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Sylanwood, Diremaw: The Frozen Slopes: Lower Layer, Time: 1:30 PM
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As they navigated the hidden tunnels, Ace couldn't help but voice his concern, "Do you think we're walking into a trap, Ezra?"
Ezra nodded, his face serious, "It's a possibility, but we can't afford to let them down. We have to find James, Mianne, and Princess Elowen before it's too late."
Their determination drove them forward, deeper into the labyrinthine passages, unsure of what awaited them but resolved to face it head-on.
As Ace and Ezra walked down the labyrinthine passage, they spotted a wooden door in front of them.
Ace couldn't contain his curiosity as he reached for the handle. "I wonder what's behind this door," he said to Ezra.
As Ace and Ezra contemplated their escape, they heard a loud punching noise coming from behind the wooden door in front of them.
It resonated through the hallway, making them curious about the source of the commotion. Ace, ever the adventurous one, approached the door and placed his hand on the handle.
"Hmm, I wonder..." Ace began to say, but before he could open the door, a resounding punch echoed from the other side.
Startled, Ace and Ezra exchanged glances, their curiosity piqued. Without hesitation, they opened the wooden door to investigate.
The scene before them was unexpected. They found themselves in a hidden chamber with a powerful waterfall cascading down, its thunderous roar filling the environment with a calming yet imposing aura.
In the midst of it all, a man stood beneath the waterfall, relentlessly pounding the rocky wall with his fists.
Ace's curiosity transformed into wariness, and he leaned in to whisper to Ezra, "Maybe we should quietly slip away. He seems... busy."
Ezra nodded in agreement, and they began to tiptoe backward to exit unnoticed. However, their efforts were in vain. The man abruptly ceased his punching and stretched his back, his voice echoing through the chamber.
"If you're thinking of running, now's your best chance," he remarked cryptically, causing Ace and Ezra to lose their balance comically and tumble to the ground. They quickly turned to face the man who had just emerged from the waterfall.
The man bore an intriguing appearance, with pale yellowish-green hair in a tapered haircut, a shirtless physique adorned only by black shorts, and a bandage covering his right eye.
What caught their attention even more was the x-shaped scar on his cheeks, a distinctive mark on his rugged face.
Ace and Ezra found themselves under scrutiny by the man, who seemed puzzled by their presence. A moment later, the chamber's other door swung open, revealing a panicked female mage from Glacial Vigorous.
"Sir Christopher!" she exclaimed frantically, rushing toward the man who had been identified as Chris. "These intruders tried to steal our artifacts and our hostage!"
The mage clung to Chris's arm, trembling with fear. Chris, seemingly unfazed by the situation, raised the mage's chin gently and planted a light kiss on her nose, causing her to blush profusely and hide her face in embarrassment.
Despite the unusual circumstances, Chris maintained an air of calm and nonchalance as he addressed Ace and Ezra. "You've already figured out who I am, so normally, I'd let you go if it were my old man's orders," he said casually, using a towel to dry himself off. "But since you've sown fear within my ranks, leaving you unscathed isn't an option."
Chris smirked as he retrieved a brown fur coat from a nearby rock and casually draped it over his bare torso, exposing his well-defined six-pack abs.
His confidence was apparent, but Ace and Ezra were left reminiscing about a certain prideful individual, Koras, whose arrogance had left a lasting impression on them.
Ezra couldn't help but mutter, "This feels familiar, but at least he's not as cocky as the last guy."
With that, Ace and Ezra braced themselves, preparing for a confrontation with Chris.
Ace's initial attempt to engage Chris was met with overwhelming resistance. He had hoped to assess Chris's strength before unleashing his transformation, but it became clear that Chris's body was incredibly resilient. His blade vibrated against Chris's neck without causing any harm, leaving Ace astounded.
"Did my body just..." Chris, on the other hand, appeared genuinely surprised at the lack of impact.
A brief, awkward silence hung between them before Chris casually placed his hand on Ace's head.
In one swift motion, he effortlessly lifted Ace with his left hand, displaying his tremendous strength.
"Now, how about a swing?" Chris suggested with a smirk as he hurled Ace toward a nearby wall. Panic filled Ace's voice as he soared through the air, realizing he was traveling at an alarming speed.
"Oh, Jesus!" Ezra exclaimed, hastily stepping aside as Ace crashed into the wall, creating a hole in the shape of his figure.
It was a stark reminder of the vast difference in power between them and Chris, who seemed more formidable than they had initially anticipated.
Stunned and disoriented, Ace slowly pulled himself out of the hole in the wall. He groaned, feeling a sharp pain in his side from the impact.
As he staggered to his feet, he couldn't help but admire Chris's immense strength, even though he was on the receiving end of it.
Chris, seemingly unimpressed by Ace's resilience, cracked his knuckles and grinned confidently. "Not bad, kid. But you'll need more than that to take me down."
