Just as the laser shot streaked toward Steel Alfredo, a massive wall of ice surged upward in front of him, jagged, thick, and crackling with frost.
It formed in an instant, summoned by Froststorm's outstretched hand. The temperature dropped sharply, mist coiling in the air.
The red beam slammed into the icy barrier with a deafening hiss, steam erupting where heat met cold. For a moment, it held, fracturing but holding.
But only for a moment.
Cracks spiderwebbed through the ice. Then, with a sharp shatter, the beam punched clean through, vaporizing the remnants and slamming into Alfredo's crossed metal arms.
He gritted his teeth as the blast struck, searing pain racing up his limbs.
The steel glowed red-hot under the pressure.
He held on. Barely.
Finally, the beam died.
A low hum faded into silence.
Smoke curled from Steel Alfredo's forearms, rising in ghostly tendrils. The once-glossy metal that had shielded him was warped and cracked, glowing faintly red at the edges.
And beneath it was burnt flesh.
The steel had melted.
Red Ray hadn't just broken through his defense, he had boiled it away.
Alfredo staggered back a step, chest heaving, pain etched across his face. But he didn't scream. He wouldn't give Red Ray the satisfaction.
"So, you've finally decided to help him?" Red Ray asked, his voice calm, almost amused.
Frost formed along Froststorm's sleeves, cold vapor curling from her fingertips.
"I just realized we don't stand a chance one-on-one," she replied coolly. "Three-on-one sounds like better odds."
"Can't let Bigfoot turn into a lump of charcoal just yet," The Blacksmith added, drawing his twin swords with a smooth motion. A faint metallic shring echoed through the gym.
"He still owes me an apology for calling me 'Samurai.' He dies, I don't get that."
.....
Above, on the observation deck, Kurt let out a dry laugh.
"Your boy would've died a shitless death if the ice girl hadn't stepped in," he muttered to Salma.
She didn't respond. Just watched.
....
Back on the floor, Red Ray tilted his head slightly.
"I hope the two of you make this interesting."
"Three..." came a low rasp from behind.
Steel Alfredo stood shakily, bloodied and burned, but defiant. The scorched steel on his arms was flaking, his breath ragged.
"I'm not out yet."
Froststorm glanced at him, brow furrowed. "You're in no condition to fight."
"I haven't used my full power," Alfredo grunted. "I underestimated him. That won't happen again."
The Blacksmith raised a brow.
"Look, I don't care if you live or die, Bigfoot. But right now, you're dead weight."
He paused, eyes meeting Alfredo's.
"Catch your breath. Regroup. Then join in when you can actually help."
Alfredo bristled at the words… but he couldn't argue. His body screamed in pain. His pride had already taken a beating.
After a long pause, he gave a slow nod. "Fine. Don't screw it up while I'm gone."
....
The Blacksmith turned to face Red Ray. "You freeze, I slice. Sound good?"
Froststorm smirked. "Try not to slow me down."
"Huh?" he blinked.
"You're the lowest-ranked of the three of us," she said matter-of-factly. "Just don't make me save you."
The Blacksmith smiled at that. Not offended but motivated.
"That so?" he said, voice low. "Then I'll make sure I'm the one saving you."
He adjusted his stance, swords at the ready, eyes locked on Red Ray.
The real fight was about to begin.
The Blacksmith suddenly noticed how cold the room had become.
The temperature had dropped like a stone.
Froststorm's power was rising, he could feel it in the air, in his lungs, in the ice beginning to form along the floor.
With a swift, fluid motion, she sliced her hand through the air. A massive blade of ice erupted from the ground and launched forward, a jagged, high-speed wave that cut through the gym like a frozen scythe.
Red Ray's eyes narrowed.
Too fast.
He twisted hard to the side, narrowly avoiding the icy barrage. The edge of the blast nicked his visor, sending a shard of frost flicking past his cheek.
That shouldn't have been possible.
He hadn't expected her to move that quickly.
Then it hit him.
She'd intercepted his laser earlier, after he'd fired. She'd raised a wall of ice between him and Steel Alfredo at lightning speed.
Could it be…?
