Chapter 2: Blazing Flames

Thirty minutes. That had been the amount of time since Ifrit had begun to set the 14th arrondissement on fire. Each minute it went by, things continued to get even more chaotic than before. Even with the rest of the Miraculous Team, minus Panda Roux, showing up and helping out, Ifrit was giving them a run for their money. Not only he managed to tap into his powers, he had also caused the flames to spread even faster than before, reaching the surrounding neighbourhoods. Because of this, every single fireman in Paris was sent to the 14th arrondissement, in a clear attempt to prevent that part of the city from turning into ashes. From the sky, one could clearly see how the fire was spreading, without a pattern, and as time went on, the process continued to speed up. If nothing was done, by the time the Sun rose in the East, Paris would be a smouldering pile of ashes.

They had been attacking Ifrit, trying all kinds of strategies they remembered, but nothing seemed to work. He was just too unpredictable; too insane. And when he learned that he could create copies of himself that had the same insane laughter and the same insane will to burn anything they saw, and he hundreds of them, that was when they knew that their situation had put them jumping from the fire and into the frying pan. Because of this, Ladybug had no other option, but to split the team in two. One half to handle Ifrit, who had learned to divide himself, and whose copies were everywhere, burning things as they moved along, while the other half helped the firefighters, who were busy trying to put out the fires caused by those same copies and the real Ifrit, and evacuate the people that had been caught in that blazing inferno. It was a difficult decision, especially because they were beginning to feel exhausted from the fight, but the scarlet heroine saw no other option. Taking temporary refuge behind a turned bus, she told the whole team what they had to do.

"Chat, Carapace, Louve, Doe, Rena and Corbeau, you guys handle Ifrit. The rest, spread out and try to help out everyone you can, while also fighting the copies that guy has created." -Ladybug ordered them.

"You got it, milady." -Chat Noir told her, while also winking at her.

"You can count on us, like always." -Dragonfly said.

"Understood." -Forest Doe said.

"We won't let you down, girl." -Rena smiled at her.

"Don't worry. And you be careful as well." -Flamingo told her, with a smile on her face.

"Remember, don't do anything brash that might get you into serious trouble. We're not bulletproof, and we're certainly not flameproof." -Ladybug warned them.

"Yes, boss lady." -Carapace said. –"You know, you're beginning to sound a lot like my mother." -he joked, trying to reduce stress that was in the air.

"Well, maybe it's because I care about you, as well as everyone else, and I don't want to see you hurt, or worst." -Ladybug smiled at him. –"But seriously, be careful everyone. This guy's not kidding around. He's far more dangerous than we thought he is, and he's acting like someone's who's purely insane." -she said. –"Also, be careful of his copies. We already established that they aren't as powerful as he is, but they can still make a lot of damage.

Splitting up, both teams went to do what they had been ordered. Chat's team charged against Ifrit, intending to put a stop to him, while Ladybug's team spread out, each of the heroes going in a different direction.

There was smoke and fire everywhere, making it difficult to see where they were going, but even that did not stop them. If it was up to them, no one would die or get hurt that night. The first one to find trouble that needed to be solved was Arachnid. As he swung up a street, he noticed the firefighters who were trying to put out a fire, were having difficulties doing it, thanks to several of Ifrit's copies. Trying not to panic, the firefighters attempted to put out the fire, while also dealing with Ifrit's copies, which they tried to put out, using fire extinguishers.

"Look out!"

"These things are indestructible."

One of the firefighters had just sprayed one of the copies, when this one tried to jump on him. Tripping, he fell to the ground, as Ifrit's copy charged against him, laughing like a maniac, and willing to turn him into a piece of coal. Throwing the fire extinguisher at it, it did nothing to slow him down. He believed he was a goner, when suddenly, from out of the sky, Arachnid arrived to save the day. Using his lasso, he grabbed the fiery creature and with a well-placed kick, he blasted it into dust.

