Chapter 17

Just as the warship generals prepared to intervene, Loya halted his assault. His instincts screamed danger.

Swish! He glided across the ice, barely dodging a massive, bloody fist that shattered the ground where he'd stood.

The silver-backed great ape burst from the smoke, its fur torn, skin cracked like glass, revealing raw muscle beneath. Its chest was a frozen crater, one eye a dark, bleeding void. Through the icy layer, Loya glimpsed shifting organs and bones. His attacks had dealt devastating damage.

But the ape wasn't finished. It charged with terrifying speed and strength, its movements fluid and swift, reminiscent of Kuzan's skill.

Cold air surged as Loya formed ice armor. He rolled, dodging another blow that left a scratch on his face despite missing.

So fast! So strong! Loya realized the ape's raw power far exceeded his own. Its speed rivaled the Navy's Shave technique.

As Loya prepared to counterattack, danger prickled again. He abandoned his plan, shooting four icicles to propel himself skyward. A hairy leg with an exposed kneecap swept through the space he'd just occupied.

Airborne, Loya puffed out his cheeks. A dark blue magic circle materialized before him.

The ape pivoted sharply, crashing through trees before leaping, its iron fist a symbol of wild fury, straight at Loya.

Time seemed to slow. Loya was confident his Ice Dragon Roar could repel the beast, but would it charge in time? The ape's fist was closing in fast.

In this moment, Loya faced a brutal truth: in raw combat, there was no room for hesitation. Every decision, every fraction of a second, could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

As beast and ice mage collided, the island held its breath, waiting to see which force of nature would prevail.

On the warship, Zephyr and Kuzan watched in tense silence. Loya was in a seemingly impossible situation, outmatched in speed and power.

Zephyr's fists clenched, fighting the urge to order a rescue. His role as chief instructor held him back.

Kuzan, surprisingly calm, murmured, "Come on, kid. Show me what you've learned this month."

On the island, time slowed for Loya. Can't escape! The realization hit him like a thunderbolt.

But so what?

A smile crept onto his face. "I'm not the same weakling from a month ago!"

In a flash, dense blue magic lines enveloped him like a cocoon.

BANG!

The ape's fist met Loya's ice armor with a sickening crunch. Loya felt like he'd been hit by a freight train, sent flying through the air. Ice shards hung suspended for a moment before forming a cylinder in his wake.

BOOM!

A thunderclap followed, air rushing violently outward, scattering ice across the battlefield.

The silver-backed great ape landed heavily, gasping for breath, its hands bloody. Despite its apparent victory, it didn't dare celebrate. Its chest, barely held together by ice, was a mess of wounds.

The ape was certain: by the feel of that punch, the little human's bones had snapped. Such an injury should be fatal.

But as the dust settled, a figure stirred in the rubble. Loya, battered but far from beaten, pushed himself up. His ice armor was shattered, blood trickled from his mouth, but his eyes burned with determination.

"Is that... all you've got?" he wheezed, spitting blood.

The ape's one good eye widened in disbelief. This human should be dead!

Loya staggered to his feet, ice already reforming around his battered body. "My turn," he growled, magic swirling around him.

On the warship, Kuzan leaned forward, a hint of a smile on his face. "Now this," he said softly, "is where it gets interesting."

"Loya!"

Zephyr's eyes reddened, his teeth gritting. He turned to Kuzan, a dangerous and terrifying aura enveloping him: "Is this what you meant by 'don't be nervous'?"

"Come on, teach, it's not that old," Kuzan said with a shrug, even as Zephyr's glare made him wonder if his life was in danger. He wasn't too worried though - after all, Loya wasn't dead. Before Zephyr could lose it, Kuzan quickly added, "Don't worry, I've tested it out. That level of attack won't kill the kid."

Was Loya really dead? Of course not. The silverback had only smashed through the second layer of ice armor protecting Loya's body.

As the battle ended and Loya's blood began to cool, his body temperature dropped. The silverback's fur darkened, knowing that once the ice melted, its own wounds would start bleeding. No one on this island could survive injuries like that - it would be dead soon.

Just as the ape was resigning itself to a peaceful death, a shout rang out from above:

"Ice Dragon's... Iron Fist!"

WHAM! Caught completely off guard, the silverback took a direct hit to the head and went flying. Ice and rocks exploded everywhere as the ape carved a path of destruction through the forest.

Shaking its head to clear it, the silverback struggled to its feet, suddenly energized. It could sense that faint life force that had nearly killed it before. He's still alive!

With a roar, it charged at Loya's approaching form. But Loya looked drastically different now - his skin was covered in gleaming blue dragon scales, bone spurs jutted from his joints, and bat-like wings kept him aloft. Golden, slitted eyes glared at the ape.

Loya's voice rang out, "Alright, let's see who drops first!"

What followed was a brutal, primal brawl. Claws ripped flesh, fists shattered bone, teeth tore and snapped. Blood splattered across the icy ground as the two beasts - for Loya could hardly be called human now - battled with raw fury and instinct.

There would be no fancy techniques or elegant strategies here. This fight would only end when one of them fell.

In the surveillance room, Zephyr stared blankly at the blue figure on the screen and the silver giant ape stained red.

After a long silence, he turned his head and asked uncertainly, "Is that... Loya?"

"Yes, teacher. Have you forgotten that Loya is an ice dragon fruit user? As long as he develops it, his hand-to-hand combat ability is no weaker than anyone else's."

"I don't care about that," Zephyr said. "I'm asking why he doesn't use his freezing ability to fight but instead fights so... savagely."

Kuzan shrugged: "As I said, he doesn't have enough control over his fruit ability. Once he enters this state, Loya can't use long-range attacks."

"Hold up, are you saying Loya can't do any ranged attacks? No way, that's not right at all.

Look, Loya calls this his 'rough draft' form. It's got issues, sure, but he's been working on it. Over the last month, he's figured out how to tap into that dragon power. Remember that magic pattern he used against Kuzan? That was just the start.

He came up with the name himself, you know. It's not some skill from the Dragon Slayer System - it's all him.

So here's how it works: He uses ice magic inside his body to soak up a ton of ice-type magic power. That kicks the dragon power into gear, bringing out those scales and boosting his attack and defense.

When you think about it, those dragon slayer wizards in Loya's original work must be crazy talented. I mean, Loya's managed this in just over two months!

But yeah, it's not perfect. It's rough, it's risky - kind of like something a goblin would cook up, you know? And it messes with his head, makes him all bloodthirsty.

Still, you can't argue with results, right?

The cool thing is, he can still use his dragon slayer magic while it's active. The ice modeling stuff gets shut down though - too much dragon power running wild.

Smart guy, Loya. He knows not to put all his eggs in one basket, so he's keeping some tricks up his sleeve.

Oh, and get this - there's another 'downside' that's not really a downside: his Dragon Power passive skill goes through the roof!"