Winter braced himself as Bael's three heads watched his every move, each orb of dark energy pulsing in the haze above the palace floor. The dance between them had become a war of attrition—Winter's speed and steel against Bael's relentless defense and traps.
He gritted his teeth, realizing he'd never close the gap in time. So he changed tactics.
Winter thrust both hands forward, unleashing a tidal wave of ice shards that filled the air like a glittering storm. "A thousand ice cuts!" he roared.
The shards screamed through the hall, detonating Bael's hidden orbs in a chain of thunderous pops. The air shuddered with each blast, purple flares lighting the shadows. Still, dozens of shards slipped through the chaos, forcing Bael to conjure a swirling shield of dark energy, his form blurring as he repositioned deeper into the palace.
Winter was relentless. He shaped his metal arm into a long, deadly spike, eyes cold and focused. With a grunt, he hurled it like a javelin, aiming straight for Bael's heart.
Bael retreated, orbs popping into existence behind him in rapid succession. Each sphere intercepted the steel spike, one after another, but the force of the throw sent Bael sliding backward, his guard nearly breaking. The spike clattered to the floor, missing its mark by inches.
Winter's chest heaved, eyes flicking back to where Kyo's body still lay. His allies—his purpose—he couldn't lose now.
He chased after Bael, pressing the attack. They crashed through shattered hallways, frost and shadow dueling in bursts of light and sound. Finally, Bael found himself at a dead end, the walls closing in, only one way out—through Winter.
Winter grinned, confident for the first time. "Cornered. Nowhere left to run."
But Bael just laughed, the sound echoing from all three throats. "You misunderstand, mortal. In here, you are the one who is trapped."
Bael's arms and hands began to move—fluid, unpredictable, almost hypnotic. The air thickened, turning viscous and dark, and suddenly, Winter was swallowed by a sphere of deep purple void. Everything outside faded into silence. Even the cold seemed muted.
Winter spun, eyes wide. The world was cast in a sickly violet hue, the ground and walls gone, replaced with endless swirling darkness. "What is this?" he demanded, voice echoing strangely.
Bael's forms shimmered into view, his heads wreathed in shadow. "This is my domain. Within my sphere, I can create as many orbs as I wish, anywhere I wish. No more setup, no more delay. Every attack is instantaneous, every trap already set. You have entered my ultimate trump card."
Winter's jaw clenched, but he was impressed despite himself. "Not bad. But I'm not done yet."
He conjured a fresh volley of icicles, ready to fire—but a dark orb erupted right in front of his face, detonating with crushing force. Winter crashed to the ground, vision spinning.
"Foolish," Bael's voices intoned, pity, pride, and cold humor blending together. "The only way out is for one of us to fall. This domain fades when only a single life remains. There is no escape, assassin."
Winter forced himself up, pain lancing through his body. He could feel the pressure, the weight of the domain closing in. He hesitated, refusing to take another reckless step. Instead, his mind raced.
Bael's three faces watched, one with a smirk, one with indifference, one with a hint of sadness. "Do you see now? This is checkmate."
Winter's eyes narrowed. He reached deep, tapping into the darkness he'd carried since Strider's spirit—all that shadowy power, the part of himself that terrified him most. He began to absorb the surrounding energy, drawing the shadows into himself.
Bael's heads nodded, almost respectful. "You know, endless darkness will drive you mad. Even I cannot survive it forever."
Winter grinned, wild and defiant. "You don't have an endless supply. I can take it."
He kept absorbing, but the pain grew sharp—his body twitching, nerves on fire. A monstrous screech tore from his throat, the darkness inside threatening to rip him apart. "THIS IS ALL WRONG!" Winter howled, barely holding himself together. At the last second, he forced the energy out, dispersing what he'd gathered.
Bael shook his head, pitying. "Enough games." Orbs detonated all around Winter, a flurry of crushing impacts that sent him collapsing to the floor, battered and broken.
The domain remained—Bael paused, actually surprised. "You're still alive. Impressive tenacity, but it's over. You cannot win here."
Winter coughed, blood on his lips. But he wasn't finished yet. From the ground, he concentrated all his dark energy into his hands—not to absorb, but to disrupt. He spun a tiny veil of darkness around his body, a swirling field that bent Bael's perception.
Bael hurled another orb—this time, it detonated feet away, missing entirely. Bael's three heads blinked in disbelief.
Winter slowly, painfully got to his feet, laughing hoarsely. "Didn't expect that to work... but I'll take it."
Bael's frustration boiled over. He spawned a dozen orbs, filling the domain with lethal mines. Winter flickered his veil of darkness, warping the field, forcing Bael to misjudge each attack. Orbs exploded all around, but none found their mark.
Winter, battered and wild, began to absorb the domain's power again—but this time, just enough to further distort Bael's aim. The air shimmered with conflicting energies. Bael, for the first time, looked afraid.
Winter charged, zigzagging through the chaos, each step a gamble. Orbs detonated, but none touched him. He shaped his whole arm into a massive spike of living metal, lunged, and drove it through Bael's chest.
Bael gasped, the three heads speaking as one, voice echoing with awe and defeat. "Well played, assassin. You... you surpassed all expectation."
The domain began to unravel, shadows peeling away, the world returning to the ruined palace. Bael sank to his knees, pride and resignation mingling in his eyes.
"Your resolve was greater. Your strategy... flawless. I am glad to have witnessed it."
With that, Bael collapsed, the last of his power fading. Winter stood over him, trembling, victorious but barely alive.
The domain faded, and for a brief, beautiful moment, Winter felt hope—and the certainty that the battle for their world was not lost yet.