"Stay behind me! I'll deal with these things!" -Arachnid told the firefighter, as he got up and joined his teammates, behind the spider hero. –"I'm afraid these things won't die, by just spraying them with those things, guys. They only die if you use a magic weapon, like this one, or if you already have magic inside you! Lucky for you, I've got both." -he said, as he used his lasso like a whip against the fiery creatures.

Hearing the spider hero, all the firemen did as he told them. Not taking their eyes from Arachnid, they saw how quickly dispatched the enemies, making sure none of them had the opportunity to replicate themselves.

"And that's the last one of you!" -Arachnid said, almost without a breath, not realizing that he had failed to notice one of the copies, which had placed itself behind him.

"To your left! Watch out!" -one of the firemen warned him.

Listening to the warning, Arachnid turned his head to left and saw it. The last of his group, it was determined to kill the spider hero. Cackling maniacally, it tried to grab Arachnid. Jumping over it, Arachnid wrapped his lasso around it and while still in mid-air, he pulled it towards himself and punched it as hard as he could, disintegrating it. When he landed, Ifrit's copy was no more. Such a move earned him the praising of all the firefighters present, who applauded him.

"Way to go!"

"You showed them all!"

"You rock, Arachnid!"

"Thanks for saving us!"

"Don't mention it, and it was my pleasure." -Arachnid said, when he noticed something coming towards him at high speed. Throwing himself into the ground, whatever it was coming in his direction, went over him, hitting the fire truck on the side, before landing on the ground. –"This is getting a little out of control." -he said, as he got up and looked at what passed over his head. And to his surprise, it was Dragonfly, who had seemingly been used as a punching bag. There was a lot of smoke in the air, but he could still see her face. She had a couple of bruises over her left side of her face, as well as a busted lip. –"Dragonfly! Are you okay?!"

Hurrying to where Dragonfly had landed, Arachnid was followed by some of the firefighters. Kneeling by her side, he quickly checked her, to see if she was alright, only for her to refuse any kind of help. To his surprise, she was conscious, even after that kind of hit, and she was furious.

"I'm f-fine… I said, I'm f-fine! But that cheap copy of an Akuma who did this to me, is going to wish it never had been created in the first place!" -Dragonfly practically growled, as she dusted herself. One could see she was absolutely pissed. –"I'm going to turn him into dust… him, and all his buddies!" -she yelled, trying to let out some steam.

"W-What happened?!" -Arachnid asked her.

"I was thrown into a flaming car and it blew up, that's what happened! Luckily, I didn't get burned… much." -Dragonfly said. You could see a couple of spots on her back, where her outfit was slightly burned. –"Still, it could've been worst…. Sorry, but we'll have to leave the chit-chat for another time." -she told him.

"Take a moment to rest! At least, until your outfit is fully regenerated." -Arachnid told her, when he saw that she was about to zoom out of there. –"You're no good to anyone, if you're injured or dead, remember?"

"N-Not a chance. I've got a bone to pick with that creature… plus, I've left Flamingo on her own." -Dragonfly said, as she prepared to fly out of there. –"I'll see you in a bit!" -she exclaimed, as she dashed into the air, leaving Arachnid behind.

Dashing through the air, Dragonfly made her way to where she had left Flamingo battling Ifrit's copies. The two of them had been helping out the police evacuating numerous buildings, before the flames got to them, while reassuring the people that exited them that everything was going to be alright, when suddenly, several copies of Ifrit showed up, jumping around and laughing like crazies, while also shooting fire balls. Not taking any chances, Dragonfly told Flamingo to protect the building's entrance, as the remaining occupants exited it, while she herself took on the copies. These proved to be a lot faster than she thought, and it did not take long for one of them to blast her with a fire ball, in a sneak attack, sending her flying into a flaming car, which exploded. But what those flaming creatures and their wackiness could predict, was that Dragonfly was one of those people that when someone stepped on her toes, she would make them regret doing it, the hard way.

"Are you alright?" -Flamingo asked Dragonfly, as she saw her flying above her head.

