Chapter 18: Sia vs Marinette

While the fight between Kate and Marion had just ended with Kate's victory, the confrontation between Sia and Marinette also reached its climax.

Sia raised her hand. Her fingers snapped, and immediately a barrage of steel balls erupted from her palms like a burst of machine gun fire.

But unlike last time, Marinette didn't try to dodge. She remained motionless, taking the full force of the assault. The projectiles ricocheted off her skin, deflected as if she were made of a metal harder than steel itself.

Seeing that her attack had no effect, Sia immediately changed her strategy. At his side appeared a watery figure with elegant forms, the spirit of water, Ondine.

Sia pointed her finger like a gun. The spirit's translucent cheeks puffed out, and the next moment, a supercharged jet of water shot out with laser speed. The water, concentrated in a beam of colossal power, hissed through the air. The pressure exceeded 10,000 bars—enough to slice through steel, pierce rock, and tear flesh to shreds.

The shot went straight towards Marinette.

But at the moment of impact, Marinette spun her gigantic disc with incredible force. The speed of rotation generated a violent wind, and she placed the weapon in front of her like a shield.

When the water jet hit the surface of the disc, it was instantly dispersed. The water, broken into fine droplets, deflected on either side of Marinette, without managing to reach her.

"Tch…"

Sia clicked her tongue in frustration.

This disc wasn't a magical relic. There was nothing special about it, except for its extraordinary durability. All of its effectiveness relied solely on Marinette's brute strength.

And that was the problem.

Sia understood who she was dealing with, an opponent built for strength, endurance, and sheer resilience. A wall of muscle and will.

Exactly the type of enemy that put her at the greatest disadvantage.

After the jet dissipated, Marinette grabbed her disc and threw it with all her might towards Sia.

Sia dove to the side to avoid the weapon. The disc, spinning at breakneck speed, followed a curved trajectory before returning to its thrower's hand like a boomerang.

"What? Is it already finished? After iron and water, don't you have anything else in stock?" Marinette asked provocatively.

She threw her disc again, which sliced through the air towards Sia, still half-crouching.

"I need you, Mother Earth!" Sia cried.

Behind her appeared the spirit of Earth, wielding a colossal hammer. He slammed it to the ground, and in a split second, a huge block of rock shot out from under Sia's feet, lifting her up with a jolt.

The disc cut through the stone like butter, pulverizing the rock mass. But thanks to this sudden elevation, Sia narrowly escaped the deadly edge.

She immediately caught her breath and positioned herself in the path of the disc, anticipating its return. She knew she couldn't stop him... but that wasn't her intention.

At the last moment, she dodged. Her reinforced gauntlets glowed, and with a precise gesture, she caught the disc in mid-air. Rather than resist its power, she matched its rotation, turning her body with the weapon to absorb its momentum.

The record accelerated. Every additional spin, every movement of Sia's body added more speed and force. When she finally released her grip, the weapon shot out like a scarlet comet, launched with tenfold kinetic energy.

A high-pitched whistle sounded. The disc, now faster and deadlier than ever, headed straight for Marinette.

But she didn't flinch. She didn't even blink. She simply held out her hand.

Clang!

His fingers closed around the edge of the disc, stopping its course The impact kicked up a gust of wind, her long hair flying in the wind from the released energy. The impact kicked up a gust of wind, her long hair flying in the wind from the released energy.

The disc continued to spin rapidly in his palm, vibrating like a circular saw ready to slice through anything it touched. Marinette held him without wavering, motionless as a statue.

Gradually the rotation slowed down, then stopped completelySmoke rose from Marinette's hand, burned by the friction, but her gaze remained icy. Smoke rose from Marinette's hand, burned by the friction, but her gaze remained icy.

"I admit that you don't lack imagination, but your little sleight of hand will be of no use to you. In the face of brute force, only greater force can prevail. No matter how many plans you make, they will all fail against a dominant force." Marinette said.

Sia took out her deck of cards, her gaze hard, almost trembling.

My only chance of winning lies in this card.

"Your name is Marinette, isn't it?" she said firmly.

