The demonic dragon Sven moved incredibly fast, despite his bulky musculature. This speed caught Jhettei and Cyro off guard, Jhettei especially. He found it exceedingly difficult to dodge the flurry of claw slashes from Sven; he began resorting more to his Iron Body techniques, as they seemed more viable in a situation where his speed was lacking. Sven wasted no time with Jhettei, and the small stallion barely had any time to prepare himself as Sven caused a giant red icicle to rise out of the ground in front of him like a pike, driving forward into Jhettei's stomach . Jhettei focused his energy into his midsection, hardening it with Iron Body and turning his chest a metallic black; he had greatly improved this technique since his fight with Coba in Wantthai.

The icicle sent him flying upwards, but luckily, due to his defensive technique, it did not impale him. Jhettei landed on his back, rolling over into a reverse dive roll and lengthening the distance between him and his foe, giving Cyro time to enter the bout. A titanic blade of crimson ice formed in Sven's hands as he leapt high into the air towards Jhettei, raising the giant weapon for a devastating downward strike. However, Cyro got in his way before he could reach Jhettei, and he coated his forearm in blue ice and struck the side of the weapon, smashing it to pieces.

"You're annoying, runt!" Sven cackled as he gave Cyro a swift backhand to the face, launching him backward onto the hard ground; the Dragon Skin-reinforced ice gauntlets that he wore made each blow feel like being rammed by a battleship going full speed. "You're both weak! Leviathan Berg!"

"Brace yourself!" Cyro shouted to his friend as he coated Jhettei and himself in a shell of ice, watching in frantic horror as a colossal hunk of red ice fell down towards the two, casting a shadow over both of them; there was no way to avoid the attack. "Here it comes!"

The attack tore Cyro's ice shields to pieces as it impacted the ground and shattered into deadly splinters that shredded their defences. Jhettei was blown back into a wall, sharp pieces of ice in his shoulders and chest, and Cyro was struck upside the head by a flying hunk of ice, nearly felling him. With great determination, Cyro got back up, Jhettei did so as well. The two stumbled as they arose; the impact nearly had flattened them both, and they had sustained numerous fractures.

"You two are tenacious!" Sven laughed as he charged at Cyro, who was still in the midst of recovery. "Die screaming!"

"I'm not..." Cyro strafed to the right just in time, utilizing Dragon Sense to predict Sven's next attack. He followed up, slicing Sven across the belly with a blade of ice. "Dying yet!"

"Bastard!" Sven grimaced as he coated his wound in ice, wincing from the burning sensation. "You've learned Dragon Sense! Who taught you that?!"

"Me, myself, and I! And here's something else for ya!" Cyro growled as he landed a punch on Sven's back, shattering the ice spines on his body. "Dragon Shatter!"

Jhettei followed up, his fist morphing into a metallic black as it impacted Sven's face. "Tetsu no Ken!"

"Rrraagghh!" Sven recoiled in pain and anger, twitching in agony as new spines of ice replaced the missing scales on his back. "I'll kill you both!" Sven reached out and grabbed Cyro, then plunged his right claw into the young dragon's left shoulder. "You were a mistake, boy! We were glad to be rid of you!"

"Eat shit, Sven..." Cyro gritted his teeth as he gave Sven a firm knee to the groin, giving him time to retreat recover. "Jhettei, now!"

Jhettei sprung into action, launching a barrage of Iron Body-reinforced kicks to Sven's chest, shattering some of his ribs. "Tetsu Kikkufurarī!"

"You're annoying!" Sven howled as he gave Jhettei a palm strike to the chest, snapping some of his bones through metaphysical fault lines in the arcane energies around them. "Dragon Shatter!"

*

"Jhettei, focus! You must not falter in the face of your enemy, no matter his size or strength! Do unto him what does unto you!" The voice of his master echoed in Jhettei's mind. "You are a Northland Monk! Master your spirit, and it shall guide you through battle!"

*

"Yes, Sensei..." Jhettei coughed up blood as the attack blew him back into a wall once again, shattering the stone structure. However, Jhettei got back up regardless of the pain, and he fought on against his brutal foe, resurfacing from the rubble to launch a maelstrom of punches "Tetsu no Ken Furenjī!"

Sven's gut was pummelled by the rapid-fire punches, but he retaliated regardless, ignoring the pain though rage as he interrupted Jhettei with a slash across the chest, tearing away his marine coat. Jhettei gasped lightly as he fell backwards, then he dug his hooves into the ground, brought his clenched fists to his hips, and focused his internal energy. His spiritual powers coursed through his muscles, reinforcing them with the sheer iron willpower of his soul. His whole body began to shine with a metallic sheen, making it appear as if he were a statue made of pure metal. He took up a fighting stance, raising his fists to protect his face as he narrowed his vision towards Sven.

"Sourubāsuto: Aianmonku..." Steam billowed out of Jhettei's mouth as he exhaled deeply. "I haven't used this technique before... you shall be my practice dummy."

