A cold sensation swept over Wolfe's pained body as the shattering sound echoed through the night. The cool breeze intensified the piercing icy pain that creeped through his bones. He felt his muscles numb down and his senses fade away slowly.
Wolfe fell forwards as his mind darkened and his body finally gave in to the pain. The boys' faces shifted from ecstatic to fearful within seconds of the shattering sound.
In front of them stood a large ice wall, a crack spreading out from the point of impact. Supporting the wall from falling over was Nova, her red and black hair swaying through the air as she stumbled due to the shock of the punch against her makeshift shield.
Wolfe had gone unharmed by the final killing blow, but had passed out due to his prior injuries. Nova, who had absorbed the brunt of the attack, stared angrily at the three boys. She looked back at Wolfe's lifeless body and her rage elevated.
The boys began sweating despite the cold atmosphere as they readied to fight Nova one more time. "How convenient," The leader said as he eyed Nova up and down to gauge her ability. He had been caught by surprise last time and hadn't had a chance to assess the range of Nova's skill. He believed he would win in a 1v1 against her, but he was seriously overestimating his ability and undermining hers.
"You sure you want a 3v1? We'll let you off easy if you give up now." The lanky boy said with a false sense of confidence despite being beaten up during the previous encounter. "I'm not in the mood to hit a girl right now. So how about you run away while we take care of your friend there?" The chubbier boy suggested, instantly getting on Nova's nerves.
The leader walked forward, pushing both his lackeys to the side. "Listen here missy. You had us by surprise last time but we know how you move now. There's three of us and one of you, there's no way someone like you could possibly win."
"Who said anything about a 3v1." A loud disturbing voice sounded from the trees. "How rude of you to not invite me to this party."
Nova sighed as a boy jumped down from the branches behind Wolfe. He swiftly moved his hands downwards, cutting the ropes binding Wolfe in a single chop.
"It's three versus two now." He said gaudily as he adjusted the cuffs of his shirt.
"Let's finish them off quickly, Axel." Nova said as she glanced at Wolfe with concern.
"We'll show you not to mess with the Reapers." The boy said as he motioned his lackeys to go ahead and fight while he stayed behind to observe.
The earth user formed the jagged gauntlets around both his hands this time, taking on a fighting stance as he stared intently at Axel. The lanky boy who controlled high pressure water directed his magic to form a raging sphere of water in his palm as he faced Nova.
The ice wall besides Nova melted and transformed into a long sharp halberd. She stared back at the lanky boy with her piercing gaze as she extended the weapon behind her and readied herself to swing at any moment. Compared to her calm pose, Axel was jumpy, skipping around on his feet and warming himself up. He practised some quick jabs while staring intimidatingly at the chubby earth user.
An eerie silence dropped over the area as the opponents stared sharply at each other. Nobody moved in those moments. Both sides were waiting for the other to make the first move. All of them were on high alert, waiting for their opponent to slip up so they could punish them.
"Alright, alright. I guess I'll go first if no one else wants to. I'm coming for you fatty." Axel said jokingly before lunging forward. The earth user, seeing Axel blindly jump forward, took a step back and readied his punch. Axel leaned closer to the ground as he took the next step, evading the boy's high punch easily..
He narrowed his eyes and pushed forward, nearly colliding into the opponent before willing his magic into existence. He shoved his left leg into the ground, pushing himself off to the right side to dodge the boy's second punch. A flicker of light flashed from his fist, blinding the opponent as he shot a powerful uppercut from his low position.
The chubby boy staggered backwards, giving Axel a chance to straighten himself and put out a flurry of attacks. For the first time since meeting Axel a few moments ago, Nova saw a serious expression on his face. His joking nature had vanished, replaced by a cold, ruthless sense of justice.
Each quick jab landed on the opponent with the precision of a highly trained fighter. A ray of light trailed the arcs of his punches and the edges of his legs as he moved around his opponent at high speeds.
The chubby boy reinforced his head and abdomen with rocks, forming a safe yet restrictive armour to reduce the damage. Axel winced as a few preplanned punches hit the hard surface, making him step back for a break.
The trailing lights vanished as Axel breathed heavily. His opponent, still quite stunned by the barrage of earlier hits, walked over slowly. Axel concentrated on the boy's movements, watching him stagger with each step as he got lightheaded. This was the chance he needed. The chance to end the fight by taking advantage of the damage he had dealt earlier.
His magic surged twice as high as the previous time, the light enveloping his hands and legs this time. Streaks of lightning strayed from his body, attacking the grass below him and burning it up.
Axel shifted his legs slightly forwards but the enhanced effect of the blinding lightning sent him right where the opponent was. To the leader of the thugs it looked like Axel had teleported forward, closing in a few metres in less than half a second.
The chubby boy stared in horror at Axel's glowing, unforgiving eyes as his fist punched through the gap in the helmet. A jolt of electricity rushed through the boy's head as Axel connected with him, frying the boy's brain in the process and causing him to pass out.
The explosive strength of Axel's lightning reinforced punch sent the boy flying towards the leader, who just stepped sideways and let the chubby boy hit a tree.
Axel, letting go of the electricity, fell to the ground. Using his magic to such heights was detrimental to his wellbeing since excess voltage could interfere with his nervous system and essentially paralyse him. He groaned as the pain finally left his head but localised in his arms and legs.
Nova walked over to him and pulled him off the ground. Her fight with the lanky boy had been rather anticlimactic since her ice had a clear advantage over the boy's water. Axel chuckled at the sight of the nervous leader who was looking over from one lackey to another, hoping one of them would wake up so he wouldn't have to fight.
"I guess it's time for me to fight." The leader sighed as he looked over from his incapacitated friends to Axel and Nova.
"And the 3v2 finally devolves into a 1v2." Axel said excitedly as the trailing lights returned to aid him.