Ace gritted his teeth, realizing that he needed to switch to a different strategy. He decides to transform into his blessing form. "Alright, enough playing around," he muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, Ezra had taken a few steps back, creating distance between himself and the formidable foe. He notched an arrow onto his bowstring, ready to provide support for Ace.
Ace summoned his shield and readied his sword, his eyes locked on Chris. He rushed forward, this time with more determination and caution.
As he closed in on Chris, he swung his sword precisely, aiming for the gaps between Chris's defenses. But once again, Chris's sturdy physique proved to be a formidable barrier, as Ace's strikes merely glanced off his opponent's body.
Ezra, seeing Ace's struggle, decided to take action. He drew his bow and let loose an arrow, aiming for Chris's shoulder. The arrow flew through the air, but Chris deftly swatted it aside with the back of his hand, sending it harmlessly off course.
Chris chuckled as he observed their efforts. "You two are quite persistent, I'll give you that. But it's time to end this little game."
With a swift motion, Chris lunged at Ace, his fists crackling with energy. Ace barely managed to raise his shield in time to block the powerful strike, but the force of the impact sent him skidding backward.
As Ezra prepared to shoot his arrow, he finally saw an opening. He decided to aim for Chris's bandaged eye, hoping that it might cause him some pain.
"Take this, cyclops!" Ezra taunted, releasing an arrow aimed directly at Chris's bandaged eye. The arrow pierced his right eye, and Chris's left eye blinked in response before he realized what had happened.
"Oh no! My right eye! I'm already blind in that one!" Chris exclaimed with genuine pain in his voice, clutching his eye and mimicking a cry of agony.
Ezra, however, looked at him with a deadpan expression, fully aware that Chris was faking it.
Chris chuckled a little as he pulled the arrow out, saying, "Well, you're a clever one. Most of the F-rank guardians would have hit me by now."
Chris removed the arrow from his right eye socket, leaving a hole in the bandage covering his eye.
Ace seized this opportunity to his advantage. He stood up and attempted a drop-kick on Chris, catching him off guard and causing Chris to stumble in surprise.
Ace followed up with a shield bash, which sent Chris crashing to the ground. Chris was left dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.
"Alright, now that was just rude," Chris muttered, clearly displeased. Ace was about to strike him with his sword once more, but Chris reacted quickly, catching Ace's leg and tightening his grip. He dragged Ace along, aiming to slam him into Ezra.
Ezra, however, had a plan. He coated the tip of his arrow with smoke and shot the ground beneath him, creating a smokescreen with the incantation, "Cortina de humo!"
The area was filled with smoke, obscuring Chris's vision temporarily. He continued to slam Ace down, but this time, it didn't collide with Ezra. Ezra had managed to escape.
"Now, where are you..." Chris grumbled in frustration as he looked around but soon grunted in pain. He had discovered the source of his discomfort—a lodged arrow in his hand.
Chris dropped Ace to the ground and struggled to remove the arrow. Ace, still dizzy from the ordeal, realized that he was finally free and not being flung around like a toy.
"Oh god... thank goodness, Ezra," Ace mumbled in relief.
"Let's do this, Ace!" Ace and Ezra knew they had to press their advantage. "Right behind ya!" Ace swiftly moved in, slashing at Chris with his sword while Ezra, hidden within the dissipating smoke, carefully aimed another arrow.
"You ain't got the muscle, brother!" Chris, distracted by the pain and smoke, struggled to defend himself effectively.
Ace's sword made contact with Chris's fur coat, tearing a gash in the fabric, but it barely scratched Chris's skin underneath.
"Tch. Brutality Impact!" Chris grunted and retaliated with a powerful punch that sent Ace sprawling backward. However, Ezra's arrow was ready, and he released it with precision.
The arrow shot through the air, aimed at the same wounded hand Chris had used to remove the previous arrow.
This time, it struck true, piercing through his hand and causing Chris to bellow in pain. He staggered back, clutching his injured hand with his good one, "You damn kids! I will make sure I paint the wall with your blood!"
"I will blow both of you away!" Chris yelled out as he grabbed both arms, his white aura surrounding him. Ace and Ezra looked at each other before turning their attention back to Chris.
"What's he doing?" Ace asked while Ezra was confused about what he was witnessing.
"Maybe he's increasing his energy even more, but we should stay on guard," Ezra replied, not sure if what he was doing helped him.
They watched Chris's energy surge, and the white aura around him grew larger. Chris started to smirk, and the white aura around him expanded further.
"You will be nothing but cave dust!" Chris taunted, surrounding himself with a white sphere before his smirk turned into a devilish smile.
"DIE! EXPLOSION OVERFLOW!" Chris bellowed, screaming as the white sphere engulfed everything around him. It triggered a massive explosion, and Ace and Ezra had no time to escape or find cover as they were caught in the blast.
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