(Still at the destroyed camp, amidst the cold, violent winds, Ethan — in his Surge Beacon state — lunges at Flare and Jax while sliding with his icy feet, and the duo take their fighting stances and get ready to repel him. He fires a barrage of ice crystals right at them, and Flare cancels them out with a burst of flames, only for Ethan to propel himself upwards while forming an ice hammer, swinging it at the duo. Jax steps in to shatter it with a punch, only for the numerous ice fragments to latch into his muscular arms and explode, knocking him back.)

  Jax: (thinking to himself, gritting his teeth) He’s unpredictable! This entire environment offers him an advantage!

  (Ethan doesn’t relent when given this opportunity, and he lands a flurry of ice blasts at Jax, dealing even more pressure on his muscular form, but he breaks through the relentless attack and lands a punch at Ethan’s gut, launching him through the air. Flare attempts to follow up on that with a blow, but Ethan uses the violent winds to redirect himself away from Flare’s blow and get in behind her, landing an icy kick at her back and knocking her into the ground. She propels herself upwards with her fiery feet while on the ground, avoiding Ethan’s next blow, but he dashes at her once again. Flare manages to acrobatically regain her balance midair and launch a fireball from close range at the approaching Ethan, who shields himself with an ice and gets sent sliding back into the ground.)

  (Ethan steadies himself and forms several ice slabs around himself then lunges at Flare once again, who has just regained her footing as well. He fires one ice slab after another as he closes in on Flare, who eloquently dodges the ice slabs while running at him as well. Just as their energized fists of ice and fire were about to collide, Ethan slightly displaces himself using a push from the wind, avoiding Flare’s fist, and he then gets in behind her, using all the ice slabs to trap her in an ice crystal, much to her shock.)

  Flare: (trapped inside the ice crystal) Huh?!

  (He then blows up the crystal, launching her through the air, but as he moves in for another blow, Jax stands in his way with his muscular form and takes on that punch at his face with minimal damage. However, as Jax swings his fist at him, Ethan steps back and then directs numerous tiny ice shards at the former, which latch into his muscles and then get energized, immobilizing Jax, who winces in pain.)

  Jax: (internally, wincing) This isn’t working! He’s got me figured out!

  (However, before Ethan gets to land another powerful blow at Jax, Focus steps in from his right side and roundhouses him in the face, sending him sliding. Flare and Jax are rather surprised by Focus’s intervention, who immediately moves in on Ethan for another blow without ever slowing down.)

  Flare: (surprised) Focus?!

  (Focus runs at Ethan, keeping his navy blue aura activated at all times, and he eloquently dodges Ethan’s ice slabs. As Focus closes in, Ethan forms an ice staff and swings it at him, but he ducks then lands an uppercut at Ethan’s chin, knocking him back, and he follows that with a kick to his gut, sending him sliding further. Flare and Jax stand beside Focus, and it’s then that they notice the small frost mark on his face.)

  Flare: (concerned) That mark… you okay?

  Jax: Should you even be joining this fight?!

  Focus: (grimacing) I know what I’m doing. Now come on. We need to calm him down, and fast.

  (Flare and Jax reluctantly nod and turn to Ethan, who remains unbothered with his detached expression and pupil-less, glowing blue eyes as he charges up his palms with energy once again. He pulls an ice pillar out of the ground at them, but Jax breaks it with a punch, and then Flare and Focus lunge at him. The scattered ice fragments are launched back at Focus, who eloquently dodges them as he moves in on Ethan. The Ice Surge Beacon attempts an ice blast from close-range, but Focus jumps to his right side and then swings his fist for a punch, only for an ice slab to take on the punch instead, and then the scattered ice fragments strike at him and send him skidding back, surprisingly causing more damage than expected.)

  Focus: (internally, wincing) With the cryogenic shock I received, it’s obvious that I’m now more susceptible to ice-based attacks. I can’t take any attack of that sort head-on anymore.