"Y-Yeah, just peachy." -Dragonfly said, as she landed. –"What about you?" -she asked Flamingo, as she dodged the attack from one of the copies, just by a couple of millimetres.

"I'm okay. Shouldn't you try and rest for a bit?" -Flamingo asked her, after looking at Dragonfly's back, at the same time, she took out one of the copies with her cane

"No need. I'm feeling alright… dang it! These things keep replicating themselves like wildfire!" -Dragonfly said, as she threw her frisbee, hitting two of Ifrit's copies, which dissipated. –"I feel like we're battling a horde of Gremlins!" -she said, as she grabbed her frisbee.

"I agree. This is getting out of control." -Flamingo said, as she used her cane to dispatch three copies of Ifrit. –"I haven't used my multiplication power yet, because I wanted to save my strength for anything worse that could come up, but I think I'll have to use it." -she told her.

"I was wondering why you hadn't used it yet…. get down!" -Dragonfly warned the flamingo warrior, as she launched her frisbee and hitting a copy of Ifrit, who was about to grab the blonde from behind. –"I suggest you make a couple of copies of yourself, right now." -she told her.

"Right." -Flamingo asserted, as she used her power, creating ten copies of herself. –"Let's see if this balances things." -she said, along with her copies in chorus, which then began to fight

"No, go and use them to help evacuate the rest of the buildings in this street, while I keep them busy." -Dragonfly told her, as she dashed towards them, forcing them to go after her. –"Go on! Don't just stand there!" -she said.

"Alright. Kick their butt, girl! And be careful!" -Flamingo said, as she and her copies made their way to the various buildings, hoping to help with the evacuation.

Ladybug had just saved a family from the flames, by kicking the door to their apartment open, which had been blocked by debris, when one of Ifrit's copies entered in the apartment, through one of the windows and tried to burn her alive. Dodging its attacks, she took cover inside one of the bedrooms, closing the door behind her. Doing that, she hoped to gain herself a little time to think of a plan, even if it was just a couple of seconds. And a couple of seconds was what she gained, because the copy broke into the bedroom, and it was not alone. During the time she hid, the copy had replicated itself, and there were now three of them. Still, that did not scare her. Spinning her yo-yo, she took down two of them with a single move. Unfortunately, the third one was faster than she anticipated, and shot a fire ball at her. Without the time to dodge it, she placed her arms in front of her face, to protect herself from it, as the fire ball hit her. The force of the impact was enough to propel her against the wall. It was a nasty impact, but the worst was still to come. Using her yo-yo to attack the creature, this one grabbed the first thing it saw, in that case a shelf, ripping it from the wall, torching it up and throwing it at the scarlet heroine. The flaming shelf did not hit her, but it hit the wardrobe next to her with such force, that the wardrobe fell on her right foot.

"Aaargh, my foot!" -Ladybug screamed, as every pain receiver in her brain lit up like a Christmas tree. –"Y-You're going to pay for that!" -she yelled at the creature, furious.

Knowing that the creature was about to jump on her, Ladybug threw her yo-yo against the nearest wall. Ricocheting on it, the yo-yo went right through the creature, vaporizing it. But when it did, tiny flares that fell on the floor and bed, lighting them up.

"Oh, great. Just what I needed." -Ladybug sighed, trying her best not to panic, as she attempted to move the wardrobe from the top of her ankle. Using both her hands, she managed to lift the wardrobe just enough to get her foot from under it. Setting her foot as gently as possible on the ground, she tried to examine it, to see if her ankle was broken, by moving it just a little bit. –"O-Ouch… I don't think it's broken, but it's definitely hurt!" -she gritted her teeth, as she saw the flames burning the bedsheets and the quilt. –"I've got to get out of here, and fast, or otherwise, I'll end up a very crispy Ladybug."