"Huh... you're tougher than you look, kid..." Sven remarked at the iron statue that stood at the ready. "No matter... this'll just prolong the inevitable!

"I was wondering when you were gonna use that," Cyro said to Jhettei as he removed his coat and mended the wound on his shoulder with ice. He then grabbed his wrist, clenching tightly. "In that case... I'll go all out as well." Freezing wind escaped the fins on Cyro's back, and icy cold air poured from his eyes like a thick haze. "Dragon Fury."

"Hahaha! You think you can beat me, little squirts?! I'll kill you both and carve a nice big smile into those faces of yours!" Sven sneered as he activated Dragon Fury as well, red mist gushing from his mouth and eyes.

"Let's do this, Jhettei!" Cyro shouted to his comrade as he rocketed towards Sven with a mighty blast of frozen air from his feet.

"Right!" Jhettei nodded as he spun around to strike Sven with a kick. "Tetsu hōki!"

Sven was much faster than expected, and he ducked just in time before Jhettei's kick could impact his jaw. He gave Jhettei a swift uppercut, launching him up into the air. However, Jhettei did not fly as far as the last time Sven struck the small stallion; this was most likely due to his increased weight. Cyro then moved in, dodging to the left as Sven swung at him with a blade of ice and closing the distance. He dove under his arm as Sven took a swipe at him, then he cocked back his fist, clenching it tightly as ice formed over it like a gauntlet.

"Furious Dragon Berserker's Cyrojet!" Cyro screamed as his fist zoomed forward at unperceivable speeds using a jet of cool air from his forearm.

Sven groaned as the attack fractured more of his ribs, and he wailed in outrage as he sliced Cyro across his chest with one of his claw gauntlets. He attacked again before Cyro had the chance to recover, pounding him in the chest with a speedy uppercut, then he sent him flying back with a firm kick to the gut. Jhettei intervened quickly before Sven had the chance to do any more damage, and he tried battering the devilish dragon again with another storm of iron fists.

"Tetsu no Ken Furenjī!" Jhettei bellowed as he launched yet another barrage of rapid-fire punches. Though, this time, Sven covered himself in a dome of ice and coated it in Dragon Skin, rendering the attack worthless, as his Dragon Skin was far superior to Jhettei's ki techniques. Jhettei's fists glanced off the dome like bullets off the thick hull of a battleship. "Damn!"

Sven erupted from the dome, bursting out with giant icicles all around him, all directed at Jhettei. The icicles sped forward towards Jhettei's chest, however, they did not make it, as Cyro had knocked them away with a boulder of ice just in time. Sven turned to face his nephew, but before he knew it Cyro was already within point-blank range. Cyro pulled back both his arms and slammed his palms into Sven's stomach, causing even more trauma with the combined power of Dragon Shatter. Sven grunted as the strike impacted him, finally toppling him over onto the ground. However, this was not the end for Sven. He recovered quickly, rolling backward to prepare for a highly destructive technique, one that Cyro and Jhettei were unprepared to deal with.

"Dragon Wave!" Sven roared, sending out a shockwave of blue arcane energy from his body.

The attack whisked shards of ice into the air at high speeds, turning them into deadly projectiles that could rip and tear flesh as they passed by. Cyro was struck in the abdomen by these shards, but they only bounced off Jhettei. What had caused his damage was the shockwave— the ripple of magical waves that distorted his armor, causing it to become frail and weak. Sven realized this quickly, and he rushed Jhettei, pounding him mercilessly with his fists and fracturing his armor until it completely shattered and disintegrated. Sven then grabbed Jhettei by the collar and slammed his elbow into his shoulder, dislocating the joint and pulverizing his collarbone.

"No!" Cyro desperately tried to stop his uncle, but Sven blew him back with a wall of ice, nearly crushing him. But Cyro got back up, and he broke through the wall with a Dragon Shatter to its center. He sprinted at Sven, but to his dismay, Sven was counting on this.

In his haste, Cyro failed to notice the shell of ice that coated the ground around Sven, and as soon as he entered this area, the surface erupted, releasing hundreds of shards of ice that pierced Cyro's stomach. He grunted as he got to his feet once more, blood oozing from his chest and hands. Sven simply laughed as he watched his battered nephew stumble towards him, hacking and panting.

"You want me?!" Cyro yelled as he held out his arms. "Then put Jhettei down! Take me on instead!"

"Oh, you're dumber than I thought, Cyro!" Sven laughed as he tossed Jhettei aside, wiping the blood from his face. "You put on that coat, and now you think you're some kind of hero? An Equestrian marine? You're the son of a chieftain and a whore, runt! You'll never be anything more than that!" Sven snickered the blade of ice in his hand disappeared. "Your mother, Crysella—she died like a spineless bitch, and for what? Just to help a worthless piece of shit like you escape us?! Nopony leaves the clan, Cyro! Nopony!"

Cyro's eyes widened as memories of his past resurfaced.

