Arisawa suddenly stretched out his arm, holding Akira back and preventing him from lunging forward.
Akira shouted in anger:
— Let me go! I'll kill him!
No matter how hard he struggled, Arisawa's grip was like steel. He wouldn't let go.
— If you let your anger control you, you'll lose. Stay calm, or this will be your end.
Akira gritted his teeth, clenching his sword so tightly his fingers turned white. Reluctantly, he sheathed Setsuna. His breathing was heavy, but his eyes still glimmered with rage.
— Alright… what's the plan?
Just as Arisawa opened his mouth, Kael yawned, looking bored.
— What's this? You're about to die and still wasting time?
Kael's expression suddenly changed; his eyebrows furrowed.
— Or… are you talking just to prolong your lives? Hah… you tricked me. I'll kill you immediately!
Beside him, Takeshi lowered himself to the ground with heavy steps.
— Finish them quickly. Don't keep me waiting.
Kael shot him a sidelong glare.
— Don't give me orders! Do you think you're strong?!
Takeshi replied calmly:
— I never thought I was weak.
Before Kael could respond, Arisawa stepped forward and shouted mockingly:
— What is this? Are you two starting a chat?
Kael's patience snapped. His eyes blazed with anger, and without hesitation, he lunged forward. His icy sword aimed straight at Arisawa. Just as it was about to strike… Kael's body froze. He tried to move, but his feet wouldn't budge.
Everyone stared in shock as Arisawa smiled faintly.
— You may step out now.
From the shadows of nearby trees, three silhouettes appeared. They extended their arms forward, creating a barrier. It was Kuronuma, Noa, and Makise.
Akira looked around in confusion.
— What… is happening here?!
Kael shouted furiously:
— You bastards! This… is a barrier trap!
Arisawa turned to Akira, calm yet sharp:
— Yes. As he said, it's a barrier trap. Noa has been strengthening this barrier since last night. We provoked them toward the palace, and the king led them right here.
Raiga, pretending to understand despite being completely lost, nodded.
— Nice plan.
Akira looked at Arisawa in awe.
— You're amazing, Master Arisawa!
Yui smiled and added:
— Truly an incredible mind.
But Noa's eyes burned with rage, staring at Kael as if she could pierce him with her gaze.
— You… killed Daigo!
Kael reluctantly turned toward Noa, sneering.
— Daigo? Who's that?
Noa's anger deepened, her voice like a storm:
— Fire Dragon Daigo… don't you remember?!
Kael paused, then a mocking smile appeared.
— Ah, yes. I remember. Killing him… brought me great pleasure.
Noa's fists trembled, ready to strike, but she forced herself to stay calm.
Takeshi, still calm on the ground, said:
— Kael… they ambushed us. What should we do?
Kael shouted furiously:
— You're asking me?! Is this your so-called intelligence?!
Raiga sighed deeply and muttered:
— Shut up already. You'll be dead soon anyway.
Takeshi looked up, curious:
— The barrier only keeps us inside. But… how will you kill us?
Arisawa laughed:
— Someone skilled with barriers can do much more than that.
Takeshi noticed Makise infusing the barrier with strange energy, slowly filling the space.
Moments later, the unknown energy reached Takeshi's leg. He jumped quickly, but a thin wound appeared.
Kael shouted in shock:
— How… are you still moving?!
Takeshi shook his clothes and replied:
— The barrier only blocks our exit. The one holding us is your ice. Why haven't you freed yourself yet?
Kael smirked coldly.
— I… thought it was my own ice.
Takeshi's eyes glimmered with wild intent as he looked at Arisawa.
— Crushing your body… will be my pleasure!
Kael shattered his ice, regaining freedom, and turned toward Takeshi.
— Hey! Leave at least one alive for me! How else will I have fun?
Takeshi's voice was dark:
— No… I'll crush all of you and scatter you into nature. At least then you'll serve a purpose.
Suddenly, ice shot up from the ground. The two roared and attacked outside the barrier.
Noa could no longer contain her rage.
— I'll kill you!
