Elysia continued her Inferno Waltz. Flames swirdled around her in a mesmerizing display of power. With a fluid motion, she directed the fiery vortex toward Risebelle and Roselle. The flames roared to life like like a blazing comet towards them.

  Roselle dove to the side. Meanwhile, Risebelle made a daring move, darting forward to close the gap between her and Elysia. She aimed to get in close while taking the damage from the swirling fire.

  Elysia's fiery eyes locked onto Risebelle's approach. She smirked confidently. "Don't touch me!" she declared with arrogance.

  In an instant, Elysia unleashed a powerful wall of fire beneath Risebelle's feet. The flames propelled Risebelle into the air with explosive forceHer entire body was engulfed in the searing blaze.

  Risebelle hit the ground with a shocked look on her face. The flames that had surrounded her began to dissipate, leaving behind singed patches on her robe. Despite this, she immediately rolled to extinguish any lingering embers and get the fire off of her.

  Roselle growled and fired her shots at Elysia with her cannon, but the Pyromancer gracefully dance with the fire to avoid the cannon shots.

  "Is that the best you've got?" Elysia called out with confidence. "You'll have to do better than that to defeat the Pyro Queen!"

  Roselle closed her eyes for a moment. She remembered the jolt of electricity that had surged through her during their earlier battle with Risebelle and Thalindra. She needed to tap into that power, to control it.

  While concentrating, a faint aura of crackling electricity began to envelop her. Roselle could feel the raw power of lightning coursing through her veins. Unlike the other times, she was able to completely control it’s movements.

  With her eyes now open, she took aim at Elysia and fired out a focused bolt of lightning directly at the Pyromancer. The bolt crackled through the air, aiming to strike Elysia with haste

  Elysia leaped to the side and narrowly evaded the bolt of lightning. The scorched ground where she had been standing.

  Elysia landed a short distance away, her eyes fixed on Roselle with surprise.

  “Lightning?" she muttered to herself. "I didn't expect magic from someone that didn't have magic, but it makes sense how they beat Thalindra now."

  Risebelle rose from the ground after she extinguished the lingering embers clinging to her robe. She leveled her cannon at Elysia with a gaze colder than frostbite but then, something made her pause.

  A soft hum filled the air around her younger sister. Risebelle’s eyes widened upon seeing a radiant yellow aura beginning to form around Roselle. It flickered and pulsed like a living current, bathing Roselle in a crackling golden light.

  Elysia froze mid-step. Her eyes darted between the aura and Roselle. “Wait... That’s... impossible!”

  Roselle seemed unaware of the change at first since her focus was entirely on the growing surge of power she felt coursing through her. Then, the system echoed in her mind:

  [[System Message]]

  New ability unlocked. Thunderclap Surge acquired."

  Roselle’s lips parted slightly, and she murmured, “Thunderclap Surge...”

  The aura surrounding her intensified. Arcs of lightning shooting outward like grasping fingers. The very air crackled with energy as a rapidly spinning fan of electricity began to form, revolving around her with controlled precision. The bolts homed in on Elysia with an almost predatory intent.

  Roselle Roared, “Thunderclap, SSSUUUURRRGGGE!”

  A powerful burst of lightning surged forth from her, forming a rapidly spinning fan of crackling electricity that homed in on Elysia. The tendrils of lightning struck with pinpoint accuracy, delivering jolts of electricity upon impact. Each strike left a trail of burning heat and scorched marks on the Pyromancer's body.

  “Damn it!” Elysia growled. Her defenses cracked under the sheer force of the electric onslaught. She threw herself into a desperate roll to evade another bolt that struck where she had stood moments before.

  Roselle’s eyes were sharp. She extended her arm, guiding the surge with an almost instinctual precision. The spinning fan of electricity homed in once more, arcing toward Elysia with terrifying speed.

  Elysia planted her and bellowed, “Inferno Veil!” A wall of fire erupted around her which increased in its growth while attempting to stave off the incoming lightning.

  The clash was deafening. Sparks flew as lightning met flames. For a moment, it was impossible to see who had the upper hand.

