BLOOD PAWN

Yuui's heart froze as she heard the faint sound of rocks shifting in the distance. Her eyes darted toward the source of the noise—a massive crater, the same one formed when Winter had sent her crashing into the ground with that brutal punch. Dust and rubble were slowly cascading down its jagged sides, disturbed by something moving beneath.

Her pulse quickened as she strained to see. Then, out of the shadows, a figure began to emerge.

"No... he can't be..."

Her breath caught in her throat as the figure stepped into the light.

"Alive?" Yuui gasped, unable to hide the shock in her voice.

His body was in ruins. The left side of his form was horribly burned, scorched from the explosion that had obliterated his blood cloud. The armor that had once protected him so fiercely was barely holding together. Despite the damage, Winter staggered forward, his movements slow but deliberate. His eyes burned with that familiar cold determination.

"How is he still standing?"

Winter's blood armor, though battered, shifted and flowed like liquid, moving from his right side to the charred remains of his left. The dark, crimson liquid pooled over his injured flesh, slowly working to heal his body. But it was clear—he was weakened. Every step seemed to take effort, each movement slower than the last. Yet, his resolve hadn't wavered.

He glanced around the battlefield, taking in the aftermath of the explosion. His crimson eyes scanned the ground, noting the blood that had once covered the landscape was gone. All of it—evaporated. His blood cloud, his greatest weapon, had been obliterated in the blast.

Winter's gaze shifted upward toward the sky, where the once ominous red haze had dissipated into the air.

"Holy… blast…" Winter muttered, realization dawning on him. "My blood cloud… it's gone…"

There was no more blood to manipulate, no swirling crimson mist to draw from. His power had been cut off at its source. And he knew it.

For the first time in the battle, Winter looked vulnerable. He stood there, staring at the empty sky, his body swaying with fatigue. His blood armor was working to patch his wounds, but there wasn't enough left to sustain him for long.

Yuui watched him, her body still trembling from exhaustion, but something stirred within her. She had done it. The explosion had crippled him, taken away his greatest asset. Now, there was a chance—a real chance—to finish him once and for all. This was it—the moment she had fought so hard for.

With a sharp breath, Yuui summoned every ounce of energy she had left, pooling it into her hands. Her fingertips glowed with an intense light as the power gathered, forming a concentrated mass of pure energy. Her vision blurred slightly from the strain, but she pushed through the pain.

"You watch too much Naruto," Winter said out loud, his voice filled with a cold amusement, even in his weakened state.

Yuui's eyes narrowed. She had no time for his taunts. She had to finish this.

Winter's smile faltered as he sensed the shift in the air. His instincts kicked in, and he quickly turned back toward Yuui, just in time to see her hand crackling with raw power.

"Pure energy beam!" Yuui shouted, launching the attack with all the strength she had left.

The beam shot forward like a bolt of lightning, the air crackling with its intensity. It glowed bright, illuminating the entire battlefield as it streaked toward Winter. Yuui hoped to catch him off guard, to end this once and for all.

Winter's eyes widened, sensing the danger of the incoming attack. Without hesitation, he raised his arm, using his crystal gauntlet to block the beam. The moment the energy collided with his gauntlet, a surge of power rippled through the air, sending shockwaves across the battlefield.

Winter gritted his teeth, his arm trembling under the sheer force of the blast. He managed to block it, but the power was overwhelming. The force of Yuui's attack was relentless, pushing him back, step by step. His feet scraped against the cracked earth as he struggled to maintain his footing.

"Ugh…!" Winter growled, digging his heels into the ground as he was forced further and further back, the pressure of the energy beam threatening to overwhelm him. The glow of the gauntlet flickered, struggling to hold against the power.

But Yuui wasn't letting up. She poured everything into the attack, her body trembling with the effort. Sweat dripped down her forehead, her muscles burning from the exertion. This was it—this was her final shot. She had to push through.

Winter's defenses wavered, and his gauntlet began to crack under the strain. The blood armor, weakened from the earlier explosion, was barely holding together. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop the relentless surge of Yuui's attack.

"You're… strong…" Winter muttered, his voice strained as he was pushed further back. His feet skidded across the ground, his form becoming more unstable with every passing second.

