Chapter 14: United We Stand

Yuki waited in the exact centre of the circle. Eyes closed, features relaxed, she looked perfectly calm to the outside world. But in reality, she was deep in a telepathic argument.

You got carried away. You're not supposed to use lethal force against contestants! Ash spat through the link. He had literally infused the message with his tone so Yuki would know how angry he was.

It wasn't anything they couldn't handle. No one died.

Barely. Kena's lucky she's a fire mage, or she'd have hyperthermia.

That's why I did it to a fire mage; I knew she would live, Yuki responded, adding the mental equivalent of an eye roll to the message. It's the final trial; it's supposed to be challenging. The guild master himself said so.

You can make it hard without killing them, Ash scolded. No more lethal moves. Killing a clan member will cause all kinds of problems.

That said, Ash broke the connection. Yuki rolled her eyes. Of course, it was about that. Politics. It was always there to ruin her fun.

Opening her eyes, she saw that the foursome had returned. They looked confident. Yuki was glad; it wasn't nearly as fun to crush hopeless people.

***

Walking out into the clearing, they faced Yuki again. This time, they were a team with a plan and a common goal.

Eren was ready. He had made a new hammer and shield. He also had built a pop-out blade into each of his boots and created two daggers as fallback weapons. It was weird having to carry all his weapons with him going into a fight, but he knew he wouldn't have any chance to make new ones.

Never taking his eyes off Yuki, Eren made his way around the circle, stopping when he and Kena were at opposite ends.

Lyra positioned herself at the edge of the circle. Best he could tell, Yuki couldn't curve her attacks once they left her hands. So she chose an area with lots of trees to use for cover as needed. Yuki could likely destroy any of them, so it was vital to have others to fall back on as needed.

Jin felt much the same way. She could've created her own defences, growing trees or flowers to absorb the attacks, but decided against doing so. She needed to save all the mana she could for the coming battle.

***

As soon as Kena crossed the threshold, she activated her spell. Her whole body ignited, burning brightly in mimicry of Eren's armour. It wasn't solid, but Kena figured it had to help against Yuki's cold-based attacks. A halo appeared over her head, signifying her as the only one allowed to use magic within the circle. Besides Yuki, of course, this suited her just fine. She had agreed to work as a team, but she refused to be second fiddle. Eren was her support, not the other way around.

Yuki didn't react to their presence right away. Instead, she took a moment to look at them individually, seemingly analysing them.

"A warrior falls. A team rises in her place," Yuki recited, smiling invitingly. "Yet the team still falls."

As one, Kena and Eren charged. Yuki sprung into action. She shot Eren with a thick stream of snow. Not stopping to check how it went, she turned and ran towards Kena. Kena went for a roundhouse kick, forcing Yuki to bend backwards. Such a bold opening move left Kena vulnerable, however. Yuki moved in for a counter, but the sudden appearance of an unnaturally sharp bamboo shoot forced her back.

With a contemptuous wave of her hand, Yuki froze the shoot, killing it instantly. But it brought Kena the moment she needed. She threw a fireball at Yuki's feet. With no space to counter, Yuki retreated, summoning a wall of snow to shield her from the attack.

Slurry scattered in every direction, covering Yuki. But it also covered Kena, snuffing her flaming armour.

Fat load of good that did, Kena bemoaned internally.

***

Yuki moved quickly to capitalise on her advantage, but Eren was upon her. He swung his hammer wide for an attack, its giant head too big to dodge without running into Kena.

So Yuki went forward. Ducking under the hammer, she swept Eren's legs, blasting his stomach; she threw him onto his back. She couldn't afford to hurt herself foolishly punching his armour, so snow blasts would have to do.

Stepping over him, Yuki ran to make some space. The key to fighting multiple opponents? Don't fight multiple opponents. Force them to split up somehow, then fight them one-on-one.

She knew Jin would be working to catch her with her plants. They were probably burrowing through the ground towards her already. Ready to pop out as soon as Yuki stopped moving. Yuki couldn't have that.

She sucked the heat from the ground beneath her, freezing it solid, killing anything hidden inside it.

Kena was in hot pursuit. Yuki only had a few moments to end this while Eren recovered and collected his hammer. Pivoting on her heel, Yuki shot a full-powered kick at Kena's head. Kena was shocked at the sudden change of pace, but all the same, she responded admirably. She dodged under the attack and moved in for a gut punch. Grabbing her hands, Yuki jerked her forward to throw her off balance, delivering a brutal knee to her stomach. As she held her, she drained her heat, thrilling at the feeling of doing so again.

