The area of Freezing effect spread out from him like a wave. It trapped Rana and kept right on going. The other three girls had to leap back quickly to avoid being caught in it as well. After jumping back once though they were surprised at having to leap back again as it just continued to spread out. When it finally halted it encompassed a massive circle centered on Kazuya.

The girls were standing on top of a crumbling brick apartment building. They were all looking at the edge of the Freezing effect. It had almost caught them.

"How far did he push that out?" Annette asked.

"I'd say about two hundred yards." Stella said.

"Unfreaking real! My Limiter has a max of about fifty yards; even Andre who's the strongest can only reach seventy." Annette said staring a bit wide eyed. Above the ground pieces of paper and trash were perfectly suspended in midair. Kazuya was freezing everything in a two hundred yard sphere around him. "This goes way beyond what anyone else can do."

Elizabeth could feel her heart begin to pick up. I am starting to like you even more Kazuya.

As they watched they saw him go up to a helpless Rana and slam her face into the sidewalk

"I think Kazuya is going to fight seriously now." Satellizer said.

Elizabeth shivered in anticipation.

XXX

Kneeling over Rana, Kazuya gently turned her over. Her eyes were shut and she was limp in his arms. Blood was trickling from her nose and her lips. He checked her pulse and was relived to find a strong pulse.

He hugged her close and whispered to her. "Thank you Rana-chan."

He carefully laid her down on the sidewalk. Up above one of the helicopters was already approaching them. Seeing where the other girls were he shut off the Freezing effect. The helicopter wouldn't be able to land until he did. Besides which he couldn't use it at full strength like that for long anyway.

XXX

The three Pandoras remained where they were even after seeing the field with draw and disappear back into Kazuya. They were all feeling a lot more wary than they had been. Kazuya began to approach them slowly as the helicopter landed behind him. It touched the ground for only seconds, two medics jumped out to retrieve Rana and pull her inside. As soon as that was done the helicopter was climbing again and heading in the direction of the medical tent.

Kazuya walked towards the girls watching them carefully. They held their ground atop the brick building; silent, cautious, and ready to move in an instant.

He came to a stop beside an old broken down truck about fifty yards in front of them.

"So," Kazuya asked. "Who's next?"

"That," Elizabeth answered. "Would be me." Activating her volt weapons two crystal tetrahedrons formed above her to either side.

Satellizer and Annette both leapt away and got clear.

"I don't suppose there's any chance you would forfeit?" Kazuya said hopefully.

Just the tiniest of smirks touched the edges of her lips. "That's not allowed, and anyway it really isn't my style."

"Then I guess we don't have much choice do we sempai?"

She smiled at him warmly. "Please just call me Elizabeth."

Both of her volt weapons split open and began to glow. The next instant a pair of beams shot out.

Kazuya lifted an arm in front of him. "Barrier!"

Instantly volt energy concentrated into a disc about five feet across and materialized in front of him. The two beams struck the barrier and deflected off. Kazuya saw one burn a hole into the asphalt while the other neatly sliced off the front third of the truck he was next to.

She's not holding back either I guess. Kazuya thought.

He slapped his hands together. "Two strikes." While maintaining the barrier in front of him two glowing bluish white spheres the size of baseballs materialized. They flew towards Elizabeth.

With a wave of one hand her volt weapons transformed back into tetrahedrons.

"Barrier." Elizabeth said.

Two discs of volt energy appeared before her. One of Kazuya's strikes hit each one and exploded. Smoke and debris momentarily filled the air on the rooftop. When it cleared Elizabeth was still standing there behind her two discs. Kazuya was still down in the street behind his one.

"You know Kazuya this is what I had in mind when I originally asked you to spar with me." Elizabeth said. "I have to say you do not disappoint."

"Ah, well, thank you, I suppose."

"That you can use such a powerful Freezing as well as volt weapons was amazing enough." Elizabeth said. "I never imagined you would be able to create a barrier as well. You really are full of surprises."

One of the tetrahedrons split open as one of the discs vanished. The other remained in place.

"I am still going to defeat you though and prove to you that I am your perfect partner."

A beam fired out from the crystal.

Kazuya remained behind the barrier and the beam was deflected away as soon as it struck.

Kazuya slapped his hands together. "Four strikes."

