Rose and Wendy stood across from each other, the ground trembling slightly due to Face being only 10 minutes away from detonating. It was too late for either of them to turn back and they had to face this battle. Rose made the first move, darting forward with red flames flaring around her body; sliding to a halt beside Wendy, she stuck her palm forward while gripping her wrist to ensure steady aim. "Flame Palm!" From Rose's palm, a massive burst of omega demonic flames shot forth, aiming to consume and incinerate Wendy in its destructive wake.

Wendy mirrored Rose's movements, gathering an abundance of wind around her palm and while pointing it forward. "Wind Palm!" From Wendy's palm, a powerful torrent of wind shot out, colliding with the Flame Palm and exploding. Both females were sent skidding backwards and Rose could only look at Wendy with something of annoyance.

"When did you…" She started to question, but forgot whom it was she was dealing with. "I see…we did take and give a lot from each other, isn't that right…? No matter…I'm still going to destroy you!" Leaping forward once again, Rose formed a claw of omega flames along her hand and reared it above her head. "Omega Fire Demon's Claw!"

As Rose approached, Wendy spread her arms out, creating a magic seal underneath her feet. "Ile Arms! Venier!" Chanting those two spells, a faint glow washed over her body as Arms and Vernier activated, granting a significant boost in speed and strength. Using this speed, Wendy deftly evaded Rose's ensuing downward swing, which melted the ground in its wake. Wendy took to the cliff formation, leaping around the rocks to gain distance.

"Where do you think you're going!?" Rose snarled as her wings sprouted from her back. With a single push she kicked off the ground and pursued Wendy in the air. There was no escape; however this is what Wendy was plotting to gain the upper hand. The two were locked in high speed close combat, mini shockwaves booming out from the collision of their fists.

Wendy waited slowly for an opening…she knew how Cynthia fought so there was bound to be something if she just waited long enough…and there it was! Twisting her body down, she slammed her heel against Cynthia's cheek, creating a whirlwind of wind and omega flames to shoot from her foot. "Omega Flame Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

"Wendy! Eight minutes!" Carla warned.

"AAHHH!" Rose cried out as the whirlwind of elements caught her off guard and sent her spiraling backwards. Luckily for her, Rose was able to catch herself and flipped, planting her feet firmly on the rocks behind her. Flames erupted around her person and she shifted all that momentum to her feet to lunge forward at high speeds, slamming her skull into Wendy's gut for a powerful retaliation. "Sword Horn!"

"…!" Wendy's eyes widened from the pain and she felt the air knocked out of her lungs. She didn't have time to recover as Rose swung her leg down at her in a similar fashion, creating a torrent of red flames to crash down on her and send her rocketing to the ground. Wendy managed to stick the landing, but on a knee. "Ugh…"

"What's wrong?" Rose taunted while landing back on the ground. "More than you can han-" Even for Rose, what happened next was a surprise. Wendy didn't let her finish speaking and slammed a wind infused fist against her cheek with enough power to send her staggering backwards a few yards. "W-What the hell was that!? Wait, you don't learn do you? My curse…"

Wendy's body lit up in flames just as everyone else's did when touching Rose; however…Wendy showed no signs of pain this time. "…Your curse doesn't work on me…"

Rose's eyes widened at Wendy standing unfazed from her Curse. "H-How…!? It's that dual mode isn't it…? Is that why you…"

"Not just that…" Wendy shook her head. "But do you really think after all the time we've spent together, I wouldn't get used to the sensation of your fire? I admit…it hurt a lot the first time only because I wasn't expecting it…but because of this dual mode and our history, it won't work on me anymore!" Wendy sprang forward, giving Rose no time to react as cyan wind merged with omega flames trailed behind her finger tips. "Omega Flame Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy slashed Rose across the chest, the dual elements inflicting noticeable damage on Rose.

Wendy wasn't escaping that easily. Immediately after her strike, Rose retaliated with a firm punch to Wendy's face. Both were staggering backwards, nearly tripping over their own feet or large rocks in the process of regaining their footing. Once Rose secured her balance she reared her head back, beginning to inhale as her cheeks inflated slowly. "Roar…"

"Roar…" The sky dragon followed suit, inhaling just long enough to gather the necessary amount of magic required before letting lose!

