Leyland Adventures Chapter Thirteen: Part Nineteen

As the unforgivable chilling winds blew her beautiful strands of silver hair, she tapped her finger on the arm of the chair she sat on. The chair, made of ice, was sculptured in a way that fit her position. Towering, with spirals decorating the top back of the chair. The arms engraved with her symbol, a crown to symbolize how she considered herself as a queen.

A ferocious yawn grew from her mouth, getting impatient with Aradressa's lateness. Just as her eyelids weighted down, a distant figure was visible amongst the storm of snow. With a powerful urge for action, she arose from her seat to prepare herself. The figure grew closer, soon being recognized as Aradressa marching steadily. At last, the two met each at a distance.

"Finally, you arrive, you should know better than to make me wait."

"I do not exist to entertain you." She retorted, with sword and shield in hand.

Abliss scoffed at her remark, soon giving her a few words of imminent fate. "You will exist to be my obedient puppet once I strip you of your will."

With that, she sank her hand into her chair, reforming it into a mighty blade. With their gazes met, Abliss performed the first move as she abruptly swung her blade.

With instinct, she rose her shield to block the powerful strike. Setting herself back, Abliss continued to unleash multiple strikes on her opponent, each one unsuccessful. Aradressa had covered any opening Abliss trying to expose, taking advantage of her offensive battle strategy.

However, Abliss had an ingenious strategy herself. As her blade repeatedly hit Aradressa's Mirror Shield, tiny ice crystals formed on the surface. Being able to see the process in action, Abliss purposely had her sword force itself onto the shield.

Instantly, infectious ice spread over the shield, nearly reaching her hand. In a tidal wave of shock, Aradressa gathered her strength and sent the shield flying toward Abliss's face. With the ice shattered, Abliss clenched her injured spot with a booming growl. The princess could feel an overwhelming pile of remorse emerging from her usual chivalrous nature, though Abliss's nasty behavior prevented most of that sympathy from taking action. However, as an upcoming queen, Aradressa was willing to be the bigger person.

"Abliss, I-"

"Silence!" She roared, blasting Aradressa away with her ice. Wiping the blood raining from her nose, she finally jumped back into the battle.

Taking a mighty inhale, Abliss covered the fighting field with a fierce storm of snow. Still standing strong, Aradressa prepared herself for an incoming attack. The howling winds echoed in her ears, the clouding snow blocked off her ability to view anything that would be considered a threat.

Suddenly, she could hear rapid footsteps crunching the snow. Abliss came swinging viciously with her hands encased in jagged ice. Aradressa tried her best to block each blow, despite the parlous conditions. With a flaring glare, she stabbed the shield with her weapon. Ice ran over the shield rapidly, forcing Aradressa to release as she didn't have enough time to fight back.

With the shield captured, Abliss tossed it far into the distance, leaving Aradressa with limited options for protection.

"Now let's see how well you'll handle this!" She exclaimed, soaring to the skies as an army of icicles stood by her side.

Aradressa eyed the icicles, taking a deep breath.

"Take this!" Throwing her hand down, the icicles launched towards the target.

Combating the attack, Aradressa unleashed a torrent of flames, melting the icicles coming for her. She knew she couldn't keep this up forever, her lungs would grow exhausted. With that in mind, she held her sword before her, using it to block the icicles.

Aradressa stood prepared for anything Abliss would throw at her, despite most of the battlefield being obstructed by snow. She scanned the area, gripping her sword close to her.

"Do you really think you'll win this bout?" Said a voice behind her in a condescending tone.

Aradressa promptly turned her body, immediately striking Abliss. Alas, the figure was nothing more than a copy of the real deal.

"This fight is just getting started." Said another clone.

Again, she instantly struck it down. More clones appeared from the snow, surrounding her, each with their own messages.

"Do you really think you can overpower me?"

"What makes you think this is the fullest extent of my power?"

"How do you know if I'm merely going easy on you?"

Eventually, Aradressa grew tired of her tricks, finally releasing a powerful statement that desperately needed to be said.

"You know, if you were so mighty, then you wouldn't need these clones or this hurricane of snow. You claim you're better than I am, then show me. You claim you've been holding back, then proceed to show me your Supreme Order form. Prove to me you're even worthy of holding yourself to such high standards!" She demanded, taking a gargantuan risk but with an equivalent payoff.

Abliss wouldn't stand to be insulted by a person she looked down upon, thus removing the snowstorm.

"Well, if you insist. I suppose I can grant you one last wish before you become encased in my everlasting ice. Try not to die so soon before I get my fun."

With a deep breath, Abliss entered a state of tranquility as sparkling ice sprawled over her body, soon crystallizing her beautiful figure. Eventually, she encased herself within the ice. She attached a single hand to the wall of ice, letting it consume her burning rage. It wasn't long before the enclosed area took on a new color, purple. Abliss inhaled the frigid air like a rampant tornado; her body was now immune to the new temperature.

"Supreme Order: Galeria!"

Like a chick hatching from its egg, Abliss shattered her cocoon-like cell, spreading ice shards across the field. It was as if she was reborn with her hair now adapting some streaks of purple. Some shards of ice laid on her skin, too minuscule for Aradressa to lay eyes on. Her wings fluttered with a violet aura, ensuring they wouldn't wither. Even the atmosphere itself had dropped to insufferable temperatures.

The new temperature affected Aradressa harshly, finally causing her to actually feel abnormally cold. To combat this, she was left with no other choice to release a bit of the blazing energy within her. With haste, blue flames spiraled around her body, soon engulfing herself in flame. She could no longer feel the unforgivable coolness of the howling winds.

"I bet you've never seen me like this before, what do you think? You got what you wanted and now it's time for me to get what I want, a lowly princess begging for mercy."

