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"So Diego's gonna fight that Wheeler guy?" Misa asked when she finally reached Kelly on the rooftop of the penthouse they were all staying in, and she had Jessie by her side. Dozens of other Hunters were there as well and clearly, none of them wanted to miss seeing Frost Wheeler in an actual fight. Some stared out their windows while others were recording.
Kelly stepped back from the edge of the rooftop and faced Misa but he gasped when he saw the child beside her. "Did- Did you steal her?" Kelly stuttered.
"No, dumbass," Misa glared. She lifted Jessie so Kelly could get a closer look and said in a sarcastic voice, "Diego and I had her last night. Isn't that right, Jessie?" Jessie blinked twice in confusion but then nodded vigorously. Misa noticed Kelly's eyes dim a little in disappointment.
"Relax, I'm just messing with ya." Misa winked. "We found her in a cardboard box last night and oddly enough, we're taking care of her now."
"Good... I thought you really—" Misa flicked Kelly's forehead before he could finish his sentence.
"For someone so smart, you can be so damn dense sometimes." She sighed and looked down the rooftop. There was grass behind the penthouse... a lot of grass. Misa was momentarily surprised, but she quickly spotted two figures staring each other down. Diego Torrez and Frost Wheeler.
"I'm surprised you allowed this," Misa said. "Usually, you wouldn't allow any chaos to happen... unless you just want to see Diego fight because of your little crush~" Misa's words were taunting and Kelly squeaked and pressed both hands on her lips to shut her up.
"N-Not so loud!" He whisper-yelled. "What if someone hears or even tells him?!"
"Relax." Misa said as she took his hands off her. "That's not gonna happen, 'cause I told him first." The blood drained from Kelly's face. Misa got a sick thrill from teasing Kelly and she continued. "We were out the whole of yesterday and we even kissed. He's honestly not my type but, if you ever die, I'll go after him just for you~"
The two angels were so deep in their interaction that they didn't notice Jessie trying to reach for a katana that had been left on the roof's railing. It had ancient carvings on its hilt and length. She finally managed to grab it but once she did, the carvings and symbols on it started glowing red.
"Cool!" Jessie yelled and that's when Kelly, Misa and everyone else on the rooftop stared at her.
"Jess? Where did you get that from?" Misa asked and grabbed the katana but when she did, a wave of unbearable pain surged through her arm and she dropped it instantly with loud curses. Jessie picked it back up and swung it around like a child playing with a cool stick.
"That's Frost Wheeler's katana." Jessie turned to the direction of the voice and saw Kidai. "Only people with Wheeler blood can hold it without being rejected by it." Kidai walked past the child and stood in front of Misa.
She was on her knees, gripping her arm in agony. Her eyes were moist with unshed tears and she had to bite her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood just to keep in a scream. Kelly wanted to comfort her but there was nothing he could think to do.
"Miss Lionheart, hold still for a moment," Kidai said and reached for her arm.
"The hell do you think I'm doing?!" she groaned. A little crowd had gathered around them and even Jessie looked worried.
Kidai ignored them and kept his hand on Misa's. White flames grew at his fingertips and engulfed Misa's arm. Her grunts slowly turned into shaky breaths of relief.
"I owe you one," Misa said and stood up.
"No need for that," Kidai muttered and turned back to Jessie. "Frost was the last Wheeler but now that's changed." He took the katana from her and placed it back where it was before. It was surprising to see Kidai didn't get hurt or rejected like Misa did. He looked down the roof to where the two demons stood. Their fight was about to start and Kidai wanted to know who would come out on top.
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Diego Torrez and Frost Wheeler. The pair had grown close in the past few months since they met. There were ups and downs, but this was a mountain neither of them was sure they would be able to cross together.
"Why'd you leave your katana up there?" Diego said and took off his red jacket. He took on a fighting stance and got ready for the inevitable.
"I want to try this your way for once," Frost said. "You know what I saw, Diego. So don't disappoint me. If I'm going to fight the man who ends my life, I expect a decent challenge."
Frost adjusted his footing and took a fighting stance as well. Neither moved. Neither flinched or took a breath. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife but finally, it came.