"Of the Demonic Omega Flame Dragon!"

"Of the Omega Flame Sky Dragon!"

Both girls unleashed their respective roars: a large funnel of darkened red flames against a funnel of sky/flame. The two roars collided in the middle of the spacious cavern, struggling against one another for a bit before exploding violently. Carla had to hold onto something to prevent from being blown away. Once the wind died down she took a glance at the time. "Wendy…! 7 minutes left…!"

Wendy heard Carla loud and clear. Time was running out and she needed to finish this quickly. Taking to the air once again, she lifted her arms above her head, creating spiraling whirlwinds around her arms. "Sky Dragon's…Wing Slash!" Throwing her arms down, two whirlwinds emerged from her hands, corralling against Rose to inflict major damage while blowing her away. Omega flames were added into the mix to increase the overall potency of the attack.

"GR…." Rose growled while being pinned down by the fierce winds. When did Wendy get so strong…? She'd always been watching…but experiencing this was a completely different matter. For some reason it infuriated her and without thinking she opened her mouth and…started to consume the whirlwinds.

"That noise…" Carla's jaw dropped.

When Rose finished consuming the wind, a similar aura to Wendy's wrapped around her body, although dark red crystal scales formed along her wrists, ankles, and on her back in the form of little wings. "…."

"A-Ah…" Wendy couldn't believe it! Of all the time's for Cynthia to eat her magic…now!?

"Hmm…." Rose stared at this new power before giggling to herself. "I didn't think it would actually work…but I suppose I know you too well, too. Though it's kinda of pointless when magic is ending in six and a half minutes…I'll give it a shot though." Spreading her arms out, a similar magic seal formed under her feet. "Arms! Armor! Vernier!" That's right; Rose now had access to Wendy's three support spells while in her Omega Sky Flame mode. A glow washed over her body and she gained a noticeable increase in speed, defense, and offense!

"This isn't good…" Wendy muttered.

Rose's speed was unbelievable with Vernier active! She closed the gap between herself and Wendy within a heartbeat, slamming her fiery leg into the sky dragon's side with more than enough force to send her flying. "Oh, you're not getting away from me so easily!" Rose grinned sadistically before leaping after Wendy. She aimed a punch at Wendy's face, but Wendy was fast enough to recover and deflect the punch with her arm. "Ah…!"

"Roar!" Unleashing yet another roar, the sky dragon managed to blow Rose backwards a noticeable distance! Keeping the assault up, she recovered and pursed without haste! While Rose was fast…Wendy was simply faster! She slipped behind Rose and crossed her arms, causing a vicious tornado to materialize where Rose stood, aiming to sweep her opponent off her feet. "Sky Dragon's Wind Wave!"

Rose was indeed trapped within Wendy's vicious vortex. A few seconds passed before an eruption of flame occurred within the tornado, completely drawing all the wind to her due to the intensity of the flames she gave off. "Gh! You're an annoying little pest, damn it!"

Not letting the words get to her, Wendy continued to strike while she could. Leaping into the air, the sky fairy stuck her leg out as wind wrapped around it, diving towards Rose with all her might. "Sky Arrow!"

Rose brought up one arm, cringing at Wendy's foot collided against it. The ground under her feet caved in slightly, but this close range allowed her to strike! Rose gripped Wendy's leg with her free hand and violently tossed her to the side. She then proceeded to inhale, gathering wind and flames within a miniature vortex around her mouth. "Roar…of the Omega Sky Flame Dragon!" Lurching forward, she unleashed a massive vortex of flames and wind towards Wendy!

