The cavern was shaking, the ground was trembling, the whole mountain was quaking. Calamity hovered above the pool with a rising pillar of fire behind her.

Her body from hips down was gone, severed when the portal closed on her. Seven wings of golden flame sprouted from her back and a halo of fire hung above making her look like an angel of fire that came down to cleanse this world.

Theo ground his teeth so hard it was audible. After all he had done, forcing his own body over the limit to stop Calamity from entering this world, he still failed.

He forced his broken body to stand and took out the golden miniature hammer from his pouch. "Val, I know I'm asking much, but please hold her for a few minutes." Theo moved into a kneeling position and held the hammer in front of his face like he was about to pray.

It was then Theo realized that Val was standing still, frozen in place. "Val." He called, but there was no answer.

"Val!" He shouted.

"VAL!"

[Calamity, Fire Lord, Lv.150]

Val fell to the ground. Her whole body was shaking without control and her eyes shot open. She was frozen stiff from sheer terror.

Theo grabbed her shoulder. "Val-"

Val suddenly turned and stared him right in the eyes. "Theo, run, flee, save your life, I'll-I'll hold her," Her jaw was trembling, it was hard to form coherent words with her condition.

Her stare was filled with terror, though beyond that wall of terror, he could see that she was worried sick about his condition.

Tears formed in her eyes. "Please," She started crying. "Please, Theo!" Water burst from her eyes.

"Please for all the gods in heaven, please save yourself!" She buried her face in his chest. "Please! Please! Just run away, I can't watch you get hurt anymore, I can't bear to watch you die! I- .." The rest of her sentences was blurred by her cry and sob.

Theo embraced her and stroked her white hair. He didn't expect Calamity's power to shook her this much, even Setanta was frozen in shock when faced with Calamity. Though in Val's case, she was more worried about his well being than her own. Which he thought was really sweet of her.

Theo was the strange one for not being affected too much. He had met some ungodly powerful beings in the past during his travel with his father and the experience had made him somewhat resistant to their aural intimidation.

Theo observed Calamity. She was tending and talking with Tars and ignoring them instead of vaporizing them there and then. Theo swore he would make her regret that decision.

He returned his gaze to Val. "Val, I can't, I won't, I'm not going to run away. I'm not going to leave you behind."

"Why?" She squeezed him within her embrace so hard he almost felt she was threatening him. "Why are you so stubborn? Why are you so reckless? Why do you want to die so much?"

Theo put his hand on her cheek and raised her face from his chest so that their eyes met. How long has it been since the last time she cried her heart out? Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her face wet with tears.

"I'm not going to die," He assured her with the calmest voice he could muster. "And I won't let you die. There's no meaning in stopping Calamity without you on my side."

Val's eyes went wide open and her mouth too. Her cheek reddened to the roots of her ears and not because of crying. "You ... you goddamned womanizer." she pulled his head and kissed him.

How many women have Theo said that exact same words? How many women have had the same exact reaction as her? Strangely, Val didn't care.

Be it curse or fate; charm or magic, nothing else mattered for Val but that kiss they shared in that moment. All her problems, her fears, her doubts, all of it, gone from her hearts.

Val smiled as they lips parted. "I love you," she said softly.

Theo smiled back and chuckled. "But you see, that means nothing unless we stop Calamity now."

"And how do you plan to do that?" She still smiled. The terror she felt before was nowhere to be found in her heart."I don't think I can defeat her."

"I have a plan. I know I'm asking much, but I need a few minutes without any interruption."

Val stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're going to owe me a lot, a whole lot."

"Yeah, just don't die."

"You too."

Val turned to see Calamity, who still busy with Tars and didn't show any sign she would notice her coming. But when Val took a step, her ruby eyes shot a glare at her. The stare that would freeze her in terror now had no effect. Her heart was at ease and nothing would change that.

Val weaved a thick ice barrier around Theo. It was the finest and most powerful wall of ice she had ever created - though calling it a dome would be more apt - carefully woven to ensure that it could withstand even Calamity. She also put little tricks there just in case.

Val raised her face and soared into the sky like an eagle.

Theo smiled. He closed his eyes and grasped the miniature hammer within his palm. "Lord of fire, Lord of flame-" and began a chant similar to a prayer.

Calamity patted Tars' helmet, who was kneeling before her. "You've done well, rest now, leave everything to me," Calamity said with care and gentleness in her voice like that of a mother to her son, a contrast to the destructive aura pouring out from every part of her body.

Tars bowed his head deeply. "I'm-I- I d-don't deserve it. My powerlessness resulted in your imperfect summoning." The shame and regret he carried hung heavily in the tone of his voice.

Calamity chuckled and turned her body away from Tars and towards Val in the sky. Her expression turned dark and grim at the sight of her enemies. "Then watch as I crush these mortals with this 'imperfect' power that you have put your life on the line to summon.

Whatever you're going to do, it's useless." Calamity said. She raised both of her arms. The molten rock from the pool behind her hovered and formed a massive fist. "Tars, I order you again, rest. Let me handle things from now on."

