ON SIGHT

Lin walked up to Kojo, her hand reaching out to touch his arm.

"Kojo, is everything alright?" she asked, her voice soft with concern.

Kojo's eyes refocused, and he shook his head, a faint smile on his lips. "Yeah, everything's fine. I just zoned out for a second."

But Lin noticed the tension in his body, the faint hint of rage simmering beneath the surface. She wondered what had triggered it, but before she could ask, Sysia's voice echoed in Kojo's mind.

"(Calm down, Kojo. Whatever that was, it's not worth losing control.)"

Kojo's smile grew wider, but his eyes remained cold. He turned to Lin and said, "You can continue talking with your friend. I'm sorry I interrupted."

Lin's gaze flicked to Aldean, who was watching them with interest.

"It's alright, I was waiting for you," she said, her eyes returning to Kojo.

Aldean spoke up, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Kojo isn't a gentleman at all, leaving a woman who was waiting for him with another man."

Kojo's glare was swift and deadly, his eyes raking over Aldean's armor and the aura surrounding him. Another saint? He noticed the sword at Aldean's side, a Dadao with a broad blade and a single edge. There was something about the sword that caught his attention, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It wasn't the shape or the size, but the feeling that emanated from it, a silent hum of power.

Aldean tried to introduce himself, "I am Aldean, and it is a pleasure to make your acquainta-" but Kojo brushed him off, turning to leave. However, before he could take a step, dozens of ice spikes protruded from the ground around him, throwing Lin back and immobilizing Kojo. The ice, sharp and crystalline, trapped him in a cage of frozen fury.

Aldean charged forward, unsheathing his blade and swinging it in a wide arc. The sword sliced through the ice with ease, the crystalline shards shattering into harmless fragments. But as Aldean looked around, he realized that he had swung at nothing. His gaze snapped upward, and he saw Kojo, who had jumped at the last minute, glaring at him with crimson eyes. The killing intent emanating from Kojo was palpable, a suffocating wave of pure malice. A bead of sweat formed on Aldean's forehead, the air suddenly thick with tension.

Aldean swiftly changed his grip on the sword, holding it with the blade pointing down. The sword's blade seemed to shimmer, its surface appearing like delicate glass, yet it held an undeniable strength. The light played across its surface, reflecting in a thousand tiny facets. The azure blue handle gleamed in the fading light, cool and smooth beneath his grip. Aldean made an upward slash, his movements swift and deadly, a silent promise of the power he held. Kojo's eyes narrowed, seeing the glass-like blade and the speed of the attack.

Yukio was still talking with the bishop when they felt a tremor shake the room. There was a loud crash and another tremor. Yukio, who was in the middle of gesturing with her hand, clenched her fist and closed her eyes. She had an inkling of what was going on. Another shockwave shook the room. She let out a sigh and got to her feet.

"Excuse me," she said and slowly walked out.

Leo followed suit. Before Rigarde could say anything, Cassandra stepped out as well. He touched his face with his hand.

"What in earth is that idiot doing?" he muttered. He then leaned back on the chair and looked at the ceiling. A third tremor caused dust to fall down.

"I better go out too," he said, raising to his feet.

Kojo, his eyes blazing with an unsettling intensity, lunged at Aldean. The polished stone floor of the courtyard, once pristine, was now scarred with deep claw marks and patches of shimmering frost.

Aldean moved with frantic urgency, his silver sword flashing in the dim light. Arcs of icy air erupted from his blade, creating chilling arcs and ice blades that Kojo simply tore through with his extended, razor-sharp claws. Workers and patrons, their faces a mask of terror, scrambled to escape the skirmish.

Aldean conjured a wall of ice, only for Kojo to unleash a spatial slash with his claws, the air itself warping and tearing the ice apart. The force of the slash sent shards of ice flying.

Lin, watching from the edge of the chaos, had erected a shimmering, transparent barrier around the immediate fight zone, containing the destruction. Her brow furrowed, her usually calm demeanor replaced with a troubled expression.

Why is he acting like this? she wondered, her gaze fixed on Kojo's ferocious attacks. A strange warmth crept up her cheeks as a thought crossed her mind: Could it be… jealousy? She quickly shook her head, dismissing the idea as absurd, yet the blush lingered.

