Enaros stared at the frozen battlefield, his breath leaving large clouds of vapor rising in the air. Aqua stood calmly at the center of the icy devastation, her arctic blue essence flaring around her.
"What exactly is this? I thought she had water-based abilities." He asked out loud.
"She does. But that's just the base of it." Kaito responded.
"The base? What do you mean?"
"There's no time to explain. All you need to know is that might not be the only tricks left up her sleeve." He said as he looked over towards Aqua who was still standing there calmly.
Enaros felt a chill crawl up his back that had nothing to do with the temperature. Behind the same tree bark that's now frozen, Nix crouched low, his hands trembling as he clutched the edge of the frozen wood cover. The frost had covered his hands, numbing his fingers. His eyes darted between Kaito and Aqua.
"I should be out there… helping him, helping my father. Instead, I'm just sitting here, hiding like a coward. If only I were stronger… if only I could stand beside them. Elder sister… if only you were here. You'd know what to do. You always knew."
Kaito flexed his hands, trying his best to warm them up despite the intense cold.
"I can't feel my hands or my feet. This isn't good. Not good at all."
His eyes darted around the battlefield, assessing the situation. He counted the frozen bodies of the warriors and scanned the treeline.
"Come on, where are you Nara?"
His eyes finally fell on the shed.
"She has to be in there, there's no doubt about it at this point. But still, why isn't it guarded? Why was Aqua the only one sent here to guard her? Is this a trap? Shit! What should I do? Talon and Kaeline are waiting for the signal at any moment now."
The questions continued to rise before he shook his head, finally shutting them down.
"It doesn't matter. Plan or no plan, I have to do this. No matter what it takes."
He turned to Enaros.
"Listen, I need you to get Nix. Try to free and heal the others if you can. I'll keep her busy and buy you time."
"You've got a plan?" Enaros replied.
Kaito paused, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin.
"Nope."
Enaros blinked, his mouth opening slightly before he shook his head in disbelief.
"Are you serious?"
Kaito chuckled a bit before his face hardened.
"Plans are great and all. But sometimes, you just have to act. Even without a plan, I'll do whatever it takes to stop her and keep you all safe. That's all that matters."
Enaros froze at the words, his eyes widening slightly. Those words rattled something inside him, causing him to smile despite the dire circumstances.
"Thank you, Kaito." He muttered calmly.
"Eh…? For what?" Kaito replied, caught off guard.
"It's nothing. Just… don't die out there, alright?"
Kaito grinned, his usual bravado returning.
"Not a chance."
Enaros nodded, then turned, as he called out to Tyrek and sprinted toward Nix.
As Enaros ran to the others, Kaito exhaled slowly and turned his attention back towards Aqua. She hadn't moved from her spot, but her eyes were still fixed on him. The icy mist around her began to swirl around her body like an icy tornado forming.
"You know, Aqua, your personality's gotten a little… cold hearted since the start of our fight. If you stop this and tell me where Nara is, I may decide to hold the biscuit and drink for the two piece I'm gonna serve you." He said with a cocky smirk despite the sweat rolling down his back and freezing before it got to his ass.
"You joke as if you're the strongest here. As if you actually stand a chance against me… But the truth is… you're weak Kaito. Another disposable star traveler standing in the way of the Grand Order's ascension. Nothing more. And I'll be sure you know your place." Aqua said calmly but with a menacing tone.
Her essence flared, an icy sheen spread across the ground. She raised her hand towards him.
"Glacial Eruption."
Ice raced across the ground of the battlefield, forming jagged spikes as it hurtled toward him at breakneck speed. His eyes widened, shocked by the speed of her attack.
"It's too fast!"
He sprang into the air just as the ice exploded beneath him, towering ice shards erupting from the ground like icy fangs.
But Aqua wasn't done.
"Glacial Shards!"
Dozens of razor-sharp icicles shot from her hand, moving at speeds too fast for Kaito to register fully.
