Chapter 22-Khione vs Cherika, Part Two

A maze of iron walls has risen out of the ground around Khione, segregating her from her two allies, Noah and Flint. And once the iron maze has been set, Khione peers forwards, where she faces a woman who killed her parents…

Cherika.

"Don't tell me this is on purpose," Khione growls, "You and I facing one another?"

"The first time–no," Cherika answers with a smirk, "This time, yes."

Khione enters her Charge Stance, as icy-blue sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around her body.

"Oh my, how pushy," Cherika smirks, "Don't you want to talk first?"

"ICE CHARGE, LEVEL ONE: PERMAFROST!"

With a roar, Khione swipes her hands outwards, freezing the air around Cherika, and encasing her in a prison of ice.

Khione lets out a small exchale, a chilly wind escaping from her lips.

Khione stares at Cherika, and then a moment later, her ice begins to crack. Another crack forms in Khione's ice, and then another, and another, cracks spreading across the ice like branching rivers. And finally…Khione's ice shatters, sending chunks of ice flying everywhere.

Khione shields her face with an arm from the flying ice chunks.

"Remember last time?" Cherika asks, "You can't freeze me."

"Maybe not, but I can still freeze everything else," Khione replies.

Cherika then feels a presence above her, and peers upwards, where she sees a GIANT block of ice falling through the air towards her.

"What?!" Cherika cries, "When did Khione prepare this spell?!"

"I simply froze the air in two places at once; the air around your body, and the air above your head," Khione explains, "It took a lot out of me. I can't believe it actually WORKED…"

Cherika places a hand to her chin, and neon-purple sparks of energy burst and swirl around her body.

"Plant Charge, Level One: Venus Fly Trap!" Cherika shouts as she places a hand to the ground, and the earth begins to rumble then split, soon after, a GIANT stem with the head of a venus fly trap plant flies out of the ground.

The venus fly trap opens its giant jaws up wide and chomps down on Khione's block of ice, shattering it and sending ice chunks flying everywhere.

"LETS SEE YOU FREEZE THIS!" Cherika roars as she swings a hand towards Khione, sending her venus fly trap flying towards the girl.

In response, Khione resumes her Charge Stance.

"Ice Charge, Level Three: Solid Lance," Khione says as she swipes both hands outwards, freezing the air before her, and sending dozens of ice lances flying towards Cherika.

Khione and Cherika's spells collide and cancel one another out, Cherika's venus fly trap chomps through Khione's lances, while Khione's lances pierce Cherika's venus fly trap.

The rest of Khione's lances melt soon after, while Cherika's venus fly trap retreats back into the ground.

Khione and Cherika pant as they stare down one another.

"You're surprisingly not bad," Cherika smirks.

"And you're unsurprisingly annoying," Khione grumbles as she resumes her Charge Stance.

"Ice Charge, Level Two: Solid Hammer!" Khione shouts as she swipes both hands outwards again, freezing a block of ice about Cherika's head, just as before. The block of ice then begins falling down upon the woman.

In response, Cherika enters her Charge Stance as well.

"Plant Charge, Level Two: Grape Vines!" Cherika shouts as he aims a hand up to Khione's block of ice, firing off thorny vines out of her finger tips, which wrap around Khione's chunk of ice.

Cherika then swings a hand down towards Khione, bringing her chunk of ice down upon her like a mallet.

"Now THIS is a true hammer!" Cherika exclaims.

"Ice Charge, Level Three: Solid Lance!" Khione shouts as she swipes both hands outwards, sending dozens of frozens lances flying towards her own chunk of ice. Upon making contact with her ice hammer Khione's ice lances simply shatter, unable to penetrate the block of ice.

Khione's eyes widen. "My ice hammer is too solid for my lances to break through!"

With one final roar, Cherika swings her hand downwards, causing the vines extending from her hand to bring Khione's own chunk of ice down like a hammer upon the girl's head.

Khione cries out in pain as she's flattened under her own attack.

Cherika's vines retract back into her fingers just as Khione's chunk of ice melts, revealing the bloodied Khione, lying on the ground in a daze.

"So that's it, huh?" Cherika smirks, "You're done, just like that?"

Khione begins to stir.

"I'm not…done yet…" Khione grunts as she struggles to push herself up to her feet.

"Ice Charge, Level Two: Solid Hammer!" Khione shouts as she swipes both hands outwards again, freezing a block of ice above Cherika, which begins falling down towards her.

