The yeti groaned as it pulled itself from the rubble of the shattered mountainside. Thick chunks of ice and jagged rock tumbled away from its colossal form, revealing its now battle-worn fur, patches of frost-covered skin exposed where Ethan's counter had landed. It panted heavily, its breath a swirling mist in the frozen air, but its gaze had changed—no longer just that of a wild beast, but of something ancient, something desperate.
Ethan cracked his knuckles, his grin unwavering. "Still standing? Good. I'd hate for this to end too quickly."
The yeti didn't roar this time. It didn't lunge mindlessly like before. Instead, it raised both of its hands, pressing its palms together. The entire mountain trembled in response.
Ethan's eyes narrowed as he felt the shift.
The air itself crystallized, the moisture freezing solid as an immense pressure weighed down on everything. Snow stopped falling. The winds halted. Even sound itself seemed to muffle as a pulse of raw, primordial cold radiated from the yeti's body.
A massive sigil—an ancient, intricate design glowing with deep blue runes—formed in the sky above them. Ethan arched a brow, intrigued. "Oh? Now that's interesting."
Then, the sky shattered.
From the broken heavens, spears of absolute zero ice rained down like divine punishment. Each spear radiated power so cold it burned, freezing space itself in jagged distortions. The mountain peaks they struck didn't just break—they ceased to exist, swallowed by an abyss of nothingness as if erased from reality.
Ethan whistled, his gaze following the descent of the frozen catastrophe. "Now that's more like it."
The first spear struck.
A blinding explosion of white erupted where he stood, followed by another, and another. Each impact shook the entire range, sending shockwaves that split valleys and sundered glaciers.
The yeti remained motionless, watching. Waiting.
The storm of ice finally settled, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation. The entire summit was gone, reduced to a smooth, glass-like crater of frozen nothingness.
The yeti let out a slow breath. Was it over?
A low chuckle answered.
The yeti's eyes widened as a figure stepped forward from the heart of the destruction.
Ethan emerged unscathed.
His hands were in his pockets, his clothes untouched, his expression one of pure amusement. The space around him rippled, distorted by an unseen force, the frozen ground beneath his feet cracking with each step he took.
"That was cute," he said, rolling his shoulders. "But if you really want to kill me, you'll have to do better than—"
The yeti barely had time to react before—
Ethan's fist buried itself deep into the yeti's gut. A shockwave exploded outward, splitting the mountain further, and sending ice and stone flying for miles.
The beast let out a strangled gasp as its massive body folded inward from the sheer force of the blow. Its glowing sigil flickered.
Ethan struck again, this time with an elbow to the side of its head. The yeti staggered, one of its horns snapping clean off from the impact.
A final knee to its chest sent the creature hurtling into the depths of the mountain range, its body carving a valley into the earth itself.
Ethan landed lightly on the icy ground, shaking his hand as if shaking off the dust. "Damn, I think I held back too much."
The yeti didn't move.
Ethan sighed, stepping toward the crater it had left behind. "Come on. You're supposed to be the king of these mountains, right? Stand up."
Then, the ground trembled.
Ethan's grin widened. "There we go."
The yeti's aura surged back to life. But this time, it wasn't just ice—it was something older, something deeper. The winds roared to life once more, the very mountain shaking in response.
Ethan cracked his neck, golden eyes glowing in anticipation.
"Now," he said, rolling his wrists. "Let's see how a king truly fights."
A guttural growl rumbled from deep within the crater as the yeti rose once more. Its once-white fur had darkened to an eerie shade of deep blue, crackling with veins of frozen energy. The shattered sigil above began to reform, its runes twisting into something more primal, more dangerous. The temperature plummeted instantly, making even the air itself brittle.
Ethan exhaled, watching his breath turn to frost. "Oh? Now that's interesting."
The yeti lifted its gaze, its eyes no longer just glowing with power, but radiating an unnatural, glacial blue flame. It slammed both of its massive hands into the frozen ground beneath, and the entire landscape responded.
The ice itself came alive, shifting, warping, twisting into jagged spires that burst forth like great fangs from the earth. The ground beneath Ethan's feet shattered, sending a storm of razor-sharp ice shards into the air.
A tidal wave of ice surged toward him, devouring everything in its path.
The wall of ice collapsed onto him with the weight of a thousand glaciers. An avalanche of pure, unrelenting destruction. The mountain itself seemed to groan under the pressure as the yeti poured its full strength into the attack, its breath heavy, its aura pulsating with dominion over the frozen world.
The yeti exhaled, watching the massive mound of ice where Ethan had been standing. No movement. No sound.
A single line appeared down the center of the ice formation.
The line expanded, webbing out in jagged fractures.
Then, in a single, deafening explosion, the entire formation was obliterated.
A golden light cut through the icy ruins like a sword slicing through paper. Ethan stood at the center, his fist still extended from the punch that had shattered the yeti's attack. Not a single scratch marred his skin.
He tilted his head, watching as pieces of ice the size of buildings crashed down around him. "That's all?"
The yeti let out a roar of frustration, charging forward with earth-shaking steps. The frozen land beneath it warped, forming enormous arms of ice that lunged forward to seize Ethan in an unbreakable grip.
The ice arms slammed shut around him, encasing him in a thick, unyielding prison.
The yeti panted, its breath ragged but victorious. It had him.
For a moment, the battlefield was still. The mountain winds howled around them.
Then, a single, golden crack formed on the ice prison's surface.
The yeti took a step back.
The crack expanded, light searing through the frozen surface like molten gold.
A radiant shockwave burst from within, obliterating the yeti's grip as Ethan emerged, his golden eyes burning brighter than before. His shirt had been torn, revealing a body covered in intricate, glowing runes—symbols of power that pulsed with every heartbeat.
Ethan rolled his shoulders. "Alright, I'm bored now."
The yeti barely had time to react before—
Ethan's fist collided with its chest, and this time, the entire mountain range felt it. The force of the impact sent a massive shockwave ripping through the peaks, flattening glaciers, and sending icebergs crashing into the distance.
The yeti's body was sent flying, colliding with the mountainside so hard that the entire peak shattered on impact.
Silence fell over the frozen battlefield.
Ethan exhaled, flexing his fingers as steam rose from his skin. "Damn, that was a decent hit."
A deep rumbling sound echoed through the mountains. Not from the yeti, but from the land itself.
Ethan arched a brow as the ice beneath his feet trembled. "Oh?"
The mountain groaned. Then, with a deafening crack, it split open.
From within the depths of the ice, something ancient stirred.
Ethan's grin widened. "Now we're talking."