She knew she could not stay there, or otherwise the flames would get her. On top of that, the smoke was beginning to make it hard for her to breathe properly. But getting out would not be as easy as she thought it would be. When she tried to get up, she realized just how exhausted she was. Even pumped with enough adrenaline to make her heart blow up, Ladybug's body refused to move. It took her all her willpower, while also ignoring the pain she was in, to get back up, and try to leave that place, before the flames consumed it. Grabbing what she perceived as a cane or a wooden stick that was on the floor, she used it to get up and to support herself, as she made her way out of there.

"I need Nino to take a look at this, but he's battling Ifrit… Maybe I should have had him come with the rest of us, who are dealing with the fire." -Ladybug thought to herself, only to realize just how selfish she was being right then. –"Don't be stupid and selfish, Marinette. You decided to let him stay with the others who are dealing with the real Ifrit, because he's far more dangerous than these copies of him, and if injured, they would need immediate care… it's just the pain in your ankle that's making you say these things." -she thought, as she –"Come on, we've got to get out of here… let's get out the same way that creature came in."

Making her way towards the broken window, Ladybug was beginning to get nervous. The fire was spreading quickly, and she was struggling to get out of there. Her biggest fear was that the ceiling would cave in, blocking any possible exit, and she saw herself trapped. Trying not to think about it, she continued to walk as quickly as possible. Suddenly, something came through the wall adjacent to the window Ladybug and Ifrit's copy had used to enter. To her surprise, what came through it was none other than Queen Bee, who landed on her back, on top of what used to be a bookshelf.

"O-Ouch… that was a nasty fall." -Queen Bee said, when she looked to the right and saw her injured teammate, as she tried to make her way towards her. –"M-Marinette?! Are you okay?!" -she asked her, as she sat on the floor.

"M-My ankle… I don't think it's not broken, but it hurts like Hell." -Ladybug told her.

"That's not good…" -Queen Bee said, when she felt something warm oozing down the left side of her face. Instinctively, her hand reached for her forehead. –"What the…I'm bleeding?!" -she asked, shocked, after seeing the tips of her fingers red.

"Wait a moment, don't p-panic. I'm coming." -Ladybug said, as she dragged herself to where Queen Bee was. –"Let me see that." -she said, as the blonde allowed her to check her injury. –"I think it's just a cut. No biggie"

"Just a cut?! No biggie?!" -Queen Bee yelled at her, as she placed her hand over the cut, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Calm down, and don't worry. Remember what Miss Bustier told us, when Nino bumped his head and he began to bleed like crazy from that cut he got?" -Ladybug asked her, trying to calm her down. –"The blood vessels on our head carry the same amount of blood as the others around our body, but because the brain needs more blood than most of the other organs, there are more blood vessels to carry blood on the head , which means if you get a cut, no matter how small, the number of blood vessels will be a lot more, than in another part of the body, so, a lot more blood will gush out." -she told her.

"What is this, an anatomy class?!" -Queen Bee asked her, irritated. –"Look at my hair! It's runed! I'll need to wash it and probably even dye it!" -she sighed in exasperation, as she imagined just how bad her hair was.

"C-Chloe… this is hardly the time for you to act all hysterical!" -Ladybug shot back at her, angry. –"Sorry. I didn't want to yell at you. It's this p-pain in my ankle that's making me talk like that." -she apologized to her. –"D-Dang it, this is hurting a lot more than before."

"Hold on, I'm going to get you out of here." -Queen Bee told her, as she wiped the blood with her arm, and got ready to carry Ladybug in her arms. –"Don't worry, there's an ambulance downstairs. I think… I think they can fix us up in a minute or two." -she said. She was about to carry her, when she felt a sharp pain on the back of her spine. –"Aargh…"

"What is it?!" -Ladybug asked her, worried.

"It's my back… but don't worry, I'll be fine in a second." -Queen Bee said, trying to –"That fall did quite the number on me... no, stop complaining! It's a just little pain! You have to get her out of here, before this fire gets the two of you." -she thought to herself, ignoring the excruciating pain she was in, as she noticed the flames getting bigger. –"Let's get out of here, so they can fix your ankle, and this cut on my head."

