The two stood looking at each other, the air in-between them literally sparked.
Itoyea was stuck, this guy was obviously strong, each of this blood pins he had dodged were very intense, he knew if even one had hit him, he would not be able to continue the fight properly, and he didn't know what other properties those blood pins had, for all he knew it could contain poisen, or acid, not to mention the possibility that that guy might be able to control the blood of it got into his system.
Itoyea every sense at the moment were working on overdrive, trying to find a weakness in this guy's ability, plus the time was running out, only 7 minutes left.
" Are you two just going to stand there admiring yourselves" Cheim Nell said, neither moved still, they were observing each other, in their minds they were both fighting, each move they made now was something that they would have already tested in their minds eye.
Cheim Nell sighed, bored.
"- Okie, let's do it this way, let's play a game, you just have to 'take' 5 flags from us, only six attempts-" Cheim Nell started, both men looked at her like she was mad.
" What! We have enough don't we" Cheim Nell said, her gaze on Aitken, who looked like he wanted to tear her flesh clean, but that was for only a moments, he immediately composed himself and smiled, a smile that did not reach his eyes.
" Yes we do, my dear, however why should we give him a chance at them" Aitken said, smiling through his teeth.
Itoyea suddenly understood why it seemed like he couldn't find any flag, this bastard was hogging them. He was angry now.
Cheim Nell shrugged at Aitken.
" Are you not confident, you can win, pretty boy over here" Cheim Nell said her voice low and seductive.
She's baiting him. Itoyea thought, he was starting to think he might need to protect her instead, the look on Aitken's face was something right out of a horror film.
This time he didn't easily compose himself, he knew she was baiting him, he just didn't know why.
Why now.
" Confidence, ha!, I can defeat your pretty boy over there, in my sleep"
" Excellent" Cheim Nell squealed, he jumped on him, hugging him, Itoyea stood before them, completely forgotten.
He prided himself in his emotional intelligence, he could see now that this girl was the bigger threat between the two.
" The flags would be placed behind me, you have one 6 attempts at getting them, if you don't however, your flags would be handed to me" Aitken said, Cheim Nell and Itoyea gasped, they had not been expecting that.
" What do you really expect, that it would only profit you, I may be a lot, but I am not foolish"
Itoyea knew this was his attempt to salvage his pride, he knew he needed those flags, hos team only had two, their original flag, and one he had gotten on his way here.
" Alright" Itoyea said as he took a stance, his wooden sword was long gone, and he had vowed to the person who gave him this sword that he would not use it till he was ready for it.
Consequentially he was now left without a sword to use.
This did not put him off, experts believe the sword is just an extension of the arm, but for that to occur the hands first must become the sword, this the sword arts was formed ; swordless blades.
Itoyea took stance, ready and armed, he had become a living weapon.
He set his eyes on Aitken who seemed to understand the look in his eyes.
They screamed ' deadly'.
'This was going to good fight' Aitken thought
***
The Frost clan of the frozen mountains, were only about 50 years ago, just another clan that resided on the frozen mountains. That is till they received a blessing from the heavens, they discovered in a cave, an underground spring, that could literally triple the cultivation speed of anyone who stepped in it, as expected their cultivation levels had grown exponentially, and with only month of discovering it, they had several heros at the peak of Denkei, and a couple in Henkei.
They then united all the clans that lived in the Frozen Mountains.
It was a terrific accomplishment, now they were spreading their influence.
They were really not easy people to pick on, they had long since left their simple lives behind.
This person here now claimed to belong to the same mysterious clan, not just that he claimed to be a Prince of the clan.
To just about anyone, hearing this would be enough to put them to their knees, however these two were not normal people.
Itekan had lived with the peak of power for his entire life, Binturu was the same, he was from a forgotten tribe, whose influence and abilities were said to rival even the heavens.
