Three Punches

Without breaking her stride, Lunatic spoke in a voice as chilling as ice. "Three punches," she said, her tone devoid of emotion. "I only need three punches to defeat you."

Scarlett, caught off guard by the calm but chilling statement, narrowed her eyes in disbelief. "Huh, what a hunch—"

Before Scarlett could even finish her sentence, Lunatic moved. In the blink of an eye, she vanished from her spot and reappeared directly beneath Scarlett, her speed unnatural, almost unreal. Scarlett's instincts screamed danger as she looked down just in time to see Lunatic crouched, muscles coiling, pouring every ounce of power into her legs. The ground beneath her trembled from the sheer force she was harnessing.

"First punch!" Lunatic's voice echoed like a death knell as her fist rocketed upward.

BAMMmmmmm!

The impact was deafening. A thunderous **BOOM** tore through the battlefield, shaking the very earth beneath them. The force of the punch sent Scarlett hurtling into the air like a ragdoll, her body spinning uncontrollably. The sheer power of the strike seemed to warp the air itself, a shockwave radiating from the point of contact. If anyone had been standing too close, the sound alone could have ruptured their eardrums.

Scarlett's mind swirled in confusion as she was flung higher and higher, the world around her becoming a blur. The punch had been so fast, so overwhelming, she hadn't even had time to react. And now, her body soared upward, past the clouds, beyond the sky, breaking into the vastness of space. Her breath hitched as the atmosphere thinned and gravity released its hold on her.

Scarlett's eyes widened in shock, her thoughts racing as she floated in the infinite void. The cold of space bit into her skin, but it wasn't that which frightened her. the view below—the planet itself. From this height, the entire world was laid out beneath her. A massive, single continent sprawled across the surface of a planet three hundred times larger than Earth. The sheer scale of it looked both beautiful and terrifying

But as she stared, something even more unsettling caught her eye.

"what is that?" Scarlett's voice trembled as she looked beyond the planet, into the blackness of space. Something… something was out there.

Far away, several hundred thousand kilometers in the distance, two glowing balls of light hovered. They were soft blue, like gentle flames, yet something about them doesn't seem right. They spun around each other in a mesmerizing dance, quick and constant, but what she didn't understand was just how terrifying these glowing orbs really were.

Her heart raced as she squinted, trying to grasp what she was seeing. Though Scarlett wasn't a scientist, So didn't sensed the danger. These glowing orbs were no ordinary stars. They were **neutron stars**, each about the size of a city, spinning at incredible speeds—almost 70% the speed of light. In one single second, they circled around each other at least fourteen times.

The sheer speed made her stomach drop, but the true thing lay in what would happen **next**.

When two neutron stars crash into each other, the explosion would be catastrophic. The shockwave, known as a **Kilonova**, would be powerful enough to wipe out **her entire planet**, and perhaps thousands more like it. And yet, she couldn't tear her gaze away.

For now, though, it wasn't the explosion that captured her attention. Surrounding the two stars was something strange. A massive black sphere, even larger than the neutron stars themselves, enclosed them. It wasn't made of iron or anything she'd seen before. It seemed to be **absorbing** the energy from the neutron stars—their gravitational pull, gravity waves and their raw power.

Someone—something—had created this sphere. Some intelligent force, as advanced as or even more advanced than humans, was harvesting the energy from the stars. But why? For what purpose?

Before Scarlett could even process what had happened, another voice echoed through her mind like a dark whisper.

"Second punch!"

Her eyes darted up, Lunatic was above her, grinning with a twisted sense of satisfaction. In a heartbeat, Lunatic pulled back both her fists, combining them into one massive blow aimed directly at Scarlett's midsection.

Without warning, the punch landed squarely on Scarlett's stomach.

