Master of Frost vs. The Undefeated — Round One

I was in front row, eyes glued to the ring. Yeah, I'd arrived early. Damn, I feel like some kind of fanboy.

Still, I had high hopes for this fight. Maybe Salazar could actually win. He was relentless, after all.

Raigetsu looked… feral. And it wasn't just his stare. Broad shoulders, thick hands — everything about him screamed power.

The entire arena was sealed in an invisible barrier.

This time, the Academy had prepared more than ever before.

"THREE!! TWO!! ONE!!"

The match began. Salazar stepped into stance immediately, fingers forming a seal.

Raigetsu smirked. With the roar of the crowd, no one else could hear their exchange.

"Heh. Been a while, kid. Still clinging to that thirst for revenge?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Salazar replied, sweat trailing down his chin. "What matters now… is making sure you don't walk away from this."

"Heh. And you think you're capable of landing a hit?" Raigetsu's smirk widened. "Guess the princess finally left her nest if she's picking fights with me now."

"Shut up! Every word you speak pisses me off, Raigetsu."

Raigetsu let out a low, dominant chuckle.

"Well then," he shifted into stance, "Let's end this. You don't even realize how far apart we are. Go ahead — try and touch me!"

Fight rules:

No rules.

Both of them raised two fingers.

"Frost Wheel!"

Six crystalline shards of ice materialized above their heads — dangerous projectiles guided by their user's mind.

Without hesitation, Raigetsu charged forward. He moved fast. Each swing of his arm — destructive and precise.

I caught a glimpse of that wild grin spreading across his face. That guy was insane.

Salazar dodged, then fired the first shard as soon as Raigetsu got close. A perfect hit.

But Raigetsu slapped it away with his other hand — the crystal shattered into pieces. Whether he was hurt or not, his grin only grew.

Salazar retreated to the edge of the ring, arms spread wide.

"Frost Touch."

A technique that froze on contact — and protected the caster's hands.

He dashed forward, swinging wildly, trying to land a hit.

Raigetsu dodged effortlessly.

"What's wrong? That all you've got? Or are you hiding your aces?"

"Shut UP!" Salazar slammed a frozen palm into his chest. "I've had enough of your lies!"

Ice spread across Raigetsu's chest like a virus. But instead of backing off — he grabbed Salazar's arm.

"That won't help you now!"

Raigetsu lifted him with one hand, then slammed him down like a ragdoll.

"Fireshot!" Salazar shouted, aiming with a finger.

A firebolt surged forth, lighting Raigetsu's entire body in flame.

The grip broke, and Salazar stumbled back.

But he knew — that wouldn't be enough.

A furious figure burst through the smoke, untouched. Not even scorched.

His arm, though — frozen up to the shoulder, blood dripping from the cracks.

"You're still the same goddamn rhino I remember," Salazar muttered.

Raigetsu lunged again.

Salazar ducked low, slipped behind him — and fired another Fireshot.

"Negation!" Raigetsu's palm absorbed the spell completely.

The crowd gasped. So did I.

What kind of spell was that? I'd never read anything like it in the books.

No… wait. There was a mention of a technique that could absorb magic — but only if it belonged to the same elemental line.

If Raigetsu absorbed a Destruction-based spell…

I barely knew anything about him. But I was sure of one thing now:

We were watching two fighters wielding High Magic — and the deadly Destruction Element.

"You won't win," Raigetsu said. "No matter what you throw at me, I'll consume it all."

As the last of the fire dissipated into his palm, his body lit up with violet glow.

That meant he'd replenished his mana.

So Negation didn't just absorb — it converted spells into raw energy.

Not bad. But Salazar… how are you going to beat that?

Another crystal flew from Salazar's hand. As Raigetsu dodged, Salazar slipped in close and fired a second — direct hit to the gut.

He leapt into the air and thrust both hands forward.

"Ray of Frost!"

A rune glowed on his palms — unleashing a beam of freezing energy.

Raigetsu retreated, but the beam followed him like a snake.

Salazar landed. The ray struck true — frost overtook his opponent, who couldn't even lift his arms in time.

"Magic Barrier!"

A glowing shield snapped into place in front of Raigetsu — draining his mana as he held it.

His body was already covered in frost, but he kept walking forward.

Salazar cut off the spell — and at that exact moment, Raigetsu lunged again.

Too close to dodge!

Salazar launched two more crystal shards. Only two left.

He aimed for the eyes — Raigetsu blocked with his forearms.

Perfect moment to escape. Salazar spun behind him — and touched him again.

"Freeze."

Ice erupted from his hand — jagged and massive —— lifting Raigetsu into the air in a frozen spire.

The crowd erupted in applause.

That was Resonance Magic. That shouldn't even be possible with High Magic alone.

The ice pillar shattered.Raigetsu fell hard, smashing into the shards. Blood pooled beneath him. His back — cut to ribbons.

"Die," Salazar whispered, pointing his finger.

The last two shards and a firebolt launched together — crashing down on Raigetsu.

The man didn't even move.

This was the combo Salazar had prepared long ago — one that could've ended Amon in a single blow.

But he'd saved it. Kept it hidden as his trump card.

Even I knew — if that had been me, I wouldn't want to get up again.

But something didn't feel right…

The Frost Wheel still floated — suspended above Raigetsu.

And just as Salazar realized something was off—

—All six crystals fired.

Every. Single. One.

Shoulders. Head. Torso. Neck.

An unpredictable, brutal assault. And the first ending for Salazar.

Raigetsu stood up. He cracked his neck, and sneered.

"Guess you really are an idiot, thinking that would stop me. But actually, you surprized me. I give you that."

Salazar staggered, barely conscious.

Meanwhile, Raigetsu stretched his arms.

"Supreme Destruction…"

Blue fire began to flow through his hands — slow, deliberate.

Salazar snapped to attention, taking a few steps back.

"...Eternal Flame."

The ring went dark. The flame reached his shoulders, like ghostly wyrms swimming up his arms.

But… nothing else happened.

No explosion. No surge.

Just fire.

Even Salazar didn't know what he was up against. And that was the worst part.

Raigetsu's face twisted into a condescending smile. He took a step—

—and vanished.

He was behind Salazar in an instant.

His hands reached for his neck — time itself felt slower.

Salazar turned.

"Frost Barrier!"

Flames burst from Raigetsu's palms like serpents from hell, blinding all who looked. Even the ring beneath them began to melt.

Salazar summoned barrier after barrier — as fast as he could. But it wasn't enough.

The fire curled from the side — engulfing him. He was flung across the ring into the ropes, still burning.

The flames didn't stop.

The crowd thought he'd already turned to ash.

Until he rose.

All heads tilted upward.

Salazar hovered above the ring — his upper robes burned to cinders.

Raigetsu halted the fire and looked up, eyes gleaming.

Salazar stared down at him like a god descending from the heavens.

"Levitation, huh? You've gotten sly, kid."

"Shut up, Raigetsu. Game's over. You're not winning this."

He raised his hand. His hair lifted with the magic.

Suddenly — frost spread across the ring. Raigetsu slipped, barely keeping balance.

"Dance for me, brute."

A frozen orb began forming in the Frost Master's hands.

The ground beneath Raigetsu steamed as fire leaked from his skin.

"Ray of Frost."

The freezing beam crashed down — covering Raigetsu's body in frost. Wherever it touched — it shattered his skin like glass.

The ray devoured the ring.