Last words

Yuui’s heart freezes as she hears the faint sound of rocks shifting in the distance. Her eyes dart toward the source of the noise—a massive crater, the same one formed when Winter had sent her crashing into the ground with that brutal punch.

Dust and rubble are slowly cascading down its jagged sides, disturbed by something moving beneath.

Her pulse quickens as she strains to see. Then, out of the shadows, a figure begins to emerge.

“No... he can't be...”

Her breath catches in her throat as the figure steps into the light.

“Alive?” Yuui gasps, unable to hide the shock in her voice.

His body is in ruins. The left side of his form is horribly burned, scorched from the explosion that had obliterated his blood cloud.

The armor that had once protected him so fiercely is barely holding together. Despite the damage, Winter staggers forward, his movements slow but deliberate. His eyes burn with that familiar cold determination.

“How is he still standing?”

Winter’s blood armor, though battered, shifts and flows like liquid, moving from his right side to the charred remains of his left. The dark, crimson liquid pools over his injured flesh, slowly working to heal his body.

But it is clear—he is weakened. Every step seems to take effort, each movement slower than the last. Yet, his resolve hasn’t wavered.

He glances around the battlefield, taking in the aftermath of the explosion. His crimson eyes scan the ground, noting the blood that had once covered the landscape is gone. All of it—evaporated. His blood cloud, his greatest weapon, has been obliterated in the blast.

Winter’s gaze shifts upward toward the sky, where the once ominous red haze has dissipated into the air.

“Holy… blast…” Winter mutters, realization dawning on him. “My blood cloud… it’s gone…”

There is no more blood to manipulate, no swirling crimson mist to draw from. His power has been cut off at its source. And he knows it.

For the first time in the battle, Winter looks vulnerable. He stands there, staring at the empty sky, his body swaying with fatigue.

His blood armor is working to patch his wounds, but there isn’t enough left to sustain him for long.

Yuui watches him, her body still trembling from exhaustion, but something stirs within her. She has done it. The explosion has crippled him, taken away his greatest asset.

Now, there is a chance—a real chance—to finish him once and for all. This is it—the moment she has fought so hard for.

With a sharp breath, Yuui summons every ounce of energy she has left, pooling it into her hands. Her fingertips glow with an intense light as the power gathers, forming a concentrated mass of pure energy. Her vision blurs slightly from the strain, but she pushes through the pain.

"You watch too much Naruto," Winter says out loud, his voice filled with a cold amusement, even in his weakened state.

Yuui’s eyes narrow. She has no time for his taunts. She has to finish this.

Winter’s smile falters as he senses the shift in the air. His instincts kick in, and he quickly turns back toward Yuui, just in time to see her hand crackling with raw power.

“Pure energy beam!” Yuui shouts, launching the attack with all the strength she has left.

The beam shoots forward like a bolt of lightning, the air crackling with its intensity. It glows bright, illuminating the entire battlefield as it streaks toward Winter. Yuui hopes to catch him off guard, to end this once and for all.

Winter’s eyes widen, sensing the danger of the incoming attack. Without hesitation, he raises his arm, using his crystal gauntlet to block the beam. The moment the energy collides with his gauntlet, a surge of power ripples through the air, sending shockwaves across the battlefield.

Winter grits his teeth, his arm trembling under the sheer force of the blast. He manages to block it, but the power is overwhelming. The force of Yuui’s attack is relentless, pushing him back, step by step. His feet scrape against the cracked earth as he struggles to maintain his footing.

"Ugh…!" Winter growls, digging his heels into the ground as he is forced further and further back, the pressure of the energy beam threatening to overwhelm him. The glow of the gauntlet flickers, struggling to hold against the power.

But Yuui isn’t letting up. She pours everything into the attack, her body trembling with the effort. Sweat drips down her forehead, her muscles burning from the exertion. This is it—this is her final shot. She has to push through.

Winter’s defenses waver, and his gauntlet begins to crack under the strain. The blood armor, weakened from the earlier explosion, is barely holding together.

Despite his best efforts, he can’t stop the relentless surge of Yuui’s attack.

"You're… strong…" Winter mutters, his voice strained as he is pushed further back. His feet skid across the ground, his form becoming more unstable with every passing second.