Unfortunately for Wendy, she didn't have any time to dodge! So she planted her feet into the ground and crossed her arms, letting out a yelp of pain as the roar completely overwhelmed her! She didn't fly back or anything…but when the dust settled her arms were scorched, her body was covered in burn marks and her clothing was charred in various places. Falling to a knee, Omega Flame Sky dispersed along with Arms and Vernier since she didn't have the energy to keep them up for much longer. "Agh…"

"I'm not finished yet!" Rose swiped her arm horizontally, creating three blazing spheres of demonic flame that appeared around Wendy in a triangle formation. "ArcBlaze!" These spheres circled around the sky dragon once before converging in the middle where a large splash of demonic flame occurred. Wendy let out a cry of pain and fell to the floor on her stomach, grimacing in pain. "Hmph…is that all you really had…? I don't know why I was expecting more…" Rose shook her head sadly and started to walk towards Wendy, forming yet another claw of flame along her hand. If Wendy had a few more seconds she could've forced her body to stand up again…!

"This is…" Was this it…? This is what Carla saw in her vision…the future that Cynthia was so afraid of: her killing Wendy. Was it at this moment that it happened? No…because Carla wouldn't allow it! "CYNTHIA! I WON'T LET YOU DO IT!" Without even thinking she sprouted her wings and flew towards Rose, crashing into her face just as she slashed down. The result? Carla tumbling along the ground with a claw-mark burn along her side while Rose was forced to stumble backwards.

To Rose, it all happened in slow motion. She was about to end things before Carla interfered! Why…why was she so surprised by this!? Her eyes were wide in shock and she just stared at the downed Carla, her hands trembling. "C-Carla…?! W-Why would you…!? You idiot! Did you think that was going to save me!? I'm not Cynthia, I'm not Rose…! So why…?!"

"Wrong…" Wendy coughed. Carla bought her the time she needed to stand up again. "You're name is Cynthia…and I'll keep saying it until you say it too…"

"Ah…." Rose froze for a moment as she had a flashback: A flash back to that horrid Fiore's End incident where she lost all control of herself. This exact moment occurred back then too…

"Your name is Cynthia. I'll keep saying it until you say it too…"

Those words always stuck with her. Those were the words that helped her cling to life back then…and perhaps even now. "Wendy…you…I can't let you…win…it's my…job…"

"Cynthia!" Wendy was finally back on her feet, glaring towards the girl before her. "I'll make you say it if I have to!" Arms spread apart, the wind in the cavern quickly beginning to pick up violently. "I'm going to win…I'm going to save the world of magic…I'm going to set you free! And in order to do that…I have to pierce through the darkness that has a hold on you!" A bright blue magic seal formed in front of Wendy as she twisted her body counterclockwise. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Shattering Light: Sky Drill!" Wendy's rotation created a barrier of wind to encircle Cynthia, and from the magic seal, a brilliant cyan beam of light shot forth, rocking towards her other half with every bit of strength she could muster!

"N-No…I…" Rose shook her head quickly. She spread her arms out, allowing omega flames to blaze around them in an uncontrollable wild fire. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Slash!" Rose once again drew in the winds around her and twisted her body counterclockwise, releasing a gigantic spiral of dark red flames that rushed towards the Sky Drill! The two attacks clashed in the center, struggling against one another for what seemed like ages. This was it: the final clash. Whichever attack one spelt the end for another and neither side planned on letting up. "Give…it up…I won't…let you win…!" The Crimson Slash slowly started to push back the Sky Drill. Just a little more and it would be over.

"I won't give up on you…!" Wendy's voice held nothing but firm determination. Everything she'd been doing had been all for this moment! The moment where she could finally set Cynthia free from the overwhelming darkness that consumed her during their time apart! "That darkness on you…I'll destroy it!" Wendy let out a roar akin to that of a dragon, putting for all her magic into her Sky Drill! The beam suddenly enlarged, completely shattering Rose's Crimson Slash and made a straightaway right for her!

"W-Wait…!" Rose's eyes widened at the incoming beam and she had no defense for it. A scream of pain escaped Rose as the Sky Drill pierced right through her, cutting through the cavern and continued for several kilometers before slowly dying down.

After Wendy's attack finished she fell to the ground on a knee, panting heavily while waiting for the dust to settle. "Ngh…D-Did I do it…?"

All fell silent. The tension grew thicker until the opposing female's shadow moved within the smoke. With a quiet chuckle…Cynthia stepped forward. Her eyes were still red, but one could easily notice that glint of life within them. "…I…I guess I should've been standing closer to Face, huh…? That would've simplified things…"

"Cynthia…?" Wendy felt her eyes watering. "A-Are you…?"