The attack had begun…
Kael and Takeshi's strikes echoed within the barrier, shaking the ground. Noa raised her ice, Makise sent waves of energy, and Kuronuma stabilized the barrier. But the two Volgraths' power was terrifying.
Every strike made the barrier creak and crack.
Makise frowned:
— This barrier… won't last long. We need to end this quickly.
Kael met the obstacle with a mocking laugh:
— Come on! Be stronger! You can't hold me with barriers like this!
Takeshi tested the barrier calmly. With every punch, cracks widened, and pressure increased.
Makise closed her eyes, focusing her energy. The light from her hands sharpened like a blade. The moment had come. She opened her eyes and released her attack. The energy wave aimed at Takeshi.
Takeshi let his guard down for a split second. The attack was about to land perfectly when…
From the sky, a green-haired woman appeared. She grabbed Makise's arm and lifted her into the air!
— Makise!!!
Akira and the others were in shock. The barrier's balance collapsed instantly. It cracked like shattered glass, then exploded. A massive wave of energy rippled outward.
Akira, Arisawa, and Noa were thrown backward. Yui, Raiga, and Kuronuma were sent flying to the other side.
The ground split apart, and smoke filled the air.
Kael clenched his fist in anger.
— Damn it! My brother sent reinforcements…
Takeshi laughed.
— For a moment, I truly thought I'd die.
Kael turned his gaze to where Arisawa had fallen.
— Plans are ruined. I'll deal with him. You handle the other one, Takeshi.
Takeshi moved to the other side with heavy steps.
— Don't make it last long. Sharing corpses isn't my thing anyway.
Kael was already in motion. The ground froze beneath his steps, ice cracks spreading everywhere.
Arisawa struggled to stand. Akira was to his right, Noa to his left. Both were injured, but still on their feet.
Kael spoke in a cold voice.
— Your plans have failed. Surrender now. Don't make me waste time.
Arisawa laughed.
— On the contrary… my plan was to separate you and eliminate you one by one. First you, then him.
Akira and Noa froze.
— So… that's why we're here?
Arisawa nodded.
— You both hate Kael. Together, we'll kill him.
Kael's face twisted. His pupils trembled.
— Am I… being underestimated? No… this can't be! I cannot be underestimated! This… this feels like back then… I'll kill you!
Kael vanished instantly. Akira and Arisawa tried to track him with their eyes, but failed. Arisawa instinctively raised his sword. Kael's icy blade suddenly appeared before him. He blocked the strike at the last second, but his arms stiffened.
Kael's power was beyond their expectations.
Arisawa pulled Akira back. Noa took a defensive stance as well. The three prepared for battle.
Akira held Sera's sword in his left hand and Setsuna in his right. The crimson energy of Setsuna flowed through his veins, glowing like fire in his eyes. Noa encased her body in ice.
Silence…
Kael roared and hurled a massive chunk of ice.
Noa formed an ice shield, but Kael's ice shattered it effortlessly. Akira cut through the spear-like shards with Setsuna, then threw his other sword toward Kael.
Arisawa immediately intervened. Using telekinesis, he accelerated Akira's sword and redirected the shattered ice fragments at Kael.
Kael enlarged his ice arm, smashing all attacks to pieces. In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Akira.
Akira couldn't react. The strike would have been lethal.
But Arisawa arrived just in time, pulling Akira back. Kael's blow landed on the giant mountain behind them.
The mountain split in two, half ice, half rock, reduced to debris.
Akira gasped.
— I… if that had hit me…
Arisawa's voice was sharp:
— You would have died.
Kael launched again. His body became increasingly covered in ice, forming a colossal figure. His speed slightly decreased, but his power multiplied. He attacked relentlessly with punches and icy strikes.
Noa could slow down the attacks with her ice, but could not stop them. The difference between Kael's ice and her own was like mountains.
Akira grew tired from overusing Setsuna. His knees shook.
Arisawa realized the situation was deteriorating. His eyes glowed with determination. He raised his hands toward the sky.
— Prepare yourselves!
Akira understood his intention. Kael launched his ice spears toward the sky, but they froze midair. A massive sphere of energy formed behind Arisawa.
Kael's eyes widened.
— What is this?!