  Elysia gritted her teeth. Sweat trickled down her brow. “I’m not done yet!” she shouted. She raised both arms and summoned the swirling flames from her Inferno Veil to spiral toward her. With a fierce cry, she yelled, “Infernal Nova!”

  The fiery wall collapsed inward, condensing into a blazing star of fire. The star hovered for a split second before streaking toward Roselle like a fiery comet, tearing through her Thunderclap Surge with devastating force.

  Roselle gasped. The star of fire barreled toward her. The head singed her skin before it even made contact. “Come on,” she screamed, “Come oooooon!”

  The star slammed into her aura, pressing forward with overwhelming force. Roselle let out a sharp cry. The electricity surrounding her began to crackle erratically. Red streaks flickered through the yellow. Despite this, her Thunderclap Surge was weakening under the weight of the star.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Elysia smirked with her confidence returning. “I’ll met your ass down into the junk you were meant to be! I’ll even use your ashes….to warm my tea!”

  But Roselle wasn’t done. She reached deep within herself, tapping into the reserves of magic within herself. She pushed from using 100 to 150% in her attack. Beyond that, her power steadily increased further. She let out a primal scream, and echoed across the room. “Not today! The only thing getting torn apart here…is your fiery dancing ego!”

  The crackling fan of electricity surged with renewed strength, spinning faster and faster until it became a blur of red and gold lightning. The Thunderclap Surge tore through the fiery star, cutting it clean in half. The remnants of Elysia’s attack scattered like embers in the wind.

  “What?!” Elysia’s eyes widened in shock. She barely had time to react before the spinning fan of electricity slammed into her.

  A scream of pain tore from Elysia’s throat as the attack engulfed her. The electricity coursed through her body in violent arcs. She collapsed to the ground.

  Roselle stood trembling. She panted heavily with sweat dripping from her brow, but her eyes remained locked on Elysia’s body.

  Risebelle approached slowly with her gaze shifting between her sister and the defeated Pyromancer. “You… you actually did it,” she said softly with a small smile coming to her face.

  Roselle didn’t reply. Her legs wobbled and she nearly collapsed, but Risebelle caught her just in time.

  “Easy,” Risebelle said while steadying her.

  Suddenly, they heard the voice of the defeated Pyromancer. It emerged as a strained rasp. “What… the hell… are you two? How… can you use magic… like that… without… auras?”

  Risebelle stepped forward and gestured for Roselle to follow. Roselle hesitated for a moment but moved alongside her.

  Risebelle’s gaze lowered. She studied Elysia’s broken form and spoke coldly. “Oh. Looks like she’s still alive. We’ll have to fix that.”

  Elysia’s breaths were shallow, and she struggled to lift her head. Risebelle continued, “But since she’s going to die anyway… we might as well explain it. We’re special batches of Kintovar's creations. The magic we use is unlike anything humans can wield, but I won’t bore you with the rest of the details.”

  Roselle looked uncertain but raised her cannon at the weakened Pyromancer in unison with Risebelle who raised her own cannon. Her hand trembled as she aimed.

  Elysia’s, though weak and gasping still carried threat in her tone. “You... won’t get away with this. The headmaster will—”

  She was cut off by the final echoing shots from Risebelle and Roselle’s cannons. With Elysia’s magic extinguished and her body lifeless, the door to the room unlocked with a faint mechanical click.

  The room was left in eerie silence with scorched marks covering the floor and walls. A few charred remnants of items lay scattered, consumed by the flames.

  Risebelle looked around briefly, assessing the damage before nodding in satisfaction. "Let’s go." She turned and led Roselle toward the exit.

  The duo went to move but before they could exit the room, they heard Murmurs and gasps from outside the room. It wasn't long before a loud shout came through the corridor.

  "The Headmaster! Elysia’s magic has disappeared, and Arlanda and Risa are dead!"

  Other nearby doors opened, and curious faces peeked out. They went from pure curiosity to great horror upon seeing the lifeless bodies.

