CHAPTER 31: COUNCIL SUMMONS
999 Words
Drake's opening move was deceptively simple...he raised one hand, and the temperature in the entire arena dropped twenty degrees instantly.
Klein felt the cold seeping through his combat gear, but his Archfiend body resisted the worst of it. Frost began forming on the arena floor in spreading patterns.
"Impressive resistance," Drake observed. "Most opponents are shivering by now."
Klein didn't respond. He activated his wings and launched himself forward, closing the distance before Drake could establish a proper frozen zone.
His gauntleted fist shot toward Drake's chest.
Drake sidestepped with practiced ease, and Klein felt cold energy wrap around his extended arm. Ice crystals formed instantly, trying to lock his limb in place.
Klein pulsed chaos energy through his arm, and the ice shattered. He spun, his other fist following through, but Drake had already created distance.
"Fast," Drake said. "Faster than I expected."
The older fighter raised both hands, and massive ice walls erupted from the arena floor, forming a maze-like structure around them.
Klein's chaos sensitivity screamed warnings...the walls weren't just obstacles, they were conduits for Drake's power, creating zones where his control was absolute.
Klein activated Void Step, teleporting through a wall rather than going around it.
Drake's eyes widened slightly...the first sign of genuine surprise.
"Spatial manipulation? Interesting."
Klein pressed the advantage, chaining three Void Steps in rapid succession, appearing from different angles to keep Drake guessing.
But Drake was adapting. Each time Klein appeared, Drake had ice constructs waiting...spears, walls, grabbing hands of frozen energy.
Klein smashed through them with his enhanced strength, but he was burning mana quickly.
This was exactly what Vax had warned about...Drake was patient, methodical, forcing Klein to expend energy while Drake conserved his own.
Klein needed to change tactics.
He stopped teleporting and instead activated Storm's Breath, golden and black flames erupting from his mouth in a wide arc.
The ice walls melted under the assault, steam filling the arena.
"Clever," Drake's voice came from within the steam. "Creating cover. But I don't need to see you to freeze you."
The temperature plummeted further. Klein felt frost forming on his scales now, slowing his movements.
He channeled chaos energy throughout his body, fighting the cold, but it was a constant drain on his mana.
Klein burst through the steam, attacking where his chaos sensitivity told him Drake was standing.
But Drake wasn't there anymore. An ice clone shattered under Klein's punch.
"Behind you," Drake said calmly.
Klein spun, barely avoiding a spear of ice that would have impaled his shoulder. He grabbed the spear, shattered it, and threw the fragments back at Drake.
Drake waved his hand, and the fragments froze in mid-air before falling harmlessly.
They'd been fighting for five minutes, and Klein hadn't landed a single meaningful hit.
The crowd's noise intensified. Klein heard both cheers and jeers.
"You're skilled," Drake said, "but lacking experience. Every move you make is readable."
Klein gritted his teeth. Drake was right. The older fighter had been in hundreds of battles. He recognized patterns Klein didn't even know he was making.
Time to stop being predictable.
Klein activated Chaos Disruption.
The wave of chaotic energy rippled outward, and Klein saw Drake's carefully constructed frozen zones destabilize. The ice constructs flickered, and for just a moment, Drake's absolute control wavered.
Klein didn't waste the opening. He closed the distance faster than he'd moved yet, his gauntlets blazing with chaotic energy.
His fist connected with Drake's armor.
The impact sent Drake sliding backward, ice cracking beneath his feet as he used it to absorb the momentum.
First hit.
The crowd erupted.
Drake touched his chest where Klein had struck. His armor showed a crack.
"Well done," Drake said. His calm expression finally showed emotion...a slight smile. "You managed to land a hit. Most opponents never do."
Then Drake's aura changed.
The ice-blue energy surrounding him turned pure white, so bright it was almost blinding. The temperature dropped another thirty degrees in an instant.
"True Winter," Klein whispered.
Drake's voice echoed with power. "Indeed. You've earned the right to see my true strength."
The arena floor flash-froze solid. The ice walls Drake had created earlier became part of a massive construct...a cathedral of ice with Drake at its center.
Klein felt his movements becoming sluggish. His flames sputtered. Even his chaos energy was being suppressed by the overwhelming cold.
"In my True Winter state," Drake explained, walking toward Klein slowly, "I don't just create cold. I am cold. Absolute zero given form. Your heat, your energy, your very life force...all will slow, freeze, and stop."
Klein tried to activate Void Step, but his mana felt thick, resistant. The skill triggered a second too slowly, and Drake's ice spear caught Klein's shoulder, punching through his scales.
Pain exploded through Klein's body. He stumbled, blood freezing as it dripped from the wound.
"It's over," Drake said. "Yield now, and I'll let you live. Continue, and you'll freeze solid."
Klein looked down at his wounded shoulder. The ice was spreading, trying to freeze his entire arm.
He could feel his body temperature dropping despite his Archfiend constitution.
Drake was right. This level of power was beyond what Klein could currently handle.
But Klein thought about his family. About Mara watching from the stands. About everyone at Titan's Fist who believed in him.
About Storm, who'd given him everything.
"No," Klein said, ripping the ice spear from his shoulder and crushing it. "I'm not done yet."
He activated every skill he had simultaneously.
Archfiend Wrath Mode.
His scales turned pitch black. His eyes burned red. His aura exploded outward with such force that it pushed back against Drake's True Winter.
The transformation was agonizing...Klein could feel his sanity slipping, rage consuming rational thought...but his power skyrocketed.
For the first time in the fight, Drake's calm expression cracked into genuine concern.
"What... what is this power?"
Klein didn't answer. He couldn't form coherent words anymore. There was only rage, pain, and the overwhelming need to win.
He charged.
- Writer
