Kevin braced himself, forming another ice wall as Lucas charged with the fireball in his hand. The heat from Lucas's attack was overwhelming, and Kevin's ice wall started to melt almost instantly.
"Come on, you bastard!" Kevin yelled, pouring every ounce of his energy into reinforcing the ice wall.
Zane, lying on the ground, struggled to focus. His vision blurred, and every breath sent waves of pain through his broken body. But he knew he couldn't let Kevin face Lucas alone. He forced himself to crawl towards a metal beam lying nearby, using it to prop himself up.
"You... you can't do this alone," Zane grunted, his voice barely audible.
Lucas laughed maniacally as he unleashed a torrent of fire, breaking through Kevin's ice wall. Kevin screamed in agony as the flames licked at his skin, forcing him to retreat.
"Pathetic," Lucas sneered. "You two really think you can stand up to me? I'm going to burn you both to ashes."
Kevin created a dome of ice around himself and Zane, hoping to buy them some time. He could feel his strength waning, his ice magic faltering against Lucas's relentless assault.
"Zane, we need a plan," Kevin panted, his voice strained. "We can't keep this up."
Zane's mind raced, despite the pain clouding his thoughts. "We need to catch him off guard. Use the environment."
Kevin nodded, understanding immediately. He began creating patches of ice on the floor, making it slippery and treacherous. Zane, meanwhile, focused on gathering every bit of strength he had left.
As Lucas approached, Kevin dropped the ice dome, revealing the slick surface beneath. Lucas slipped, his eyes widening in surprise. Kevin seized the moment, forming ice spikes and hurling them at Lucas.
"Eat this!" Kevin shouted.
The spikes hit Lucas, but he quickly regained his footing, his cloak now tattered and scorched. He growled in anger, summoning more fire in his hands.
"You think that will stop me?" Lucas roared. "I'm going to enjoy this."
Zane, barely standing, saw his chance. He grabbed a broken piece of metal, aiming for Lucas's legs. With a herculean effort, he threw it, striking Lucas in the knee.
"Argh!" Lucas stumbled, his fireball dissipating as he clutched his injured leg.
Kevin didn't waste any time. He formed a massive ice hammer and swung it at Lucas. The impact sent Lucas flying across the warehouse, crashing into a pile of debris.
"We're not done yet!" Zane shouted, his voice hoarse.
Lucas stood up, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead. His eyes burned with fury. "You little shits. I'm going to kill you both."
Lucas summoned a fiery whip, lashing out at Zane and Kevin. Kevin managed to block the first strike with an ice shield, but the force shattered it, sending him sprawling.
Zane, barely able to move, tried to dodge but was caught by the whip. The searing pain made him scream, his skin blistering from the heat.
"Enough playing around," Lucas hissed, advancing on them.
Kevin crawled towards Zane, their only hope lying in the suitcase nearby. He reached it and pulled out the emergency potions, tossing one to Zane.
"Drink it, Zane," Kevin urged, downing his own potion.
Zane fumbled with the potion, his hands shaking. He finally managed to drink it, feeling the cool liquid spread through his body, healing his wounds. But the pain didn't completely disappear; his bones were still broken, and the injuries were too severe to heal fully with just one potion.
Lucas approached, a sinister smile on his face. "Ready to die?"
Kevin stood up; his injuries partially healed but still severe. "Not today, asshole."
Zane forced himself to stand, his body screaming in protest. "We're not giving up."
Lucas laughed. "How touching. Let's end this."
Lucas launched another fireball, but this time Kevin was ready. He created a massive ice barrier, blocking the attack. Zane, using the last of his strength, picked up a metal pipe and charged at Lucas.
"You think you can stop me with that?" Lucas taunted, easily dodging Zane's strike.
Kevin used the distraction to form ice chains, binding Lucas's legs. Lucas growled, breaking free with a burst of flames, but it bought Zane enough time to swing the pipe again, this time connecting with Lucas's ribs.
Lucas howled in pain, retaliating with a vicious backhand that sent Zane flying. Kevin conjured an ice spear, aiming for Lucas's heart, but Lucas deflected it with a fiery blast.
"You're persistent, I'll give you that," Lucas sneered, blood dripping from his mouth. "But persistence won't save you."
Kevin and Zane, both barely standing, knew they had to end this now. Kevin created a blinding flash of ice and light, momentarily disorienting Lucas. Zane, using the last of his strength, charged one final time.