  Risebelle and Roselle exchanged a quick glance. Risebelle looked up to the ceiling, then back at Roselle and whispered urgently. "We need to get out of here now. I have a plan. Follow my---"

  Before Risebelle could finish, a sudden and overwhelming surge of magical aura radiated from the Headmaster. It was a a raw and potent energy that enveloped them both, rendering them immobile.

  Risebelle's eyes widened in shock. Her limbs went rigid, her body refused to obey her commands. She glanced at Roselle who stood frozen beside her. Neither seemed capable of movement.

  Despite unleashing this power, she was still a ways away from them, examining the bodies of Risa and Arlanda. The Headmaster’s piercing gaze fell upon the student who had discovered the lifeless bodies of Risa and Arlanda.

  "What happened here?" she demanded. Her silver hair was seemingly ablaze with a radiant white aura surrounding it. Her eyes bore into the student, and the magical aura that surrounded her body intensified.

  The student, trembling under the Headmaster's overwhelming presence stammered out words.

  "Headmaster, I... I found them like this! Risa and Arlanda are dead, and Risa's clothes are missing! It's... it’s like… like someone else was here!"

  The Headmaster's face darkened further, “Missing clothes, you say? This is a grave matter. The intruders must be close by. I will not tolerate any threats to the Academy or our mission. You, gather the others. We must find these intruders and obliterate them right now."

  The Headmaster began to approach the room where Roselle and Risebelle were held immobile by her overwhelming magical aura.

  Risebelle spoke barely a whisper, "Not now. We can't let her come this way. We need a plan, and we need it fast."

  Despite the urgency in her words, Risebelle and Roselle remained immobilized. They were held in check by the Headmaster's overwhelming magical presence.

  ‘What can we do in this situation? ‘Risebelle pondered inwardly. The Headmaster's power was overwhelming, and their own escape had been nullified by her aura. Risebelle felt a knot twist in her stomach. The pressure was relentless. She knew they didn’t have long.

  ‘If we get caught now, it’ll be my fault,’ Risebelle thought. ‘I should have looked for another way out during the battle with that Pyromage.’ She thought of all the possible mistakes she had made during their escape. She hadn’t anticipated the Headmaster’s aura being this potent.

  She glanced at Roselle. The younger girl’s shoulders were slumped and her head lowered. ‘She’s already given up,’ Risebelle realized.

  A flood of memories hit Risebelle then—training Roselle.. The way Roselle found a way to adapt and push through the most difficult situations. ‘I can’t let her give up now. We can’t give up.’

  Risebelle’s eyes narrowed. ‘There’s only one way out of this.’

  She inhaled sharply and called out, “Roselle! Can you build up your energy into an explosion, like you did against me? I need you to do it now!”

  Roselle’s eyes flickered, but there was no immediate answer. She didn’t respond, and for a moment, Risebelle feared that she wouldn’t.

  Finally, Roselle spoke almost defeated. “I can. But it’s not like before. It will drain every last bit of energy I have, and it’ll damage us both. I wasn’t trying to do it before you know but…I know how to do it now...”

  Risebelle’s heart pounded. This was it. There was no turning back. She steeled herself. “Then do it. This is our one change to get out of this situation. Trust me.”

  Roselle’s face was distant, almost resigned, but a glimmer of determination shot up onto it. Without another word, she began to focus and draw upon the lighting that had been building inside her. It surrounded her body, changing from yellow to a reddish color.

  The Headmaster’s approach was relentless, and their window of opportunity was closing fast.

  “Ready?” Risebelle whispered, barely able to keep the anxiety from her tone.

  Roselle’s gaze lifted, and she nodded grimly. “Ready.”

  The Headmaster entered the room, and her gaze fell upon Risebelle and Roselle. She observed their tense faces and the faint, ominous glow of red electricity surrounding Roselle. The Headmaster's piercing silver eyes narrowed. She instantly recognized that something unusual was happening.

  "You two," she spoke with a commanding tone, "what are you doing? Explain yourselves!"

  Roselle's attempt to gather and control the electricity had not gone unnoticed. Risebelle and Roselle found themselves caught between the Headmaster's overpowering presence and at the risk of their true natures being revealed.