Azure mana exploded outward from the girl.

Frost covered Evan's blade and armor as he moved, slashing down while the handcuffs he once held dropped.

A force met his blade, sending his arms crooking under pressure. Frost chilled his skin and his silver eyes stared at a blade of ice that blocked his attack from the girl's head.

Evan met her frosty eyes, then glanced around the room. The place had become an ice forest. The door to enter? Frozen in ice. The ten guards that had drawn their blades? Frozen in ice before they had a chance to move. Clearly, they weren't as strong as him, and they were far, far weaker than the girl.

In an instant, he had become the only one left against the girl, and she looked expressionless up into his eyes as his breath frosted, and he shivered.

"You know, I just left my lover to slumber, and the first thing I was met with was a bunch of fools thinking they could capture or kill me," The girl said, chuckling lightly and seeming to find the whole situation amusing. Clearly, she did not see him nor the soldiers still outside as a possible threat.

Evan found himself gulping, gripping his weapon tighter with both hands. The girl hadn't lied when she said she was physically strong too. Here he was, unable to push her back with his weapon, while she stared at him calmly, an ice sword blocking him.

"You purposefully didn't freeze me yet," He spoke, realizing he would have also become a statue of ice immediately if she wished for it. "But you should have."

His weapon shined red, and he leapt back, slashing three times in mid-air before he found his footing.

A blade of crimson mana struck a shield of ice, the force unable to move the girl nor rip apart her defense, then the remaining two froze in the air as water devoured them.

"Arts are useless against me," The girl said, snow flurrying around her as she lowered her weapon, it's shape squirming back into a frozen blade, "Once you've turned mana into a physical force to attack, unless it is comparable to my strength, all I simply have to do is freeze it."

The bladelights in the air shattered into ice and dropped, becoming water which melded into her weapon.

"Why are you explaining yourself?" Evan asked, taking stock of the situation. Now glancing around for a way out. Crimson mana radiated off his form, her frost coming off of him as if they were melting.

She took a step closer to him.

"I want to show you just how foolish your earlier notions had been."

She disappeared.

"I'm not weak, miss."

Evan spun on one heel, his entire form overflowing with crimson mana, releasing it as his weapon followed his path.

The room whirled with wind, and he became a tornado of crimson, blade lights crossing the room in all directions. The stone walls of the place shuddered, his attacks slashing into them as the building quaked.

Yet.

"Freeze."

Every attack froze in place as an azure light rolled over them.

"Shatter."

They became nothing more than drifting snow.

"I'm aware you're not weak."

The next moment, Evan Macron found his blade stopped and his momentum gone. He stood, rooted on one foot, while the girl placidly looked up at him. She was gripping his blade with an ice covered hand, frost carrying over his sword.

"But I am far too strong for you to handle," She said, "It would have been better if your lord had sent an army."

She crushed her hand and the blade of his weapon shattered into ice.

"Wha—"

Evan's words were caught in his throat. He gagged, looking down to see her gloved hand gripping his neck. In the next moment, she threw him and his vision blurred. He crossed the room in the breath of a second, the frozen door shattering as his figure flew through it before his armored form smacked against a cobblestone road.

"Co-commander!"

Around the front of the building, Claire stepped out to see around fifty or so guards in metal armor, weapons drawn behind Evan's downed form. Behind those, there were individuals holding wands. Aside from her foes, the place seemed deserted.

'So he did send an army, after all,' She thought as her eyes rolled over them.

She watched as Evan shakily stood back up with help from two of his men.

"Will you give up or do you still wish to fight me?" She asked.

Yet, the voices that answered her didn't belong to the man.

"Give up?! After you harmed our commander?!"

"How dare you!"

"We'll fight!"

"We'll fight!"

Claire stared speechlessly at the guards and their voices ringing against her in unison. Her brows furrowed, and she looked at Evan's face.

"You're quite popular," She said, "I'm a bit impressed."

He shrugged lightly, standing back up in full with a new sword in hand.

"I was once someone labeled a hero for protecting this city," He said, his crimson mana rumbling back out once again.

"You're still a hero to us, commander!"

"Yeah!"

Claire smiled.

"So you'll fight?" She asked.

"As long as I stand, and my men are willing, I shall," He replied.

"Even though you are merely following the words of someone else?"

"Even then." He nodded. "The city lord might be authoritarian in his rule, but he has turned a once rundown Felcius into the beautiful city it currently is. I'll gladly throw myself away if it means keeping our prosperity."

"You're quite brave."

He smiled, crimson mana radiating out of him as the Ice Queen stared unamused, aware their talk had merely been buying time for the storm of mana she was feeling behind the front line of soldiers.

"Execute plan B!" He yelled.

The sky lit up in magic. Spikes of flaming earth pierced her way, boosted by wind as they hurled down upon her, bloating most of the air and shadowing her.

Claire looked expressionlessly at the barrage of magic, however.

A roar broke into the air as a water dragon rose from her body, swimming up with its lengthy body. Its mouth opened, covering the sky, and it devoured the barrage, explosions ringing in the air, flaming rock shards flying nowhere within the bubble of water they found themselves before freezing and shattering away.

"Charge!"

Claire stared at the charging soldiers, led by Evan towards certain defeat.

She took a step forward and the land around her became a tundra, snow bellowing, freezing all that came near her. She was akin to a calamity, a walking disaster as her azure eyes pierced into the small army. They quaked in their boots, teeth clattering, frigid hands jittering to hold frosting weapons, and she smiled.

"I change my mind," Claire said, her breath freezing the air as mana roared around her and her voice carried itself to them, "You're all admirable fools."

A blizzard rolled over the area.