The building door burst open with a crash, and Rein appeared on the threshold. His scarlet hair seemed to burn in the dim light, and a smug smirk played on his lips. He slowly drew two swords from behind his back. The right blade glowed with a crimson light, emitting waves of heat that made the surrounding air shimmer. The left one shimmered with a cold blue flame, as if radiating arctic cold. The contrast was striking and terrifying.

  "Well, what a gathering of losers has come to visit me?" Rein drawled, looking down at the adventurers with disdain. His voice was full of contempt. "Did you think it would be so easy to barge in and take your little toy?"

  Dex, despite the tense situation, didn't miss the opportunity to quip. "Toy? Who are you talking about, red cheeks? Are you so lonely that you make friends by kidnapping them?" He tried to smirk, but it came out more as a strained grimace.

  Rein ignored Dex's jab, focusing his gaze on Ellariel. "And here's the elf. Usually, you pointy-ears are wiser than to get involved with the likes of me."

  Without waiting for an answer, Rein made a swift lunge with the fiery blade towards Dex. The strike was lightning-fast and searingly hot. Dex barely managed to raise his sword to block, and yelped at the unexpected force and heat. His blade was scorched, and a shadow of pain flickered across his face.

  "Ha! What's wrong, tin-can knight, feeling a little hot already?" Rein sneered, immediately switching to the icy blade and attacking with it. The blow was sharp and chilling. Dex staggered back, feeling the cold penetrate his armor to the bone.

  Gimli charged at Rein with a roar, swinging his axe. "Shut your mouth and fight, worm!" His blow was powerful, but Rein easily parried it with the icy blade, sending a frosty spark flying off the metal.

  Zara, moving like a shadow, tried to flank Rein, but he seemed to sense her every move. He sharply swung the fiery blade, forcing Zara to leap back, escaping the scorching heat.

  Ellariel drew her bowstring taut, her face etched with intense concentration. She released an arrow glowing with a faint magic, but Rein merely snorted disdainfully and knocked it aside with a flick of his icy blade. The arrow shattered into tiny ice fragments.

  Rein continued to attack relentlessly, alternating between strikes with the fiery and icy blades. Dex barely managed to block, his movements becoming stiff from the cold, and his armor heating up from the fire. Gimli tried to break through the barrage of attacks, but Rein skillfully used both blades, preventing the dwarf from getting close. Zara waited for an opening, but Rein didn't give her a single chance for a surprise attack. Ellariel continued her ranged assault, but all her arrows shattered against Rein's defense.

  "What, is that all you've got?" Rein chuckled mockingly, pushing Dex towards the building wall. "You look pathetic. Especially you, knight. Where's your vaunted valor?"

  Dex, gasping for breath, croaked, "Shut up... we'll see..."

  Rein continued to press Dex, showering him with blows from the fiery and icy blades. Dex struggled to fend them off, realizing he couldn't last much longer. Gimli's furious roar drew Rein's attention for a split second. The dwarf brought his axe down on the red-haired man, forcing him to step back.

  Taking advantage of this brief respite, Dex leaped back, away from the dangerous range of Rein's blades. He quickly glanced at Zara and hissed through gritted teeth, "Zara, get inside! Free Kyle! We can't beat him like this!"

  Zara nodded, her green eyes flashing with determination. She darted into the nearest dark alley, intending to bypass the battlefield and enter the building unnoticed.

  Rein, noticing Dex's retreat and Zara's maneuver, snorted disdainfully. "Annoying little pests! Think you can run away?" With these words, he forcefully plunged the icy sword into the cobblestone ground.

  Instantly, frosty patterns spread across the ground. Cracks filled with frost, and an icy crust began to rapidly spread in all directions, encasing the paving stones. The cold became piercing, making the adventurers shiver. Gimli's movements became more restricted, and icy crystals began to form on his beard. Dex felt the metal of his armor growing colder. Ellariel leaped backward, trying to prevent the ice from binding her feet.

  "Let's see you try to run on ice!" Rein grinned menacingly, pulling the fiery blade from the air and once again lunging at the cold-bound Gimli.

  Kyle, inside the dark room, clearly heard the sounds of battle coming from the street. Dull thuds, the clang of metal, muffled shouts – it all painted a disturbing picture. He realized his friends had come. "Time to end this circus," Kyle thought, rising from his seat.

  He calmly approached the steel door, which seemed quite sturdy. Without the slightest effort, Kyle simply walked forward. The metal began to deform with a dull crackling sound, as if it were made of thin foil. The door, unable to withstand the collision with an absolute object, shattered into pieces with a crash, creating a gaping hole in the wall.

  Kyle didn't hurry. He slowly stepped through the mangled metal, as if passing through a curtain. The corridor was dark and quiet. He leisurely moved forward, looking around for an exit. The sounds of battle grew louder, indicating the direction to freedom.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Kyle slowly walked down the corridor, guided by the increasing noise of the fight. Light appeared from around the corner – the exit. But then he heard Rein's familiar smug voice, coming from very close by. Kyle froze, listening intently. Judging by the snippets of phrases, the situation wasn't looking good for his friends.

  "Frozen, heroes? Soon you'll be nothing but ice statues!" Rein's laughter echoed.

  Kyle pondered for a moment. Simply walk out and reveal his true power? No, that was too simple and would expose his secret. He needed something more... unexpected.

  His gaze fell on the thick stone wall separating him from the exit and, judging by the sounds, from Rein. A plan formed in his mind.

  Without changing his impassive expression, Kyle slightly flicked his right hand. The movement was so subtle that no one would have noticed it. But at that very moment, a deafening crack echoed. A huge section of the stone wall, closest to the exit, violently broke away from its foundation.

