The slime slammed toward Kai's face, but he clenched his fist and countered with a strike condensed in flame.
THUMP!
A deafening crash erupted, shockwaves blasting outward. Kai was hurled back ion the air, while the slime vanished, plitting into smaller, droplet-like forms.
Before he could recover, another slime struck his back mid-air, smashing him away again.
"What the.. ?!" Kai gasped.
As he tumbled, a looming shadow descended toward him. Panic flickered in his eyes . thud!'. but before the slime could crush him, Lumine darted past, absorbed the force with her sword. The impact was overwhelming, and the force sent her flying straight toward Kai.
"Ahhhh!" she cried out. Kai reacted instantly, catching her in his arms and twisting mid-air to land on his back, shielding her from harm. He quickly got up while holding her like a cat and observed her body. "Phew… nothing happened."
Then, a sharp flick of his finger landed on hie smooth forehead "ouch". he scolded lightly, "Don't meddle here, it's dangerous."
"Phmm…" Lumine pouted but obediently retreated behind him. Kai rubbed his chin, eyes narrowing as he watched the slimes leap to reposition.
"So… they have a certain attack pattern. Next, they'll charge at me again."
Flames could easily deal with them, but their aerial assaults were brutal, like being hit by a speeding car. Since they were composed entirely of water, Kai realized he needed to unleash high-intensity heat from a distance, avoiding the volatile reactions that occurred when his flames struck them head-on
"Now… let's end this with my last move!" Kai shouted, clenching his fist and striking a dramatic pose.
"Wooow!" Lumine exclaimed at his sudden declaration, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "What are you gonna do?"
Kai didn't turn back. "My special move," he replied coolly.
With that, he bent his front knee, brought both hands near his right abdomen, and shouted, "Ka… me…" The slimes lunged forward, closing in fast.
"Ha… me…" Lumine's gaze locked onto the space between his palms. A flame began to form, growing brighter as the surrounding temperature spiked. The heat forced her to step back, sweat beading on her forehead.
"Haaaaa!" At his final shout, Kai thrust his hands forward. The small flame erupted into a massive inferno, expanding outward and engulfing the three charging slimes in a sea of fire. Lumine dashed in the opposite direction to avoid the scorching blast and fell to the ground on her face.
When the flames finally subsided, Kai breathed heavily, scanning the battlefield. The sand had melted into molten glass, crystallized in jagged patches. Everything before him was obliterated, no trace of a single slime remained.
He turned to Lumine to show off his move, only to find her collapsed on the shore, face rub on the sand and the water wave splashing on her. Realizing he had overdone it, Kai rushed over, rolled her gently, and slipped his hand under her arm to lift her like a child. "Hey, you alright?" he asked with concern.
Instead of answering, Lumine gave an eye roll, pouted and began punching his chest repeatedly. The blows carried no real force, tickling him more than hurting.
"Okay, okay, sorry!" Kai coaxed quickly. "I should've warned you. But it was my first time using that attack, I couldn't control the power." The barrage of punches continued, faster now, as she ignored his apology.
'How should I coax her…?' Kai thought desperately. Then an idea struck. "How about… a packet of macarons and a can of coffee?"
The punches stopped instantly. Lumine looked up at him with a pout and demanded, "Ten packets."
Kai froze, speechless. 'Who's the child here…?' he thought, sighing in defeat. "Alright, ten. Just… please stop pouting."