Nearby,
Blaidd and Rikushi thrust their swords forward, parrying and dodging with the grace of two legends. Sparks of black and pale blue erupted with each clash, dancing across the cracked battlefield like fleeting light running from the darkness.
Rikushi quickly parried Blaidd's heavy swing--catching the angle perfectly--leaving just a split second to counter, so he seized it. His blade thrust forward like a lance, slashing into Blaidd's side and drawing a cold mist mix of blood and ice.
With a smooth motion, Rikushi flipped backwards through the air and drew his second weapon--the Apostle's Blade--into his off-hand. The darkened edge of it shimmered with a burning white aura, pulsing with untold arcane energy and held together by chains and locks.
Blaidd growled under his breath, charging in. But as he neared, the tempo changed. Rikushi became a blur of motion--each strike of his blades hammering into Blaidd's defense like a hurricane. Cuts formed across Blaidd's wings, his legs, his arms, and his tempo. The crowd could barely follow it, as Rikushi had become a blur of light.
Then, just before the finishing blow, Blaidd disengaged--sliding back and closing his eyes.
Darkness was around him.
No sound, no wind, no pain.
Only the void--the same black room from long ago.
He opened his eyes inside it once more. It was like time stood still except for the dark room.
The same place where he had accepted the power of Boreas.
This time, he spoke aloud, voice calm and cold. "I know you're here, at the Arena Games, watching the very fight I'm a part of."
Heels clicked faintly behind him.
A spotlight blinked to life above him--trapping Blaidd in its center, while she--the woman--remained just out of its reach, her presence more felt than seen.
"I always knew you were more than what you seemed," she said, her voice echoing with a thousand-layered whispers.
Blaidd scoffed, clenching his fists at his sides. "I'm ready."
"Ready for what?" she teased.
"Skip the chit-chat," he snapped. "Just tell me already."
The woman chuckled--a sound as haunting as it was familiar. "Alright, you earned it, Mr. Frostwalker."
She stepped forward just enough for her hand to brush his chest, right where the ancient blade had once pierced him. It glowed faintly--as if something within it was waking up.
A pulse of heat spread across his body.
"This will keep your soul intact," she said. "So become as cold as you want. And put on a good show for us."
She leaned closer, just her lower part of her head being seen by the light.
"I'll be watching closer than the rest."
Blaidd closed his eyes once more.
And when they opened--he was back. On the battlefield where no time had passed, but everything had changed.
A cold mist swirled from his lips as he exhaled, his breath frosting the air. "Let's see how long you can last... before you freeze from just my gaze."
The feathers of his wings crumbled to the ground--shattering like glass--and in their place, massive crystalline blades of purple ice formed, jagged, but radiant. An ice crown formed above his brow, glowing softly in the frigid light. His eyes ignited in a vibrant, arctic blue.
"Augmentation of Sub-Zero." he whispered.
His sword, once formed of steel with icy edges, was now encased in glowing purple-ice, with a brilliant blue crystal heart at its center.
Somewhere, just out of reach, her voice echoed again:
"Go on, Mr. Frostwalker... show them how the King of Ice rules the lands."
Blaidd dashed forward.
Rikushi braced, trying to parry--but Blaidd's speed had changed.
He blinked--and the strike had already landed.
A deep slash ripped through Rikushi's left arm, forcing him to drop the Apostle's Blade, the weapon clattering onto the frost-covered ground.
Before Rikushi could react, Blaidd was gone again--then reappeared on his flank, sword raised.
Rikushi attempted to leap back, but his leg locked--frozen solid, ice crawling from his boot up to the knee in an instant.
"--Tch!"
The blade came down.
Rikushi howled in pain as another deep cut ran across his leg, forcing him to one knee.
Breathing raggedly, blood dripping from his wounds, Rikushi looked up--staring into the glowing blue eyes of the man that trained him.
Blaidd stood over him, the tip of his frozen sword now pressed against Rikushi's throat.
"You've lost, Riku," he said coldly.
There was no mockery in his tone--only the calm confidence of a man who had finally surpassed the magic-restrictions laid upon the mortals.
Rikushi chuckled under his breath, coughing once as frost clung to his shoulders.
"We're just getting started, B."
Blaidd's eyes narrowed.
The crowd went dead silent--watching and holding their breath--as two monsters stood poised to unleash the next wave of destruction.
And somewhere, in the shadows of the arena's highest seats...
The woman smiled.