At the same time, two blocks away, multiple copies of Ifrit were attacking a group of police officers, that were escorting a group of people that had taken refuge inside a garage, which in the meantime was deemed unsafe, out of there. Like it happened with the firefighters, and even the paramedics, they tried to fight the creatures, by shooting at them, and even tasing them, without managing to hurt them, let alone, defeat them. Luckily, the cavalry arrived in the shape of Grizzly Bear, who attacked Ifrit's copies, using his brass knuckles, and allowing the police to escort the people out of there, while he continued to battle them. For every one of them that he defeated, two more took its place, but that did not slow his determination to take them out. Like it happened most of the times, when Grizzly began to fight, very few things would stop him, and those Ifrit-wannabees, like he called them, were not going to stop him. Using both his fists, along with the occasional car door or hood, that he ripped from cars that been trashed, it took him about three minutes to get rid of the last one.

"That should take care of them." -Grizzly Bear said. He was beginning to feel exhausted, but he felt that he could not show it. He did not want people to think that he was tired, especially when they looked up to him to feel secure, when in his presence. –"I hope there aren't any more of them around here. I need a little break and… uh-oh, that can't be good!" -he thought to himself.

On the other side of the street, a rescue mission was in progress, to save a fireman that was stuck on the second floor, when an explosion caused damage to a building's entrance, as the flames threatened anyone who wished to enter or exit the building. Two firemen were just waiting for the flames to subside, to enter, knowing that they would not have much time to find their brother in arms. When the flames weakened, they were given the order to go when. But as they were about to go in, the entrance's slab started to cave in, risking a total collapse. Grizzly Bear, who felt that they could need a little help, dashed towards it, and placed himself under the slab, securing it.

"Hold on!" -Grizzly said, as he uplifted the pillar above his head, stabilizing the building's entrance –"Okay, go on! Get in there! I'll hold this!" -he said, as the two firemen entered the building.

For what looked like an eternity, Grizzly held the slab over his head, as the firemen entered the building to rescue one of their own. He knew that if he dropped the pillar part of the building's entrance, or even the whole entrance could collapse. Taking long deep breaths, he focused on just holding the slab, while also hoping that they would hurry. Trying not to think about the time that was taking them, Grizzly kept an eye on the entrance, hoping to see the firemen. When they showed up, carrying the one that ended up stuck on the second floor, Grizzly thanked whatever God was out there for it. Once they were out, he knew there was no need to keep holding the slab. But just as he let go of the slab, the building's entrance exploded, throwing him a few meters in the air, before landing hard on the asphalt, which by then was so hot, that one wondered if it would be possible to fry an egg on it. The explosion had caught him off guard, but luckily, that was all it did. Other than having his ears buzzing, Grizzly was alright. Getting up, he looked around and saw that the firemen looked alright, given the circumstances. Probably a little shaken, but otherwise, alright.

"Guess nobody got hurt." -Grizzly sighed, as he dusted himself.

Grizzly had managed to help those firemen, but they were not the only ones who were in need of help. Three blocks away, another group of firemen were also having a similar problem. Unfortunately, their situation was far more serious. The flames had engulfed the building and even with two fire trucks fighting the fire, there was no sign of them weakening. To make matters worse, three firemen were stuck inside, along with a family of five, trapped on the fifth floor, and with no way out. The firemen that were on the ground, desperately wanted to enter the building to rescue them, but their chief had ordered them to stay put.

"We can't risk going up there. The flames are too strong."

"But we've got two of ours up there, chief! We've got to at least try!"

"That's a negative! I'm not going to jeopardize the safety of another man. I like this as much as you do, but there's nothing we can do. Going up there right now, with these flames, it's sheer suicide." -the chief told them.

"Then leave everything to me." -a voice was heard.