  (Before Ethan follows up on that blow, he’s forced to block a fiery attack coming from Flare, who propels herself at him while launching a burst of flames. He then blocks her subsequent kick with a punch, only for Focus to punch him in the gut and send him sliding. He controls his slide with his icy feet and then launches another icy pillar, only for Jax to pierce through it with a kick in his muscular form. Ethan pulls off his usual trick of flinging the ice fragments at Jax, but he quickly abandons his muscular form and dodges the attacks as he moves in on the former.)

  Jax: (internally) He can easily overwhelm my muscular form. I mustn’t lean too much on it. Only when it’s time to strike.

  (Jax closes in on Ethan while enlarging the muscles in his arms, and the latter forms two ice gauntlets on his fists and launches an ice lance right at his chest, forcing him to quickly enter his full muscular form to block this unavoidable ice blast. This allows Ethan to utilize his tiny ice shards to immobilize Jax once again, but Flare propels herself upwards and prepares another burst of fire, only for Ethan to propel himself upwards as well, forming several ice platforms and jumping off of them to reach Flare.)

  Flare: Oh, man.

  (Flare propels herself away from Ethan’s blow, but an ice platform forms behind her, pushing her back into Ethan’s range, and she receives the punch into her face, launching her through the air. Another ice platform forms behind her and stops her from getting launched out of bounds, pushing her within Ethan’s range once again. She uses the flames coming out of her palms and gives her a little push, avoiding Ethan’s blow. He keeps switching between ice platforms and circling her at high speed, and she keeps herself in the air with the flames coming out of her legs while feeling stuck.)

  Flare: (grimacing) Perhaps taking this to the air wasn’t the best idea.

  (However, Ethan is taken off guard and receives a kick to the chin when Focus uses those same ice platforms he left behind to close in on him, knocking him back. He then lands a roundhouse kick to his face and sends him plummeting to the ground. He and Flare then land on the ground then lunge at Ethan once again, but suddenly, Focus feels a sharp pain in his chest, causing him to stumble in pain, to Flare’s shock.)

  Flare: (turning to him, shocked) What’s wrong?!

  (This distracts Flare, and Ethan makes use of that, lunging at Flare and landing a powerful ice blast at her chest, specifically where her heart is. This sends her crashing into a pile of rubble, to Focus’s horror, who immediately realizes what happened to her.)

  Focus: Flare!

  (Focus’s chest gets tighter, and he grips it in pain. The small frost mark on his face also grows wider, his condition further worsening. Ethan turns to him and attempts to land a punch at his chest as well, but Jax steps in, swatting his fist away, and then he lands a punch at his gut, hurling him off his feet. As Ethan steadies himself, Jax turns to Focus, seeing his gradually deteriorating state.)

  Jax: Focus, you’re — !

  Focus: (breathing heavily and painfully) I’m fine! But… Flare — !

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  (Focus gets back up on his feet and hurriedly turns to run towards Flare, much to Jax’s worry. However, the latter is forced to turn back to Ethan and block a cluster of ice crystals, getting ready to take him on. Focus finds Flare laying her back on a pile of rubble clutching her chest in pain, and a small frost mark shows on her face as well.)

  Focus: You okay?!

  Flare: (weakly) That’s… what you’re going through, isn’t it?

  Focus: (grimacing) It does look that way. (urgently) Listen, I don’t know if it’ll work for you the way it did for me, but I need you to activate your Fire Surge on your entire body at all times! It could warm you up and slow down the effect of this blast or something! And don’t stop moving no matter what! This will only accelerate the freezing process! Hurry!

  (Flare weakly nods and slowly attempts to lift herself back up while enveloping herself in her fiery aura. As she breathes heavily, the frost mark stops its spread, though it’s still present, and the pain in her chest lessens. With that, she and Focus head off to continue the battle with Ethan, both under his cryogenic effect but still firmly nodding at one another. However, as they run off, they’re forced to halt immediately in panic when two electric energy trails — one neon red and the other blue and yellow — pass by, much to their surprise and slight frustration.)