Marinette, busy distractedly examining her fingers bruised by the record's stoppage, looked up.

"You said that only force can defeat another force. In that case... let me oppose you with the most powerful force there is. The force of nature."

Sia belonged to a rare lineage, the Elfae, a race living in direct communion with the world. Her power came not from her body but from the spirits themselves, embodiments of the elements.

"Fufufu… Are you going to play with your childish tricks again?" Marinette sneered.

She planted her disc in the ground and charged straight at Sia for a melee. Her fist sliced through the air, but Sia intercepted it by crossing her gauntlets in front of her.

"Hyahahahahaha!"

Marinette's hysterical laughter echoed through the mountain as she unleashed a torrent of blows. Each impact vibrated in Sia's arms, the gauntlets absorbing the infernal pressure as best they could.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The pace intensified, shards of metal flew. The wards were beginning to crack, the runes etched on them cracking under the strain.

Finally, Marinette fired one last blow, much more violent than the previous ones.

CRACK!

The gauntlets shattered, shattered, and Marinette's fist sent Sia flying backward.

Sia fell into the void, the stone bridge disappearing beneath her feet, the fatal fall awaiting her. But suddenly, a translucent bubble appeared, gently cushioning his body. The spirit of Water, Ondine, had just appeared of its own accord, without her having to summon it.

The watery sphere burst into bright splashes and Sia found herself on her knees, gasping, but still alive. Her spirits, bound to her by more than a pact, refused to abandon her.

"Thank you, Ondine…" Sia whispered to her mind, which nodded gently, her liquid gaze full of compassion.

The fight was nearing its end, and both opponents could sense it. Everything was going to be decided now.

Sia still had one last trump card, just one card to put on the table.

Her special relic, the Spirit Game, had always resonated perfectly with her. In her Elf form, she could freely choose the cards she summoned, call upon the spirits she needed, as much as she wanted.

But here, in this world… the rules were different. On Earth, cards were drawn at random. She had no control over their appearance. Fate alone decided.

 She could only draw four cards a day. Not one more.

She had already called the Earth Spirit to the amusement park. Then the Spirit of Water, during their fall from the plane. And finally the Spirit of Iron, at the heart of the fight against the Executioners.

Three cards.

He only had one left. The last one.

The outcome of the duel now depended entirely on this draw. His whole fate, and perhaps that of his companions, depended on what destiny would offer him.

Sia closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and placed her hand on the package.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she pulled out the card. A moment suspended, outside of time.

She finally opened her eyes... and when she saw the symbol on the card, a bright smile spread across her lips.

Marinette was the first to react. With a sharp gesture, she threw her disc. The air tore apart under the speed, rocks shattering like glass.

Sia dodged with the fluidity of a wave, carried by the spirit of Water who made her slide out of reach. At the same moment, the spirit of Iron appeared, erecting spikes and chains. Marinette parried the attacks, her disk crackling with sparks. 

Absorbed in dodging and countering attacks, she failed to notice where her feet landed. This mistake proved fatal.

A metallic rumble sounded.

A dull crash erupted beneath her. In an instant, a square of metal rose, four black walls bursting from the ground. Before she could even react, a massive slab fell on top of her.

"What?!" she cried.

Marinette was trapped.

She slammed her fist against the walls. The cage shook, but didn't give way. The walls, matte black and fearsomely thick, seemed designed to contain a ferocious beast like her.

Her gaze narrowed. She recognized this metal.

Kirail.

The same black steel from which his disc was forged. A rare metal, found only on Eldrath.

She gritted her teeth and, without hesitation, brandished her discus. She struck again and again, each impact deeply cutting into the surface. But despite its strength, the thickness of the walls remained an insurmountable obstacle.

Then she noticed the engraving. On the front wall, a face had been carved into the metal. There were two empty eyes and a mouth twisted into an evil smile. The opening was reminiscent of carved Halloween pumpkins. Too narrow to escape, but wide enough to see beyond.

And behind that metallic mouth, Marinette saw Sia.

