Miasma was in a predicament.


    His opponent was a problem he wasn''t expecting to face, but to his realization, she wasn''t an actual threat.


    Sure, she was damaging him constantly, but that was all. The corrupted energy was plenty, and his wounds were easily patched up.


    What was bothering him was Orion.


    He knew that time was against him. Elliott and Orion were both scrutinizing him in detail after each movement, each attack, each breath.


    It was a matter of time until Tetra''s source was discovered, and potentially snatched back.


    What was pressuring him was, once again, Orion, and not Amelia. He could still feel the fear-inducing gaze of hatred and contempt coming from him.


    For the second time in his long existence, true terror crept into his core, shaking the resolve he had crafted since the fall of the previous civilization thousands of years ago.


    It wasn''t as bad as it made him regret his actions, but he knew the sands of time were slowly flowing between his hands.


    Yet, his pride was also pestering him to act. Amelia was flying, jumping, dodging, and attacking relentlessly.


    She was starting to get on his nerves. Until a chained-dagger pierced his chest and shocked him.


    The pain wasn''t as bad as he was expecting it to be, but he was done taking it defensively.


    He had to put Tetra''s source under his control, but this was becoming difficult with this woman holding his attention.


    Since his body was so big, he was an easy target. His movements were following exactly as he wanted, but the swiftness behind them wasn''t present.


    So, he growled in anger.


    "You''ve been pestering me for quite some time now."


    Miasma grabbed the dagger lodged in his chest, and crushed it into his large hand, before the chain vanished alongside it.


    The copy of Leima zapped out of existence, before forming again into Amelia''s hand. The chain dropped to the ground as Amelia''s right foot scrapped the ground behind her.


    Ready to jump at Miasma once again, she carefully observed him.


    "If I could kill you, it would be even better."


    Her attitude was seriously bothering Miasma. He was usually the one to throw sarcastic remarks during battle, but this time, he was unable to.


    ''Fighting a Hero is one thing, but...''


    His eyes scanned his surroundings.


    Behind Amelia were Orion, flying above ground, and Henrietta, recovering from their battle. On his left was Elliott, holding himself from jumping, and lastly, on his right, Karteira, who was watching Amelia more than him.


    ''Tsk!''


    He internally clicked his tongue.


    ''And I''ve only managed to understand a third of the Remnant of Time''s source... This isn''t looking good.''


    Feeling his life being threatened wasn''t something new, but the stakes were too high for him to back down now.


    ''Either I slow down scanning her source and focus on lowering their numbers, or I keep it this way...''


    Hesitation filled his mind, which he managed to keep hidden from his expression.


    ''I have no idea how long this guy will stay up there, but once he joins in, I will have to focus entirely on him. If the others join him, I''m dead.''


    The corrupted energy in the air was fine for now. It was far more than enough to keep him safe. But the moment the light magic Orion manipulates enters the fight, this energy would disappear without a trace.


    So, the answer became pretty clear to him.


    "Fuck it."


    Miasma grabbed the thorn protruding from his left shoulder, and crushed it. Then, he destroyed the right one.


    A deep dark smoke flowed from his shoulders, enveloping him entirely. Only his glowing red eye became the focus of everyone''s attention.


    A grunt escaped Orion''s mouth, as he hoped to locate the source of the Remnant of Time before Miasma became serious, but all he could do was hope that Amelia would be fine.


    The reality was, he would be unable to fight Miasma and locate the source at the same time.


    Seconds later, the dark fumes scattered around Miasma. From underneath the smoke, a more streamlined figure appeared.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Firmer and smaller limbs replaced the thick and powerful arms and legs of the Remnant. His chest minimized drastically compared to his previous form, and a large tail comprised of corrupted energy slammed the ground behind him.


    The beast-like form he assumed while fighting Henrietta was no more, replaced by this lizard-looking beast with sharp teeth.


    It was at that moment that everyone understood the extent of the threat Miasma represented.


    (He can take the form of anything he wants?!)


    Amelia hushered those words, hidden between two breaths.


    Miasma looked at his hands, opening and closing them a few times. A sigh escaped his mouth, before glaring at Amelia.


    "..."


    Then, he bent his left knee, and pushed on his leg, crossing the distance between them instantly.


    Amelia gritted her teeth in astonishment. She crossed Leima and its copy above her face, making the chains block the claw ready to rip her head off her shoulder.


    *Cling*


    The sound of two objects colliding echoed in everyone''s ears, as Amelia watched Miasma attack her stomach next, still in a dazed state.


    ''Shit!''


    She bent her right knee and knee-kicked his arm before being gutted alive. Hurriedly, she wrapped the chains around Miasma''s arm, pulled herself above him, and released the grip on her dagger, successfully throwing herself above him.


    But Miasma''s tail met her in midair.


    *Woosh*


    The swift moving tail tore the air, closing on Amelia.


    "!"


    Having recovered from her shock, she threw Leima on the side, which pierced the ground further away. With an electric pulse, the chain pulled Amelia in Leima''s direction, barely avoiding the tail.


    Her feet slid on the ground as she grabbed her dagger from the ground, leaving a cloud of dust behind.


    Miasma bent his body backward, and looked in her direction while lifting his chin up.