Delicious.

Seeing Eren charging at her, Yuki abandoned her drain. Lifting Kena off her feet, she threw her right at the charging giant. Caught flat-footed, he dropped his hammer, trying to grab her. Not one to waste an opportunity, Yuki began charging for a finishing attack. She had promised Ash she would take it easy on them, but she couldn't resist. Yuki couldn't remember the last time such weak opponents had inspired such passion in her.

Yuki fired, but was countered by a barrage of lightning. "Heaven's fury!"

Lyra. I almost forgot she was here; guess I know what she was up to. The barrage was impressive. Dozens of lightning bolts rendered Yuki's attack completely meaningless. She can't attack me, but she can counter my attacks...how quaint.

Eren and Kena were back up now, and Kena looked pissed. "The candle burns weak. The flame; too fragile to burn. The knight protects her."

Yuki's taunt worked even better than she thought. Honestly, she wasn't sure Kena even understood her half the time.

"I don't need anyone to protect me; I'm a warrior!" Kena exploded forward, her feet propelled by her fire.

"Kena, wait!" Eren rushed to follow, but Yuki couldn't have that. Spreading her arms out, she swept them above her head like a ballerina, spreading her mana out around her in a wide arc. Steam followed behind her hand, rapidly expanding and filling the entire circle.

The resulting fog was unbelievably thick, making it impossible for anyone to see her. Inside and out, all her opponents would be fighting blind.

Yuki disappeared into the fog, keeping an eye on Kena's glowing form. I'm over here, Candle, Yuki sent telepathically. To Kena, it wouldn't sound any different from speech. She would assume Eren could hear it too and expect backup that would never come.

Now for some fun.

***

Outside the circle, Lyra was worried. She didn’t know Yuki could create fog. If she didn't know where Yuki was, she couldn't do anything to help, and neither could Jin. At least Yuki couldn't see her either, so she didn't have to hide. Making her way around the circle, Lyra approached Jin.

"Do you have a way we can see inside the fog?" Lyra asked quietly; careful not to give away her new location. Jin waved her over.

"No," Jin responded frankly. "But I think I can dismiss the fog. My plants absorb ambient mana; if I can grow enough around the circle, they should clear it."

Lyra nodded; it was better than any plan she had. "The problem is doing it. If Yuki notices what I'm up to, she'll kill the plants."

"She probably can't see us either," Lyra said. "Conjurers can often feel their creations; that must be how she's navigating. So as long as you don't touch it until you're ready, she won't know what you're doing."

Jin looked troubled for a moment. "Let's hope so."

***

Eren hated to admit it, but he was impressed. The fog was an excellent defence, given the current situation. Jin and Lyra wouldn't be able to attack, fearing they would hit Eren or Kena by accident. And Yuki had even managed to separate Eren and Kena from each other. Eren tried to call out to Kena to find her, but the fog must've blocked sounds because she didn't respond. Or maybe she was ignoring him. That would be pretty on-brand for the explosive dumbass.

Eren thought about going for the flags, but he knew it would be foolish. The flags were an obvious trap. Yuki would expect him to go for them.

Experimentally, Eren tried to create some iron. Nothing happened. Kena was still in the circle. Eren had to assume Yuki would be too.

His only option was to keep his guard up. He could only see a few feet in every direction; he had to be ready to respond quickly.

A sudden flash of light caught Eren's eye. Kena. It has to be Kena. The light suggested explosions; Kena was fighting. Racing forward, Eren prepared himself to assist her.

He kept his hammer raised, ready to strike, eyeing the mist around him as he moved.

But he didn't find Kena. He was sure he went right to her, but he missed her completely. She must've moved.

Another flash of light caught Eren's eye. Again, Eren rushed to the source; again, Eren found nothing. Something was wrong. He knew Yuki could use her magic to hide her true location. Could she have also used it to make Kena appear elsewhere? It wasn't such a stretch; all she needed was a burst of light to create the illusion of Kena fighting.

Another light caught Eren's eye; he didn't follow it. Instead, Eren focused on feeling his iron. He should've done it from the start; it was the perfect way to track Kena. As long as she still had the dagger, he could find her.

He could feel four pieces of iron. The first was himself. Outside the circle, he could feel Jin and Lyra had met up. Hopefully, they had a plan to help. Finally, there was Kena. She was moving; fast.