  Flare: (frustrated) What the — ?!

  (Those two energy trials are Boltix and Hollow, who dash side by side at high speed and repeatedly into each other as their auras collide, and all of the residents see their energy trails clashing from afar, much to their shock. They go across the entire camp while trying to tackle each other.)

  Hollow: What is your real purpose, Boltix? What do you really fight for?

  Boltix: (gritting his teeth) You think I care about any of this crap?! I’m here for Stone! Now tell me where’s Stone!

  Hollow: You can’t be satisfied with your purposeless existence. Handling shoddy business, working for incentives, and limiting your presence to the criminal underworld… I fail to understand how you defend the meaning behind that life.

  Boltix: Then let’s see you defend this!

  (Boltix propels himself forward to get ahead of Hollow and stand in his way, then he jumps at him for a blow, only for Hollow to slide underneath him and land a blow at his gut, sending him flying upwards. He then flies up at him and roundhouses him in the face, sending him plummeting into the ground. Meanwhile, Jackpot roller skates while firing at the small group of masked shadow soldiers chasing him, eloquently dodging their blasts while taking out a few of them. They regenerate, as per usual, and Jackpot just continues circling around them and making sharp turns.)

  Jackpot: (thinking to himself, annoyed) So, yeah, Boltix just jumps the guy and leaves me to do the boring and honestly tiring work in typical Boltix fashion. What a pain. I bet he’s getting his butt kicked at the moment.

  (Meanwhile, Hollow lunges at Boltix for another blow, who’s yet to regain his footing, but he still manages to gain distance from Hollow by using his hands as a pivot and acrobatically flipping his body, in addition to the use of his Kinetic Surge. He then regains his footing, with Hollow still dashing at him, and he propels himself past Hollow. He then propels himself backwards in an instant and kicks Hollow in the back, hurling him clear off his feet. Boltix then readjusts himself midair and swings his fist at Hollow, who uses an energy blast to repel it, knocking him back.)

  Boltix: (scowling) You gonna talk, or do you only run that no-good big mouth of yours when it’s all about the nonsense your boss taught you?!

  (Hollow charges up his electric neon red aura then lunges at Boltix once again while charging up an energy blast from close range, only for the latter to cancel it out when he swipes his hand and launches a lightning bolt with that move, sending Hollow skidding back. However, as Boltix propels himself at him for another blow, Hollow flies upwards while firing a barrage of blasts, which the former cancels out with an electric energy shockwave. He then lands violently on the ground close to Boltix, disorienting him, but before he can land an energized punch, Boltix reacts quickly and propels himself at him, headbutting Hollow.)

  Hollow: (internally) Chaotic as ever… Boltix.

  (Boltix then attempts a kick at Hollow’s gut, only for Hollow to land a blast at his foot and then a punch at his gut, sending him sliding. The two then lunge at each other once again at high speed, but suddenly, they see Jax getting launched through the air and crashing into a pile of rubble in front of them.)

  Hollow: Huh?!

  (They turn to find Ethan standing in front of them, still in his Surge Beacon form, his detached expression unchanged. Jax gets back up on his feet, seeing Boltix and Hollow having to confront the berserk Ethan. The Ice Surge Beacon rapidly lunges at Hollow, who gets hurled clear off his feet despite blocking the punch, and then he turns to Boltix, surrounding him with a cluster of ice crystals. He propels himself away from the crystals and lunges at Ethan, but an ice slab strikes him from below, disorienting him midair, and he’s then struck by an ice pillar, knocking him back into the ground.)

  Boltix: (gritting his teeth) So that’s the Ice Surge Beacon.

  (Ethan uses his icy feet to slide towards Boltix, forming two ice batons out of the scattered ice shards, but then Jax steps in and blocks the two ice batons with a less exaggerated muscular form then knees him in the gut, sending him sliding. As Ethan regains his footing, Flare and Focus reappear from either side of him, but he slides back to avoid their punches. It’s then that Boltix notices the frost marks on Flare and Focus, much to his surprise.)

