Aishwarya lay helpless on the forest floor.
Her fingers clawed desperately at her throat.
She couldn't breathe.
Every attempt to inhale ended in failure.
Her vision blurred as darkness slowly crept into the corners of her eyes.
"So..."
Kamali slowly walked toward her with a cruel smile.
"This is all your determination amounts to?"
She suddenly kicked Aishwarya in the ribs.
THUD!
"Aah!"
Aishwarya rolled across the ground.
The moment she was thrown several meters away—
Air suddenly rushed back into her lungs.
"Gasp!"
She inhaled deeply.
Again.
And again.
Every breath felt like a blessing.
"My lungs..."
She coughed several times before slowly standing.
"What... was that?"
Her heart pounded violently.
"Why couldn't I breathe?"
Kamali continued walking toward her leisurely.
There wasn't even a hint of caution in her movements.
To Kamali...
This battle was already over.
Aishwarya raised her fists once more.
"I'm not done yet."
Kamali chuckled.
"Oh?"
The moment Kamali came closer—
Aishwarya's chest tightened again.
"...No!"
She grabbed her throat.
Her breathing disappeared once more.
Her knees struck the ground.
"I..."
She desperately tried inhaling.
"...can't..."
Nothing entered her lungs.
Kamali stopped in front of her.
"What happened?"
She tilted her head mockingly.
"You're falling again?"
Aishwarya forced herself to think despite the suffocating pain.
"Is this..."
Her thoughts raced.
"...her technique?"
Suddenly—
She pushed herself backward with all the strength she had left.
She slid several meters away.
The instant she crossed a certain distance—
"GASP!"
Air filled her lungs once again.
Aishwarya took several deep breaths before finally calming herself.
"So that's it..."
She stared at Kamali.
"I lose my ability to breathe whenever I get close to her."
Kamali smiled.
"You really think running away will help?"
Aishwarya ignored the provocation.
Instead, she began analyzing everything that had happened.
"My breathing stops only within a certain range."
She narrowed her eyes.
"There has to be a reason."
Then—
She looked down.
"...I see."
Kamali frowned.
"What are you planning?"
Without answering—
Aishwarya lowered her right hand toward the ground and quietly picked up several small stones.
At the same time—
She formed a fireball in her left hand.
"Take this!"
She fired it.
The blazing sphere shot toward Kamali.
Just before reaching her—
The fire vanished.
Exactly as before.
"You still don't understand."
Kamali sighed.
"It's useless."
Aishwarya fired another fireball.
Then another.
And another.
Every single one disappeared before reaching Kamali.
"You disappoint me."
Kamali continued walking toward her.
The distance between them steadily shrank.
Aishwarya kept firing.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Aishwarya suddenly noticed something.
The point where the fireballs disappeared...
Was slowly moving closer to Aishwarya as Kamali advanced.
"Hm?"
A smile appeared on Aishwarya's lips.
Kamali immediately became cautious.
Suddenly—
Aishwarya threw several flaming projectiles with her right hand.
"They'll disappear too."
Kamali didn't bother dodging.
The flames vanished.
Exactly as expected.
But—
Several glowing stones burst through the extinguished flames like bullets.
"What?!"
Kamali's eyes widened.
She barely leaned aside in time.
The heated stones shot past her face before crashing into nearby trees.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"What was that?"
Kamali immediately jumped backward.
Aishwarya had already launched another volley.
This time—
More blazing stones.
The flames disappeared.
The stones did not.
They continued flying at incredible speed.
Kamali dodged left.
Then right.
The stones narrowly missed her each time.
"So that's your plan..."
She frowned.
"You're using the fire as propulsion. The explosive force from the flames accelerated the stones before the fire disappeared. Even without flames, the stones retained their speed."
Kamali dodged every projectile.
Meanwhile—
Aishwarya quietly observed her movements.
"There..."
She noticed something.
Every time Kamali dodged—
Her entire body moved naturally.
Except...
Her right hand.
It remained almost perfectly still.
No matter how much she moved.
