The First General, Tobari, was beyond angry. His jaw was tight, his hands clenched behind his back as he stared at his generals like they had personally insulted him. The air around him felt heavy, like it was pressing down on everyone's shoulders, and no one dared to even breathe too loudly.
"Fenrik," he said slowly, his voice low but shaking with anger, "if you lose this fight… I swear I'll kill you with my own hands."
No one laughed. No one reacted. Because everyone knew he meant it. There was no exaggeration in his tone, no dramatic performance. Just a simple promise.
He stepped forward, looking at the rest of them. "What is wrong with all of you? Why do you keep losing to people like them? You're generals. You were chosen because you're stronger than everyone else. So tell me… why do you keep failing?"
One of the generals lowered his head slightly, but no one answered. The silence felt like punishment.
Tobari exhaled sharply. "Fenrik, go. Show them your real power. Remind them why you stand beside me."
Then his eyes shifted toward Akira and Ryso.
"And you two… end this battle. I'm tired of this mess."
The battlefield went silent. Even the burning debris in the distance seemed quieter, as if the world itself was waiting.
"Start," Tobari said coldly.
Fenrik walked forward calmly, rolling his shoulders like he was preparing for a simple sparring match. He stopped a few steps away from Akira and Ryso and looked at them carefully, almost studying them.
"You know," he said, almost casually, "this doesn't have to end badly."
Akira didn't reply. He just stared back at him, eyes steady.
Fenrik continued, "You two are strong. Stronger than most of the trash standing around here. Why are you protecting them? You met them what… a few days ago? A week? They mean nothing to you."
Ryso crossed his arms slightly. "Say what you want."
"I'm serious," Fenrik said. "Join the Domain of Ashes. With your power, you could become top generals. You wouldn't have to struggle. You wouldn't have to protect weak people. You could rule."
Akira let out a small, angry laugh. "Rule what? A graveyard?"
Fenrik's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You killed innocent people," Akira said, his voice steady but burning underneath. "Families. Kids. People who didn't even know what was happening. And you're standing here asking us to join you?"
Fenrik shrugged. "Power requires sacrifice."
"Sacrifice?" Akira snapped. "You call slaughter sacrifice?"
Ryso stepped forward slightly. "Forget that. I have a question."
Fenrik looked at him.
"How do you know we're not from this planet?" Ryso asked calmly. "That information is classified. Even the Ember Guard doesn't know the full truth."
There was a brief pause. The wind moved lightly between them.
"So how do you?"
Fenrik smiled… but didn't answer.
Akira noticed it immediately. "Yeah. That smile tells me you know something."
Still no response. Just that same quiet expression.
Then suddenly—
A loud crack of thunder exploded across the battlefield.
Fenrik vanished.
"Akira!" Ryso shouted.
A streak of lightning shot straight toward them. The ground shattered behind it, leaving black burn marks in its path and filling the air with the sharp smell of smoke.
Everyone knew generals weren't just strong because of their quirks. Their physical strength alone could destroy buildings. But Fenrik's lightning made him even more dangerous.
He reappeared for a split second, electricity surrounding his body like armor, sparks snapping violently around him.
"You can't dodge this," his voice echoed through the sparks. "I move at near the speed of light!"
Akira stepped forward, ice already forming around his hands, frost spreading across his fingers. "Then I'll freeze the light."
"Don't!" Ryso said quickly, grabbing his arm. "If you attack now, you'll miss."
Fenrik disappeared again.
Another lightning strike tore through the ground beside them, sending pieces of broken earth into the air.
Ryso's eyes followed the movement carefully, tracking the flashes. "He's fast… but not untouchable."
"Then what's the plan?" Akira asked, keeping his focus sharp.
"Let him think he has the advantage."
Fenrik reappeared behind them this time, launching a direct lightning punch toward Akira's back, electricity roaring around his fist.
"Now!" Ryso shouted.
Before the attack could fully land, a powerful blast of wind exploded outward from Ryso's position. The air pressure shifted violently, twisting the lightning's path just slightly and throwing sparks off balance.
It wasn't much.
But it was enough.
Fenrik's movement slowed — not completely, just enough to break his perfect rhythm. His timing faltered for a split second.
Akira felt it instantly.
"That's my chance."
He slammed both hands forward. The temperature around them dropped sharply, cold biting into the air. Frost spread across the cracked ground, racing toward Fenrik at high speed like a living wave.
"Too slow!" Fenrik shouted, trying to accelerate again, forcing more lightning through his body.
But the wind pressure was still interfering with his movement, dragging against him just enough to hold him in place.
Ice shot upward like spears, surrounding him from multiple directions, sealing off every escape path.
Fenrik tried to break through with another lightning burst, electricity exploding outward — but the cold had already started spreading across his body. His movements became heavier. Slower.
"You think wind can stop lightning?" Fenrik growled, struggling against the frost forming along his arms.
"No," Ryso replied calmly. "But it can slow it."
Akira stepped closer, focusing all his energy into one final attack. The air around him shimmered with cold. "And ice doesn't need to be faster than lightning… it just needs one second."
He released a massive wave of freezing energy.
The moisture in the air instantly crystallized. The lightning sparks began freezing mid-air, turning into tiny shards of light trapped in ice.
Fenrik's expression changed — not fear, but surprise.
The ice wrapped around his legs first, then his arms, then across his chest, sealing him layer by layer.
He tried to shout something, but before the words came out—
Everything froze.
The lightning disappeared under thick layers of ice, silenced completely.
Silence returned to the battlefield.
Akira stood still, breathing heavily, cold mist leaving his mouth with every breath. Ryso lowered his arm, the wind slowly calming down until only a faint breeze remained.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. The frozen figure of Fenrik stood between them, locked in place.
Then Akira said quietly, "He knew about us."
"Yeah," Ryso replied, eyes still on the ice. "And that's not random."
In the distance, Tobari watched without moving.
His expression didn't show anger this time.
It showed something else.
Interest.
And that was far more dangerous. It's not over the battle counties.