The old man’s breath ca in ragged gasps as he wiped the blood trickling from his lips. His fingers trembled against his ice blade, the once-pristine weapon now riddled with cracks. His body scread in protest, but his mind refused to accept what had just happened.
"She’s supposed to be only at the Tier One Advanced level, while I’m at the Tier Two Expert level.....four levels above her! How could she be so powerful?!"
His thoughts roared in disbelief. He had known the young lady to be formidable, rumors had spread among the inner circles of Valenbrook about her unnatural power. They whispered about an energy unlike any seen before, a force unique only to her and Jefferson of the God Tower.
But rumors were one thing. This was reality.
And reality was terrifying.
Seraphina stood before him, her silver hair flowing like a spectral fla, her glowing sword humming with restrained fury. She wasn’t even breathing heavily. If anything, her expression remained eerily calm, indifferent, as if she hadn’t just shattered his ribs with a single strike.
The old man gritted his teeth, forcing his battered body upright. His knees threatened to buckle, but he steadied himself, planting his feet firmly against the cold, broken floor.
No. He wouldn’t fall.
Not yet.
"Young Lady, please—" he spat out, his voice laced with pain and desperation. "This is madness! Do you even realize what you’re doing? Betraying your own family? Siding with a Voss of all people?!"
Seraphina remained silent, her cold silver eyes regarding him as if he were nothing more than an insect struggling against the inevitable.
The old man’s grip on his ice blade tightened. "You don’t understand, girl. You may be strong, but raw strength isn’t enough! You can’t oppose the Valenbrook family! Not your father! Not !"
With a furious growl, he lunged.
Frost exploded around him as he unleashed his full power, the temperature in the room plumting to near-arctic levels. Razor-sharp icicles materialized in midair, spiraling like deadly projectiles before launching at Seraphina with bone-chilling speed.
Seraphina moved.
A single, fluid motion.
She twisted her blade, sweeping it in an arc that sent a pulse of shimring blue energy surging forward. The mont the energy t the frozen barrage, a shockwave erupted, obliterating the icicles into nothing but harmless snowflakes.
The old man’s eyes widened. Impossible!
But he didn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop.
Pivoting mid-stride, he shifted his weight and swung his blade with all the strength his battered body could muster. His ice-forged sword streaked toward Seraphina’s neck, a clean and precise kill strike honed over decades of battle.
For a mont, he thought he had her.
Then....
CLANG!
Seraphina’s glowing gauntlet intercepted his blade with ease. Sparks flew as ice t energy, the collision sending a violent ripple through the battlefield. The sheer force of the impact sent a tremor up the old man’s arm, nearly dislocating his shoulder.
Before he could react, Seraphina struck.
A burst of movent—so fast his eyes could barely follow.
Her foot slamd into his chest like a battering ram.
"URGH—!"
His body catapulted backward, crashing into the remnants of a shattered table. He gasped, coughing up blood, his mind reeling from the sheer absurdity of her strength.
This wasn’t possible. This wasn’t right.
She should have been beneath him.
She should have been struggling against him.
But instead, she was toying with him.
Seraphina slowly advanced, the air around her shimring with raw, undulating power. "Yield," she said simply, her voice calm, almost disappointed.
The old man’s vision blurred. His ribs were cracked, his body barely holding together but surrender?
Never.
With a roar, he raised his ice blade once more. "You don’t know what you’re doing, girl!" He bellowed, forcing his aura to surge to its limit. Ice crystals danced around him like a winter storm, coalescing into jagged spears that hovered in the air, glowing with lethal intent. "Do you think power alone makes you invincible?! Do you think defying your father will end well for you?!"
Seraphina remained impassive, watching him with those piercing silver eyes.
"I don’t care."
The words struck him harder than any physical blow.
She didn’t care.
Not about the family. Not about her father.
Not even about the consequences.
His throat went dry. "You’re insane…"
Seraphina tilted her head. "No. I’m just done playing by their rules."
And then she moved.
Faster than lightning.
Her form blurred, a streak of silver and blue that closed the distance between them in an instant. Before he could react, her energy-clad fist slamd into his ice blade with a thunderous impact.
CRACK!
His weapon shattered.
A cold rush of horror surged through him.
"NO..."
But before he could recover, Seraphina’s blade was already at his throat.
The old man froze, his heart pounding against his ribs.
Seraphina stood over him, her glowing sword pressed lightly against his skin. One flick of her wrist, and it would all be over.
His breath ca in shallow gasps. "You…" he rasped, his voice trembling. "You truly intend to abandon your family?"
Seraphina didn’t answer imdiately. Instead, she lowered her blade ever so slightly, her eyes eting his with a quiet, unshakable resolve.
"My family abandoned first."
The old man smiled, his expression twisting into sothing more evil and maniacal. "Of a truth Young Lady, I never expected you to push this far" His hand started glowing with icy energy, cold smoke emanating from both of his palms
"Since you have decided to betray us, I won’t hold back anymore! I am sure the Lord would understand hence don’t bla for being ruthless!" The icy fog enveloped his entire right arm and then he growled out "Let show you the strength of an expert!"