***

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Kena had lost track of Eren immediately after Yuki created her mist. But she wasn't worried; they were both after the same target and were supposed to attack from different angles. She just had to find Yuki.

The fog was impossibly thick. Kena could barely see her hands in front of her face. Yuki could be standing next to Kena, and she would never know it.

Kena gulped nervously at the thought. She couldn't let Yuki catch her off guard again.

"Do you fear the dark?" Yuki asked, but Kena couldn't tell where from. "The unknown surrounding you." Kena looked around frantically. She could hear Yuki's voice; she couldn't be that far away. "It's secrets hidden."

"Screw it." Stretching her arms out, Kena shot fire from each hand. Spinning in a circle, she burned a red fiery ring around her. Anyone who approached her would get burned. Of course, the same applies to Eren. Is that an upside or a downside?

Yuki went silent. Eren didn't appear to complain about the fire, either. Kena wasn't dumb enough to think such a weak attack would be enough to take out a guild member. Yuki was messing with her.

"I've fought opponents like you before. Relying on sneak attacks; because you're too scared to take me head-on like a proper warrior!" Kena chuckled to herself. "I took him out in one hit; I wonder how many you'll take."

A shadow caught Kena's eye. Reflexively, she threw a fireball at it. It exploded on impact, blowing the shadow to pieces. "Hah, your cheap tricks won't work."

A sudden kidney punch stole Kena's breath. But Yuki didn't get off clean. Hissing in pain, she jumped out of range, her hand burnt from Kena's renewed flaming armour.

"Can't even see me. Yet you still think you can fight." Yuki's voice sounded like it was coming from everywhere. Her casual, childlike pitch drove Kena mad. "Hope springs eternal."

"Well, you can't touch me. Way I see it, we're even," Kena countered, growing her flaming armour to hammer her point home. She had long since dried off the slurry, reigniting her 'armour'.

Kena was right. Yuki didn't try to attack her directly again. She stayed hidden in her fog, shooting sporadic blasts of snow, hoping to catch Kena off guard. But being forced to attack from a distance gave Kena all the time she needed to react; guided by her fighting instincts, she countered each attack effortlessly.

"Amazing instincts. But you're still just a candle," Yuki called out, her voice sounding as if it was coming from inside Kena's head. "And I'm a blizzard."

Yuki stepped out of the shadows; Kena charged as soon as she saw her. But she didn't reach her, Yuki stopping her with an overwhelming blast of snow. Kena tried to counter with her flames. She had done so several times before. This time was different; Yuki's snow carved through Kena's flames brutally, smothering them into nothingness.

Kena barely had time to raise her arms into an 'x' block. It didn't help. The snow extinguished her flames before hardening around her, trapping her in a prison of ice.

"You don't belong here. You're not a real warrior." Growling, Kena summoned more power, shattering her icy prison with an explosion.

Yuki roundhouse kicked Kena, but Kena caught her leg with both hands. Spinning with the momentum of her kick, Kena threw Yuki to the ground.

Jumping on top of her, Kena gave her an exploding gut punch. Then another. Kena didn't let up; she knew better than to let her opponents have any breathing space. She had already made that mistake once during the exam.

Yuki grabbed Kena's head, wrenching it up, forcing the witch to eye level. Kena expected a head butt, but Yuki didn't do that. She just stared into her eyes. Instinctively, Kena wanted to look away. But she couldn't. Her eyes refused to obey her.

So beautiful...

Kena could feel the cold again. It was seeping in, sapping her strength. She felt weak. "You can't resist me."

She couldn't look away. She couldn't move her head. She couldn't fight back. Every time she thought about attacking Yuki, the thought slipped away. It was like trying to pick up water with a fork.

"I…" Kena muttered, eyes drifting shut.

"Just give up… you did before, just give in again. I'll be gentle…" Yuki's voice resonated in her ears, coaxing her to surrender. Yuki's eyes bored into her own. When did Yuki get so close? Their faces were almost touching.

"I…" Kena's eyes closed, darkness consuming her. She felt the same way as before. Helpless. Waiting for someone to save her. She hated it. It burned inside; she couldn't believe she felt so weak again. But the more she tried to fight it, the more she felt herself giving in. Fading into nothing.

"That's it, give in. I'll take care of you," Yuki promised. Her words were so sweet and caring. Kena wanted to give in. She wanted to lose. It just felt so right. So tempting. She wanted to be taken under, to give in. To finally feel peace. She didn't have to fight anymore. "You were never really a warrior."

"I..."

