[Back to the present]

Julian, whose silhouette was now on the ground, short of breath, looked Klein in the eyes. Suddenly, the ground shook under Klein’s feet and ice spikes burst from the earth with a shrill whistle, seeking to impale him.

Klein, whose senses were sharpened, perceived the danger even before the first crack appeared. His body reacted quickly. He leaped backward, putting distance between them. The spikes ended their course where his feet had been a moment earlier, shattering the air in a crash of crushed crystal.

He stabilized himself, his face remaining a mask of impenetrable impassivity. Yet a glimmer of annoyance crossed his pupils as he stared at his opponent.

"You can tell me what’s wrong with you?" asked Klein.

His voice was calm, almost too calm, contrasting violently with the ambient hostility. Julian did not reply immediately with words. He was getting up slowly, his fingers clenching on the hilt of his sword. A frosty mist began to escape, spreading over the entire area.

"Don’t act like you don’t know," replied Julian as he stood up completely.

He took a step forward, and the frost instantly covered the ground under his boot, cracking under the weight of his resolve.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Klein, looking annoyed.

He made a hand gesture to chase away the cold air that was starting to surround him, his own aura pulsing discreetly around him to maintain his body temperature. He did not understand the origin of this sudden hostility.

"I bet you were taking your time playing with the women," said Julian with a distorted smile.

It was a cruel grin, an expression that disfigured his face. He alluded to Klein’s many conquests.

"You were daydreaming while my mother sacrificed herself for you," shouted Julian as he rushed toward Klein, delivering a blow with his sword.

Julian’s cry tore through the silence of the area. The mention of Duchess Irene Frostvine’s sacrifice made Klein shudder deep inside. He was not aware of this story. The fact that the duchess disappeared without giving any explanation did not concern him at all, but if it was because of him, it would be another matter.

But he did not have time to dwell on his own thoughts. Julian was on him in a flash. The frost sword traced a deadly arc, aiming for Klein’s neck with surgical precision. With no choice left, Klein drew his katana and blocked the attack.

The clash of metal rang out, sending sparks flying that seemed to freeze instantly on contact with Julian’s aura. The noise was deafening, a sharp snap that echoed against the surrounding stone walls. Klein felt the force of the impact vibrate in his forearms.

Julian did not stop there. His movements chained together without pause, each attack preceding the next with implacable fluidity. It had become a macabre dance, a succession of rapid strikes where every misstep meant death.

< Aura Repulsion >

A shockwave burst from Klein, invisible but devastating. The air compressed brutally around him before relaxing all at once, sending Julian several meters away. The latter stabilized by planting his heels in the snow, tracing two long furrows behind him.

< Dash >

Klein teleported behind Julian in the blink of an eye. He struck, but his fist passed through Julian’s body as if hitting fog. The next instant, a column of water burst from the ground under his feet, rising more than three meters high before falling violently on Klein. However, the water met only emptiness: Klein had already disappeared, reappearing a few meters away.

Julian gave him no respite. He swung his sword in front of him, the frozen air crackling around the blade.

< Frostvine Art – First Movement: Frost Blade >

A whitish aura emerged from his sword, taking the form of an ice crescent that rushed straight toward Klein. The air in its path was scattered with fine frozen crystals that sparkled briefly before falling.

Klein reacted quickly. He raised his katana with both hands, his own aura wrapping around the blade like a black flame.

< Sundering Eclipse Art – First Movement: New Moon >

A colossal energy burst from his katana. The attack rushed to meet Julian’s. When the two powers collided, an explosion of pure energy shook the mountain. The blast sent blocks of stone and snow in all directions, creating a thick screen of smoke and pulverized ice.

Little by little, the smoke dissipated, revealing a crater several meters wide in the center of the battlefield. The two men looked at each other for a moment, silently measuring the extent of the damage. Then, without a sign, they disappeared from their positions to reappear in the same spot, blades crossed in a new clash.

< Mystic Art: Lightning Descent >

Suddenly, myriads of lightning bolts formed in the sky, streaking the air. They struck Julian in a lashing rain, each impact making the ground rumble.

Julian reacted quickly. He planted his sword in the ground in front of him, hands clenched on the hilt.

< Frostvine Art: Frost Cocoon >

Quickly, a cocoon of snow formed around him, enveloping him entirely. The lightning struck the icy shield, melting its outer surface layer by layer, but Julian remained protected inside. As soon as the attack stopped, the cocoon cracked. Julian burst out with a sword strike, pulverizing the pieces of ice around him, then rushed at Klein. He delivered an upward blow, his blade rising from the ground toward his opponent’s chin. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Klein stepped to the left with a quick step, letting the sword pass a few centimeters from his torso. He took advantage of this opening to deliver a kick to Julian’s flank, but the latter blocked the attack with his other hand. Julian firmly seized Klein’s foot, locking it in a solid grip.

"You should have hit harder," said Julian.

He spun abruptly to throw Klein against the rocky walls. However, Klein twisted in mid-air, reorienting his body to stabilize his trajectory before touching the ground. He landed on one knee, his hand flat on the snow to absorb the rest of the impact.

Klein stood up slowly and adjusted the position of his katana between his hands. He observed Julian for a moment, measuring the distance that separated them.

"You have progressed well," noted Klein, his voice calm despite the shortness of breath.

"The same goes for you," replied Julian as he wiped away a trickle of blood flowing down his cheek with the back of his hand.

They sized each other up for another second. Then, in a single movement, the two men rushed toward each other.