Frost blitzed way too fast for Diego to read his movements and crashed his knee straight into Diego's jaw. Diego felt his brain rattle in his skull but he bore through the pain and grabbed Frost's attacking leg. Frost grinned and twisted himself, slamming his free foot into the other side of Diego's face. Diego stumbled and let go of Frost's leg but he grinned. Blood dripped from his nose but he didn't bother to wipe it.
"You're still going easy on me," Diego said and activated his Halo Mode.
"I don't want this to end too quickly," Frost said. "I'm not using my Hell Breaker on you, Diego."
"I'll make you regret that," Diego grinned again. Diego took a calm step forward. He spread out his wings and the earth beneath him froze with every step. Frost held his ground and studied Diego's every movement.
For Diego, time seemed to slow down. He had to find a way to beat Frost but from his position, that was virtually impossible. Frost was stronger, faster, more durable and even had more experience than him even without his Hell Breaker. Frost had no weakness he knew of and he wasn't someone who could be outsmarted. There had to be something... anything... until it finally clicked.
Diego tapped his foot on the ground and dozens of ice spikes shot up from the ground around all of them. Frost watched the spikes get closer and closer until they stopped just a mere inch away from his face. Frost looked past the spikes and saw Diego panting. Making this much ice had a visible effect on him.
"I know you're not stupid," Frost said and pushed past the ice in front of him. "What are you getting at?"
Diego didn't answer with words but rather, he tapped his foot on the ground with more force than before. The ice grew multiple feet higher and Frost had to back up just to dodge them this time. He looked up again but the ice was too thick for him to see through. Frost tapped his knuckle on the ice that was surrounding him and his ears twitched when the sound echoed. His sense of direction became useless and he quickly understood what Diego was trying to do.
Frost stood still. If his senses were affected by the ice, then so were Diego's. He gently pressed his palm on one ice shard and felt it for vibrations but there was nothing until they all suddenly sparked to life. Frost pulled his hand away from the shard like it had just burnt him and turned around.
WHAM!!!
Diego appeared out of nowhere and punched Frost's face with explosive force. Frost was caught off guard and his back hit the large shard behind him. He shook his head and looked up just to see Diego swing another fist at him but this time, he dodged and swung a counter punch of his own. Diego reacted in time thanks to the speed boost he got from his Halo Mode and the attack barely brushed his cheek.
Diego jumped back and disappeared into the maze of ice shards again. The attack was sudden but just like before, there was silence. Diego's strategy became clear after that. Even though he was blind, Diego was using the vibrations from the ice to track Frost's movements. That punch didn't do much damage but if the same attacks kept hitting, they might be able to wear him down.
The situation wasn't exactly hopeless though. Frost could use the vibrations to his advantage too. But then again, Diego would already know Frost could try that. Without his katana, Frost wouldn't be able to destroy the ice and brute strength wasn't an option either.
Just then, the hairs on the back of Frost's neck stood on end and his guard went up from pure instinct. There was eerie silence until something moist dropped on his forehead. Frost touched the spot and felt water. Where did it come from? Another fell and this time, he followed the dripping water until he finally realised. The ice was melting?!
Slowly, the ice from the shards began to thaw and a dark, cold mist formed around him. As more ice melted, the mist grew until Frost could barely see past a few inches away from him. Frost's eyes scanned his barely visible surroundings until they landed on a shadowy figure deep in the mist... Diego!
Frost dashed through the thick fog and closed the distance between them in less than a second but when he swung his fist, it struck ICE?! It was an exact replica of Diego. Was it a trap?
Frost growled and jumped back but he hit something. He swung his elbows behind his back to hit it but registered its form. The thing behind him was another replica of Diego made out of ice.
Frost stepped back and looked around him. There were dozens of them. Each one frozen in a different position. The fog only allowed Frost to see the figures of them and Diego was hiding in there... somewhere...
"So that's how you intend to win," Frost scowled. "How irritating..."
"I've marked each of them," Diego's voice echoed through the fog. "I know this fog like the back of my hand but you on the other hand..."
"Don't sound so pleased with yourself," Frost yelled. "You've solved one problem! Not the fight."
Frost took a deep breath and his eyes darkened. "Congratulations, Diego, you've forced me to improvise..."
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END OF CHAPTER 29
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