The inferno surged toward Erick, the heat intensifying as it consumed everything in its path. With no time to lose, Erick sprinted toward the left wall. As the flames closed in, he kicked off the wall, launching himself toward Fury in a desperate maneuver. Anticipating her reaction, he rolled across the floor just as she switched her attack to her left hand. He rose swiftly from the floor on her right and fired a single shot at her head from point-blank range.
Erick knew his only chance was to stay close, forcing Fury into a physical confrontation where her flames would be less effective. He couldn't afford to let her touch him—her slightest touch could incinerate him but neither could he retreat. The shotgun blasts were his only defense, keeping her at bay while he maneuvered for the next strike.
Fury lashed out with a kick aimed at his head, but Erick ducked just in time, sidestepping the attack and firing again. Each shot he landed only seemed to make her angrier. Her patience wore thin, and in a burst of power, she struck the floor with both hands, shattering it and sending them both crashing to the level below.
As they scrambled to their feet, Erick taunted her once more. "If you win, you can kill me. But if I win, you're mine for six years." Fury's eyes narrowed, and with a wordless snarl, the windows around the White House exploded, sending shards of glass raining down. The temperature in the room skyrocketed to a blistering three thousand degrees, making close combat nearly impossible. Fury charged at him with a feral scream, her speed explosive and her intent deadly.
Erick dodged her attack, diving to his right just as a stream of fire followed in his wake. He grabbed a chunk of concrete from the debris and hurled it at her, but she incinerated it effortlessly. Erick closed the distance in a flash, aiming a punch at her, but she anticipated the move and kicked him hard in the gut, sending him crashing into the ceiling before he crumpled to the floor.
No time to recover. Fury was on him again, her foot poised to crush him. Erick rolled away just in time, springing to his feet. But she was relentless, tackling him at the legs. He hit the ground hard, but with a burst of strength, he flipped back onto his feet. She swung at him, but Erick flipped over her attack, landing nimbly and barely avoiding another devastating kick.
The battle raged on, Erick dodging and evading with the agility of a cat, landing precise, calculated strikes whenever he could. His moves were unpredictable, each one designed to keep Fury off balance. But her fury knew no bounds. She grabbed his leg mid-kick and slammed him to the ground, following up with a brutal kick to his ribs that sent him skidding across the floor.
Struggling to his knees, Erick winced in pain, his ribs screaming in protest. "Looks like I'm not going to own you after all," he gasped. "I can feel myself dying already. Tell me, do you enjoy killing?"
Fury sneered. "You think you're a hero because your monster remains dormant? You're desperate. Words are water; my flame cannot be put out. You will die screaming." She stalked toward him, seizing him by the neck and lifting him off the ground, watching as his skin began to sear under her touch.
Erick writhed in pain but refused to give in. With a grunt of effort, he crossed his forearms and hammered them down on her arm, breaking free of her grip. Before she could react, he slapped her across the face with such force that it left a burn mark on her dragon-scaled skin. Fury froze, momentarily stunned by the unexpected blow.
"Someone needed to bring you back to your senses," Erick said, breathing heavily. "Why are you mad at me, anyway? I didn't kill your friend—my friend did, because your friend killed his. In my time, it all started with you. Your jealousy went rogue, and people died. The government's scared, but we're not staying quiet anymore."
His words only fueled her rage. She kicked him in the stomach, sending him crashing into a wall. Erick fell, his body battered and broken, but he forced himself to rise once more. "You're just looking for reasons to be angry, to make yourself more powerful," he continued. "But being big and hideous doesn't make you a monster. It's what you do with that power that makes you one."
He staggered to his feet, holding his side. "Just because I don't turn my emotions into power doesn't mean I don't have them. I control them. That's what makes us human. You may think you know pain, but if you got inside my heart, you'd see—I'd defeat you every time, because my pain is greater. If you don't feel it, it's because I'm the shoulder to lean on, and I've trained my whole life to be just that."
Fury's flames roared higher. "You men are all the same," she spat. "The more charming you are, the bigger your ego. Let's see how far you run your mouth when I turn you as ugly as I am."
Erick smiled weakly, defiant even in the face of death. "You're so hot, it's infuriating."
With a final roar, Fury lunged at him, but Erick stood his ground, ready to face her head-on, his fate uncertain but his resolve unshakable.
The flames surged closer, filling the room with searing heat and reducing the space available for Erick to maneuver. Realizing that the fire would soon engulf everything, he made a split-second decision. He charged toward the left wall, leaping up and pushing off it with his right foot to dodge the incoming flames. With a burst of speed, he propelled himself toward her.
As she saw him approaching, Fury switched her focus, redirecting her flames from her right hand to her left, but Erick anticipated this. He rolled across the floor, narrowly avoiding the fire, and sprang up from her right side. In a flash, he fired a shot, the bullet grazing her head from point-blank range.
Erick knew he needed to keep close to her, within a range where she couldn't fully unleash her devastating flames. He had to force her into a situation where her only option was hand-to-hand combat, even though her touch was lethal, capable of turning anything to ash. He continued to fire at her, maintaining a delicate balance close enough to strike but far enough to avoid her deadly grasp.
After the shot, Fury retaliated with a swift kick aimed at his head, but Erick ducked and sidestepped, firing another shot. Each bullet only served to infuriate her more. She finally had enough. With a furious roar, she slammed both fists into the floor, shattering it and sending them plummeting to the level below.
As they scrambled back to their feet, Erick taunted her. "If you win, you can kill me. But if I win, you'll belong to me for six years."