Was her ice faster than his laser?
He hadn't even landed before The Blacksmith made his move.
A blur of motion, steel and shadow.
The Blacksmith surged forward with superhuman speed, blades drawn, wind screaming in his wake. His swords sliced through the air in a perfect arc, aimed to cleave Red Ray in two.
Red Ray spun midair, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Too close.
The force of the missed blades cracked the floor beneath them, long gashes etched across the tiles like claw marks.
Red Ray backflipped,once, twice, then again, a dozen times in quick succession, creating distance, landing smoothly across the gym.
He exhaled and touched down in a crouch.
"Whoa," he muttered, glancing at the thin line of ice on his visor.
"That was close."
The Blacksmith's eyes narrowed as he assessed the battlefield.
Froststorm's ice was fast. Maybe even faster than Red Ray's laser.
But that laser wasn't just quick. It was devastating.
He'd seen it tear through both her barrier and Alfredo's steel arms like paper. If Red Ray fired it again, someone might not walk away.
They couldn't give him the chance.
"We can't let him charge that beam," The Blacksmith said, voice low but firm. "If he fires, we're done."
He adjusted his grip on his swords, muscles coiled and ready.
"We hit him hard. Together. No breaks. No space to breathe."
Froststorm nodded, frost swirling around her fists.
The Blacksmith smirked. "You keep doubting me."
"Prove me wrong," she replied.
Without waiting, she launched another spear of jagged ice, faster and larger than before. It screamed across the gym like a missile.
The Blacksmith moved with it.
The floor cracked beneath his takeoff, and he shot forward, not running this time, flying. The wind howled as he tore through the air, twin blades drawn, trailing silver arcs behind him.
Red Ray dodged the ice, but the Blacksmith was already there.
He struck, a downward slash. Red Ray leaned just enough to let the blade pass.
Another swing, tighter, faster. Red Ray twisted. The edge missed his face by inches.
Froststorm followed up, hurling a wave of freezing mist that solidified midair, boxing Red Ray in.
The Blacksmith spun through it, attacking from below.
Steel met empty air.
Again and again, they pressed the assault, ice storm after storm, blade after blade, but Red Ray danced through it all. Fluid. Precise. Untouched.
Still no hits.
Then....
The visor glowed.
That low hum returned, faint but rising.
Red Ray's head tilted, and his eyes flared bright red.
"Back!" the Blacksmith shouted.
He didn't wait.
He rocketed away, flipping midair, landing beside Froststorm in a crouch. His swords hummed with heat from their failed assault.
"He's about to fire."
Froststorm was already preparing her next barrier.
"Then let's not let him finish."
"Can you block it?" the Blacksmith asked, doubt heavy in his voice.
"I think I can," Froststorm replied, her hands already in motion, ice rising before them. "But it'll take everything I've got."
The wall surged upward, thick, solid, towering. Wide enough to stop a truck convoy. Cold mist spiraled off its surface.
"Here it comes!" the Blacksmith shouted.
The laser fired, blazing red and thunder-loud.
It struck the wall with explosive force, melting straight through layer after layer. Steam erupted violently. Cracks bloomed like spiderwebs.
Froststorm gritted her teeth, arms raised, pushing back with everything she had.
Inch by inch, the beam advanced. Smoke hissed from the ice. The Blacksmith stood behind her, swords drawn, jaw tight.
The laser tore halfway through.
Then a few meters.
Then just inches. The last layer was thin as glass.
And then… it stopped.
Above, in the observation deck:
"No way she held it," Kurt whispered.
Emily's eyes gleamed. "That's my Froststorm."
But Laura didn't smile. She stared, tense.
"He's not done."
"What?"
"Red Ray," she said. "Watch."
Below.
Froststorm dropped to her knees, gasping, drenched in sweat. The barrier had drained her. She couldn't go again.
Red Ray's visor lit up once more. Brighter. Meaner.
The Blacksmith exhaled slowly. Eyes closed. Swords low.
"What's he doing?" Emily asked.
Kurt smirked.
"What he does best…"
The visor flared.
"…cutting things."
The beam screamed forward.