie hates to say it, but you're losing!"

Selvira's cold, expressionless face barely twitched as she tilted her head ever so slightly. "Big talk for someone who already lost to me before."

Elsie, still grinning like a fool, dusted off her shoulder as if the previous fight had been nothing more than a friendly spar. "Elsie didn't know before," she sang, shifting her weight onto one foot. Then, with a sudden burst of movement, she lunged forward, slipping past another of Selvira's slashes with effortless grace.

A sharp pivot, a twist of her hips, and her foot slammed straight into Selvira's stomach. The impact was solid, making Selvira skid backward a few steps. Still, her face remained unreadable, even as her body slightly hunched over from the force of the kick.

Elsie, still grinning, took a step back and tapped the side of her head playfully. "Elsie didn't know that Selvira produces her venom from her hands. Elsie didn't know that Selvira's venom paralyzes. And Elsie certainly didn't know she had to take her seriously before."

For the first time, the muscles in Selvira's jaw twitched, a flicker of irritation flashing in her pitch-black eye. But then something changed, something made her stop, something that locked her in place.

'Heat.'

A blistering, suffocating heat radiated behind her, thick and heavy like a furnace had just been unleashed in the alley. Elsie, who had been focused entirely on her fight, felt it too, the unnatural warmth pressing against her skin, making her sweat.

Slowly, both women turned. The "civilian" who had been sprawled on the ground just moments ago… was standing.

Kaiser Dios was burning. His body was engulfed in swirling flames, curling around his form like they were an extension of his very being. His eyes, once sharp and calculating, now burned with an untamed ferocity, his lips stretching into a wild, exhilarated grin.

Selvira's usually detached voice finally carried a hint of unease. "I thought it should take an hour for the antidote to work."

Elsie, frozen in place, nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah… it usually takes an hour for Elsie to neutralize any poison." Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard, her playful demeanor cracking as realization dawned upon her.

"But… the stronger the person is… the stronger Elsie's anti-toxin becomes." A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. It had been, at most, five minutes.

Kaiser cracked his neck, his hands flexing, embers flickering from his fingertips. His grin widened as his laughter rolled out, low at first, then rising into something fierce and triumphant. Elsie took a cautious step forward, hands raised, as if she had just realized she might have made a huge mistake not explaining anything to the man. "Uh… now, now, stranger—how are you feeling?"

Kaiser's laughter only grew, fire roaring from his back like wings.

"I feel—"

He clenched his fists.

"Amazing."

Elsie took a deep breath, raising both hands in a show of peace, her usual carefree grin slightly stiff. "Now, now, stranger, Elsie is a good guy! Elsie is on your side! No need to be all fiery and scary, yeah?" She chuckled nervously, motioning to herself. "Elsie fights for justice! For truth! For—"

"For gold," Selvira interrupted, her voice cool and unwavering.

Kaiser's burning gaze flickered to her.

Selvira met his eyes without hesitation, her face still expressionless, though something lurked behind her darkened gaze. "She's a fraud. A fake hero who only cares about how much money she can make off of playing the part."

Elsie's head snapped toward Selvira so fast it was a miracle her neck didn't break. "Elsie is a real hero!" she corrected immediately, before her voice softened, a hand on her hip. "Now, Elsie won't deny that gold is one of her favorite things in the world, but that should hardly matter!"

Kaiser didn't care. He took a step forward, flames rippling outward, and both women instinctively took a step back.

"It doesn't matter," he muttered, shaking his head. His voice was low, almost distracted. Then, slowly, his eyes lifted, and the fire roared around him, licking the air like a living beast. "None of this matters."

Kaiser clenched his fists, and the flames pulsed. The flames around him exploded, licking at the walls, the ground and the air itself, turning the space into a furnace of raw heat. The very stone beneath him began to crack, unable to withstand the pressure radiating from his body.

"Before I came to this world, there wasn't a single soul who could stand in my presence without bowing their head in terror. There wasn't a single warrior who dared to meet my gaze. There wasn't a single beast who didn't flinch when they heard my name."

His laughter was low, almost breathless, vibrating with something on the edge of madness. "And now, I've been here for barely a few days, and I've already met a few people who are supposed to be on my level?" He let out a sharp breath, as if the thought itself was an insult. His voice rose, shaking the very air.

"ON MY LEVEL!" He spat the word like venom. "For all my life, there was only one who ever dared to stand up to me! Only one who ever clawed their way to stand as my equal!"

His fire howled like a living being, swallowing the ceiling in waves of golden fury.

"And yet here I am, in a world that shoves challenger after challenger in my face—as if I'm not supposed to be the strongest! As if I'm not supposed to be untouchable!" His breath hitched, his fingers twitching, his body trembling with a mixture of rage and exhilaration.

"I don't understand it. I don't understand these flames. I don't understand this ice. I don't understand why my regeneration has slowed, why my body is shifting, why—" He exhaled sharply, his pupils blown wide, his smile unhinged. "But I love it."

His fire pulsed, growing hotter, wilder, untamed. "I love being pushed. I love being forced to grow. I love feeling my limits shatter and rebuild over and over again until they're nothing but ash beneath my feet." His breath came heavier, his voice cracking with something almost euphoric.

"But I don't understand why it's happening." A single step forward sent a wave of heat crashing over the two women, making them instinctively flinch back. "I don't understand why I keep getting stronger." His head tilted, his smirk stretching into something truly insane.

"But there is one thing I do understand." His breath was slow, measured, yet brimming with barely contained euphoria. His fingers twitched, flames writhing around them like restless spirits, waiting to be unleashed.

"If this world insists on drowning me in power…" His hands flexed, and the fire coiled tighter, spiraling up his arms in hungry, feverish tendrils.

"Then I'll drink every last drop."

The heat around him surged, distorting the very air, making it impossible to tell where his body ended and the flames began. His laughter was low, almost reverent, as if the thought itself sent a thrill down his spine.

"I'll swallow the tides, I'll devour the storm, and I'll dive headfirst into the abyss just to see how deep it really goes."

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