The cavern was a battlefield of ice and shadows. The ground, once scorched by molten rock, was now covered in frost, turning the floor into a frozen wasteland. The distant echoes of their battle reverberated through the dungeon, the sound of clashing magic and violent impacts filling the air.
Lucas stood tall, his breath coming in slow, controlled exhales, though his body trembled—not with exhaustion, but with rage. His eyes, glowing a deep, icy blue, never left Lisa, who leaned against a frozen rock, grinning as though none of this mattered.
Lisa:
"You really don't know how to let things go, do you, Lucas?"
Lucas tightened his fists, the temperature dropping even further.
Lucas:
"Let it go? After what you did?!"
Lisa chuckled, shaking her head.
Lisa:
"You make it sound so dramatic. I killed you, yes, but look at you now. Standing right in front of me. Better than ever, no?"
The air crackled with cold fury. Lucas' hands twitched at his sides, barely holding back the overwhelming urge to tear her apart right now. But no. He wouldn't let her control the flow of this battle.
Lucas:
"You think I should be grateful?! You think this is a joke?! I trusted you, Lisa!"
Lisa yawned, stretching.
Lisa:
"And that was your first mistake, sweet little Lucas. Trust is such a fragile thing. So easy to shatter. So fun to break."
Lucas:
*"You—"
Lisa:
"Me? What? I simply played my role. And if you had even a fraction of intelligence back then, you would've seen it coming."
That was it.
The rage, cold and merciless, surged through him like an avalanche. The ice beneath his feet cracked, and without warning—
BOOM!
Lucas disappeared in a blur of speed. A split second later, he was in front of Lisa, his fist coated in ice, swinging straight for her face.
Lisa barely managed to dodge, tilting her head as the impact shattered the frozen rock behind her.
Lisa:
"Tsk tsk. So impatient."
She retaliated, summoning black tendrils from the shadows, slashing toward him like spears.
Lucas flicked his hand—
CRACK!
The tendrils froze mid-air, encased in jagged ice.
Lisa raised an eyebrow.
Lisa:
"You've gotten faster."
Lucas:
"And you're getting sloppy."
He twisted his body, launching an ice-coated kick toward her ribs.
Lisa barely had time to react—she raised her arm to block, but the sheer force sent her skidding backward, ice spreading across her sleeve where he made contact.
Lisa glanced at her arm and frowned.
Lisa:
"Huh. That actually hurt a little."
Lucas didn't respond. He had already launched forward again, summoning massive ice shards that shot toward her like spears.
Lisa snapped her fingers—
BOOM!
A wave of darkness erupted from her body, dissolving the ice before it could reach her.
Lisa:
"Predictable."
She blurred forward, appearing behind him in an instant. Her fingers, wreathed in shadows, clawed toward his back—
Lucas twisted, bringing up an ice barrier just in time—
CRACK!
Lisa's attack shattered through the ice, grazing his shoulder. Blood splattered across the frozen battlefield.
Lisa:
"Oops."
Lucas didn't flinch. He exhaled sharply—his breath turning into a visible mist—before lunging at her once more.
Their battle was a storm of ice and darkness, a blur of motion as they clashed again and again.
Each strike shook the cavern. Each impact carved deeper scars into the battlefield.
Lisa dodged another ice spear, flipping backward with effortless grace. She landed on a jagged piece of rock, tilting her head.
Lisa:
"Still relying on the same old tricks, I see."
Lucas' breathing was heavier now, his fury burning cold and violent. His hands twitched. Ice magic surged around him, forming sharp crystalline armor along his arms and shoulders.
Lucas:
"I'm done playing."
Lisa grinned.
Lisa:
"Oh? Are we finally getting serious?"
Lucas didn't respond. He only lifted his hand.
The air around them screamed as a massive wave of ice burst forth, swallowing everything in its path.
Lisa's smirk widened.
Lisa:
"Fine. I'll play along."
She raised both hands—
BOOOOM!
Darkness exploded from her body, clashing against Lucas' ice in a violent collision of power. The sheer force of their magic colliding sent shockwaves through the cavern, cracking the walls and shaking the ground beneath them.
The ice storm surged. The darkness expanded.
Their power was rising—both of them knew it.
This was no longer a fight of simple magic.
This was a fight between monsters.
Lisa cracked her neck, her grin never fading.
Lisa:
"I was hoping to drag this out a little longer, but honestly? You're starting to really piss me off, Lucas."
She took a step forward, her aura shifting.
The air around her darkened, swallowing the light itself. The shadows coiled around her body, twisting, writhing, growing.
Lisa:
"So I think it's about time we stopped pretending, hmm?"
Her voice was different now—deeper, laced with something wrong.
Lucas' eyes narrowed. He could feel it—she was changing.
Her form began to shift, her skin darkening, her eyes glowing an eerie violet. The darkness around her solidified, forming jagged armor along her limbs. Her fingers elongated into razor-sharp claws, and behind her, black tendrils whipped violently through the air.
Lisa:
"First Dark Transformation... First stage"
Her grin widened, revealing sharp fangs.
Lisa:
"Now, Lucas... try not to die too quickly."
The ground beneath her shattered as her power erupted.
Lucas didn't flinch. Instead, he inhaled, his breath slow and controlled.
And then—he let go.
The ice surrounding him exploded, his entire body becoming wreathed in a storm of frost and crystalline energy. His hair, once a light silver, turned a brilliant, shimmering white. His eyes burned an ethereal blue, glowing with raw, unrestrained power. Ice armor formed along his arms, his legs, his chest, thick and jagged, radiating a cold so intense that the very air crystallized around him.
Lucas:
"First Iceborn Transformation... First stage."
His voice was calm.
Dangerously calm.
Lisa's grin never faded.
Lisa:
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
Lucas:
"No. This is where I end you."
Lisa:
"Heh. Try it, little Iceborn."
The battle was only beginning.
And then—
BOOOOOOOM!
The cavern shattered as their power erupted.
Everything turned to ice.
Everything turned to darkness.
And then—