Lucas recovered quickly, but not quickly enough. Zane tackled him, both of them crashing to the ground. Zane punched Lucas repeatedly, his stone fists cracking under the strain. Lucas, stunned, tried to fight back but was overwhelmed by Zane's fury.
Kevin joined in, freezing Lucas's hands and feet to the ground. Lucas struggled, his eyes wild with rage. "You bastards! I'll kill you!"
"Not today," Zane said through gritted teeth, delivering one final, bone-shattering punch to Lucas's face.
Lucas's head snapped back, his body going limp. Zane and Kevin, exhausted and injured, fell to the ground beside him, panting heavily.
Zane and Kevin lay on the cold floor, their bodies battered and bruised. The emergency potions had done their job, but the pain was still intense. Zane's bones were still broken, and Kevin had internal injuries that made every breath a struggle.
Suddenly, Lucas stirred, a low groan escaping his lips. Kevin and Zane looked at each other, fear and determination in their eyes.
"He's still alive," Kevin said, panic creeping into his voice.
Lucas, his face bloodied and swollen, managed to sit up. "You think... this is over?" he spat, blood dripping from his mouth. "You can't... escape."
Before they could react, Lucas summoned the last of his energy and unleashed a massive fireball. Kevin and Zane, too weak to move, braced for impact.
But the fireball never reached them. Instead, it exploded in mid-air, sending a shockwave through the warehouse. Lucas used the distraction to crawl away, disappearing into the shadows.
"He's getting away," Zane said, trying to stand but collapsing in pain.
Kevin, equally exhausted, shook his head. "Let him go. We can't... chase him now."
They lay there for a moment, the silence of the warehouse broken only by their labored breathing. Finally, Kevin managed to pull himself to his feet, dragging Zane up with him.
"We need to get out of here," Kevin said, his voice trembling. "We need... help."
Zane nodded, leaning heavily on Kevin as they stumbled towards the exit. They found the suitcase with the remaining potions and drank them, feeling a bit more strength return to their bodies.
"Let's go," Zane said, his voice determined despite the pain.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and burnt flesh. The bodies of the D-rank monsters lay scattered across the floor, their sickly green blood pooling around them. The larger C-rank monster's corpse emitted a faint, malevolent heat, its veins of molten lava now dim and cooling. Debris and shattered ice spikes were strewn everywhere, remnants of the fierce battle that had taken place.
Zane and Kevin, still reeling from their injuries, surveyed the scene. Their own blood mixed with the monsters', painting a macabre picture of their struggle. They knew they couldn't leave the bodies behind; the cores within the monsters were valuable, both for their energy and as proof of their victory.
"We need to get the cores," Zane said, his voice raspy. "They're too valuable to leave behind."
Kevin nodded, though his movements were slow and pained. "Yeah, let's do it quickly."
They moved methodically through the carnage, extracting the glowing cores from the monsters' chests. Each core pulsed with a strange, eerie light, a stark contrast to the blood and gore surrounding them. Despite their exhaustion, the act of collecting the cores gave them a sense of purpose and closure.
They staggered out of the warehouse, supporting each other. The streets of Asteria were quiet, the glow of streetlights guiding their way.
They can't go Hospital with these injuries as they are still minors, their families will know about it and that won't be a good thing with no option left zane contacted the fista guild as last hope. Selene morgan gave her secretory contact if come in any problem.
Zane explained their condition on phone and thankfully they send a car for them to pick them up.
The medics worked swiftly, treating their injuries and stabilizing their condition. Zane's broken bones were set, and Kevin's internal injuries were addressed. They were given more potent healing potions, and the pain began to fade.
As they lay in the beds, Zane turned to Kevin. "I didn't think Lucas will do something like this."
Kevin nodded. "Yeah. Me too. Lucas won't stop and we have to do something about it."
Zane said, "I don't know how to explain this situation to mom."
Kevin eyes widened at this "shit, I totally forgot about them"
Both recovered but still has some bandages on them.
Marcus came into the room suddenly making both of them startle.
Zane then greets him "Hi, Mr. Marcus, thanks for your help"
Kevin thanked him as bowed his head.
Marcus smiled at him and said "Don't thank me, I just followed guild master order to help you if you need anything"
"But how did you manage to get injure like this, you said on phone but i didn't know it was this serious"
Zane then explains everything to him.
"So that's how it is, this is not simple matter now between kids as he took help from criminals who run illegal business and on top of that he is son of vice president of star guild" Marcus said
"Don't worry we will handle this, may be the one who send the kidnappers and help Lucas are same organization"
"Thanks for help again" Zane said