Kena stabbed herself. Pain overwhelmed her consciousness. She was used to the heat from her explosions, but this was different. Eren's dagger cut through her flesh with ease, pain filling her mind.

Fire bloomed inside her. Filling her chest, her arms, her hands, her fingers. "...am a warrior!" The ice shattered. Flames erupted inside her. Opening her eyes, Kena saw Yuki wrapped around her like the parasite she was. Kena head-butted her, triggering an explosion on impact.

Reeling back, Yuki gripped her nose; blood dripped through her fingers. "That's impossible. You. You shouldn't be able to break free…"

Kena grinned, showing her teeth, fire flowing through her veins, melting the ice that had settled inside her. "I can do a lot more than that!". Thrusting both hands forward, Kena shot twin streams of flame at Yuki. Kena knew Yuki could dodge, so she made sure to make both as big as possible. She couldn't avoid it if the fire was everywhere. "Hell's fury!"

Kena liked Lyra's names for attacks. So she adapted them for herself. Seeing the fire, Yuki shot back her snow beam. Kena didn't let up, forcing more power into the twin beams. Steam erupted where the spells met, blinding them both. Kena pushed harder. Her fire kept ploughing forward, Yuki's snow spraying around it like water flowing around a spoon. "Tell me, what happens to a snowball in hell?"

Yuki couldn't resist. Kena's fire continued gaining momentum, slowly crushing her snow. Kena was winning. She didn't need a team. She certainly didn't need Eren. She could do it all by herself!

The last of the snow gave in, Kena's fire soaring forward unopposed. But Yuki wasn't there anymore. She had disappeared into the fog. She could be right next to Kena or miles away. There was no way to know.

"What's the matter? Can't handle the heat, Snowball?" Nothing. If Yuki was around, she wasn't going to respond.

Taking a step, Kena winced from the pain. She had cut deeper than she meant to. Creating a small flame on her fingertip, she stopped the bleeding, sucking in a sharp breath from the pain. It still hurt to move, but it would do.

"I won't let you run away, you arctic parasite!"

***

Yuki spirited through the fog, invisible to her prey until she was upon them. Yuki's fog didn't just hide her. She felt the fog like it was a part of her own body. It let her keep track of everyone and everything inside it.

That's how she knew Eren was making a beeline for her. It should've been impossible. Her fog created false sounds and images to confuse anyone inside it, but he was ignoring them all.

She hated to leave Kena so soon. The arrogant child actually thought she had scared her away. But she couldn't afford to be forced into fighting them both again. She would take out Eren and then return to finish off Kena. It would be so satisfying to crush her confidence a second time. Maybe letting her think she won wasn't so bad after all?

Reaching up, Yuki felt her nose. Kena had broken it with that last headbutt, and it was bleeding everywhere. Gripping it, Yuki froze it back into position. If she had done this to anyone else, they would get frostbite and lose their nose. But Yuki's body was different; ice was a fundamental part of who she was. It was still sore, but at least it was on the path to healing right.

Finding Eren, Yuki stayed just out of his view. She let him catch just a glance at her, so he would focus on fighting her rather than finding Kena.

"Come out. There's no point in hiding; fight me fair and square," Eren ordered, assuming a defensive stance. Yuki almost laughed; he genuinely thought he stood a chance.

Adorable.

"Great knight, fair and true," Yuki began, flowing in and out of her fog; she circled him hungrily. He moved with her, never breaking eye contact; ready to strike at a moment's notice. "You hide behind your armour. It will not save you."

Dashing forward, Yuki ducked under his hammer. She broke into his guard but didn't attack. She grabbed his head; holding him close, she met his eye.

"Sheath your sword, brave knight," Yuki ordered, beginning her spell. Eren dismissed his hammer. The circle treated casting as using magic to force a mage's will on the environment. Dismissing was removing a mage's effect, so it was not blocked.

Yuki started sucking out his body heat, her hypnosis holding him captive. It was a powerful combination, rendering even the strongest warriors helpless. Its only weakness was that she needed to touch them, but once she did, it was over. "You fought with burning passion. But the cold takes all."

His eyes drifted close. His will faltered, surrendering to her.

It was just so easy.

Her heat drain ability wasn't as instant as she would like. It took time to weaken them enough for them to be unable to resist. Eren's armour didn't help. Despite what you might expect, magic iron impeded almost all types of magic, including cold-based powers. Penetrating it would take a long time.

