The air in the alley was so cold it burned. Tora was a frozen statue, his eyes wide with helpless rage. Princess Krill was backed against the wall, trembling.
Yura smiled, his icy hand reaching out to grab her. "Come with me, little princess."
WHOOSH.
Something whistled through the air, faster than sound.
THUD.
A heavy iron sword slammed into the stone wall, just inches from Yura's face. Yura jumped back, his eyes narrowing.
"Who dares?" Yura hissed, turning toward the crowd. "Who threw that?"
"Up here."
The voice came from above. Yura looked up.
Standing on the hilt of the sword—balancing perfectly on one leg while the blade was still stuck in the wall—was the ragged man from the forest.
"Forgot me already?" The man grinned, looking down.
Yura's face twisted in anger. He recognized that messy hair immediately.
"Ethan!" Yura shouted. "You again?"
"The man from the forest!" Krill gasped, her eyes widening.
Ethan hopped down from the sword, landing lightly on the cobblestones. "I think it's time for Round Two."
"I won't let you leave alive this time!" Yura roared. "You are dead!"
"Let's see," Ethan said calmly.
Yura threw his hands out, unleashing a cloud of white Snow Powder. Ethan didn't even flinch.
"These little tricks won't work on me," he muttered.
ZAP.
Ethan vanished. The snow powder hit nothing but empty air.
Yura panicked. He slammed the ground. "Rise!" Fifty sharp ice swords erupted from the street, launching at Ethan from every direction.
Ethan was a blur. He teleported—left, right, up—dodging the blades by millimeters. He appeared in front of Yura, slashing with his iron sword.
SHATTER.
Yura's body broke into ice again. He reformed ten feet away, unhurt.
"Hmm," Ethan tilted his head. "Same trick as old times?"
Yura didn't answer. He was furious. His eyes glowed blue.
"This time... I am taking everyone!"
Yura's body dissolved into pure mist. The temperature plummeted. The ground turned to solid ice, trapping everyone's feet. The frost began to crawl up Ethan's boots. Tora and Krill were completely frozen in place.
"Freezing the whole street?" Ethan muttered. He looked at his iron sword. "Useless against ice."
ZAP.
He teleported to the roof of the Potion Shop to escape the ice on the ground. Looking down at Yura, he raised his hand. He placed the sharp edge of his iron blade against his own palm.
SLICE.
Blood gushed out.
But it didn't drip. It floated, swirling around his hand like liquid ruby. It hardened, extending into a long, jagged blade of crystallized red crimson.
The Blood Sword.
Yura reformed his body on the ground, creating a massive suit of Ice Armor and a giant crystal broadsword. "Let's use our most powerful attacks and finish this!"
"Fine by me," Ethan said, his face pale from blood loss.
He jumped, diving straight toward Yura.
BOOM!
Blood met Ice. The collision cracked the cobblestones. Ethan kicked Yura in the chest, sending him sliding back. Yura recovered instantly, sliding across the ice to slash at Ethan's back.
Ethan didn't turn around. He vanished.
ZAP.
He appeared directly behind Yura. The Blood Sword flashed red.
"It's over."
He sheathed his blade.
A second later, Yura's head slid off his shoulders.
As Yura's body hit the ground, the ice covering the street melted away. Tora fell to his knees, gasping for air.
But the winner didn't celebrate. The red sword dissolved back into liquid, and Ethan's face went deadly pale. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed forward.
"Ethan!" Krill screamed, running to catch him before he hit the ground.
One Hour Later.
Ethan groaned, his head pounding. He opened his eyes. He was lying on a wooden cot in the back of the Potion Shop.
"He's awake!" Krill's voice.
Ethan sat up too fast. The room spun. "I have to go."
"Easy, lad," the old Potion Master said. "You lost a lot of blood. You can't walk yet."
"I have to go," Ethan repeated. He forced himself to stand, swaying like a drunk man. "It's not safe here."
He started walking toward the door.
"Wait!" Krill stepped forward. "We need your help!"
Ethan stopped. But before he could answer, a shadow blocked his path.
Tora was leaning against the doorframe, his hand on his sword. He wasn't smiling.
"Princess," Tora said, his voice cold. "We can't trust him."