A storm of freezing vapor surged around him, swallowing his form. His body beca encased in layer upon layer of crystallized ice, forging a gleaming armor of frost—thick, jagged plates interlocking over his limbs, shoulders, and chest. His breath ca out in white clouds, his eyes glowing with predatory hunger.
With an earth-shattering roar, he lunged.
BOOM!
The ground shattered beneath his feet.
Seraphina barely had a second to react before he was upon her.
His fist, encased in ice, swung like a sledgehamr toward her ribs. She twisted at the last second, but the sheer force of the punch sent a shockwave through the air, splintering the marble tiles where she had stood.
She countered instantly.
A downward slash—her energy-clad blade cutting through the fog.
The old man blocked it with his forearm, ice reinforcing his skin like unbreakable steel. Sparks erupted from the impact, blue energy clashing against frozen might. The force sent both of them skidding backwards.
He was fast.
Too fast for a man covered in that much armor.
But Seraphina didn’t falter.
She surged forward, vanishing from his vision in a blur of silver and blue. She ducked under his next punch, sliding across the frozen ground with deadly grace. Pivoting on one heel, she struck—
Her fist slamd into his ribs.
A cracking sound. A spiderweb of fractures raced across his ice armor.
The old man’s eyes widened.
"Tch!"
She followed up—a spinning kick aid at his head.
He barely dodged.
She twisted again—her gauntlet-covered fist hurtling toward his gut.
He caught it.
His icy hand clamped around her wrist, freezing it on contact. A numbing chill spread up her arm, her fingers stiffening.
"Hah!" His lips curled. "Not so fast, Young Lady!"
Seraphina snapped her knee upward—aid for his jaw.
The old man grunted as her strike connected, forcing him back, but his grip didn’t loosen. Instead, his other hand shot forward, palm glowing with concentrated frost energy.
A burst of ice exploded at point-blank range!
Seraphina barely had ti to raise her free arm before the blast engulfed her. A bone-deep cold raced through her veins, the world turning white with frost.
Her body was flung across the hall, crashing into the far wall. Cracks splintered through the stone from the sheer force.
She hit the ground, her limbs trembling. Her breath fogged the air.
Her left arm was completely encased in ice.
The old man straightened, rolling his shoulders. His armor glead, the cracks she’d made already sealing back together.
"Impressive." He exhaled, watching her struggle. "But it’s over now."
Seraphina growled under her breath.
No.
Not yet.
She forced herself up, dragging air into her lungs despite the piercing cold. Her energy flared, lting the frost creeping up her skin. Her sword humd in her grasp, its glow intensifying.
The old man scowled. "Still resisting? You truly are a stubborn girl."
Seraphina’s silver eyes burned with defiance.
"You talk too much."
She vanished.
A blink.
The old man barely saw her move, a blur of silver and energy streaking toward him.
He raised his arms to defend
Too late.
Seraphina slamd her shoulder into his chest, cracking his armor again. Her knee drove into his gut, a thunderous impact that sent ice shards flying.
Then she struck
A rapid flurry of punches—each one bursting with concussive force.
Her movents were too fast, too precise.
Each blow shattered more of his armor, revealing the flesh beneath. The old man coughed, blood splattering the ice at his feet.
He staggered.
Seraphina spun—a roundhouse kick colliding with the side of his skull.
His vision blurred.
She wasn’t holding back anymore.
His instincts scread. MOVE.
He threw up both hands. "ENOUGH!"
A pulse of frost energy erupted outward, blasting Seraphina off her feet. The entire room beca a winter wasteland, jagged spikes of ice jutting from the ground.
Seraphina crashed into the frozen debris, groaning as the cold bit into her skin.
The old man staggered back, his breath ragged. His armor was half-destroyed, his body aching from the relentless assault.
But he was still standing.
He spat out blood, his patience snapping.
"You brat…!" His voice ca out hoarse, filled with raw fury. "Enough playing around!"
With an animalistic snarl, he threw himself forward.
Seraphina barely managed to deflect his next attack—but the old man pressed the assault.
His punches beca relentless, each one backed by centuries of honed combat experience. His movents were no longer slow—he was adapting.
A fist to the ribs. A knee to her stomach.
A backhand across her face..
Seraphina gasped as she staggered, blood trailing from her lips.
Then—
His palm slamd into her chest.
An explosion of ice.
Seraphina’s body was flung across the battlefield, her back slamming against a frozen pillar.
Her vision swam. Her limbs refused to move.
The old man lood over her, his ice armor crackling with energy. His eyes glead with triumph.
"You’re strong, girl." He exhaled, shaking his head. "But you’re not strong enough."
He lifted his hand. A jagged spear of ice materialized in his grip, the tip aid directly at her throat.
"Now…" His breath curled in the frozen air. "Let’s end this."
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