  Boltix: (thinking to himself, surprised) What’s with the marks on their faces?

  (Flare and Focus then lunge at Ethan, who continues sliding back to maintain his distance while charging up his palms with ice. Suddenly, they cross paths with Jackpot, who’s still roller skating while firing at the masked shadow soldiers pursuing him. Even Hollow returns to the fight, firing a barrage of blasts that disorients Flare and Focus then lunging at Ethan.)

  Hollow: (sternly) That’s enough, Ice Surge.

  (Ethan blocks his energized fist with an ice baton then merges the two ice batons into a staff, striking him in the gut and knocking him back. Hollow launches an energy blast at Ethan the moment he steadies himself, and the latter cancels it out with his ice staff. He finds himself surrounded by a cluster of grenades coming from Jackpot, but they all get blown up by the tiny, scattered ice shards all around, and then Ethan lands a punch at his gut, launching him through the air. Even the masked shadow soldiers attempt to fire at him and get pierced with a cluster of ice crystals, causing them to dissipate.)

  Hollow: (grimly) He’s on a rampage. I can’t put him down by normal means.

  (Flare, Focus, Boltix, Jackpot, Jax, and even Hollow surround the Ice Surge Beacon, standing still and witnessing his overwhelming power. Even the recently regenerated masked shadow soldiers can only stand in shock. Hollow charges up his electric neon red aura to fight, but then a sudden order interrupts that.)

  Infinity: (via communicator) Withdraw.

  (Hollow is rather surprised by this sudden command, the neon red symbol on his mask widening. Back at the tower, Infinity is watching the current situation through the perspectives of the masked shadow soldiers, his hands behind his back and the glowing purple infinity sign on his mask narrowing as he takes a close look at Ethan in his Surge Beacon State. He continues talking to Hollow as Flare and the others take on Ethan.)

  Infinity: (to Hollow, via communicator) You have already accomplished your primary objective. The Ice Surge has developed into a Beacon, and the seeds have been planted. You have no more business being here. Now get to it.

  (Hollow watches as Flare and the others continue their struggle against Ethan, and when Infinity promptly ends the transmission, Hollow nods in acknowledgment. His small battalion of masked shadow soldiers converge around him in anticipation.)

  Hollow: You received that order as well, didn’t you?

  Masked Shadow Soldier 1A: (firmly) Yes, sir.

  (Hollow clenches his fists and energizes them, nodding at the battalion of masked shadow soldiers. Meanwhile, Flare launches a burst of flames at Ethan, only for him to eloquently shield himself with an ice barrier, then he breaks that ice barrier into several crystals and launches them at her. She blows them up while running at Ethan, but then she notices the masked shadow soldiers flying up in the air, to her surprise.)

  Flare: Huh?

  (The masked shadow soldiers remain above them in the air, and Hollow too flies upwards to join them. The other Surge users notice that and look up, their lips parted in surprise, and even Ethan looks up, albeit with his typical detached expression. The residents look up as well in shock, and Shay grimly grimaces in anticipation.)

  Shay: (grimacing, grimly) Wha’ now?

  (Hollow promptly pulls out the Catalyst and tightly grasps it, energizing himself further while charging up his free hand with energy. The masked shadow soldiers are energized as well, and they charge up their blasts as well.)

  Focus: (urgently, to the others) Take cover!

  (Hollow and the masked shadow soldiers open for, raining down energy blasts at everyone below them. Flare and the other Surge users take cover and attempt to escape the open area, while Ethan remains still and expressionless, simply using the tiny ice shards scattered by wind to form an unbreakable ice barrier that shields him from above. With his free hand, Hollow finishes up his final, powerful blast, and he launches it at the ground, causing a massive, blinding explosion that submerges the entire camp in its white light. What will result from this sudden move? And will Ethan ever be calmed down?)