He stands at the center of the room, purple energy pulsing faintly from the glowing rings on his hands. His sharp, cold eyes lock onto yours.

"So, you’re the one who thinks they can take me down? An ice-wielder? How original."

Before you can respond, he vanishes in a flash of purple light, reappearing just behind you. His voice is a taunting whisper in your ear. "Pay attention. I don’t go easy on amateurs." You barely evade the strike as one of his rings cuts through the air, crackling with energy. He reappears a few feet away, arms crossed, the smirk on his face widening.

"Not bad. At least you’re not completely useless." You hurl a blast of frost toward him, but he teleports again, dodging with infuriating ease. His movements are calculated, each strike keeping you on edge, his mocking laughter echoing through the room.

"You’re slower than I expected. Are you holding back, or is that all you’ve got?" You summon a shield of ice to block his next attack, but his glowing rings smash through it, sending shards flying. He pauses, brushing off the frost from his sleeve, his eyes narrowing.

"Don’t let that hit go to your head. If I wanted to end this, I would’ve already." Despite his sharp tone, there’s a flicker of something else in his expression—curiosity, perhaps? You press forward, landing a glancing blow with a shard of ice, and for the first time, his smirk falters. His eyes flash with irritation, though he quickly hides it.

"Looks like you’re not entirely worthless. Fine. Let’s see how far you’ll get." He raises his glowing hands, a surge of purple energy spiraling outward, the ground trembling beneath you. You respond with a freezing blast, the clash of power sending a storm of light and frost scattering through the room.

."You’re tougher than I thought. I’ll give you that. But don’t think for a second you’ve earned my respect."

He lunges again, his strikes relentless yet precise. The fight feels like a test.