Merciless

Claude couldn't believe his eyes as he saw the vortex hovering behind the mysterious woman. It was as if hell had opened its door on Earth and was ready to unleash its fury. The vortex was dreadful to behold, and the surface was covered in foreign, ancient runes, making it appear more imposing than any black hole picture he had seen on the internet.

The runes seemed to glow ominously, pulsating with a sinister energy that made Claude's skin crawl. The vortex itself was dark and menacing, swirling and pulsing with an otherworldly power that seemed to defy explanation.

Claude's mind raced as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. Was this some kind of portal to another dimension? A gateway to hell itself? Whatever it was, it was clear that the vortex was not of this world, and it was not to be trifled with.

As he stared at the vortex, Claude felt the surrounding temperature rise, and he began to sweat profusely. The heat was intense, and he could feel his skin burning under the intense gaze of the vortex. He knew that he needed to get away from there, but he was rooted to the spot, unable to move.

The vortex seemed to be drawing him in, hypnotizing him with its dark and foreboding presence. It was as if he was staring into the very abyss of the universe, and it was staring right back at him.

Claude could feel the ominous energy emanating from the vortex, and it seemed like it was about to unleash something onto the world. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of terrifying force lay within. Unlike a black hole that swallows everything that comes close, this vortex seemed to have a different agenda. It was like a gateway to another world, and whatever lay beyond its dark surface was undoubtedly powerful and dangerous. Claude knew that he had to stay away from it, but he was also curious to know more. What kind of entity was going to emerge from this vortex, and what did it want? The answers to these questions were undoubtedly going to be terrifying, and Claude braced himself for whatever was coming next.

As the vortex threatened to unleash its power, a sudden cry reverberated from within the confines of the bony walls.

"Pit Of Vengeance!"

At first, Claude doesn't understand what the suspicious man refers to. However, when he peered through the gaps between the bone walls, a shiver ran down his spine. Inside the walls, the soil wasn't just sinking; it had transformed into black, sticky mud. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and he could hear eerie whispers coming from the depths.

As he watched, phantom hands emerged from the mud, reaching out as if to drag the man down into the abyss. Claude's heart pounded in his chest as he subconsciously took a step back, feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

He could almost hear the whispers of the spirits and their twisted faces contorted with rage and malice. This was a place where the laws of the living world held no power, where the dead held sway over the living. Claude realized that he was in the presence of something far beyond his understanding, something that could drive a person mad with fear.

The man's voice trembled with fear as he cried out, "Arsonist! Little girl, you're an Arsonist, aren't you?"

"Oh, so you do have some knowledge implanted in your head," the black-haired woman replied sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. Her voice was calm, and there was a hint of amusement in her tone. It was as if she found the man's fear amusing.

The man's rage simmered just beneath the surface as he struggled to maintain a calm facade under her mocking. He knew that escalating the situation would only make things worse for him, so he tried to keep his emotions in check.

He was fearless, but he wasn't brainless.

The woman in front of him wasn't simple. Just her identity as an Arsonist was enough to support that claim. And that's the only thing he knew about her. Who knows if she possesses a powerful Enigma?

As for his trap illusions? She had systematically dismantled them all while he was preoccupied preaching his belief. The man couldn't help but feel a deep sense of regret for his previous foolishness. He should've avoided the bad habit of talking too much! With his advantage gone, he knew he had no chance of winning this battle.

There's also Pit of Vengeance constrained his movements, and the phantom hands that grasped at his legs made it difficult to move forward. He knew that the constraints would only get stronger the further he went, and even if he reached the edge, there was still a tall fortress he needed to climb.

That's when the man reached a conclusion. He needs to negotiate with her!

"Please, young miss, there's no need for hostility. We share a common power origin. Can't we forgive each other and go our separate ways?" His voice was almost pleading, and he sounded like a different person from the one who had been shouting earlier.

The woman remained calm, and her expression was inscrutable. She seemed to be considering the man's words, but the man knew better than to let his guard down.

"Now I'm your young miss?" The woman said calmly. She sounds unbothered and looks not driven by urgency, in contrast with the man's frantic attitude.

The black-haired girl's calm response only made him more nervous. He laughed awkwardly, trying to defuse the tension. "I apologize. I should've addressed you that way from the beginning."

'Damn it! This brat is playing with me! Hmph, just wait until I report to my master. I'll definitely mutilate you alive!' The man said maliciously in his mind.

"So, are you going to accept my offer, young miss?" The suspicious man pressed in hope.

After a few seconds, the black-haired girl parted her lips and emphasized the word rather loudly. "No."

As the black-haired woman spoke, her right arm swung down through the air in a commanding gesture.

Fwung!

Fwung!

Suddenly, a volley of fire arrows erupted from the vortex; each one wreathed in infernal force that threatened to devour anything in their path. The arrows were massive, easily as thick and long as motorcycles, and they flew through the air with incredible speed, leaving behind a trail of scorching heat and billowing smoke. As they struck the ground, they exploded in a shower of sparks and fire, sending chunks of earth and rock flying in every direction.

Claude watched in awe as the woman deftly controlled the barrage of fire arrows, her skill and power evident in every move. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of fear at the thought of what would happen if she ever turned that fury on him.

The suspicious man, on the other hand, was not faring so well. He howled in pain as the flames licked at his arms and legs, leaving charred skin and the acrid scent of burning flesh in their wake. He stumbled backwards, trying to evade the onslaught of fire arrows but finding nowhere to hide. The bone walls that surrounded him did little to stop the flames, and soon the ground around him was scorched and blackened.

"Damn it! What did I do wrong to you for you to treat me this way?!" he roared, his voice ragged with pain and anger. He was suffering from burns on his arms and legs. If there was a chef here, they might identify his limbs have reached a medium-well state and are not far away from getting well done.