Arizel could not believe they were ignoring him, this was not supposed to be, he was a royalty, they should be begging for their lives, and he fully intended on make sure that happened
He let loose a blast of ice that froze the ground solid, the air became foggy and Itekan quickly became alert.
" Ice Domain; Castle of the Frozen Mornach" Arizel Frost said, the ice beneath his feet had spread nearly 20 meters all around him.
Reaching into the trees, they were turned to ice pillars, the ice reaching formed above them like a canopy, from the ceilings tiny ice chandelier formed.
Behind Arizel was a throne, that had a being seated.
The man was over 7 feets tall, his huge body was covered in ice, he held a massive ice sword in his left hand. He had a crown on, ice fog were emitted from his nostrils, and from his mouth, that were belied with fangs, his face had an 'x' scar across it, and his eyes were a toxic shade of blue.
Arizel rose his left hand, and the giant being behind him did so as well.
Itekan witnessing all this could not help but smile, he was truly excited, since he arrived at four stars, he had met a lot of strong people, his father always said, adversaries bring forth progress.
" Toitoi" Itekan said, his physical form fading, in an instant, Binturu and Arizel's faces register in shock, he had just turned into a shadow.
" Frost Mornach!" Arizel gave the command and immediately the Frost Mornach swung, a blizzard was swept across at Itekan who leapt back, his hand signs formed.
" Maximum Chajama!!" Itekan retorted, a massive explosion was caused by the impact of the collision of the massive fireball and the blizzard.
Steam rose as a result, Arizel stepped back immediately, the Frost Mornach, moving in, standing ahead, the steam cleared, bit itekan was nowhere to be seen.
" Is that all" Itekan spoke, behind Arizel, his shadow daggers were on his neck, shocked he wondered when he got there, he definitely did not move past the Frost Mornach, he would have sensed it.
"- you know when I saw your entire gimmick I assumed, it was going to be challenging, that being is definitely powerful but you don't have enough experience using him" itekan concluded.
Arizel gritted his teeth, this was not how things were supposed to go. How did he even reach there.
Itekan smiled he could guess what the prince probably was thinking, it was simple the moment he had cast his Chajama, he went into the shadow of Arizel, and once the steam had cleared, he came out behind him, shadow daggers in hand.
Arizel put his hands up in surrender.
Itekan did not see it.
" What out, kid!!" Binturu shouted from the safe zone.
It was then Itekan noticed the ice that was forming at Arizel's feets had somehow tangled itself onto him, freezing his feet.
How!
Arizel ahoy out of Itekan's reach, Itekan blade however took a bit of his flesh as well.
As Arizel landed the Frost Mornach wasted no time, he got Itekan, slicing through him.
Arizel gasping behind the Frost Mornach, thought back, he hadn't thought that technique would work, what he had done first was to decrease the temperature of the ice at his feets as much as he could, to the point thag some of the ice lost their physical forms, he was assuming that, that guys technique changed him in a similar manner, meaning his ice would have effect on him. He hadn't expected it to work but it did.
" Itekan!!" Binturu shouted getting up sharply.
"Hehe, thats more like it!" Itekan said laughing, Arizel was on shock, he was sure that attack had gone through.
"I finally understand something, how your ice domain works" Itekan said, it may have not seemed like it, but from the moment Arizel had cast his Frost palace, itekan had been trying to figure the trick behind it, when the Frost Mornach had cut him, he finally understood.
Arizel had created several ice pillars, then naturally it had closed up when he added a little spiritual energy to the pillars.
Itekan when had been cut had been able to escape from the ice domain, he saw it's patterns outside, that's when he had an idea.
" How are you still alive?"
" I cracked your ice domain, and created my own" Itekan said, still not visible.
" How!" Arizel said shocked, it had taken him months to learn this, and this guy says he had understood it, in one encounter.
" Simple!, I created a new technique that would work the same way your ice pillars do, meety technique, shadows hand; shadow tentacles!" Itekan said, the ice palace ceilings broke then and they saw a dark sky above, from it, hand like shadows stretched out.