Aldean, realizing his ice was ineffective against Kojo's spatial attacks, shifted his strategy. He feinted left, then darted right, bypassing Kojo's defenses. He jumped over a swing of Kojo's claws and twisted in midair. He landed behind Kojo and kicked him and rushed on him before he could regain his balance. With a swift, powerful motion, he raised his sword high above his head, bringing it down in a devastating strike. Kojo, anticipating the blow, crossed his left forearm, which had suddenly hardened, taking the full force of the sword.

Crystalization

The impact causing the ground under him to crack. The blade cut into Kojo's skin, but the hardening prevented it from going deep.

Aldean's eyes widened.

"You… you have attributes of magic beasts," he said, his voice laced with surprise. "How?"

Before Aldean could finish, Kojo's right arm, also hardened, lashed out, connecting with Aldean's jaw with a thunderous crack. Aldean was sent flying, crashing through the chapel's ornate doors and crashing into some pews.

Kojo looked down at his left forearm. A spreading frost pattern was visible, creeping up his skin from the cut. He clenched his fist, trying to halt the encroaching ice; his Regeneration slowed the spread but didn't stop it.

Aldean, spitting out a tooth and blood, slowly stood up.

"That's one of the abilities of my sword, 'Frostbite,'" he said, his voice hoarse. "It bypasses all forms of defense and freezes anything it cuts, indefinitely, until it's completely engulfed." He winced, moving his tongue around his mouth and rubbing his jaw.

"You still managed to hit hard, even while holding back."

Kojo raised his right fist, and a burst of vibrant purple flames erupted, licking at the air. The ice on his left arm began to crack and melt.

Aldean paused, his eyes widening in astonishment. "That… that won't work," he started, but his voice trailed off. "Is that… healing magic?" He watched as droplets of the purple flame dripped onto the ground, sizzling and leaving dark, smoking patches.

"Poison," Aldean surmised, his expression turning grim. "Engineered to bypass my ice." He smiled, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Clever." He took a step forward, but before he could react, Kojo's flaming fist was inches from his face.

The force of the blow sent Aldean reeling, his head snapping back. He stumbled, regaining his balance just as Kojo launched another assault, a flurry of claw strikes and flaming punches. He was, however, stopped by a spike of ice that shot out of the ground, forcing him to jump back.

Yukio, Leonard, Cassandra, and Bishop Rigarde observed the exchange between Kojo and Aldean from a safe distance.

Suddenly, a spatial slash came flying toward the group, and Leonard took a step forward, swatting it away with his hand. However, one of the slashes still managed to slice through the part of the building behind them, causing it to collapse.

But in a bizarre display, the collapsing debris froze in mid-air, suspended in time, before suddenly fixing itself. Yukio's arms were folded, and she tapped her finger on her elbow with impatience.

Meanwhile, Kojo and Aldean continued to exchange blows, their fight showing no signs of slowing down. Lin, however, had had enough.

"Kojo, stop!" she yelled, her voice piercing through the air.

Kojo froze, his open palm halted in mid-air. Aldean, taking advantage of the momentary distraction, attempted to slash Kojo, but a man appeared between them, catching the blade with ease.

"That's enough, Aldean," the man said, his voice firm but calm.

Kojo turned to look at the man, who was dressed in simple robes, with dark skin and curly hair, the tips of which were beige and styled in a buzz cut fade. The man bowed, apologizing on Aldean's behalf.

"I'm sorry about this. He can get a bit... enthusiastic."

Lin walked off, and Kojo followed her. The man watched him go without a word.

Yukio turned to the man and said,

"I didn't expect you to be here, Paladin Cyrus."

Cyrus smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "It was the only way this dimwit would be allowed to come. Besides, I hear that the food in Archadia is to die for." He said, taking out a paper bag from his robe and putting some kebabs in his mouth.

"Can I have one?" Aldean asked.

"No?" Cyrus replied instantly.

Aldean, still smarting from the interruption, commented while looking in the direction Kojo left in.

"I'll accept this fight as a draw."

Yukio's eyes narrowed, and she glared at Aldean, causing him to shudder.

"Let's just forget this ever happened," she said, before turning and walking away, followed by Leonard and Cassandra.

As they departed, the church continued to repair itself, the sounds of reconstruction echoing through the air.

"Yukio's time magic sure is something," Aldean turned to Cyrus and said.

Cyrus whacked the back of Aldean's neck, scolding him. "Show some respect. Also, what were you thinking, starting a fight with Archadia's champion?" he asked as they walked away.

Rigarde, who had been left alone in the now empty courtyard, rubbed his temples and sighed.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to deal with Aldean. I need a cup of tea to soothe my headache."

He turned and went inside.