The girl still held Kayan by his hair. His face had turned into a mass of burnt flesh and flowing blood. His eyes were swollen, one completely closed. He breathed with difficulty, short, broken gasps escaping his fractured mouth.
She raised her burning fist again.
she screamed.
"This is for my brother!"
She punched him in the chest.
Kayan did not scream this time. He had no voice left. He had no energy left.
His body turned to grey light. He vanished.
Silence reigned for a moment. Even the forest wind stopped.
Ryan watched the body disappear. He saw the grey light scatter like dust in the cold air. He knew Kayan hadn't truly died – he would return to the hall, wounded, alive, but out of the fight. Yet the sight was still disturbing. It was violent.
Team Seven had lost one. Team One had lost one.
Now, four against four.
But the girl did not stop. She searched for a new target.
She raised her head. She looked at Lin. She looked at Celine. She looked at Mara.
Then she looked at Ryan.
Her eyes were golden, blazing with anger and pain.
She raised her hands. The fire still burned, but it was weaker. Her spark was fading.
But Ryan did not wait.
He raised his right hand. An ice arrow formed in his palm – long, thin, sharp. It gleamed with cold blue light, reflecting the surrounding trees like a mirror.
He released it.
There was no sound. The arrow was faster than sound. It was like lightning, like light, like a thought before it became a word.
It flew toward her heart.
The girl saw the arrow at the last moment. Her eyes widened. She couldn't dodge it completely, but she twisted slightly.
The arrow pierced her left shoulder.
She screamed. The pain was sharp, the ice was cold, and the heat clashed inside her body. She stepped back two steps, her left arm hanging limp.
But Ryan did not stop.
He formed another arrow. He released it.
This time, the girl was ready. She raised her right hand – the uninjured one. She didn't try to dodge. She struck it with her fist.
Ice met fire.
Thick steam rose. A loud sizzling sound was heard, like stone breaking against stone. The arrow shattered into thousands of tiny pieces that flew in every direction.
Her reaction speed was astonishing. Her precision was astonishing.But the anthore arrow followed immediately, toward her right shoulder.
She couldn't dodge it. It pierced her shoulder, and she screamed in pain.
But she did not give up.
she screamed, and charged at him despite the pain.
"Your game is over!"
She ran like a wounded tigress. She was faster than he expected. She was stronger than he imagined.
She punched him in the face. He dodged with difficulty. He felt the heat of the fire pass by his ear.
But he didn't retreat. Instead, he raised his left hand. A small ice wall formed between them. Her fist struck the wall, cracking it but not shattering it. He seized a second and fired another shard from beneath the wall toward her stomach.
She didn't see it coming. The ice pierced her skin. She screamed and stepped back.
But she charged again.
She punched him in the chest. Fire ignited on his shirt. He felt the pain but didn't scream. He gritted his teeth. He raised his hand and formed a long ice sword in his right hand. He struck toward her neck.
She raised her burning hand to block. Ice met fire again. The sword melted slowly but remained solid. He pressed hard. Her fire was weakening.
Ryan whispered.
"It's over."
He shoved her hard. She took two steps back.
But she didn't fall. She raised her hands together, her fists burning even brighter.
The fire was huge and bright, and she shot toward him.
Ryan didn't try to dodge. He raised his hands together, creating a thick wall of ice in front of him. The girl slammed into the wall, delivering a punch with her fist, and a cloud of steam rose, so thick it completely obscured his vision.
When the steam cleared, Ryan had vanished.
the girl whispered, looking around in fear.
"Where..."
She heard a voice behind her.
"Here."
She turned quickly. But Ryan had already formed a long ice spear.
He stabbed her in the chest.
She looked at him. Her eyes were golden, wide, frightened.
Then her body turned to grey light.
She vanished.