"Seriously, haven't you come up with anything better? How long do you think this cage will hold me?" Marinette shouted, hammering the walls. The noise bounced back, heavy, like a menacing echo.

She stared into Sia's eyes, a predatory smile on her lips. That look didn't bode well. The predator would only release its prey torn to shreds. This was the code of the Avalon executioners.

"It's only a matter of time. When I get out, I'll crack your skull with my bare hands."

Marinette's voice vibrated with pure hatred. This wasn't a game or an empty threat. Sia remained cold, her features impassive. She felt the urgency in the face of such brute force; she had to resort to extreme measures.

"You're completely wrong. It was never my intention to hold you back. What you call a cage... isn't a cage. It's a Furnace," Sia hissed.

She slipped the last card between her fingers and tossed it in one fluid motion. The metal blade that formed the "mouth" of the wall captured the card. It rolled for a moment at the bottom of the box before coming to a stop.

Out of curiosity or defiance, Marinette squinted her eyes and tilted her head to decipher the illustration. A slender woman held the sun tightly between her palms. The figure seemed alive, as if the heat of the drawing pulsed beneath the varnish of the paper.

"You can go, Efrit," Sia murmured, her voice heavy with contrition and resolve.

Suddenly, the air in the cage vibrated. The card burst into flame, consuming itself in a blinding blaze. Embers shot out in all directions, and in the midst of the blaze, a figure took shape.

She was a slender woman, sculpted from fire and molten rock. Her hair, long and wild, rose like a blaze, dancing with the violence of the incandescent wind. His torso seemed encased in volcanic stone armor, cracked by lines of glowing lava. His eyes blazed with elemental rage. The fire spirit, Efreet, had just been born in this furnace.

The temperature immediately rose, insane. In a few seconds, the confined air reached 500°C. The walls of the cube were sizzling, already glowing. Marinette's leather suit was melting, shrinking into burning shreds stuck to her skin. Any ordinary person would have been reduced to vapor instantly. But Marinette still resisted, her muscles tense, her teeth clenched, her breathing hoarse.

The "smile" cut into the walls of Kirail let air through, allowing the flames to breathe, and transforming this prison into a veritable oven. It was not a mere cage but a combustion chamber, designed to contain and amplify Efrit's fury.

Every breath Marinette took burned her throat, every movement made her skin crack as if it were burning from the inside out. Yet her gaze did not waver. She stared at the fiery figure before her with icy hatred, refusing to bend.

Marinette's mechanical resistance was very high, so Sia decided to test her tolerance to heat and fire.

The fire spirit, Efrit, contracted in on himself. The flames that made up his body twisted and condensed until they formed a fiery sphere. From his burning body a massive ball of fire was born, like an incandescent star.

Confined in the metal box, this “miniature sun” caused the temperature to rise sharply to unimaginable levels. In an instant, the heat reached over 15 000°C, quickly exceeding the melting point of Kirail.

Heat so intense it made the black metal of Eldrath scream. Kirail, renowned as one of the strongest metals in the world, began to twist and liquefy in places.

Outside, Sia watched. Her breath was short, her gaze fixed on the cube, which vibrated like a pressurized cauldron. She knew that even a beast like Marinette couldn't endure such hell. This time, she was sure she had found the flaw.

Outside, Sia watched. Her breath was short, her gaze fixed on the cube, which vibrated like a pressurized cauldron. She knew that even a monster like Marinette couldn't endure such hell. This time, she was sure she had found the flaw.

Marinette's agonized scream echoed one last time... then died away, her body consumed by the flames.

The glowing red light filtered through the cracks in the furnace, until Kirail's walls twisted and melted under the heat. The cube became a misshapen fire, swallowing everything.

Then silence. A heavy, almost suffocating silence.

Sia, panting but standing, placed one foot on the cracked floor. Around her, the spirits of Water, Earth, and Iron dissipated like a breeze after a storm.

"It's over..." she whispered, staring at the burning debris.

The box was nothing more than a blackened heap. Marinette had disappeared, engulfed by the sunlight. Victory was complete.