The original pink-haired cat girl let out a soft laugh, breaking the deathly silence of the chamber. Her yellow eyes seemed to bore through the darkness, and her grin grew wider as if she relished the tension in the air. The dozens of purple-eyed clones surrounding her stood motionless, their blank faces betraying no emotion.
Her fingers rose, a graceful but controlled motion. The sound cracking in the room was from a particularly brilliant snap of her fingers.
Light swirled about her form, a mad dance of shining snowflakes that glittered with an unearthly pink light. Her tattered hoodie and scorched clothes just dissolved in the air as she was attired anew; the new garb she had been clothed in shone with elegance and power. Now, a winter-themed outfit covered the girl. Long pink hair flowed down her back, while the soft white cape rested on the shoulders, having fluffy fur trim on the edges. The cape blew as if it was a gentle breeze, with glowing snowflakes stitched in embroidered lines along its edges, and beneath it was this sleek, fitted dress colored in icy blue and accented with silvery sequences, all beaming with every move of hers.
And of course, her accessories now—like the dainty choker clasped round her neck and those thigh-high fur-lined boots—served to give her a bearing of regal command. She wore a pair of gloves, the fingertips glowing faintly with frosty power, caging each hand in supple leather.
The room's temperature dropped as she raised her arms, causing the frozen atmosphere around her to come alive.
She twirled elegantly and exclaimed, "Much better," in a smooth and humorous manner. She was followed by the snowflakes, which left a glittering trail in the air. "I was starting to feel something. inadequately attired for the event." Ame moved forward, surveying the girl's metamorphosis with narrowed mismatched eyes. Ame's increasing strength caused the air to shimmer, but even she appeared momentarily surprised at the cat girl's appearance.
Ame whispered, "Be careful," her red eyes glimmering. She's not merely flaunting herself. This is not the same thing.
As Nyana joined Ame, a controlled flame flared in her fists. "Tch. Although her stiff posture revealed her discomfort, she said, "I hate it when they get dramatic."
My body was still throbbing from the impact of our previous battle, so I stood ready. Her aura was heavier than ever, pressing down on us. Not only was her power great, but it was also purposeful and calculated, as though she had been holding back until now.
The cat girl's yellow eyes glowed brightly as she cocked her head. "Oh, stop being so serious. She dismissedively waved a gloved hand and said, "I'm just getting comfortable." "This is just the beginning, after all."
A sly smile flashed across her lips as she extended her arms above her head. "I appreciate you pushing me this far. However, we'll see how you respond to them.
She snapped her fingers, and the clones sprang into action, each racing toward us at breakneck speed. Chaos broke out in the room.
I was hurried by the first wave of clones, who moved so quickly that they were indistinguishable from the pink brightness of the chamber. Although I was able to block a barrage of blows by raising my arms, their strength was startling—much more than I had anticipated. A strong kick to my ribs sent me sliding across the floor when one of them feinted.
"Astro!" Ame's voice rang out, but she was thrown back into the fray right away.
In clusters of three or four, the clones attacked her with perfect coordination. Ame's purple and crimson eyes blazed with passion, and she used a precise balance of control and power in every move. Her purple eye crackled with energy as she swerved across reality itself, teleporting small distances to avoid blows. A flaming crack erupted beneath its feet as she brought her crimson eye to bear on a clone that lunged for her throat.
She shouted, "Crimson Torrent!" and sent out a surge of molten lava that ate up multiple clones.
However, they were rapidly replaced by others, and she started to feel overwhelmed by their constant attacks. One was able to seize her arm and force her to the ground. Ame winced, blood trickling from her temple as she threw the clone off with a burst of raw power.
With flames swirling about her fists, Nyana faced her own group and skillfully ducked and countered their assaults.
"Flare Impact!" Her flames scorched the floor of the chamber as she yelled and punched one clone hard enough to send it flying.
The clones, however, adjusted. One dodged her blow, another seized her leg, and a third struck her side with a luminous fist. Nyana let out a painful grunt and returned fire, burning two of them to the ground. Nevertheless, with their purple eyes shining with mechanical accuracy, the surviving clones pressed her harder.
"They're coordinated, damn it!" Fatigue setting in, she snarled, the flames flickering unevenly.
Once more, the clones struck, and we struggled mightily to repel them. As fatigue set in, Ame's teleportations became less frequent and her movements became sluggish. Nyana's flames waned, and even I started to falter, my punches becoming weaker.
I was slammed to the ground by a particularly violent clone that grabbed me by the throat. I tried to shove it away, but its hold strengthened, blurring my vision.
"Not today!" With a roar, Nyana threw a ball of fire that destroyed the clone and set me free.
Pulling myself to my feet, I coughed. I managed to say, "Thanks," but there was no time to relax.
Encircled, I struggled to keep up with the relentless speed and power of the clones. Instinctively, my body tried to block punches and kicks, although every block hurt my arms. I managed to punch one clone back with a well-timed uppercut, but two more seized my shoulders and threw me to the ground.
"Stop!" I yelled and spun loose, splintering one clone into pink shards with my whirling kick. But before I could catch my breath, another slammed its knee into my stomach, and I gasped.