"Try me." Aradressa gave Abliss a cold stare, directing her blade towards her.

Abliss positioned her hands like a gun, shooting a speeding bullet of ice. It barely took any effort to dodge the bullet charging towards her. Abliss shot more bullets, only for Aradressa to weave between them. Abliss struck the ground with her fist, causing ice shards to shoot from the ground.

"Gotcha." Abliss said as the shards limited Aradressa's movement, trapping her.

Despite its size, Aradressa's sword couldn't break through the sturdy ice. A diabolical grin stretched across Abliss's face. She fully knew how to use this to her advantage.

"Now there will be silence." Snapping her fingers, the pen Aradressa was trapped in exploded with an echoing boom. The wind carried scattered snowflakes; some getting caught within her hair.

Sizable shards of ice had impaled her body, temporarily putting her to the ground. Although she simply melted the shards, the agonizing pain still remained. Blood dripped to the snow, turning into a red solid in mere seconds. She quickly clamped her wounds whilst staring at her frozen sword. As an effect of such power being used, Abliss's skin showed a noticeable shade of blue.

"Just a little longer." Aradressa told herself. This was no time to stress over her wounds.

It was clear their powers countered each other perfectly. Neither could truly gain a significant advantage over the other. Regardless, Abliss would not stand to be bested by Aradressa. With that in mind, Abliss saw no other option than to use her final attack.

"You know princess, you've been able to survive thus far. Even in this form, your power still protects you from my mine. I have one final surprise for you; be glad you've lived long enough to see it." Said Abliss as she stared at Aradressa with hatred.

Aradressa predicted her actions and knew the dire consequences she'd face had she followed through with it. Her good nature commanded her to take immediate action.

"Abliss, don't do it!" She exclaimed, hoping Abliss would consider it. But alas, hope was nothing more than a fantasy at this point. Aradressa melted the ice off her sword in preparation for the worst.

Ignoring her cries, Abliss laid her palm to the snow. Her ice and the snow merged to create a colossal beast similar to the form of a Chillchad Wolf. Her creation freed a mighty howl, ready for command. With the birth of the monster, Abliss's normal skin was sacrificed as the blue became more apparent. She returned to her original form, unable to move very much. Regardless, she sent her spiked wolf towards Aradressa at full speed.

She sighed looking at the rushing monster speeding towards her. Putting her empathy aside, she buried her sword in the snow. Gaining near its prey, the monster revealed its knifelike set of teeth. Aradressa lit her fist aflame and struck the face with absurd force. Her power obliterated the self-made creature, turning it into lonely shards.

The temperature was restored with Abliss's return to base form. Aradressa's luscious hair flew in the wind as she saved her drowning sword from the snow. She saw Abliss struggling immensely to even stay alive with her blue skin.

The valiant princess approached the broken woman, turning off the flames that surrounded her body. The sound of the snow crunching oddly put her in a state of contentment. Even the previously howling winds now seemed like a whispering breeze. The silent environment proved to be unperturbed enough for her to heal herself. Aradressa loomed over the exhausted goddess; Abliss eyed her back before turning her head to preserve her dignity.

"Abliss, I encouraged you to not commit to such a precarious tactic."

"S- shut it. It was all I had to ensure my well-deserved v- victory." Her voice, shivering and unstable, much like her body for the moment.

"When will you realize our power sets are undeniably distinctive? At the launch of battle, I planned to use your boundless thirst for victory against you. I knew that if I could push you far enough, you'd use the abilities granted by your Supreme Order form. However, now gaining a much clearer picture of how much you truly strive to defeat me, I no longer wanted to simply just win."

"So you knew about my weaknesses, then?"

"Yes, I know of your weaknesses. But you do not know of mine. Truthfully, the battle had a clear victor before it even commenced. But there is one thing that never made sense to me, why strain yourself to be better than me? I've been taught enough about you to make an educated guess, but I want to hear it from you."

"As if I have to answer to you, I'd rather die than tell you anything." She remarked, grinning her teeth.

Aradressa inspected her decaying body and her condition wasn't getting much better. "If you remain here, you'll have to hold on to that claim. I'm sure the population of Carrigo Village can prevent that. If you confess, I'll take you there."

"We both know you don't have the cruelty for that." She painfully smirked.

Aradressa paused for a moment; she knew Abliss was correct.

"Abliss, you must understand it's quite remarkable for me to be in this area. Not many can sustain themselves in this grievous climate. I'm one of the few that can survive in your area, as if fighting you wasn't already considered an arduous task. I'm not invincible, there are numerous names that could best me. However, I don't pick fights with them."

"What's...the point of all this, princess?"

"The point is to understand our differences and use it as a foundation for companionship." 

The arctic temperature steadily brought Abliss closer to death, disabling her from replying. She clutched herself tightly as her body shook like a cowering, small child.  Aradressa took a sigh towards the goddess; it was clear she would parish had she stood out in the relentless weather. She took Abliss's freezing body in hand, and proceeded to walk to the village where Abliss would find warmth. At the entrance of the village, she simply set her unconscious body in front of the villagers.   

"Please supply her with warmth." She spoke, setting foot back to the castle for a well-deserved rest before the villagers could question anything. Amukbi stared down at Abliss's damaged figure, shaking his head. He took her body in his arms and went to bring her to a place of comfortable warmth. 

A/N: Sorry this chapter took a while to get published. It was supposed to get released two days ago, but life happens. Not to mention it was a bit difficult to plan this fight scene out. And my goodness, I didn't expect it to be so long. I was aiming for 800 words or so, but I wanted these fights to be longer, and this is the end result. Future fight scenes shouldn't be this long. Anyhow, next chapter shouldn't take so long to publish. Thanks for reading!