The man who emerged from the wagon levitated into the air and took a quick look around.
He drifted toward Karon's side and stopped behind him.
"The tornadoes are mine."
He raised a hand and swept it to the side.
All the tornadoes vanished as if they had never existed.
He raised both arms again and created pressure throughout the area.
The flute in the water user's hand began to crack.
The crescent-shaped winds he created were being erased before they could even form into tornadoes.
"The rest is yours, kid."
Karon raised an eyebrow at the man before turning his attention back to the battle.
He lifted his sword and ignited it more fiercely than ever before.
With the blade now several times larger than before, he charged at the water user.
Every strike burned the man and prevented him from defending properly.
The water user created several walls of water to buy time and blew hard into his flute.
The cracks spread, and the flute exploded into pieces.
The resulting blast of wind sent Karon flying, while the prisoner raised his hands to shield himself.
The power released from the shattered flute began flowing into the water user.
The veins across his body swelled and burst as he coughed up blood.
Yet he remained standing.
"Kid, be careful."
Ignoring the warning, Karon charged forward in anger.
Every step left cracks in the ground and triggered small explosions.
He had increased the weight of his sword severalfold while making his own body as light as a feather.
He launched himself forward and collided with the water user.
The impact shook the surrounding trees, scattering leaves through the air.
A cloud of dust rose and blocked everyone's vision.
With a simple gesture, the prisoner dispersed the dust.
The sight before him was exactly what he expected.
Karon had carved a crater into a tree, while the water user remained standing in place.
"I told you to be careful."
Still not listening, Karon got back to his feet and drove his sword into the ground.
A ring of fire formed around all three of them.
The water user raised his sword toward the sky, and rain began to fall.
In the battle between fire and water, water won by a wide margin.
Karon was confused, but he did not question it.
He walked over to the prisoner.
"What do we do?"
"I've been telling you to be careful for the last two hours, kid."
"Huh?"
The two stared at each other in confusion.
"He's trying to use a power he can't control."
"All we have to do is wait."
After thinking for a moment, Karon raised his hands.
Stones rose from the ground and began floating above him.
Each movement of his hands sent another stone flying toward the water user.
The water user answered every stone with a water spear.
Watching the battle, the prisoner raised his arms, and two daggers flew from the wagon into his hands.
"At last, we're reunited."
With one dagger pointing upward and the other downward, he burst forward toward the water user.
The movements of the two fighters flowed together with a strange harmony.
But the harmony did not last long.
Gradually, the prisoner gained the upper hand, and wounds began to accumulate across the water user's body.
As blood continued to pour from him and sweat ran down his face, the man screamed.
"AAAGHHHH!"
A shockwave erupted around him and forced the prisoner back.
Starting from the ground, a sphere of water slowly formed around the water user.
Without waiting for it to finish forming, Karon rushed toward him.
He increased both the flames and the weight of Zelid.
"Stop! Don't get close!"
The sudden warning made Karon slow down, but he could not stop completely.
By the time he reached the base of the sphere, it had already finished forming.
In an instant, countless spikes erupted from its surface and pierced him.
Covered in small puncture wounds, Karon staggered backward and collapsed onto the ground.
Everywhere he looked was stained red with blood.
He immediately pulled a bottle from his bag, drank its contents, and wrapped himself in bandages.
The prisoner covered his face with one hand.
"Idiot."
The water user retracted the spikes and watched as his sphere slowly turned crimson.
Without wasting any more time, the prisoner stepped in front of the sphere and began muttering something under his breath.
Above his head, a wind spear as large as himself took shape.
The force of it cut through nearby saplings and seemed to split the air itself.
The water user expanded his sphere toward the spear and held it there like a shield.
When the chant ended, the prisoner raised both arms and brought them down with a shout.
The wind spear descended.
The tremendous collision between water and wind uprooted trees and hurled stones through the air.
As the wind gradually dispersed and the water diminished, neither side could claim victory.
The shield and the spear both collapsed, leaving only two figures standing.
Drawing his daggers, the prisoner easily gained the advantage in close combat.
The water user searched desperately for an opening, but found none and could barely defend himself.
Taking advantage of his opponent's desperation, the prisoner created several crescent-shaped blades of wind and watched the water user raise his arms to defend.
At that exact moment, the crescent winds curved back toward the prisoner and accelerated him to an incredible speed.
Watching the scene unfold, Karon immediately realized what was about to happen.
"No!"
he shouted.
But it was already too late.
The prisoner severed the water user's head with his daggers.
Unable to endure the sight before him, Karon vomited.