But Yuui doesn’t let up. She can’t. Not now.

“I won’t… stop… until you’re down!” Yuui shouts, her voice filled with determination.

Winter, for the first time, feels the weight of defeat looming over him. The gauntlet is cracking, the energy beam growing stronger. He knows he can’t hold on much longer.

"Flash Step."

In an instant, he vanishes from her line of sight. Yuui's heart races as her eyes dart around, searching for him. Suddenly, Winter reappears to her left, moving like a blur. She barely has time to register his presence before his fist is already in motion.

"But…"

Winter mutters darkly, his gauntlet, now brimming with unstable energy and cracks, swings directly toward her. The punch connects with Yuui's side, the impact sending a wave of pain ripping through her body.

As the energy stored within the damaged gauntlet discharges, Yuui's body is hurled into the air like an arrow fired from a bow. Her bones crack from the force, muscles tearing as she flies, her scream swallowed by the rush of wind. She is helpless, tumbling uncontrollably through the sky.

Before she can even comprehend the pain, Winter’s voice echoes once more.

"Flash Step."

In the blink of an eye, he appears above her, a shadow looming over her crumpled form. His eyes glow with the hunger of a predator closing in on its prey. With terrifying speed, he drives his fist down once again.

The gauntlet, already splintering from the energy coursing through it, smashes into her with a final, crushing blow.

Yuui is sent careening into the earth with unimaginable force. The ground buckles beneath her impact, creating a deep crater that shakes the battlefield. Dust and debris explode outward as her body hits the ground, the energy of Winter's attack rippling through the landscape.

Yuui's vision blurs as pain overwhelms her senses. Her body feels like it has shattered, every nerve screaming in agony. She can no longer feel the surge of mana that had once flowed through her. It is gone—her energy, her power, everything.

Now she lies in the dirt, gasping for breath, vulnerable and broken. She is no longer the warrior glowing with pure energy. She is a human being, battered, bruised, and teetering on the edge of death.

Winter descends slowly, his cold gaze locked onto Yuui's broken form. His feet touch down on her chest, making her body jolt under the weight of his presence. He stands over her, victorious, his expression twisted with cruel satisfaction.

"I am forever strong," Winter declares, his voice carrying across the battlefield with the gravity of a death sentence.

His stance is one of dominance, his blood armor flickering in patches as it reforms over his body. The broken gauntlet finally disintegrates, but it doesn’t matter.

He doesn’t need it anymore. He has won.

Yuui can barely lift her head, her breaths shallow and ragged. Her vision flickers in and out, the world around her fading.

Winter’s weight on her chest is suffocating, and the pain is unbearable. Every fiber of her being screams for release, for an end to the torment.

Yet, deep inside, there is a flicker—a faint glimmer of something more.

“Is this it? Is this how it ends?”

Her mind races, memories flashing before her eyes. The battles she fought, the comrades she lost, the mission that brought her here. She has come too far to let it end like this.

“I can’t die here... not yet...”

But Winter's eyes glint with triumph as he looks down at her, unaware of the small ember still burning within her.

Winter stands over Yuui’s battered form, his gaze cold and merciless. Slowly, he reaches down, his hand wrapping around her throat with a vice-like grip.

Yuui's body, limp and broken, is lifted into the air as easily as if she weighs nothing. Her legs dangle, her head lolling to one side as her vision flickers between light and darkness.

Winter brings her face close to his, his red eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

"Any last words?" he asks, his voice dripping with cruel amusement.

Yuui coughs violently, her body convulsing in pain as blood spills from her lips. Her chest heaves with the effort to draw in a breath, her lungs burning. Yet, despite the agony coursing through her, she forces her eyes open, locking onto Winter’s gaze.

Through ragged breaths, she begins to speak.

"Because of you…" Her voice cracks, weak and trembling.

"Monika… she died because of you." Tears well in her eyes, rolling down her bloodstained cheeks.

Winter’s expression starts to change.

"You killed my sister," Yuui continues, her voice barely above a whisper now, but filled with raw emotion.

"You killed her… You took everything from me."

Her tears flow freely, the weight of her grief overwhelming her, mixing with the blood staining her face.

She struggles to keep her focus, but the pain in her heart is worse than the injuries Winter has inflicted on her body.