As soon as their wrists pressed together again, the air crackled with violent energy. The atmosphere twisted and warped under the sheer force of their activation.

  “They’re doing another Palace battle?!” Adam yelled, eyes wide with disbelief.

  Both Palaces activated simultaneously. Luna launched a flurry of punches, each strike heavy enough to break mountains, but Amelia met them with equal force. Their blows collided like clashing universes, tearing apart the space around them. The battlefield distorted, folding and stretching unnaturally under the weight of their power.

  “My abilities won’t work right now because of this,” Amelia thought as she barely dodged a strike aimed at her head. The collision of their Palaces had destroyed them both—neither could contain the overwhelming force of the other.

  A massive shockwave sent them flying backward. They skidded across the fragmented battlefield, both forced to take a moment to assess their next move.

  Luna stood still, eyes locked onto Amelia.

  “Why hasn’t she used Devil yet?” Amelia wiped a thin trickle of blood from her nose. “If she did, I’d be in real trouble… Is she holding back because she knows I know about it? Damn it.”

  Luna, meanwhile, studied Amelia carefully, gauging her every breath.

  “Dark Death isn’t just another technique in her arsenal,” she thought. “Because of my memories of her… if she lands that attack, it could actually kill me.”

  Blood dripped from Amelia’s nose, a clear sign of the immense strain she was under.

  “A bloody nose?” Iris muttered, sensing that something catastrophic was on the horizon.

  Then, without hesitation, both warriors activated their Palaces once more.

  But this time, Amelia had a plan.

  As their Palaces manifested, she created a dome—small, confined, nothing like the vast battlegrounds they had formed before.

  “What the hell? Why is it so small?” Malin questioned, confused.

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  “Maybe she’s trying to make sure Death Cascade doesn’t destroy her Palace like last time,” Carlos suggested.

  Luna narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t going to wait to find out.

  With a single move, the dome shattered.

  Luna staggered, blood dripping from her mouth, staining her chest. Then, in an instant, her entire arm was severed. Without missing a beat, her body regenerated it, the new limb forming as if nothing had happened.

  “How long did that Palace even last?!” Griffin asked, voice tinged with shock.

  “Ten seconds,” Malin answered grimly.

  Neither warrior wasted time.

  They charged at each other again, fists colliding with thunderous force. The impact sent shockwaves across the battlefield. Amelia got in close, slamming Luna into a moon, the celestial body cracking under the force of the hit.

  Luna barely had time to react before Amelia’s Palace activated again.

  “Thoughtless Palace,” Amelia declared.

  Luna’s eyes widened. What?

  Her mind emptied. Her body froze. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think.

  And then, Amelia’s hand was already inside her chest.

  A sickening crunch.

  Luna felt her heart being crushed.

  Amelia yanked her hand back, blood dripping from her fingers as she leapt backward, keeping her distance. She grinned.

  “You lost this fight because you healed yourself first, then used your Palace,” she said, flicking the blood from her fingertips. “Even though it was only 0.0000000000001 seconds, my Palace landed the hit before yours could take effect.”

  Luna gasped, staggering as her body desperately tried to compensate.

  Amelia’s eyes narrowed.

  “Your brain is what I’ll target next.”

  Then—

  “Adaptation.”

  Luna forced the thought through her pain.

  A shadow loomed over Amelia.

  A monstrous presence manifested from nothing—Devil.

  “Shit,” Amelia’s eyes widened. “I need to close my Palace!”

  She moved fast. Just in time, she sealed her Palace before Devil could adapt to it.

  “There it is…” Carlos muttered, his voice filled with dread. “Luna’s prized possession—Devil.”

  “Does it have any weaknesses?” Griffin asked.

  “Only one,” Solstice said darkly. “It has to be killed in a single strike. But thanks to Luna, Amelia won’t be able to.”

  Devil vanished.

  In its place, a colossal sword appeared above Luna’s head, humming with power that could carve through existence itself.

  Luna smirked, her breath steadying. “So, are you ready to die now?”

  Amelia wiped the blood from her face, barely able to contain her excitement. “Please,” she scoffed, “just one more attack, and you and Devil are dead.”

  She reached to activate her Palace again—

  Then, suddenly, her nose started bleeding even more.

  Luna grinned, seeing the realization dawn on Amelia’s face. “You overused your Palace,” she said. “You fried it. Now, you’re just a normal person in my way.”

  Luna prepared to activate her Palace one last time.

  Then—

  Her own nose and eyes started to bleed.

  Her vision blurred.

  “Holy shit… It worked.” Amelia grinned through the pain. “My palace fried you brain It’s been frying your brain this whole time, and you didn’t even notice.” She cracked her knuckles. “My friends are watching—I still gotta look cool in front of them!”

  With a triumphant yell, Amelia delivered a devastating punch to Luna’s face.

  For a brief moment, both warriors stood frozen.

  Then, they grinned at each other.

  Because they both knew—

  The real fight was just getting started.