"You're too noisy." The black-haired girl paused as if seriously pondering the man's question. "And... I have nothing better to do."

I got nothing better to do...

Pfft!

Claude couldn't help but chuckle at her bluntness, even as he marveled at her power.

"I got nothing better to do..." The man repeated softly.

Fu*k you! What kind of dogshit excuse was that?!

Even a thug had better excuses when extorting money from people! And a beggar had better lies when seeking sympathy from people!

The man was seething in rage, but under the bombard of fire arrows, he could do nothing but swallow his anger. Every time he opened his mouth, a billow of smoke would enter his captivity, damaging his lungs.

Therefore, he could only express his wrath by glaring at the woman with his bloodshot eyes. From the other side, the woman calmly returned the man's glare with a cold smile—the way her grin and mocking eyes almost caused him to go crazy.

"Just you wai---cough, wait! My mas---cough, my master and other members of The Wicked Order will revenge my death! If that happens, there won't be a safe place for you anymore on Earth!"

"Then I guess I'll have to move to Mars. I heard some scientists already stayed there." The woman replied with a deadpan face.

The man almost spewed out a mouthful of blood hearing her apathetic answer.

As for the man, he was livid with rage. "You...you...!" he sputtered, his words cut short as another wave of fire arrows rained down upon him.

The arrows struck the ground with explosive force, sending shockwaves through the air and lighting everything around him ablaze. He screamed in agony; his voice was lost amidst the deafening roar of the firestorm.

Claude watched in horror as the barrage continued, the arrows raining down upon the man with relentless fury. He had never seen anything like it, and he wondered if the man would even survive the onslaught.

Boom!

Boom!

It's not wrong to assume the vortex is the moving ammunition depot, judging by its destruction potential.

The vortex continued to unleash its fiery wrath, and the ground shook with each explosion. The fiery arrows turned everything they touched to ash, and the once lively pit was now shrouded in smoke and debris. The air was filled with the acrid smell of burnt wood, and the heat was almost unbearable.

Claude watched in awe as the fiery explosions continued to ravage the landscape, his eyes shining with exhilaration. Maybe he had accidentally hurt his brain, but he found the whole show stimulating. Despite the fear he had initially felt at the menacing illusion, he now found the whole spectacle to be absolutely thrilling. The intensity of the battle was unforgettable, and he couldn't take his eyes off the scene unfolding before him.

The firestorm raged on for another minute until the vortex finally closed. The entire pit was engulfed in an enormous cloud of black smoke, shrouding everything in sight. Nearby residents lit up their houses one by one, curious about the commotion that had disturbed the quiet of the night. They wondered what kind of fireworks had caused such a disturbance.

And when they saw thick black smoke rising from a particular place, they quickly dialed the police.

Claude, who was oblivious to these things, stared intently at the pit's center, waiting for the smoke to disperse. The infernal flames had already subsided under the command of the black-haired woman, but the nearby ground still emitted intense heat influenced by the firestorm.

The woman also gazed at the pit's center, her eyebrows slightly furrowed and her eyes narrowing into a slit. "Escaped, huh?" she muttered softly, but Claude heard her clearly. Right after she spoke, the bone walls crumbled in just a few seconds, leaving no traces behind.

Claude was left speechless as he witnessed the bone walls disintegrate before his eyes. The heat from the firestorm had yet to dissipate, and now the absence of the bone walls made Claude feel even more vulnerable and exposed.

He quickly stepped backward in fear of the extreme heat.

Just then, the realization of the situation washed over him, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He was alone with a woman who had just demonstrated incredible powers and who could kill him at any second. His mind raced with questions and fears, and his heart pounded in his chest.

He involuntarily glanced at the woman, hoping to get some indication of what she was thinking, but her slender back was what he could see. As he continued to watch her, Claude's thoughts became even more jumbled. He was caught up in something far bigger than he had ever imagined, and he had no idea how to handle it.

He had always believed in the existence of magic and the supernatural, but he had never expected to be a part of it himself. And yet, here he was, standing at the edge of a smoking pit with a mysterious woman who seemed to possess powers beyond his understanding.

'Crap, now that I think about it. I shouldn't have stayed here!' he thought to himself, his mind racing with possibilities. 'What if she decides to kill me to silence me? What if she wants to use me for some sinister purpose?'

'Should I at least say thank you to her for saving me? Or should I just run, considering such a mysterious entity like her would likely not want people to know their identity?' The questions swirled in his mind, and he felt paralyzed by indecision.

Finally, he made a choice. He decided that running was the best option he could afford, but he didn't immediately bolt because he needed to retrieve his phone first. He slowly and silently retreated, tiptoeing away like a cat after stealing food, hoping to avoid drawing the woman's attention. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he was acutely aware of every sound and movement around him, wondering if he would make it out alive.

'Hmm?' As the woman stood there, her attention was caught by the sound of rustling leaves nearby. She spun around to see what had caused the disturbance, her keen senses detecting even the slightest of noises. While the sound was barely noticeable to an ordinary person, her trained and enhanced ears picked up on it easily. Her eyes widened in surprise as she spotted the person she had saved earlier, slowly creeping away from her. She observed him closely, curious about his intentions and what he might do next.

From her vantage point, she could only see the back of his head and the grey and black striped hoodie he wore, but she could sense the tension in his movements. For a moment, she considered eliminating him, but as she glanced over at the bushes he was headed towards, she noticed that he was only retrieving his battered phone.

She let out a small sigh, relieved that she didn't have to deal with another potential threat. She watched as he tiptoed away, his body language betraying his nervousness. It was clear that he was still processing the events that had transpired and were unsure of how to proceed.

She didn't spare him another glance as she clenched her fist and cried out, "Explode!"