"Y-yes. My lady." Tars stood up and hesitantly jumped into the pool of fire beneath Calamity.

"Now intruders," Calamity said, the mother-like tone of her voice was replaced by a hostile and rage-filled tone. "die!"

The fist of fire shot to the sky like a comet.

Val dodged the incoming lava and retaliated with attacks of her own.

However, the spears of ice that ripped Flame-Born Knights apart could not even get close to her new enemy. The ice melted and vaporized and turned into plasma just by touching Calamity's violent aura that wrapped her like a blanket.

The difference in their power was as clear as day and night. Calamity might have half of her body cut off by the portal, but Val had been fighting almost without rest for a day. She was exhausted both mentally and physically.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Val dodged to the side as molten rocks showered her from above. The lava that Calamity threw at her had cool down in the sky and fell like a rain.

Elizabeth raised her shield and erected a barrier that encompassed Setanta and her other companions behind her. The rain of molten rocks bombarded her hard, but she held her ground.

Val couldn't fight the rising urge within her heart to look below and check on Theo. The wall of ice she created to protect him was smoking and sweating, but not damaged in any meaningful way.

She let out all her pent up worry with a sigh.

"Where are you looking at?"

Val almost let out a cry of shock.

When she raised her face to look at the sound that felt so close, she saw Calamity taking almost all her field of vision.

'When did she come? How could she close the distance so fast?' Those kinds of question flew around Val's mind as she tried to take in what was happening. She was high in the sky, even at her top speed, she would take at least half a minute to reach that height. Yet Calamity closed that distant in the instant she took her eyes off her.

Val crossed her arms in front of her face and conjured a wall of ice to protect herself from whatever Calamity was about to unleash upon her.

Or at least she tried to.

In the presence of Calamity, Val's ice magic was useless. The moment she formed an ice, Calamity turned it back to water and vapor in the next instant.

Val was unable to do anything.

Calamity smashed Val's stomach with a bone-shattering punch.

Val's clothes vaporized along with her skin, her flesh and organs melted, and her spine cracked with that single punch.

In the moment before her body was hurled towards a wall of rock, Val realized her error, though no one would blame her for that mistake.

Since the first time Val took a look at the form of Calamity on the other side of the portal, she knew she was facing a spellcaster. The array of spells Calamity used to protect the portal and the mastery when she used it only cemented that line of thinking. And because of that, Val never made any backup plan in case she was attacked from close range, not to mention with bare hands.

But the power of punch she received and the perfect martial art form Calamity took when she launched her fist proved Val wrong. Calamity might be able to cast many powerful spells, but the difference of power between her spell and her punch made Val realize that she was, first and foremost, a close-ranged fighter that specialized using her fist.

And her previous assumption spelled doom for her.

Val crashed into a wall of rock with enough force to completely demolished the wall and made her lost consciousness there and then.

With just one punch, Calamity knocked the most powerful of her enemies out of the fight.

Still maintaining her posture, Calamity waved her left hand and deflected a red flash coming right towards her face.

The red cursed spear spun in the air a few times before flying back to the hand of its owner.

Calamity glared at the remaining enemies far below with her burning ruby eyes, including the one hiding behind a thick wall of ice, or dome of ice. The one hiding seemed to be preparing a spell of some sort, an ace up their sleeve maybe, though it bothered her no more than the unconscious dark elf.

No matter what they do now, she was confident they wouldn't be able to defeat her.

The wings of fire behind her formed two dragons of fire. One flew towards the dome of ice and the other towards Setanta. Calamity shot both without much effort, but the power of each of those dragons was equal to the power of a tier 5 spell. A spell that could only be cast by a very few select people on the Continent.

Elizabeth placed herself in front of Setanta, raised her shield, and activated her most powerful defensive skill.

Her star-shaped shield started flashing rapidly, the gem in the center of it to be more exact. A transparent barrier exploded out from the gem and enveloped her, Setanta, and the rest of the group.

Her skill was just enough to handle the fire dragon, though the heavy toll that skill had on her body was clearly apparent. Her breathing became much rougher and she kneeled on the ground, her feet had no strength left to hold her body.

Calamity sent another fire dragon. Set and his group was not enough threat to justify the use her fist.

Elizabeth could only watch as the fire dragon come ever closer. HEr body was still paralyzed and even if she could move, she wasn't confident she could defend anyone but herself.

A hand rest on her shoulder. She knew who it belongs to. The size, the roughness of the skin, and the way he gripped her, she knew it too well.

"Don't worry, Liz."

A red flash shot out from Set's hand and flew through the dragon. Normally, doing something like that was not enough to stop a spell of that level, but Set's spear was not normal and it did the job well enough.

However, the spear didn't stop there. Setanta had another plan when he threw it. He threw it at a certain angle that if the spear didn't stop after hitting the fire, it would continue towards Calamity.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face before his body fell to the ground. Blood gushed out from his mouth.