Cynthia nodded slowly, holding her arm while walking forward. "Y-Yeah…I'm okay…you idiot…I can't believe you'd go that far just for me…t-thank you…" To think that Wendy would be the one to break Cynthia's highest attribute: her durability.

"You'd do the same for me…" Wendy managed a tired smile.

"You remember our promise…?" Cynthia stood in front of Face, giving a firm nod. "I know you've got enough magic left…so please…hit me as hard as you can! I was an idiot for everything I've done…and it'll solve your problems with Face too! And if you hold back even the slightest bit I'll never forgive you, got it!?" Cynthia was completely serious. She didn't know what she could do make up for everything she'd done…but keeping a promise was a start.

"Okay…" Wendy didn't even object. This was something they pinky swore on long ago…so all she could do was gather the remains of her magic and…squeal as a large tentacle slammed just in front of her and Cynthia, causing them both to go on high alert. "A-Ah!?"

"Huh?!" Cynthia turned, grimacing in pain.

"Now now…." Ezel appeared with the barely conscious Carla in his hand. "This is too disappointing! I expected Rose to clean up here nicely! But that's fine because I get tasty little morsels from this!"

"Ezel! Put her down!" Cynthia demanded as a fiery aura wrapped around her body once again. She may have been hurt but she still had the magic to keep on fighting.

"Why should I?!" Ezel grinned, his razor sharp teeth shining brightly. "Face only has 5 minutes until it goes off! I can't let your wishy-washy attitude ruin this for us! So I'll slice and dice you both! This treasonous act will be cut apart by me."

"Don't tell me…was this a trap…." Wendy's eyes widened at the realization. It seemed that Cynthia had no clue about this set up either. Shaking her head, she dove at Ezel, only to get shut down immediately as he crossed his arms, etherious blades appearing to slice through Wendy and knock her down right to the ground! Before she could even move, one of Ezel's tentacles slammed down on her arm, keeping her pinned in place as she let out a scream of pain.

"Oh, that scream of pain was delicious!" Ezel laughed. "My curse slices through anything…so it wouldn't have even mattered if you buffed your defenses. It's all meaningless when it comes to me!"

"Ezel! Let her go! I won't let you hurt her!" Cynthia jumped forward with flames around her fist.

"That's rich coming from the girl who's been trying to kill her!" Ezel brought up his free bulky arm, allowing Cynthia's fiery fist to clash against that. Using his strength, he pushed Cynthia away, but didn't allow her to get so far as another tentacle wrapped around her leg and slammed her into the ground on her stomach, keeping her pinned there as well. "Unfortunate that you were able to clear your mission…you only had one job to complete…"

"Ezel…" Cynthia growled while trying to muster the strength to push him away, only to fail.

"Let…Carla go…" Wendy demanded.

"Let her go…?" Ezel stared at Carla before licking his lips. "I got a better idea…I'll show you two brats exactly where you stand." Slowly, Ezel opened his mouth while lifting Carla's head to his teeth.

"NO! STOP!" Wendy pleaded.

"Wendy…Cynthia…I know you can…" Carla never got the chance to finish for Ezel's sharp fangs bit down keep into her skull. The two girls could only watch in horror before Ezel spat from the taste and tossed Carla aside like the disgusting morsel he found her to be.

"Disgusting…" Ezel spat. That was it. That was the first and final straw needed to incur their wrath. That horror of watching Carla hit the ground near lifelessly changed into unrelenting anger. Red flames and wind exploded from underneath Ezel, forcing him to jump away to gain some distance near Face. "W-What the…!?"

Carla was fading out of conscious…but the sight she saw before her was enough to give her hope that everything would be all right.

Wendy and Cynthia stood next to one another, their eyes giving a reptilian vibe. Wendy's hair and eye color turned pink as clear crystals formed around her wrist, ankles, and on her back. As for Cynthia, red scales formed along her arms, legs, and cheeks. The Wendy/Cynthia duo was finally back, and in Dual Dragon Force. Their expressions? Nothing but unforgiving anger. Time until Face went off? Five minutes.

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Next Time: Our Promise.