    His eye pulsed brightly red, before he rushed toward her. With his newfound speed, Amelia had no leeway anymore. She had to be prudent with each move, or she would suffer life-threatening injuries.


    In this situation, she wasn''t sure Orion would be able to save her.


    Seeing Miasma closing in on her, she threw both chained-daggers in front of her. They pierced the ground a few meters away, while dragging her with them.


    The chains sparked wildly as they shrunk in length, until Amelia flew other the two daggers, pulling them out of the dirt.


    She met Miasma head-on, and kicked his chest with incredible momentum.


    Yet, she simply traveled through his body, making no dent on the Remnant.


    "Kh!"


    Her feet touched the ground once again, but she knew she had no time to recover completely. Without being able to stabilize her footing, she jumped sideways and rolled on the ground as two fists came slamming down on her.


    ''Leima, return!''


    This battle of speed was her loss. She was unable to make use of the lighting speed she had mastered against Miasma, as the retaliation she was met with was hampering her every move.


    Instead, she decided to use another dagger.


    *FSSSSSH*


    A vortex of white fire swallowed Amelia, changing her outfit for the third time. The white crown above her head zapped brightly, turning into a radiant, flaming crown as bright as the sun.


    ''Vesta! Burn bright!''


    In her left hand, a swirling fire morphed into a long spear, ready to devour anything in its path.


    Amelia spun the spear twice around her hips, before rushing toward Miasma with its tip ready to pierce his throat.


    "...!"


    Miasma recovered from his previous attack, only to meet the spear, unprepared for it.


    The air itself was set ablaze for a short time as the blade danced around Miasma, who managed to avoid being skewered by the blazing spear.


    Like a gorgeous dancer, Amelia jumped around Miasma, crossed his path multiple times, only to revolve around him as she slowly gained the upper hand.


    But Miasma wasn''t done either.


    "!"


    He lifted his hand abruptly, as the Vesta''s blade approached him from the side.


    The blade pierced his hand, and scorched his corrupted limb from the inside. With a painful expression, he gripped the blade with his pierced hand, before smiling.


    "I got you!"


    Amelia appeared troubled for a second, before she opened her mouth.


    "I wouldn''t be so..."


    *BOOM*


    A powerful explosion happened from inside his arm, ripping his entire arm off and creating a wide opening in his chest.


    Pushed back by the explosion, Amelia took a few steps backward, spinning her spear around her sides.


    "...sure about that."


    She finished her sentence with a proud smirk.


    Loud footsteps echoed from the fire, revealing an injured Miasma.


    "You... You are the second person to cause this much damage to this body."


    Corruption gathered once again around Miasma, and merged into his skin. The opening in his chest and his missing arm reappeared instantaneously, forcing her smile to die down.


    ''Really, this is unfair...''


    She wasn''t thinking about the idea that his regenerating abilities were unfair, but the fact that she was hugely incompatible in front of this monster.


    ''Is Orion the only one able to damage Miasma? Is my plan to take over his role bound to fail?''


    Regardless of how strong she wished to kill Miasma, her elements were useless against Miasma''s regeneration.


    In normal circumstances, she would''ve been a true match for him, but his ability had only one counter.


    Orion''s light magic.


    Still, she was unable to give up yet. With a determined expression, she pointed her spear at Miasma, ready to return to the assault.


    "Let''s get this over with."


    Miasma pointed his index finger at Amelia. With a bored expression, he focused most of the energy in the air in a single point, and fired a small, but extremely charged beam at her.


    "Eh?!"


    Taken aback by the abrupt nature of this attack, Amelia was unable to react.


    "Amelia!"


    From her left side, Karteira jumped in the air, covered in light. She flipped once, before dropping in front of her friend.


    "BASTION!"


    The scales around her arms expanded into a large shield that covered both herself and Amelia right before the beam made contact with her.


    Karteira held her ground, slightly pushed back by the beam''s tremendous power. Yet, she blocked it entirely thanks to her ability.


    Still, she was only able to hold this ability for ten seconds. Subsequently, the two would be meet their end if she were to fail.


    ''Please be done! Please!''


    The sparks of the beam enveloped them as Karteira gritted her teeth, creating fireworks of tainted energy.


    Amelia blinked, as a memory resurfaced from deep inside her mind.


    The day she protected her from Orion''s most dangerous attack during their serious battle.


    "!"


    Seeing her first friend jump in front of her to protect her brought her back to reality.


    She placed her hand on Karteira''s back while hitting the back of her plated shield with Vesta''s blade.


    "Thanks."


    Karteira was unable to answer, as it took everything she had to hold the attack. The seconds were narrowing to two, before Amelia joined the defense.


    "Inferno!"


    From the front of the shield, a horizontal pillar of flame pushed back the beam slowly, before Karteira was forced to stop defending.


    Still, the energy Miasma was putting behind this attack was no laughing matter. Even using her most powerful attack, she only managed to get a few centimeters of leeway between her and the corrupted beam.


    "Fucking worm! How long are you planning to waste my time!"


    The roars of an angry Miasma echoed in their ears. Amelia clenched her jaws tightly, and glared with the entirety of her emotions behind it.


    "Not before you fucking die yourself!"


    Slowly, very slowly, Amelia marched forward.