"That AGAIN?!" Cherika cries as she resumes her Charge Stance, "You should know that won't work!"

"PLANT CHARGE, LEVEL THREE: ROSE GARDEN!"

Cherika touches a hand to the ground, and then…HUNDREDS of plants fly out of the sand, between thorn brambles, flowers, threes, and more, turning the desert wasteland that Khione and Cherika are fighting in into a beautiful garden.

"How disgusting…" Khione grunts as her block of ice continues falling down upon Cherika, "You have the power to restore all beauty and nature to the world, yet instead…you choose to desecrate it…"

"MY LIFE IF MY OWN TO LIVE!" Cherika roars as she aims a hand up towards Cherika's block of ice, firing off thorny brambles out of her finger tips, which wrap around the block of ice, "I'M NOT DEFINED BY MY ELEMENT!"

Khione smirks as she resumes her Charge Stance.

"Just where I want you."

As Khione is pierced by dozens of vine brambles, she wipes both hands outwards, freezing Cherika's vines, and refreezing her own block of ice.

Khione spits out a glob of blood.

"Oh, PLEASE, you should know that I can just break through your ice-" Cherika begins to say as she attempts to resume her Charge Stance, but when Cherika finds that she's unable to move her hands, her eyes widen.

Cherika peers over at her frozen hand. "I properly E-Charge without pressing a hand to my cheek…!"

"I CAN BREAK THROUGH THE ICE BUT I CAN'T DEFEND!"

Cherika takes a step towards Khione, further digging Cherika's thorn brambles into her chest, and leaving a trail of blood in her wake.

As she approaches Cherika, Khione resumes her Charge Stance again, then swipes both hands outwards, encasing Cherika in a block of ice.

"ICE CHARGE LEVEL ONE: PERMAFROST!"

A moment later, Khione's ice shatters off of Cherika.

"I TOLD YOU, IT WON'T WO-" Cherika cries, but before she can finish, Khione takes another step towards her and freezes Cherika in another block of ice.

"ICE CHARGE, LEVEL ONE: PERMAFROST!"

Just as before, Khione's ice shatters soon after.

"AT LEAST LET ME FIN-" Cherika cries, but before she can finish, Khione takes another step towards her and freezes Cherika in another block of ice.

Khione takes step after step towards Cherika, dragging her body through hundreds of thorny vines as she does so, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. As Khione does so, she freezes Cherika again and again, who is powerless to defend without the ability to enter her Charge Stance.

"When I use my lances…your venus fly trap eats them. When I use my hammer…your vines shatter it…" Khione growls as she freezes Cherika again and again, "This entire fight, you've been trying your best to avoid allowing me to get in close…"

"SO ALL I HAVE TO DO IS GET UP THERE AND PUNCH YOU!"

Khione lets out a roar as she continues marching towards Cherika, freezing her again and again with each step.

"STOP THA-"

"IT WON'T WO-"

"LET ME FIN-"

Everytime Cherika tries to speak, Khione freezes Cherika as she takes another step towards the woman.

"CUT IT OUT!" Cherika cries one last time as Khione's ice explodes off of her, finding Khione looming over her menacingly in her Charge Stance.

"Uhh…umm…" Cherika whimpers as she stares up at Khione, trembling.

"Ice Charge, Level Four…" Khione growls.

Cherika's eyes widen.

"A level four technique at her age?!"

Cherika attempts to take a step backwards, but when she does, she finds her feet frozen to the ground in ice.

Khione then freezes the air around her arm, which takes the form of a spikey, ice gauntlet.

"Sh-she's freezing herself?!" Cherika cries.

"MURDER VAMBRACE!"

With a roar, Khione slams her gauntleted fist into Cherika, causing the woman to double over and spit up a glob of blood, before being sent flying backwards and slamming into the wall behind her.

Cherika's back then slides down the wall and slumps to the ground.

Khione pants as she stares down at Cherika.

"So I've finally defeated the one who killed my parents…" Khione softly says as she takes a step towards Cherika.

In response, Cherika flinches, and trembles in fear as she stares up at Khione.

"Wh-what are you going to do to me…?!"

Khione takes another step towards Cherika.

Are you…GOING TO KILL M-?!"

Before Cherika can finish, Khione freezes her in ice.

"I don't have time for you right now…" Khione pants as she turns away from Cherika, "I have to go save Mary."