Turning their heads to the left, who else they saw, but one of the Miraculous heroes, in that case Antelope, standing in front of them. After helping some paramedics, who were having a rough time transporting a woman who was injured, to an ambulance, he noticed the commotion in front of the burning building and decided to help.

"Antelope."

"That's my name. And like I was saying, leave everything to me and my bat." -Antelope told them. –"I'll get whoever is stuck up there, out, before you can say "Antelope is the fastest thing in Paris", okay?" -he said, with a cocky smile on his face. Even when there was a threat, Antelope always managed to find a way to show his cockier side. –"So, tell me, how many are stuck in there, and do you know if any of them is injured or not?"

And while Antelope helped the firefighters, Chat's group continued to battle Ifrit, who was continuing to discover his powers, and using them against the heroes. Of all the battles they had fought, that was proving to be one of their toughest one's ever, not only because Ifrit was proving to be a strong opponent, but also because he was behaving like a raging lunatic, who made it almost impossible to predict what his next move would be. They had managed to drive him into the Parc Montsouris. Built by Emperor Napoleon III and prefect of the Seine George-Eugène Haussmann in 1875, that parc was one of the four large parks of the city of Paris. Containing a lake, a cascade, wide sloping lawns, roads perfect for jogging, as well as many notable varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers, it was a place of beauty, where people loved to go.

The heroes did not want to drive Ifrit there, because that meant risking burning the whole park. but they knew that at that time of night, the parc would be closed, and there would be no one there, who could end up injured or worst. On top of that, they were hoping that by fighting him in the park, they would give the firemen and the rest of their team, the time to put out the fires, before he reduced the surrounding neighbourhoods to a pile of ashes.

"Burn! Burn! Burn!" -Ifrit yelled at the heroes, while laughing maniacally and jumping around.

"Oh, no you don't you, matchstick! You're not going to burn anything else!" -Chat Noir said, as he used his staff to break open a fire hydrant that was near one of the park's public restrooms, whose water hit Ifrit, causing him to yell in pain.

"Nice shot, Chat!" -Corbeau Noire told him, as Ifrit continued to get wet.

Yelling in pain, Ifrit got tired of having sprayed on him and fired a fire ball at the fire hydrant obliterating it. The flames also fell on top of a few bushes, which Louve Grise quickly put out. Because of her powers, the others had decided that instead of fighting Ifrit, she would try and make sure that any flames or fire balls he threw at them, would be put out, that way preventing any major fire from starting. Unfortunately, Ifrit did not know that and did not care either, and

"You! Stop putting out the beautiful flames!" -Ifrit yelled at the wolf heroine, as he fired more fire balls against her.

"Sorry, but you're not the boss of me!" –Louve Grise said, as she dodged the fire balls.

"Burn! Burn! Burn!" -Ifrit continued to yell at her.

"Not likely, hothead!" -Louve Grise exclaimed, as she fired a couple of icicles against him, using her fans. –"You're not going to turn any of us into barbecue!" -she told him.

"Burn… you will burn, little wolf…" -Ifrit laughed, before spitting fire from his mouth, trying to burn the wolf heroine.

Using her ice breath, Louve managed to counterattack Ifrit's own fire breath. It was the first time she tried something like that, and even she herself was amazed with that move of hers. Seeing what was going on, Forest Doe took advantage of Ifrit's guard being down, and used her elemental arrows against him. Firing them, upon impact, the arrows turned into water, which hurt Ifrit, allowing Louve to stop her attack and temporarily retreat to a safe hiding spot, to think on what to do next. Seeing her teammate doing that, Doe decide give her a couple of more seconds, by attacking him head-on.

"Come and get me, you big jerk!" -Forest Doe said, as she fired another of her elemental arrows, hitting Ifrit. –"Now, you see me… now you don't!" -she exclaimed, as she used her invisibility power to disappear and reappear, thus making it harder for him to find her.

"You can run, but you can't hide… the flames will tell me where you are!" -Ifrit said, as he fired a few fire balls in the direction of the last place he had seen Forest Doe, who by then, was already somewhere else.

