The first guard's sword cut a line through the air, but Lif was already moving.
He met the swing head-on—not with steel, but with his arm—shoving the man's weapon arm violently aside. Before the guard could regain balance, Lif stepped forward, his shoulder twisting, his weight following through as his fist cracked into the man's visor with a dull clang.
The guard's head snapped back, boots scraping on the packed dirt.
"Lif—!" their father's voice was sharp as his hand clamped around Lif's arm. "Enough. Let me deal with this."
Lif didn't so much as glance at him. He stood rooted in place, the tension in his body like stone beneath his father's grip. The older man's brow furrowed; he braced his stance and pushed harder—but Lif's arm didn't move. Not even a shift of weight.
The father's eyes narrowed. That's… new.
The guard recovered enough to lunge again, blade rising. This time Lif sidestepped just enough to avoid the edge, pivoting in close. His right fist hammered into the man's side. The sound wasn't metal clashing—it was metal breaking. The armor plate bent in, the blow forcing the guard into a shallow gasp as the air was driven from his lungs.
Before the man could even think about retreat, Lif's hand shot up, clamping the back of his helmet.
"Stay down," Lif said, voice low and flat.
A knee rocketed upward, smashing into the chin guard. The first impact bent it, the second shattered it. The guard crumpled forward, collapsing like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
From her perch atop a tree branch near the courtyard, Liora leaned forward, her eyes following every movement with razor-sharp focus.
There it is… she thought, lips twitching into the faintest grin. That's the Lif I know. Precise. Relentless. But… her eyes narrowed slightly, …he's even stronger than I remember.
Two more guards broke from formation. One ignited his sword in roaring flame, the heat bending the air around him. The other's form bled into the ground, his body dissolving into shadow and vanishing entirely.
Lif's head tilted, tracking the movement. He didn't rush—he waited.
The fire wielder slashed, sending a crescent of blazing energy hissing through the air toward him. At that same instant, the shadow reappeared at Lif's side, sword already in motion.
Lif's boot slammed into the ground. Frost exploded outward in a perfect ring, creeping across the earth in jagged, crystalline patterns. The shadow guard's feet froze to the spot mid-step.
The fire slash cut toward Lif's chest—
—but he shifted, letting it whistle past, and closed the distance on the immobilized man.
His kick hit like a battering ram. Ice shattered, and the man went flying backward, armor screeching against the dirt as he landed.
The shadow fought to rise, his blade flashing. He swung for Lif's head—only for Lif's hand to close around the steel. The sword stopped dead in his grip, a faint crack running down its length before snapping clean in two.
The broken piece clattered to the ground.
Lif's fist moved in a blur. One strike to the jaw, another to the ribs, a third to the stomach. The guard staggered under each blow, eyes glazing.
Up above, Liora's smirk deepened. She felt the air between each strike
But then her ears caught something else—the sound of fire cutting through air.
Her gaze snapped to the other guard.
The fire wielder wasn't aiming at Lif anymore. His burning blade traced an arc—not toward his enemy—but toward Mary.
Their father spun, too slow. Mary's eyes widened, her arms flying up to shield her head—
—when a blur of movement cut across her vision.
Lif.
The fire slammed into his back, heat roaring, cloth and skin burning. The air filled with the sharp sting of scorched fabric.
Mary stared, frozen. "You—"
Lif didn't answer. His palm touched the ground, and a jagged spike of ice erupted upward, punching through the guard's forearms. His sword dropped uselessly to the dirt as the ice locked his limbs in place.
The courtyard fell still. The only sounds were the ragged breaths of the beaten guards and the faint hiss of cooling frost.
Lif rose, turning his gaze on Teris. "You gonna fight too? Or are you just here to watch?"
Teris smirked faintly, though there was no humor in his eyes. "Honestly? I thought the royal guards could manage you. Guess I overestimated them."
Liora shifted on her perch, leaning forward so far it looked like she might drop down at any second. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation, a thrum of excitement running in her chest.
Teris rolled his shoulders, mana shimmering faintly in the air around him. "Alright then… let's see if you're as dangerous as you think you are."
Frost spread wider at Lif's feet, crawling outward like a living thing. "You'll regret testing me."
Liora's grin spread fully now, her voice a quiet whisper only she could hear.
"Show me, Lif… show me all of it."