But Yuui didn't let up. She couldn't. Not now.

"I won't… stop… until you're down!" Yuui shouted, her voice filled with determination.

Winter, for the first time, felt the weight of defeat looming over him. The gauntlet was cracking, the energy beam growing stronger. He knew he couldn't hold on much longer.

"Flash Step."

In an instant, he vanished from her line of sight. Yuui's heart raced as her eyes darted around, searching for him. Suddenly, Winter reappeared to her left, moving like a blur. She barely had time to register his presence before his fist was already in motion.

"But…" Winter muttered darkly, his gauntlet, now brimming with unstable energy and cracks, swung directly toward her. The punch connected with Yuui's side, the impact sending a wave of pain ripping through her body.

As the energy stored within the damaged gauntlet discharged, Yuui's body was hurled into the air like an arrow fired from a bow. Her bones cracked from the force, muscles tearing as she flew, her scream swallowed by the rush of wind. She was helpless, tumbling uncontrollably through the sky.

Before she could even comprehend the pain, Winter's voice echoed once more.

"Flash Step."

In the blink of an eye, he appeared above her, a shadow looming over her crumpled form. His eyes glowed with the hunger of a predator closing in on its prey. With terrifying speed, he drove his fist down once again. The gauntlet, already splintering from the energy coursing through it, smashed into her with a final, crushing blow.

Yuui was sent careening into the earth with unimaginable force. The ground buckled beneath her impact, creating a deep crater that shook the battlefield. Dust and debris exploded outward as her body hit the ground, the energy of Winter's attack rippling through the landscape.

Yuui's vision blurred as pain overwhelmed her senses. Her body felt like it had shattered, every nerve screaming in agony. She could no longer feel the surge of mana that had once flowed through her. It was gone—her energy, her power, everything.

Now she lay in the dirt, gasping for breath, vulnerable, and broken. She was no longer the god glowing with pure energy. She was a human being, battered, bruised, and teetering on the edge of death.

Winter descended slowly, his cold gaze locked onto Yuui's broken form. His feet touched down on her chest, making her body jolt under the weight of his presence. He stood over her, victorious, his expression twisted with cruel satisfaction.

"I am forever strong," Winter declared.

His voice carrying across the battlefield with the gravity of a death sentence. His stance was one of dominance, his blood armor flickering in patches as it reformed over his body. The broken gauntlet finally disintegrated, but it didn't matter. He didn't need it anymore. He had won.

Yuui could barely lift her head, her breaths shallow and ragged. Her vision flickered in and out, the world around her fading. Winter's weight on her chest was suffocating, and the pain was unbearable. Every fiber of her being screamed for release, for an end to the torment.

Yet, deep inside, there was a flicker—a faint glimmer of something more.

"Is this it? Is this how it ends?"

Her mind raced, memories flashing before her eyes. The battles she fought, the comrades she lost, the mission that had brought her here. She had come too far to let it end like this.

"I can't die here... not yet..."

But Winter's eyes glinted with triumph as he looked down at her, unaware of the small ember still burning within her.

Winter stood over Yuui's battered form, his gaze cold and merciless. Slowly, he reached down, his hand wrapping around her throat with a vice-like grip. Yuui's body, limp and broken, was lifted into the air as easily as if she weighed nothing. Her legs dangled, her head lolling to one side as her vision flickered between light and darkness.

Winter brought her face close to his, his red eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

"Any last words?" he asked, his voice dripping with cruel amusement.

Yuui coughed violently, her body convulsing in pain as blood spilled from her lips. Her chest heaved with the effort to draw in a breath, her lungs burning. Yet, despite the agony coursing through her, she forced her eyes open, locking onto Winter's gaze.

Through ragged breaths, she began to speak.

"Because of you…" Her voice cracked, weak and trembling.

"Monika… she died because of you." Tears welled in her eyes, rolling down her bloodstained cheeks.

Winter's expression starts change.

"You killed my sister," Yuui continued, her voice barely above a whisper now, but filled with raw emotion.

"You killed her… You took everything from me." Her tears flowed freely, the weight of her grief overwhelming her, mixing with the blood staining her face. She struggled to keep her focus, but the pain in her heart was worse than the injuries Winter had inflicted on her body.