Arisawa hurled the giant energy ball directly at Kael. The ground trembled, the sky quivered. Kael's icy defense shattered. The attack struck his body directly.
Kael's massive ice body cracked, shattered, and collapsed to the ground.
Arisawa approached him slowly.
— You pushed my adaptability… but in the end, you lost.
Kael laughed, a terrifying grin on his face.
— No… the battle has just begun. I will show you… the true power of Ice Chaos!
Kael slammed his feet into the ground, raised his arms to the sky, and shouted:
— Snow, fall!
Suddenly, ice rained from the sky. At first, it seemed like harmless snowflakes. Then, they grew massive. Thousands of icy swords rained down from above!
Akira tried to slash them apart with his two swords. Though exhausted, his blades glimmered. Arisawa used his last energy, telekinetically pushing away the falling ice.
Noa tried to convert Kael's ice into her own, but Kael's power was overwhelming.
The three realized: they could not win this battle from a distance.
They quickly closed in on Kael, launching a combined attack.
But Kael… was still far faster.
Even Arisawa's adaptation struggled to match Kael's speed. Akira, inexperienced, could not dodge all the attacks. Punches and ice strikes battered his body, leaving him bruised and bloodied.
Kael's roar, the crackling ice, and the collisions echoed through the forest.
And the battle… had truly begun.
After a while, Kael threw Akira and Noa to the ground. Both were out of breath, too exhausted even to rise. The only one keeping pace was Arisawa.
Akira tried to stand, knees trembling, body unresponsive. He realized… all he could do now was watch.
On the battlefield, only two figures remained: Arisawa and Kael.
Every sword clash shattered the ground, sent waves into the sky, and uprooted trees.
And both were laughing.
As if this life-or-death battle was not a battle at all, but a game they had long awaited.
Kael let out a hoarse laugh.
— I've never seen anyone so strong who isn't of Volgrath lineage.
Arisawa cracked his fingers, his eyes glowing.
— If all Volgraths are as strong as you… even this would be a challenge for me.
Kael's laughter filled the forest.
— You're too confident for someone about to die. Also… if you don't count him, I'm the second strongest son of the Volgraths.
Arisawa's brow furrowed.
— Who are you referring to?
Kael vanished in an instant, appearing behind Arisawa, his voice echoing like thunder.
— Focus on the fight! Entertain me a little!
Arisawa spun around instinctively, swinging his sword. Kael narrowly dodged, eyes widening. He realized something: Arisawa had grown throughout the battle.
In his mind: How could someone who struggled to block my first attack now almost fight me evenly?!
Arisawa lunged forward, weaving through Kael's rising ice with his sword, not giving him a moment to defend. He channeled all his energy into a single downward strike.
Kael formed a massive ice shield. The strike echoed, the shield trembled. Kael's hands stiffened; his defense began to crack.
— Interesting!
The shield shattered. Kael tried to retreat, but suddenly Arisawa appeared before him.
Arisawa's sword glowed like light. He poured all his energy into a single downward strike. The blade was about to reach Kael's head when…
The ground cracked, the earth split. But Kael's head remained intact.
Arisawa's hands trembled. Kael squinted. For a moment, he felt close to death.
Arisawa realized he had reached his limit.
Akira and Noa, watching from the sidelines, held their breath.
Arisawa slowly stepped back. His sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. As Kael readied an attack, foam began to pour from Arisawa's mouth. He was coughing violently.
All three froze in shock.
Akira scrambled to his side, straining with all his strength. Seeing the white foam, he remembered something.
In a low whisper, barely audible:
— …Drugs.
Noa flinched.
— Drugs? Akira… what are you saying?
Kael leaned over Arisawa, a look of contempt on his face. He stepped heavily, pressing his foot over Arisawa's head.
Akira roared in fury but could not move. His body had collapsed under the weight of battle.
Kael became serious, eyes fixed on Akira.
— So… you're telling me this man is going to die because of drugs?
Akira's eyes burned with fury. He shouted:
— He isn't dead!
Kael burst into laughter. Punching his ice, shards scattered everywhere. His voice echoed through the forest.
— Hahaha! That was truly entertaining…