That's why hypnosis was so perfect. Eren's body had the power to fight, but his mind would be trapped. Giving her all the time she needed to break through even the most stubborn defences. All it took was a glance of her eyes and a touch of her hand, and he was hers.

Giant hands seized her head, squeezing painfully tight. Before Yuki could react, his oversized metal head crashed into hers. A loud crunching noise sounded, blood spilling uncontrollably.

Reeling back from the sudden attack, Yuki failed to protect herself from the follow-up gut punch. Grabbing the offending hand, she once again tried hypnotising him. He responded with a brutal backhand, throwing her off of him.

"Why isn't it working? You should be dead!" Throwing her hands forward, Yuki shot a full-powered blast at him. Crossing his arms in front of his face, Eren braced for impact. It didn't matter. The moment the snow hit him, he was thrown from his feet and sent barrelling end-over-end into the fog.

Yuki touched her nose gingerly. It hurt to the touch; Kena had broken it earlier. It wasn't just broken now. It was shattered. "Bastard! What is with you people and the goddamn nose?"

Yuki formed a pair of ice claws. If she couldn't drain his heat; she'd have to settle for cutting him to ribbons. Ash would be upset, but he'd get over it. Contestants died all the time.

Guess this year we'll have no winners.

When she found him, Eren was running away. So much for the brave knight. He was near the edge of the circle, too. "Don't even think about it, snow prison!"

The wall of snow caught him just before he escaped, trapping him in place. Struggling in vain, he tried to break the snow. But it was too strong. He couldn't move an inch.

All around Yuki, flowers sprouted from the ground. Jin. It had to be Jin. Was she trying to save Eren? Yuki froze the ones nearest her. Oddly, they didn't entangle her. In fact, some had even started wrapping around Eren.

Yuki chuckled darkly. "So dramatic, but so pointless. They still have no idea where we are. Pathetic." Eren's prison cracked, the plants sucking up its mana, trying to break it. "Nope."

Yuki unleashed another wave of snow, freezing all the vines that were trying to free Eren in one fell swoop.

The fog is thinning.

The realisation hit her like a tonne of bricks. The plants weren't a rescue attempt; they were to clear the mist. Jin and Lyra were trying to get back in the fight.

"Fireball!" Kena's voice penetrated the air, an orb of fire crashing into her snowy prison. The mist weakening had let her find them. Smoke and dirt filled the air; when it passed, Eren was gone. In his place was Kena, a smug smile threatening to split her face in half. "Your nose is gross."

"Shut up! I don't have time for you!" Yuki shot a blast of snow at Kena, which she blocked with her fire. Yuki didn't care. Eren was running for the flags; Kena was just a distraction.

"Don't ignore me!" Kena shot twin balls of fire. Yuki dodged them both gracefully, but was forced back by the explosions. Kena followed up with a powerful roundhouse kick. Yuki flowered around it like water. Grabbing Kena's outstretched leg, she pulled hard, spinning her around before tossing her into the air like a rag-doll. Before she landed, Yuki hit her with a snow prison, stopping her from breaking her fall.

That done, Yuki returned to her pursuit of Eren. Running as fast as she could, she thought frantically, searching for a way to stop him. He had the flags. He had them all. She couldn't blast him; the risk of him landing outside the circle was too great. She had to grab him. Grab him and throw him back, then steal the flags. Once she had them, she could focus on the fight again.

Yuki was so focused she didn't notice the bamboo shooting out of the ground, tripping her up. Rolling with the fall, she reached out a desperate hand.

She grabbed Eren's leg just before he crossed the threshold. Pulling hard with one hand and blasting him with the other, Yuki knocked him flat on his face.

"Heaven's fury!" Lightning arched through the air. The power of it was palpable, but Yuki wasn't worried. It didn't matter how strong it was if it couldn't hit her. At that distance, Lyra wouldn't even get close. Her illusions would make her impossible to aim for.

Indeed, the bolt sailed right past Yuki, not threatening her in the least. The bolt hit Eren. Yuki's body was racked with pain; his metal body had conducted the lightning right into Yuki. She tried to release her hold on Eren, but her body wouldn't listen. The foreign power overwhelmed her, and she gripped him all the tighter. She heard herself crying out involuntarily, completely unable to defend herself from Lyra's attack. Finally, the pain subsided, and she collapsed.

Wearily, she looked up. Jin was standing there smiling, all four flags in her hand. She was outside the circle.

They had won.

"You hide your true self. Wrapped in a blanket of snow. We see your weakness."