*

One night, outside of Orienstead, a frost dragon encampment in the Northlands, a twelve-year-old Cyro and his mother hid behind snow banks layering the mountainside. They had both ran for miles, dodging the arrows and avoiding their tribe's trained timber wolves, bred to smell the scent of frost dragons that dared to desert the clan. For a moment, and to their relief, all appeared quiet. Although this breather was brief, as they heard snow crunching and howls in the distance soon after they had stopped. Crysella knew there was no way to outrun the wolves, she simply wanted to accompany Cyro for as long as possible, guide him through the mountains so he could escape into the Crystal Empire to the south. It was then that she threw her bag down the cliff side.

"Mother, why did you drop your bag?!" Cyro shouted to his mother, though his voice was barely audible through the blizzard that was raging.

Crysella bundled up his belongings and handed him the second backpack, strapped it around Cyro's shoulder, and placed a map of Equestria inside. "You'll need this for the journey ahead, snowflake."

"Mother, what are you doing?!" Cyro began to cry as his mother turned away, ignoring him. "Mother, please! Why are you just standing there?!"

"Go, Cyro," His mother said quietly, looking back at her son with tears in her eyes. "And don't look back."

"No! I want to stay with you! I can't leave you!" Cyro wept as he hugged his mother tightly.

"You must, Cyro if you are to escape. Please, you must go!" Crysella pushed her son off of her, knocking him back onto a mass of ice, carrying him downwards off the mountain and into the ravine below. "Run, Cyro!"

Crysella stood her ground as the timber wolves barrelled towards her, impaling them with icicle daggers she created in her hands until they were all no more, but in the process suffering terrible wounds on her legs and chest. She limped forward as a figure emerged from the blowing snow, a tall, hulking dragon.

"Where is Cyro?!" Sven shouted at Crysella as he looked behind her.

"He is free!" Crysella screamed at Sven as she spat in his face. "And you can't do anything about it! You will never take the title of chieftain from him!"

"You bitch!" Sven growled as he drove an icicle into Crysella's chest.

The sound of her gasp echoed throughout the mountains, reverberating off the snowy peaks and reaching Cyro's ears. He wept harder, tears streaming down his face and pooling at his chin as they dripped onto the think snow beneath his feet.

"Go, Cyro... go far away..." Crysella thought to herself as she drew her last breaths. "Nothing shall stop you; not Sven, not your father, not the pressures of this world or ugliness of death. Go... live a long life... live amongst friends... live knowing that I love you with all my heart, snowflake..."

*

"Y-you fucking sick bastard..." Cyro scowled as hatred began to pool within his heart. "You dare mention my mother to me?! My mother was everything! She was my shoulder to lean on when you fucks beat on me! She was the one who would give me hot cocoa on a stormy day! And she was the one who set me free!" Cyro tore away his shirt and coat, revealing strange markings across his shoulders and chest, branded markings of demons and dragon skulls. "I never wanted to be chieftain! I never asked for these marks! But now I'm gonna use them to kill you... "

"This is..." Sven gawked as clouds of wispy white snow began to seep from Cyro's skin, forming a robe and hood made of sleek, frozen air. His teeth sharpened to jagged points, his whole body turned stark white— everything except his eyes, which were totally blue and empty. "N-no... this is impossible!"

"Devil Dragon: Ice Wraith..." Cyro whispered, his voice echoing like an ethereal entity as he locked eyes with Sven.

"Cyro...?" Jhettei winced as he saw the new form of his friend.

Cyro vanished in a puff of white mist, putting Sven into a wild panic. He called down dozens of icy meteors to smite Cyro, but each attack simply phased through him as if he were made of air. As the shower subsided, Sven stood still, beads of sweat rolling down his face. A cracking noise caught his attention to his right, but before he had time to react he felt a sharp object slash his chest wide open, pints of blood gushing from the wound. Sven attempted to mend the wound, but before he could he felt a ghostly apparition pass through him, causing his wound to freeze irregularly and inducing tremendous pain as icicles dug into his internal organs. He gasped for air as he felt half his lung collapse from the pressure of the ice inside his chest, and he whimpered to himself as white mist gathered until it formed Cyro; he held in his hand a reaper's scythe fashioned out of white ice.

"To Niflheim with you..." Cyro muttered, a chilly air escaping his wide maw as his hand phased through Sven's skull, freezing his brain into a solid hunk of ice.

With a wheeze, Sven's head was cleft from his body by Cyro's scythe, finally felling Sven for good. His headless body tumbled forward onto the ground with a thud, and the empty arena fell silent. Jhettei's mouth hung wide open as Cyro's form began to fade away, freeing him from the demon's grasp. With his good arm, Jhettei stopped Cyro from falling onto his face, and they both knelt together in the arena.

"We must get out of this place, Cyro," Jhettei said to his comrade as the stadium began to crumble around them; there was no answer. "Cyro...?"

Cyro took a deep breath, tears of joy falling onto the ground as he smiled. "I'm free..."

Author's Notes:

This is just a look into the wondrous possibilities of devil dragons!

As always, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!