  Heavy stone blocks crashed down, raising a cloud of dust and debris. The collapse occurred right in front of Rein, who, engrossed in his attack on the ice-bound Gimli, was completely unprepared for such a thing.

  "What the hell?!" Rein roared, trying to dodge the falling debris. His smug smirk instantly turned into shock and fury.

  None of the adventurers saw the moment the wall collapsed. Dex, trying to warm his frozen fingers, merely flinched at the sudden crash. Gimli, covered in frost, coughed in the rising dust. Ellariel, ready to release another arrow, froze in surprise.

  "What... what was that?" Dex muttered, looking around for the source of the collapse.

  Zara, who had almost entered the building from the other side, heard the rumble and became alert.

  Kyle, limping slightly, emerged from the breach in the wall, trying to feign fear. At that moment, a deafening crack echoed, and a large shard of stone fell from the corridor ceiling, from where Kyle had just come out. It flew right over Kyle's head and forcefully struck Rein, who was still recovering from the wall collapse and glaring angrily at the appearing "weakling."

  A dull thud sounded, and Rein, not expecting such sudden "luck," staggered and collapsed to the ground unconscious. His fiery and icy blades fell from his weakened hands and clattered onto the pavement.

  Amazement flickered across the adventurers' faces, quickly replaced by elation.

  "Kyle!" Ellariel exclaimed, her usually calm face breaking into a joyful smile. She quickly ran to him, her violet eyes shining with relief. "You're alive! Are you alright?" Her voice held genuine tenderness and care.

  Gimli roared with laughter, pounding his chest with his fist. "Ha! Serves you right, red-haired upstart! Got what was coming to ya!"

  Zara smirked, shaking her head. "You're something else, Kyle. Never would have thought you were so... lucky." Surprise and a hidden amusement danced in her green eyes.

  Dex sighed in relief, dropping his sword. "Thank the gods! I thought that fruitcake was going to turn us all into ice cubes!" He approached Kyle and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good to see you made it out, buddy."

  Kyle, trying not to betray his composure, offered a weak smile. "Yeah... lucky. That explosion... was very unexpected."

  Ellariel gently took Kyle's hand, her touch warm and reassuring. "The important thing is you're safe. Now we really need to get out of here."

  All eyes turned back to Rein's lifeless body. Despite the sudden end to the fight, danger could still be lurking.

  Dex glanced at the fallen Rein and his discarded blades lying nearby. A greedy gleam lit up his eyes. "Alright, enough hugging! We need to run, and fast. The main thing, Kyle, is that you're with us, safe and sound."

  With these words, Dex quickly bent down and deftly picked up both of Rein's swords. Examining them, he whistled. "Not bad pieces of iron! Ice and fire... they'll come in handy!" He slung them over his back, next to his own sword, which now looked rather modest in comparison.

  Ellariel, still holding Kyle's hand, looked at Dex with concern. "Dex! Now is not the time to loot. We might be pursued!"

  Dex waved his hand dismissively. "Come on, Ellariel. Good things shouldn't go to waste! Besides, who knows, these things might still help us." He winked at Kyle. "The main thing is our 'weakling' is alright. The rest will follow!"

  Gimli grunted approvingly. "Good thinking, knight! Trophies always come in handy!"

  Zara just rolled her eyes at Dex's greed but remained silent, understanding that they really needed to leave this place as soon as possible.

  "Alright, let's go," Ellariel said, still feeling a slight unease but yielding to Dex's persistence and the general need to flee. She led Kyle away, towards the dark alleys.

  Several agonizing hours had passed since the group of adventurers had left the ill-fated building. Rein slowly regained consciousness. His head was splitting, and everything swam before his eyes. He tried to move and groaned in pain. He sat up with a jolt, looking around with a hazy gaze.

  The first thing he realized was the disappearance of his blades. The spot where they should have been lying was empty. Fury instantly boiled in his chest. "Those damn bastards! They stole my blades!" he roared, clenching his fists.

  At that moment, a silhouette emerged from the shadows of one of the ruined openings. A tall man in an impeccably white suit and a strange mask without a single opening approached Rein. His very presence exuded coldness and authority.

  "You're awake, Rein," the stranger said in an even, impassive voice that seemed otherworldly.

  Rein, despite his rage, felt an unpleasant chill run down his spine. He recognized this man – the client who had tasked him with capturing that unremarkable young man, Kyle.

  "My lord..." Rein croaked, trying to get to his feet.

  The man in the white suit stopped, not getting too close. "You have failed, Rein. You were given a simple task – to deliver that person to me. And what is the result? You couldn't even handle such a pathetic target." There was no anger in his voice, only a cold contempt that stung more than any blow.

  "But... they attacked suddenly! There were several of them... and that boy..." Rein tried to justify himself, feeling his anger turn to despair.

  "Silence, you insignificant wretch," the client cut him off in an icy tone. "You were given your chance and you squandered it. Failure is not forgiven."

  Rein lowered his head, feeling crushed. The loss of his blades, the humiliation of defeat, and now this cold sentence...

  "But... what now?" Rein asked timidly.

  The man in the white suit was silent for several long seconds, as if considering something. Then he said, "Your uselessness is evident. But perhaps you can still redeem yourself. You know where they might have gone."

  A faint flicker of hope ignited in Rein's eyes. "Yes, my lord. I will find them. I will bring that boy back."

  "You will retrieve my property," the client coldly corrected him. "And you will bear responsibility for your failure. Do not disappoint me again." With these words, the man in the white suit dissolved into the shadows as suddenly as he had appeared, leaving Rein alone in the ruins, consumed by rage and fear.