Elizabeth forced her body to crawl to him. "Set, why?" He was overusing Gae Bulg and he knew it better than anyone. His limit was releasing Gae Bulg three times in a day, and even that already put a serious burden on his body. Releasing it five times a day was unthinkable and obviously would break his body.

"Why?" He asked back. His voice was small and soft but full of confidence. "I'm The Chosen One. The Guardian Hero of The World. It's my task, my duty." He let out a chuckle. "And because it's the right thing to do."

Calamity stopped herself from trying to deflect the spear. She realized that it was a bad idea trying to deflect a released Gae Bulg with just her hand.

Calamity folded all her seven wings forward to act as a shield. The following sight was just like with Mirst before, but Calamity was stronger than Mirts, far stronger.

Calamity grimaced as she put more and more of her power into it. Gae Bulg push was stronger than she thought. The more she resisted, the stronger it pushed. But in the end, the difference in power was just too great.

-However, Just when she was about to completely stop it, a massive spear of ice struck her fire wings, destroying all.

Calamity glared at Val, who barely able to remain conscious. But Calamity quickly returned her gaze to Gae Bulg. it was a legendary weapon not just in name.

She caught it with both hands and stopped it. It was much harder to stop it than she thought.

She threw Gae Bulg away over her shoulder with a frustrated sigh, where the red spear fell into the pool of lava behind her.

She raised a finger and pointed it at Val. She knew what was going to happen, but was too powerless to even set up a basic wall of ice.

A red beam pierced through her chest, missing her heart just barely.

Calamity averted her gaze away from her after that without checking whether Val had died or not. Because she didn't care.

With the last vestiges of her consciousness, Val froze her wound to prevent further blood loss. That was the last thing she could do to keep his promise with Theo. She would not die.

Calamity then turned to Set and his women, all who tried their best to defend and heal him and Elizabeth while slowing down Calamity.

Calamity turned into a blur.

Then reappeared in front of the group.

Elizabeth used all her strength to raise her shield. the rest of Setanta's women supported her.

It was useless.

Elizabeth shield shattered and exploded. Her fist ignored all the defense they set up and hurtled them to the cave wall.

Calamity massaged the part of her head similar to a human forehead and wondered why she didn't use her fist in the first place. Her pride caused herself a lot of annoyance and nuisance. She shelved that self-evaluating thought for later.

Now with all the nuisance gone, she turned towards Theo and observed him. He was kneeling and grasping an amulet in his palm.

"Praying to your god?" Mana was not gathering around him and neither was aura, prayer was the only conclusion Calamity came into.

She observed him closely. "You're a fine specimen for a human. Beg to me, pray to me, worship me and I might just spare you."

Calamity extended her hand. Even before coming, she had plans to preserve some select original species of this world and make some kind of strange zoo with them. But to do that, she has to carefully select the fine specimens for each species.

To why she thought Theo was a fine specimen was due to his charm. Theo's charm talent was unique from other's in that it passes through species barrier. Meaning that even Calamity was affected by it, though only to a far lesser degree than a human would. And there was the fact that she was only able to come to this world because she held on to his legs. While she didn't feel grateful for him, it would be more fitting to spare him than anyone else.

But Theo didn't answer. He still focused all his attention on his prayer.

Calamity wondered that maybe her voice didn't reach him with the thick wall of ice surrounding him, but dismissed that thought. She was sure he heard him.

"Surrender, and I will let you and all your loved to live!" She renewed her terms.

But he still ignored her.

Calamity sighed. "Then so be it."

She smashed the wall of ice with all the might in her fist and it erupted in a fiery blaze.

The ice wall shattered, melted, and vaporized in the same instant, though after all the vapor blocking her vision was swept away ... another wall still stood strong in her way.

Calamity observed the still standing wall of ice with a look of confusion. With the power of her fist compared to the structural strength of the wall, even if there were ten layers of such wall, one full-power punch from her would be enough to destroy it all. Yet in practice, only one out of seven layers the dark elf erected had fallen.

Did she put some trick in there? She wondered. But it mattered not, uncovering Val's trick could be done at a later time.

Calamity then demolished every layer of ice with her fist, one by one until nothing left was standing between her and Theo.

When the wall of ice that blurred her vision no longer exist, Calamity finally saw Theo truly as he is. And realized what he was actually doing.

What Theo held in his palm was not just a simple charm of prayer, it was a legendary item capable of instant summoning. What Theo was doing wasn't praying to his god, it was a chant to activate the item.

Calamity wondered for a moment. What or who was he trying to summon that he was confident he could beat her. No, there was no time for thinking. Even if it just a bluff, she'll kill him before he could accomplish whatever he was planning to do.

Until the sound of his chant reached her ears.

Realizing that Calamity was listening to him, Theo smirked and opened his eyes. "....And the ember to fire. And fire to ashes. And ashes to ember-"

Her body shuddered. The chant was familiar to her, no, familiar was an understatement.

"Lord of fire, Lord of flame, by your blaze purge this world aflame!"

Taken aback by her surprise, she was unable to stop him in time.