No matter which direction she dodged.
Her right hand hardly changed position.
"So that's it..."
Aishwarya smiled.
She reignited flames around both her fists and feet.
Then—
She rushed forward.
Kamali laughed.
"You still haven't learned?"
The moment Aishwarya entered the mysterious range—
The flames surrounding her limbs disappeared again.
"See?"
Kamali smiled confidently.
"You can't touch me."
But—
Aishwarya didn't stop.
She continued charging.
"...What?"
Kamali frowned.
"How are you still moving?"
Then she realized.
Aishwarya wasn't breathing.
She had taken a deep breath before entering the range.
She was holding it.
Aishwarya's fist shot toward Kamali.
Kamali blocked it with her left hand.
The impact forced her backward.
The punch was far stronger than expected.
She quickly used both hands to stop it completely.
Aishwarya smiled.
She finally released the breath she had been holding.
At that exact moment—
Her feet reignited with blazing fire.
"Flaming Wing!"
She spun gracefully.
Her burning kick crashed into Kamali's waist.
BOOOM!
Kamali was launched several meters away.
She rolled across the ground before stopping.
Smoke rose from the burn on her waist.
Pain shot through her body.
She slowly stood.
"...Impressive."
She stared at Aishwarya.
"How did you figure it out?"
Aishwarya took a deep breath.
"When I couldn't breathe..."
She pointed toward her own chest.
"I realized my lungs weren't receiving oxygen."
She looked directly at Kamali.
"So I concluded..."
"...that your Prāṇatability lets you remove oxygen from the surrounding air."
Kamali's eyes widened for a brief moment.
"You have an Air Attribute."
Aishwarya continued.
"And your pranatability allows you to erase oxygen within a certain range."
Kamali smiled.
"You're smarter than I expected."
Aishwarya nodded.
"But one thing still confused me."
She recalled the strange detail she had noticed.
"You activated your ability without making any obvious movements."
"That's why I used those burning stones."
Kamali remained silent.
"They weren't meant to hit you."
Aishwarya smiled.
"They were meant to make you move."
She pointed toward Kamali's right hand.
"While your entire body kept dodging..."
"...your right hand barely moved."
"I realized that hand was maintaining your technique."
Silence.
Kamali's expression slowly darkened.
"So..."
Aishwarya raised her fists again.
"I just have to remember your range..."
"...and hold my breath..."
She exploded forward once more.
Kamali calmly raised her right hand.
Her technique activated.
Aishwarya inhaled deeply before entering the area.
She held her breath.
Her fist raced toward Kamali.
Just as before—
Kamali caught it.
Aishwarya smiled.
"You made the same mistake."
Kamali smiled back.
"No."
Suddenly—
A burning sensation spread across Aishwarya's fist.
"...AAAH!"
She screamed.
Her skin began blistering before her eyes.
"W-What?!"
She desperately tried pulling her hand away.
Kamali's grip tightened.
She couldn't escape.
The burning grew worse.
Her skin slowly blackened.
Tears filled Aishwarya's eyes.
"It hurts..."
She struggled desperately.
"Let me go!"
Kamali laughed.
"You really are naïve."
Her smile widened.
"You figured everything out?"
She leaned closer.
"No."
"You figured everything wrong."
Aishwarya's eyes widened.
"W-What...?"
Pain continued consuming her hand.
Kamali looked at her with amusement.
"Did you really think..."
"...my ability erases oxygen?"
She laughed louder.
"How adorable."
Aishwarya's heartbeat accelerated.
Then...
"What exactly is your technique...?"
Kamali slowly moved her free hand toward Aishwarya's face.
The burning hand trembled helplessly in Kamali's grip.
Aishwarya's pupils shrank.
Fear spread across her face.
"N-No..."
She tried pulling away.
But she couldn't.
"Please..."
Kamali's fingers slowly approached her cheek.
A cruel smile spread across her face.
"If only your fist burns..."
She whispered.
"...that's no fun at all."
Her fingertips moved closer.
Closer.
And closer...
TO BE CONTINUED…