The scorched earth cracked beneath Ethan's boots as he stepped into the remnants of the Blightshade Hills monastery. Faint embers still smoldered in broken tiles, and the thick scent of ash clung to the air like a curse. Elena followed behind, her blade unsheathed and eyes sharp, senses stretched to the limit.
Kade stood at the center of the shattered courtyard like a shadowy wraith tall, draped in black and crimson, and unmoved by the deaths around him. His mask, molded in the image of a snarling sun god, concealed everything but the cruel smile in his voice.
You've come far, Ethan Cross.
Kade said,
But ambition without fire is just smoke.
Ethan didn't respond with words. The Dragon Slayer Sword rang as it left its sheath, glowing faintly with frostfire. A steady breeze swept through the ruins, chilling the air as spirit energy rippled around him.
You took forbidden knowledge,
Ethan said,
You turned it into a weapon against innocents. This ends here.
Kade chuckled, spreading his arms. Twin infernal blades erupted from thin air black steel bathed in scarlet fire, each inscribed with runes that pulsed like a heartbeat.
You're still in the lower stages of Foundation Phase. You may have a divine sword, but you lack experience, boy.
Try me,
Ethan said flatly.
Then the fight exploded.
Kade moved like a storm his swords cutting twin arcs of flame, scorching the air. Ethan met him head-on, parrying with practiced precision, his frost energy resisting the heat with explosive bursts of steam. Every strike between them shattered bricks and sent shockwaves across the ruins.
Ten minutes in, Kade's expression had shifted grinning no longer, but focused, calculating.
Not bad, he muttered, launching a flame spear from a sudden palm strike. Ethan countered with a whirl of cold air, the spear dissipating in a burst of frost.
Elena circled wide, occasionally launching precise support strikes with lightning Qi to throw Kade off rhythm. But even with both of them pressing, the rogue assassin held strong, his flames forming shields and razors in chaotic rhythm.
His fire techniques are mutating,
Elena called out,
That scroll it's warping his energy.
Ethan narrowed his gaze,
Then it's time to cut off the source.
In a flash, he switched stance activating his Qi Disruption Needle Technique. Silver needles hidden in his robes burst forth like darts. One struck Kade in the chest, just near the solar chakra point.
Kade staggered, his flames dimming slightly. What—!
Ethan followed with a heavy, spiraling cut Frostfire Crescent Slash. The attack collided with Kade's chest, blasting him backward into a crumbling pillar. Dust billowed.
The assassin coughed, blood dripping from beneath his mask,
You've learned more than I thought.
I've fought harder enemies,
Ethan said calmly, raising his sword,
But I've never hated one more.
Kade roared and attempted to draw a flame talisman from his sleeve his final trick.
Ethan didn't give him the chance.
In one clean strike, he severed Kade's arm and swept forward, piercing his chest with a frost-imbued thrust.
Kade gasped and then went still.
Silence returned to the monastery. Only the wind howled now, brushing through the broken walls like a sigh of release.
Ethan withdrew his blade, his breath ragged.
Elena approached, wiping sweat from her brow,
You did it.
He nodded, though his gaze had shifted to the small metal ring on Kade's hand.
A storage ring.
Inside, they found gold-grade spirit stones, encrypted scrolls, a half-burned transmission talisman and few other things.
Ethan looked up to the sky and murmed,
This was just the beginning.