They were too fast and too synchronized. My punches merely slowed them down, and their sheer numbers were intimidating.
"Starlight Rend!"
Reality broke apart around her when Ame's voice broke through the chaos. Several clones were torn apart and reduced to shimmering dust as violet rays erupted in all directions. Even though she was breathing rapidly and had blood dripping from her lip, she stood in the middle of the carnage, her mismatched eyes blazing.
Nyana took advantage of the gap to create a wall of fire so she could breathe. "How many more of these are there, Ame?" She yelled and threw a fireball at a different clone.
"Too many!" Ame yelled, avoiding a blow with a quick teleport.
Ame's mismatched eyes were brighter than ever as she raised her hands. "Astral Collapse"
An enormous explosion of heat and light tore through the surviving clones as a wave of violet and red energy rushed outward. The three of us were bleeding, bruised, and hardly able to stand when the dust settled.
The original cat girl grinned broadly and clapped once again. "Very impressive. However, I believe that's enough teasing.
The cat girl strode smoothly into the cleared area, her yellow eyes shining with glee as her words echoed like a mocking chime. She seems completely unconcerned by the destructive power we had unleashed. Her cape swirled as though the air itself was obedient to her presence, her hands resting on her hips.
"I must commend you," she replied in a smooth, even playful voice. Few make it through my brief introductions. However, regrettably..." Her smile got bigger. "You're still only at the entrance of my winter palace, so to speak."
The air grew cooler as a flash of power flared around her. The ground was covered with crystalline, jagged patches of frost. They looked like tiny, relentless teeth poised to bite as the frost's edges shimmered.
Ame muttered, "We need to finish this now," her violet and crimson eyes flashing to Nyana and me. She could already feel the blood on her temple starting to freeze. "We can't let her stall any longer."
Nyana nodded, flames flickering feebly in her hands. "I understand, but what's the play? She hasn't even made an effort yet.
I clenched my jaw and pushed my beaten body to its feet. "Together, we struck her. Holding back is over. I looked into their eyes. "All of our strength, full force. It will end if we give her a moment."
The cat girl cooed, "Bold," as if she heard us. A storm of snowflakes formed around her as she raised a gloved hand. "However, you have good reason to be desperate. I respect the perseverance.
With a snap of her fingers, the ground's frost sprang skyward in a hail of icicles, each one aimed precisely at us.
"Get moving!" Ame yelled and immediately teleported away from a volley that was directed at her.
Nyana roared, and her flames flared back to fiery life. She swept her arm in a wide gesture, catching and burning a few bits in the air. "Come on, Astro!" she bellowed with raging eyes.
I flung myself forward, dodging through the squall of icy missiles. Each step was heavier as the biting cold drew the strength from my limbs, but I would not be slowed. Gathering the last vestiges of my strength, I sprang at the cat girl, sending a punch flying toward her glowing yellow eyes.
Her expression didn't change. With a simple motion, she caught my fist midair, her gloved hand radiating a searing cold that burned worse than fire. "Predictable," she said softly, twisting her hand. Pain lanced through my arm, and she flung me backward like a ragdoll.
Before I could hit the ground, Ame appeared beside me, her mismatched eyes flashing. "Hold on." With a flick of her wrist, she wrapped me in a protective shield of violet energy, cushioning my fall.
Meanwhile, Nyana took the opportunity to close the distance between them. Her flames flared with renewed vigor as she hurled a huge fireball at the cat girl. "Take this!"
The cat girl smiled and raised her arms. A wall of glittering frost erupted in front of her, absorbing the attack and sending a cascade of steam and sparks flying in all directions. "You'll have to do better," she said, her voice echoing with mockery. "Then we shall," Ame snapped. She held out both her hands, and a sphere of combined crimson and violet light materialized. Air crackled around her as the sphere expanded, its might causing the chamber to tremble. "Nyana, get clear!" Ame shouted.
Nyana nodded, rolling away just as Ame unleashed the attack. "Astral Nova!"
The explosion was blinding—a cataclysm of light and heat that swallowed the room in a searing blaze. The force hurled me against the wall, so that for a moment all I could hear was a roar of energy and an ice-shattering sound.
When the light faded, the cat girl was left standing in the epicenter of it all, her cape singed but expression unchanged. She dusted off her gloves, her grin never faltering. "Hmm. Almost impressive." Her hand went up once more. This time, the frost made a single large sigil beneath her. The sigil was pulsing with energy. Its shape was complex—pink-and-white hues mingling in harmony. Its appearance seemed to thicken the air, and soon small tremors occurred within its room. "No," Ame whispered, her voice shaking. "She's calling something."
The cat girl cocked her head to one side. "I did say this was only the beginning, didn't I?" She snapped her fingers and the sigil flared to blinding light.
A massive form, in the shape of a monumental crystalline statue with a shape like that of a wolf, began to project almost imperceptibly from out of the center of the ideogram. Its eyes lightened at the same color yellow that the cat-girl had own, and it was perished in jagged ice around its body which blared with an unsettling luminousness. It gave forth one thunderous howl; quaking the walls and freezing all liquid in the chamber. Meet my little friend," she said, amusement in her voice. "Let us see how you fare against him."