He contorted his body midair the best he could, dodging some of the shards, but not all. One lodged into his side, another sliced across his shoulder, and two more buried themselves deep into his leg. Blood splattered all over the frozen ground as he crashed back down, groaning in pain.
He laid there for a moment, staring at the jagged ice lodged in his body.
"Shit…"
Aqua's voice cut through the cold air.
"What's wrong? I thought you'd put up more of a fight than this. You talk all of the talk, but in the end, you're just like the others… weak."
Her rant was cut short as her attention was drawn into Kaito again, her smirk slowly fading. His hands pressed into the icy ground as he pushed himself to his feet with the little strength he'd had despite the gruesome injuries.
She didn't say or do anything as she watched him slowly stand on his feet. His purple essence flared to life around him along with small lightning arcs, faint at first but growing in intensity. Aqua's CPI scanner flickered in her eye.
Kaito: 105,000… 145,000… 180,000 CPI
Without warning, he vanished, a streak of lightning appearing behind Aqua. His fist came flying in, trying his best to catch her off guard. But she sidestepped his attack effortlessly.
He disappeared and reappeared at her side, launching a kick aimed at her head. She raised her arm, blocking the attack without even turning to face him.
He disappeared again, reappearing above her with another kick, but she dodged again.
He jumped back and skidded to a stop several feet away, his chest heaving as he stared at her in disbelief.
"She's faster… Way faster than before. I can't even find an opening anymore."
"Is this the best you've got, Kaito? What happened to you showing me why the Grand Orders mission is bullshit? Huh?"
Kaito didn't respond. Instead, he raised his hand, the lightning around him intensifying. The ground beneath him cracked as his essence surged outward, nearly enveloping the entire battlefield. Enaros, still working with Tyrek to thaw their frozen allies, glanced up, his eyes widened as he saw Kaito preparing his attack.
"That's the same ability as before. That idiot… is he trying to take us all out!?"
The numbers on Aqua's CPI scanner began to rise so quickly that even she was slightly shocked, despite her words.
Kaito: 180,000… 250,000… 345,000…
Kaito's voice roared across the battlefield.
"RAIDEN CANNON!"
A large beam of purple essence surrounded by huge arcs of lightning shot forward, tearing through the icy ground in its path before reaching Aqua who stood there calmly, staring it down.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
A deafening explosion enveloped a portion of the battlefield. Dirt, leaves, and wood fell from the air, obscuring everything in a thick cloud.
As the dust began to settle, Enaros couldn't believe the sight in front of him.
"Kaito…" He muttered.
Kaito laid on the ground, battered, and bloodied as if he was the one who took the blast head on.
Aqua, on the other hand, stood completely unharmed. In front of her was a near-transparent mirror of shimmering water floating in front of her.
Nix's eyes widened as he remembered the same ability being used against Nara during their battle.
"No way… it's the same thing. Just like before."
"Specular Reflection." Aqua muttered calmly.
The watery barrier shimmered before dissolving in thin air. Kaito groaned, his body refusing to move.
"Wha– What just happened? Did she… attack me?" He thought to himself, trying to raise his head to look at Aqua.
His limbs were heavy, unresponsive. He grit his teeth, nearly chipping them, struggling to rise, but his body refused to listen.
Aqua turned her sight toward the treeline, locking eyes with Enaros and Nix. Enaros instinctively stepped in front of Nix, his fists blazing with fire as he prepared to defend his boy.
But for some reason, she looked away. She raised her hand and pointed it toward the shed instead. Her voice was calm, almost playful.
"No need for stage fright. It's time for the main act. Shall we–"
Ice raced across the ground, surging toward the shed. It climbed the small building like it was a living creature, enveloping it completely in a near instant. The ice erupted, shattering the shed into thousands of frozen splinters. In the middle of all that destruction, there was someone standing there.
Enaros and Nix's eyes both became wide as the person they had been searching for was finally in front of them.
It was Nara.