"Come on, let's get this over with," Nagisa taunted.
"I will take him," Yumeko declared, stepping forward.
"Yumeko, no. He is a lot stronger than you. If you get hurt..." Sky said.
"It's okay, Sky. I can do this. Don't worry about me. I can handle myself," Yumeko assured.
"No, Yumeko. Let me deal with him," Sky insisted, standing in front of her.
"No, Sky, it's okay. I will handle this. He is not stronger than me," Yumeko protested, trying to walk past Sky, who blocked her way. "Trust me, Sky, I'm going to use Sylphira's Wind without possesion. This is a good opportunity to master it," Yumeko assured.
Sky was silent for a moment, contemplating her words, then nodded.
"Alright, Yumeko. But promise me you will be safe," Sky relented.
"I will," Yumeko promised, smiling.
"Good. I trust you, Yumeko," Sky said, smiling back.
"Hahaha. You are going to let a girl fight me, the great Nagisa Seafist. Are you sure you're a man? But then again, I wouldn't expect Aerithans to know manners; after all, they belong in the lower realms and are beneath us," Nagisa sneered, smirking.
"Shut up. Yumeko is the strongest here," Layla yelled, her anger flaring at Nagisa's insults. She knew Red Sky was stronger, but that wasn't the Sky she knew, but some sick and twisted version of him.
"Is that so?" Nagisa smirked.
"Yes, Yumeko is the best," Layla affirmed, making Sky and Yumeko blush.
"Layla, you don't have to," Yumeko stammered.
"Why not send the Fire General? He is from a realm, a kingdom higher than yours trash, but it's still weak and pathetic compared to Aquora," Nagisa taunted.
"If that's what you want," Fire General Kai said, stepping up, but Yumeko stopped him.
"No, I can do this. You guys have already helped a lot," Yumeko protested.
"Yumeko, he's really strong. Please, let me do this. I can handle him," Fire General Kai said.
"I can do this, trust me," Yumeko assured. "Plus, how am I meant to get stronger if I let others fight for me?"
'I have to do this. I can't be a burden for Sky,' Yumeko thought, a bit of red tinge creeping onto her face before she looked away and adopted a serious expression.
Fire General Kai paused, debating whether to push her further, then sighed.
"Fine, but promise me you will be careful," Fire General Kai relented.
"I will, I promise," Yumeko vowed.
"Thank you," Fire General Kai said.
"Well then, show me what you've got," Nagisa demanded.
"Yes, I will," Yumeko promised, stepping forward.
'I need to use Sylphira's Wind to take him down,' Yumeko thought as she clasped her hands together.
"Oh great Wind Spirit, please grant me your blessing and lend me your power," Yumeko chanted, praying to the Wind Spirit Sylphira.
A burst of green wind blew around her, and she began to glow green.
"Oh, a prayer to the Wind Spirit. I've never seen anyone pray to the Wind Spirit before. What is it like?" Nagisa inquired.
"Sylphira is a wonderful, kind, and caring spirit, and she will help me beat you," Yumeko said, her voice filled with confidence.
"You are so naive. I bet she is as weak as you and Aeritha. After all, we are the greatest Kingdom," Nagisa scoffed.
"You are wrong. Sylphira is the greatest and most beautiful spirit ever. And you are going down," Yumeko declared as she aimed her hands at Nagisa.
'This time I'm not letting Sylphira possess me but lend me her power. Let's see how long I can hold this form before the mental strain becomes too much,' Yumeko thought, remembering what happened at the Wind Temple.
"Wind Blade," Yumeko declared as a massive wind blade made of green Wind Aura formed.
"That's impressive, but not enough," Nagisa said, smirking but was shocked when the blade hit him.
'What the hell. It actually hit me. How the hell did she do that?' Nagisa thought, surprised. 'How did that hit me? In the Elemental War, none of those trash Aerithans or Ignarockians could even touch our clothes, let alone penetrate the pressure of mere higher existence.'
"Wind Tornado," Yumeko shouted, her arms crossed.
Nagisa saw a massive tornado heading his way and barely dodged, his surprise turning to rage.
'How is this possible? Is this the power of the Wind Spirit? Yes, it's got to be. The Spirits, as much as I hate to admit it, are equal in power. That means she right now, when using Wind Spirit's power, is equal to Terravale's earth spirit and Ignis's fire spirit, and the water spirit, which are on the same level and are higher than those Terravale monsters who decimated us in the war. But that means if this keeps up, I will lose,' Nagisa thought, realizing the severity of the situation. As he looked around, he smiled when he saw her teammates wide open and undefended.
"Water Shark," Nagisa chanted.
Yumeko looked at him, confused, and watched as a giant water shark flew towards her friends, who were wide open.
'Sky, Layla!' Yumeko thought, fear gripping her heart as she turned to them. Yumeko froze; she had the power to stop but fear of her friends dying kept her still.
"Fire Shield," Fire General Kai yelled noticing Yumeko frozen state.
A shield of fire formed, but the shark instantly broke through.
"No, Fire General Kai! Layla! Sky!" Yumeko screamed, unable to move but suddenly Red Wind erupted out of nowhere and sliced the shark into two.
Yumeko watched in shock as the two pieces of the shark fell and landed on the ground. She stared at Sky, who was now her worst nightmare, Red Sky, her mind reeling, wondering how he had appeared, but more importantly, if he had been protecting them.
"So my pathetic counterpart can't even protect his women and whoever this ugly old Ignarockian is. How disappointing," Red Sky taunted.
"What is happening?" Fire General Kai asked, confused. Sky was always respectful and polite, so seeing him change to such an arrogant person was a shock.
"Who the hell are you?" Nagisa demanded, angered.
"The real man here," Red Sky responded arrogantly. "Tell me, do you think you can get away?"
"Get away?" Nagisa asked.
"Get away with fighting my sweet Yumeko and almost hurting my sweet Layla. My women. My precious women whom I will destroy anyone that tries to hurt them," Red Sky snarled.
"What the hell," Layla shouted, angry at Red Sky's words.
"Quiet, woman. You know you are as good as mine. My stupid, weak, disgraceful side isn't in control anymore, and that nuisance Noboru Chikara isn't here, so after I'm done with this Aqouran idiot, I will take what's mine," Red Sky said with a lustful smile as he looked at her and Yumeko.
"No! Sky, please come back. I love you. I love the sweet, kind, and loving Sky, not the crazy and sadistic Red Sky. Please come back," Yumeko cried, her eyes turning normal as the green wind faded, tears streaming down her face. She was now no longer in Wind Spirit mode. Red Sky ignored her and turned to Nagisa.
"So, how about it, Aqouran trash?" Red Sky challenged.
"You have crossed the line. Prepare to die," Nagisa screamed, his aura erupting and turning dark blue.
"Bring it on, Aqouran," Red Sky said, smirking, his eyes glowing red.