Willow dashed towards Yamen, her dagger gleaming with a crimson aura in her grasp. Yamen, regaining his footing, levitated above the ground before summoning a colossal claymore, easily three meters in length. At the sight of the imposing weapon materializing seemingly out of thin air, Willow halted her charge, eyeing the massive sword with caution. As she observed the claymore, she noticed its bluish-white aura, contrasting sharply with her own fiery dagger. Yamen met Willow's gaze with an expression of pure indifference, releasing his grip on the sword, which remained suspended in the air.
With Yamen's action heightening her wariness, Willow braced herself as he directed the claymore towards her with a swift motion of his hand. Reacting swiftly, Willow spun aside, narrowly evading the lethal swing, only to face another threat—a crescent-shaped blade of ice hurtling towards her. Thinking quickly, Willow dodged and rolled to evade the icy assault, her movements fluid and precise. However, the claymore continued its barrage, launching three more blades of ice towards her. Though she managed to evade the first two, Willow was forced to block the third with her dagger, the impact pushing her back.
In a moment of surprise and revelation, fire trailed from her dagger as she slashed upwards, prompting a smile to spread across her face. "I can work with this," she muttered to herself, buoyed by the discovery. As the claymore unleashed another volley of icy slashes, Willow circled around a pillar, using it as cover while she strategized. Despite wielding a lesser magical blade compared to Yamen's, her newfound confidence spurred her onward.
Continuing her advance towards Yamen, Willow glanced down at her boots, noticing an aura of dark grey enveloping them. Puzzling over its significance amidst the chaos of battle, she pondered, 'If blue is ice and red is fire, what the hell is grey?'
Before she could dwell further on her thoughts, Yamen summoned the claymore once more, unleashing a flurry of icy slashes towards her. Though more prepared this time, Willow evaded most of the attacks, but not without sustaining some hits, particularly to her broken arm, which hung limp at her side. With each strike, her arm grew colder, and she feared the possibility of losing it permanently, doubting even magic's ability to mend it.
With determination fueling her, Willow pressed on, determined to end the fight before her injuries became insurmountable. As she closed the distance between herself and Yamen, he retaliated with a horizontal swing of the claymore, threatening to cleave her in two. However, Willow deftly slid beneath the blade, her own weapon poised for a decisive strike.
Yet, in a swift and brutal maneuver, Yamen kicked Willow's hand with enough force to send her blade flying, before delivering a punishing blow to her head, sending her tumbling across the ground. Bloodied, battered, and struggling to stay conscious, Willow attempted to rise, but darkness enveloped her before she could muster the strength to do so.