Ice dared not underestimate his opponent anymore.
He equipped the weapon that had aided him through countless battles—an axe strapped around his waist.
He observed his opponent for a few seconds, then moved.
His opponent, Kailen, had not been idle either. A shadow katana had been woven from the darkness into his hands, its obsidian color revealed by the light of the full moon. Kailen's shadowy figure blurred.
Katana and axe met, causing shockwaves to spread through the surroundings.
Kailen took two steps back, while his opponent only took one.
However, Ice was inwardly shocked.
Clearly, he held the advantage in this battle, but only slightly.
"I have to get rid of him here and now. The next time we meet, I won't be a match for him…" Ice mused, staring at Kailen in disbelief.
Kailen had also realized his position after the first exchange.
"I guess I should reinforce myself further," he mused inwardly.
A cacophony of shadows was woven from the environment, further reinforcing Kailen's shadow-armored body.
The katana grew darker and sturdier, strengthened by the shadows.
The two opponents did not waste words—especially Kailen. He had only forty-five seconds left until the temporal system boost ended.
So he moved.
Katana and axe clashed again, followed by a flurry of attacks.
The two figures moved around the scene in a blur, exchanging strikes relentlessly.
Katana against axe.
Fist met fist.
Kick after kick followed.
Ice had managed to parry all of Kailen's attacks, but he realized that the more he fought, the stronger Kailen became.
He was losing.
"How is this possible?" Ice thought, feeling himself pushed back.
What he failed to notice was that Kailen was constantly drawing on the surrounding shadows, reinforcing his body as the battle progressed.
"Faster, faster, faster…" Kailen counted the seconds.
Thirty seconds were left. He felt the thrill of battle but was also wary of the limited time. He had to finish this quickly.
He parried an axe strike aimed at his head, then launched a vicious kick toward Ice's "little brother."
Ice never expected Kailen to resort to such underhanded methods.
Quickly, he reinforced the area with ice before the attack landed.
He managed to save his crotch, but the force of the kick still sent him hurtling and skidding across the floor.
However, he wasn't an A-ranked fighter for nothing. Performing an aerial maneuver, he regained his footing.
There was a reason he was called Ice—his mastery of the element was renowned.
"Antarctic Slug!"
Ice muttered in fury as a flurry of icicles condensed before him in a split second.
Whizzzz!
The icicles shot toward Kailen, who was already approaching at extreme speed.
Shadow manipulation combined with the heightened perception from his temporal boost allowed him to narrowly evade the barrage.
A tornado of shadows swirled beneath his feet, propelling him forward.
More icicles were launched, but Kailen weaved through them, drawing closer with each passing second.
"Ice Phoenix's Wrath!"
The figure of a gigantic phoenix appeared above Ice, and the temperature plummeted.
Screeeeeeeech!
The phoenix's roar echoed as the surroundings froze over, massive glaciers forming and icicles shooting from its mouth.
Kailen moved with swift dexterity, evading and parrying the ice attacks with his shadow katana, his body enveloped in shadow armor.
The phoenix let out a final roar, flapping its massive wings. A colossal icicle, nearly three meters long, formed at its mouth.
However, the caster didn't look well. Ice forced a calm expression, but his pale face, subtle panting, and heaving chest didn't escape Kailen's sharp gaze.
"Ten seconds left… Bastard's still standing. This last attack will probably be his final attempt. But if there's one thing I don't lack, thanks to the system, it's natural energy. I just have to survive this, then I can finish him off."
Shadows swirled around Kailen's katana, reinforcing it. The blade gleamed with obsidian beauty, now about 2.4 meters long, yet it felt light and natural in his grip.
Swoosh!
The gigantic icicle hurtled forward, trailing ice as it sped toward Kailen.
The tornado of shadows propelled him to meet it head-on, his body wrapped in darkness.
Then it happened—the final clash.
CLANNNNNNG!
Katana and icicle collided. A deafening silence seized the valley for a heartbeat, followed by a violent explosion that tore through the surroundings.
Trees swayed and fell. The ground cracked and shook. Beasts hidden nearby were caught in the shockwave, their wails echoing as their lives were snuffed out.
All this happened in mere seconds.
Kailen gritted his teeth—not just from the force of the impact but from the biting cold that seeped into the air like a harsh winter.
Frost spread across the katana's blade with each passing second.
For three long seconds, katana and icicle were locked in a stalemate—until the blade grew sharper, shadows reinforcing it further.
The plummeting ice lost its hold.
With a final surge, the shadow katana cleaved through the massive icicle. Cracks splintered across its surface as chunks of ice shattered and fell like hail.
The icicle was reduced to fragments, raining down in glittering shards.
The backlash forced Ice to cough up blood. He stared at Kailen in terror.
"Three seconds…"
Kailen muttered as the shadow tornado propelled him forward.
In a blur, the shadow katana sliced through Ice's neck.
Blood splattered as his head spun through the air before landing beside his lifeless, sprawled body in a pool of crimson.
A look of fear and shock was frozen on his face.
"Phew…" Kailen exhaled deeply, then mused,
"That was thrilling… yet scary."
He ignored the system notification, deactivated shadow manipulation, and returned to his usual appearance.
His shadow creatures emerged before him, having served their purpose as armor.
"You guys did well."
Kailen slumped to the ground, staring up at the night sky, indifferent to the gory scene surrounding him.