But Louve was not the only who decided to take refuge, to think on what the next course of action would be. Chat signalled Corbeau Noire to follow him into some bushes, where Carapace and Rena Rouge were both hiding. The fox heroine had been injured, and Carapace was trying to heal her, which was proving a little hard, because she kept moving around

"How is she?" -Corbeau Noire asked Carapace.

"She'll be peachy, once I finish healing her." -Carapace said. He had his hands over Rena's midsection, where you could see her outfit was burned, and that she had a nasty burn. –"Alya, I know it hurts, but please, try not to move, okay?" -he asked her with a kind and understanding voice,

"O-Okay." -Rena said, while taking deep breaths. –"Try to relax, Alya. And remember, you're in good hands. Nino knows what he's doing… plus, if it wasn't for him, you would end up with a really nasty scar on your abdomen." -she thought to herself, as Nino continued to heal her.

"Anyways, how's the fight coming along?" -Carapace asked them.

"We're not causing enough damage to this guy." -Corbeau Noire said. –"We manage to hurt him a bit, but then he managed to bounce back." -she sighed.

"I know. And the worst part is that we can only fight him at the distance." -Chat Noir said. –"Fighting him with our bare hands, that's suicide. Even with our weapons, I don't advise anyone coming near him." -he pointed out.

He had already tried to use his Cataclysm Bomb twice against Ifrit, but both attempts to hit him failed, because of the Akuma's speed and unpredictability. That alone had managed to drain him a lot, leading the feline hero to move a lot slower than when the battle begun.

"Maybe we should try and trick him!" -Rena Rouge suggested, as carapace continued to heal her injuries. –"My illusions haven't been much help tonight, because this guy keeps jumping around like had flees all over his body. On top of that, he managed to burn me." -she thought to herself, while feeling the healing energy spreading over the burn, like a soothing balm.

"I'm open to suggestions." -Corbeau Noire said. –"My shadows can't get to him, because of the brightness of the flames in his body." -she declared.

"He's weak against water and ice. Unfortunately, only two of us can produce such elements." -Chat Noir said, wishing Ladybug was there with them. In moments of crisis, she always had the best plans. –"It should have been you, who should have stayed to lead them in the battle against Ifrit, Marinette… I suck, when it comes thinking under peer pressure." -he thought to himself.

"If o-only Nathaniel was h-here…" –Rena Rouge said.

"Try not to talk either, Alya, please." -Carapace asked her. –"Just stand as still as you can. Another minute or so, and I'll be finished." -he begged her.

Hidden in the shadows, Madame Romani was watching as the fire continued to spread, and Ifrit handled the Miraculous Team. Usually, she would jump at the chance of killing one of the heroes, in particular, Rena Rouge, but given the volatile and unpredictable nature of Ifrit, she believed it was best for her to stay hidden, and wait for the right time to strike. Though her powers continued to grow, and she became more powerful each day it went by, she had learned never to strike an enemy head-on, unless she knew she could take it by herself, something that differed in her companion's fighting ways.

Observing the action, she knew that sooner or later, she was going to show herself and attack the heroes. She was not going to let Ifrit take all the credit for what would happen that night. Still, she was going to bid her time and wait for the right moment. And until that moment arrived, she was going to enjoy seeing the city burn.

"Look at all of this." -Madame Romani thought to herself. –"By tomorrow, Paris will be nothing but ashes, and those infernal brats will no longer be more than a memory. I really chose the perfect victim to be akumatized." -she congratulated herself.

"Indeed, you did." -Hawk Moth's voice echoed inside Madame Romani's head, catching off guard. –"Ifrit is making quite the damage… but he still hasn't gotten any of the miraculouses." -he told her, speaking the last part with an impatient voice.

"Do not fret, master. I am sure that Ifrit will get those kids' miraculouses." -Madame Romani told her master.

