The air inside the Burial Room got hotter by the second.
yra stomped forward, fire flickering across her suit.
The chains on her back lifted like living things, curling and snapping with heat.
"It’s ti for you to die, Velvet Demon."
"Furnace Vein."
Her body glowed. Fla rushed through the suit’s copper lines.
Her strength and speed surged—boots cracking the floor as she charged.
CLANG.
yra swung both molten chains at once. The air whistled from the force.
Velra flipped back. Her body twirled smoothly midair.
Her steps left glowing pink trails—Trace Imprint activated.
The mont her foot touched the floor, it shimred.
She chose her first effect—shock.
yra stepped right into it.
ZAP.
Electric force burst under her boot.
She grunted and slid back, armor smoking slightly.
Velra landed lightly, smiling. "Let’s add more."
She dashed forward.
Her arms swept wide, and glowing trails followed behind.
This ti she used fire.
The second trace ignited just as yra raised her arm to block.
BOOM.
A wall of fla erupted behind her, blasting hot sparks through the air.
yra growled. Her chains lashed outward.
"Molten Chain Grip!"
The red-hot chains wrapped around the floor, chasing Velra like snakes.
One nearly caught her ankle, but Velra jumped high and twisted mid-air.
Her spin left a tight, glowing ring.
Another Trace Imprint, this ti with poison.
As the chain passed through, it hissed. The tal sizzled.
yra pulled it back with a curse.
"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped.
She was stepping back, trying to shake off the building effects.
"Dancing," Velra said simply.
"You heat up. I build traps. Let’s see who breaks first."
yra didn’t wait. She charged again, her body glowing brighter.
Her suit flared—heat pushing past safety limits.
"Let’s turn this place into an oven!"
She slamd her chains into the floor.
Vents blew open, and steam poured in every direction.
The heat rose fast. The lights flickered red.
Velra felt sweat roll down her temple. Still, her breath stayed calm.
She moved again, fast and quiet.
A sideways step left a glowing shock imprint behind her.
A low sweep of her heel left a long, poison line across the ground.
She jumped to the wall, kicked off, and spun in the air, releasing a fire imprint mid-flight.
Then she stopped, right in the center of her traps.
"Co get ."
yra didn’t hesitate. "You think I’m scared of tricks?!"
She rushed in.
One step—shock exploded under her foot.
Second step—poison triggered along her shin, slowing her slightly.
Third—fire burst beneath her.
yra scread and pushed through the pain, swinging both chains with full force.
Velra ducked the first.
She caught the second chain with her boot, kicked it up, and rolled beneath it.
Her hand touched the floor behind her. Another imprint.
Emotion trigger: confusion.
As yra turned to strike again, she stumbled—eyes flickering, grip uncertain.
"What—?"
"You’re burning out," Velra said quietly.
"And now you don’t even know where I am."
yra roared in frustration, lashing wildly.
The molten chains cut through walls and tearing into pipes.
Steam sprayed into the air.
Velra didn’t stop moving.
Every twirl, every spin—left behind a new imprint. Poison. Fire. Shock. Emotion.
Even just pressure—weight that delayed her opponent’s step, slowed her reaction, and made her flinch.
Finally, Velra launched forward and slid beneath yra’s stance, rising just behind her.
She tapped her shoulder.
"Trace loaded."
yra turned.
Five effects triggered at once.
Shock. Fire. Poison. Pressure. Confusion.
BOOM.
yra flew backward, crashing into a control pillar.
The floor plates cracked under the impact. Sparks rained down from the ceiling.
Velra walked forward, one hand resting on her hip.
yra groaned, trying to rise.
Velra raised her boot and stepped on her burned shoulder.
"You forged a prison," she said softly.
"But you were never ready for soone who already escaped one."
yra’s body sagged.
Defeated.
---
Velra stood over yra’s slumped body, boot still pressed against her shoulder.
That’s when she heard it—footsteps.
Multiple.
She froze, then crouched low, pressing her palm to the ground.
She activated both Agility Boost and Quick Step.
A breath later, she vanished from sight.
She blurred into motion, perched silently atop one of the bar hanging above the chamber.
From there, she saw them.
Heroes.
Six of them. Uniforms patched with Association crests.
Tactical gear. Professional stances.
They fanned out quickly across the floor, scanning bodies, clearing corners.
Velra’s eyes narrowed.
How the hell did they get here?
She spotted the lead. Stocky. Worn combat boots.
A familiar fla-emblem on the shoulder.
A Rank Hero, Blazren.
Velra’s frown deepened. Of all people...
Her eyes darted around. No exit in sight.
Until—she spotted it.
A large steam pipe, ripped half-open from the damage earlier in her fight with yra.
The tal had warped, but the tunnel beyond was wide enough—barely.
The steam had cooled. It was open. Exposed. And unguarded.
Velra smirked.
Sotis chaos pays off.
She dropped silently from her perch and made her way across the catwalk, hugging the shadows.
The heroes were too focused on the wreckage.
So were checking yra’s pulse. Others examined the cages.
No one looked up.
No one looked back.
Before slipping into the pipe, sothing caught her eye.
A file—tal-bound, heat-sealed—half-hidden beneath a burnt-out control panel.
She paused.
Trap?
She scanned the area—no active glyphs, no glow.
She knelt, snatched it fast, and slid it into the pouch on her side.
Her fingers grazed the surface.
One word on the label:
"All Bases Location."
Her breath caught.
She muttered under it, "What the hell is this..."
She turned it over, checking the spine.
"No encryption runes. No traps. Just..." She stared again.
"All base locations?"
Her voice dropped into a whisper, almost stunned.
"This can’t be real."
She tapped it lightly.
"Why would they leave sothing like this just lying here?"
"Were they transferring it? Was it ant for soone else?"
She shook her head, laughing under her breath.
"Doesn’t matter."
Her grip tightened around the file.
"Lucky ."
She started crawling deeper into the steam pipe, voice still low but colder now.
"I don’t know why they made this. I don’t care who it was for."
Her smirk returned.
"But now it’s mine."
She moved faster, away from the heat, away from the sounds of the heroes taking control of the chamber.
The Vantess web had just been exposed.
And she was holding the map.
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