**BAM!**

There was no sound in the atmosphere, but the pain was undeniable. This punch was even more brutal than the first. Scarlett's body was sent spiraling upward, propelled by the force of the blow. Her vision blurred as her surroundings became a streak of colors. She flew higher and higher, but just as quickly, gravity dragged her back down. The force pulled her toward the ground like a meteor crashing to earth.

Her body tightened, every muscle bracing for impact.

BOOM!.....

Scarlett collided with the ground, the force of the crash so intense it was like a small nuclear explosion had descended on the battlefield. Dust and debris shot up into the air, and her body was buried deep within the shattered earth. The ground trembled from the impact, cracks spreading out from the crater she made.

Above, Lunatic descended gracefully, her malicious grin stretching across her face. She looked like a predator stalking her prey.

"This is not over yet, Scarlett Nova!" Lunatic shouted, her voice filled with cruel excitement.

Raising her fist, fire started to swirl around it, growing bigger and hotter with every passing second. The flames roared to life, twisting and writhing like a living creature.

As Lunatic reached the ground, she launched her final attack.

"Third punch!" she screamed, her fist connecting with Scarlett one last time.

**BOOM!**

The ground shook violently. The fire from Lunatic's fist erupted, growing into a massive fire tornado that spun violently into the sky. The flames twisted upward, piercing through the clouds, blazing so brightly it could be seen from miles—no, even **millions of kilometers away**. The entire battlefield was consumed by the raging inferno, and the fire tornado reached such heights that even the human kingdoms far beyond the demon realm could see it lighting up the horizon.

---

**Anastasia Kingdom…**

An old man stepped out onto the balcony of his grand mansion, his tired eyes gazing toward the distant demon realm. His hands trembled slightly as he gripped the railing, staring at the fiery tornado that had appeared on the horizon.

"First the earthquakes... and now this fire tornado…" he muttered, his voice full of fear and uncertainty. "Dear heavens… Just what is happening in the demon realm?"

....

"Huff... Huff..." Lunatic panted, her breaths coming out in ragged gasps as she stared at Scarlett's still body. Scarlett lay buried in the shattered ground, motionless. Her sunglasses, the ones that helped suppress her powers, were now broken, shards of them scattered around her.

Her eyes were closed, and there was no sign of movement. Lunatic couldn't tell if Scarlett was dead or simply unconscious. Either way, it didn't matter now.

Lunatic straightened up, wiping the sweat from her brow as she began to walk away, her steps slow and deliberate. The battlefield, now filled with smoke and debris, echoed her every step. She didn't need to look back. "You were my toughest opponent yet," Lunatic muttered, her voice low, almost reflective. "But this is the end." She sighed and unfurled her wings, the black feathers stretching out, ready to carry her away.

But just as Lunatic prepared to take off, she felt a sudden, suffocating pressure. Her entire body tensed as if an enormous weight had been placed on her shoulders, and before she knew it, she was forced down to her knees. Her wings faltered, collapsing back against her body.

"W-What is this...?" Lunatic's eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat. "Is this another demon king?" She trembled, unsure of the force that was crushing her. But then, a voice—familiar, powerful—cut through the heavy air.

"Fire, huh?" The voice was cold, authoritative. "You know, I'm pretty good with fire too."

Lunatic's blood ran cold. Scarlett.

Slowly, Lunatic turned her head to glance behind her. There, amidst the dust and wreckage, Scarlett was rising to her feet. Her purple hair fell in messy waves around her face, but what caught Lunatic's attention the most were her eyes—one red, calm as ever, but the other was glowing a brilliant blue, smoke swirling from it like a raging fire. Scarlett's broken sunglasses lay on the ground, and with them, the restraint on her power had shattered.

The aura that Scarlett exuded now was nothing short of terrifying. It crackled around her, wild and untamed, and despite her attempts to compress it, the sheer force of it was overwhelming.

Scarlett casually brushed the dirt off her shoulders, patting away the mud and grime from the battle. "I guess," she said, her voice carrying a dangerous edge, "you've finally made me serious."