"For his sake, and yours, he better not waste more time and get me those miraculouses. Because if he fails, you'll be the one, who will suffer the full extent of the consequences of his failure. Remember that." -Hawk Moth warned her, as he ended the telepathic link.

Gulping, Madame Romani knew from experience that when Hawk Moth said those words, he meant every last one of them. And more than once, she had suffered punishments at the hands of her master, just like it happened with her fellow lieutenants, whenever they failed. The difference was that their punishments were a lot more physical, while hers were a lot more psychological. Hawk Moth made use of her own powers, and use them against her, flooding her mind with nightmares. Just thinking about it, it made her skin crawl.

"Tonight, those kids will fight their last fight. I will not go back to master Hawk Moth empty handed." -Madame Romani thought to herself. –"Let Ifrit have a little bit more fun alone, and then, I'll step in and finish one or two of the kids… I'll probably start with that Rena Rouge and her boyfriend. She probably thinks I don't pay attention to these things, but I do. I noticed how they both look at one another. They care for each other, and I might just use that to my advantage." -she mused about it. –"One way or another, their miraculouses will be on my master's hands, tonight. I'll make sure of it."

The heroes, minus Rena Rouge and Chat Noir, the latter who stayed behind to protect his friend, while she continued to recover, attempted one more attack against Ifrit, only to fail. Once again, Ifrit prevailed, making use of his formidable fire powers. While the heroes were beginning to lose steam, he was becoming stronger by the minute. Using his powers, he created a massive fire tornado, which began to spew flames everywhere, while also producing a strong hot wind that burned anything it touched. And as that happened, he continued to laugh like a crazy man, his hysterical, almost insane laughs echoing all over the place, piercing the heroes' ears, like fingernails in a chalkboard.

Laying on the ground, the heroes could hardly believe what Ifrit had done. As the massive tornado continued to grow, the hot wind it produced made it hard for any of them to get up.

"Okay, I wasn't expecting him to do that." -Forest Doe said, as she placed her arms in front of her face, to protect herself from the blazing wind. –"Let's just hope he doesn't have any ideas of creating more tornados like that one, and then sending them away." -she muttered to herself.

She had not finished that thought, when Ifrit did just what she had thought. Using his powers, he created three more fiery tornados, which did not take long to get as big as the first one he created. Looking at them, the heroes could not help but to compare them to massive moving towers of destruction, which destroyed everything in its path.

"I had to open my mouth." -Forest Doe sighed, as her eyes kept following the four tornados going into separate directions.

"Burn! Burn! Burn!" -Ifrit laughed maniacally, as the four fiery tornados continued to grow spewing flames in every direction, and burning everything that came into their path. –"Yes! Go! Purify everything with your scorching heat, my beautiful flames! Purify it, by burning it!" -he yelled into the air.

Seeing the tornados made out of fire, the heroes knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before that whole park turned into a gigantic blazing inferno, which would quickly spread into the surrounding housing areas, where the rest of the team was. Desperation was starting to creep into their subconscious and they began to believe that they might not be enough to stop that Akuma; not without resorting to one of their advanced attacks.

"There's only one way to beat this guy." -Louve Grise panted, as she got up and shook the bits of grass she had on her outfit and hair. –"It's time to unleash the wolves." -she said,

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" -Carapace asked her.

"Oh, yes, I am. For this, I would rather use "Operation Blizzard Storm", but because Chloe's not here, we'll have to go with the alternative." -Louve Grise told him. –"Let's use "Operation Who Let the Dogs Out", Nino." -she declared. –"And hope it works."

This chapter should have been uploaded almost two days ago. I blame my lack of free time lately. Still, here it is. Better late than never, that's what they say, right?

Not much to say about this chapter, except that initially it was going to end a little differently. As always, feel free to comment, fav and make suggestions for this or future stories.

Oh, and before I forget, you might want to check out Liehl-FerZ page on DeviantArt, where you can see the first redesigned kwami of this AU... the first one is Mikka, the wolf kwami. Be sure to check it out, okay?