Four silver white balls materialized. Two flew immediately towards Elizabeth; the remaining two hesitated a few seconds and then went as well.

Two explosions filled the roof with smoke and were quickly followed by two more.

When the smoke cleared Elizabeth was still standing there behind her single barrier and tetrahedron. The second crystal fired and began moving through the air above the street. It fired beam after beam at its target as it flew. The beams were deflected by Kazuya's barrier.

The closer the weapon got to him the more Kazuya's shield had to be raised to keep it between him and the source of the lazers.

XXX

Satellizer and Annette were watching from second story of a nearby building.

"Elizabeth is about to take him out," Annette said.

"How can you be so sure?" Stella asked.

"I've gone up against her in Carnivals before." Annette explained. "If his barrier is like hers it acts just like a physical shield. It only protects a set amount of space. She isn't expecting that weapon to break through Kazuya's defense. All she's doing is forcing him to move his barrier until she has a clear shot with the second weapon."

"I see," Stella said unhappily. The strategy was now plain and she could see that it was likely going to work.

"It's too bad; I was really hoping to get a chance."

XXX

Elizabeth nodded to herself. Kazuya was sliding his barrier upwards as the crystal was almost directly overhead. She was getting ready to take her shot with her second crystal. She would take off one of his legs at the knee. A bit brutal but it would end the match and would not be life threatening. With a Limiter's regenerative abilities he would have his leg back in a week.

XXX

Kazuya understood what Elizabeth's goal was.

This was his first combat but he had been on lots of field exercises using all sorts of weapons. His had not only learned how to use weapons, he'd been taught about tactics and strategy as well. He knew about diversions and fields of fire

He also knew why the mortar was the infantry weapon soldiers feared the most.

He hurriedly slapped his hands together. "Ten strikes, mixed spread."

Ten balls of energy appeared. They varied slightly in size and brightness. The brightest pair gave off a slight hiss and wavered in the air, they were almost the size of a bowling ball. The other pairs were progressively smaller and less bright. With smallest being slightly larger than golf balls and much dimmer than the others.

Staggering them a few seconds apart he sent them off in pairs; largest first, smallest last.

Seeing Kazuya's strikes incoming Elizabeth stood as close to her barrier as possible to maximize its protection from the blasts.

The first pair exploded in quick succession. Their explosions were noticeably louder than any of the previous one, but her barrier held firm. A few seconds later there was another pair of explosions, then another, and then another. She was entirely unharmed but momentarily surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke and dust.

Elizabeth waited for it to clear so she could fire and bring this to an end.

Just as things were getting visible something occurred to her. She had only counted eight explosions against her barrier. As she was wondering about that she never even noticed that the two smallest and dimmest strikes coming straight down on her.

One just missed. However when it detonated it sent debris flying breaking her right ankle and tearing out pieces of her lower leg.

The other one hit her on the left shoulder joint. Had it been one of Kazuya's regular strikes it would have certainly blown her arm off. As it was the Humerus was shattered and the arm hung limp as blood poured from it. She toppled over screaming in pain. Her barrier and volt weapons vanished. She was still conscious but in no condition to continue.

XXX

Kazuya saw her fall over and saw her barrier and volt weapons vanish.

He also heard Elizabeth's cries of pain and cringed. He took absolutely no satisfaction in this victory.

A couple years ago Colonel Kerensky had told him that soldiers hated mortars because unlike rifle fire or even regular artillery mortars could drop in from any angle, even from directly overhead. You could hide from rifles or artillery shells but never from mortars.

As Elizabeth had done with own volt weapons Kazuya had the ability to make them move however he wanted. As soon as her line of sight had been cut off he had sent his last two strikes directly over her head. And as soon as he'd seen her appear out of the smoke sent them down on her.

"Two down," he said quietly to himself.

XXX

"Well fuck me! He took out Elizabeth!" Annette shouted.

A helicopter was already approaching the rooftop where Elizabeth was screaming and twisting about in pain.

"He is really amazing," Stella breathed. She'd felt a connection to him already. This demonstration was only making her want to be with him even more.

"Yeah he is," Annette agreed. An overeager smile engulfed her. "I swear when this is all over I'm making that boy a man."

"What?"

Seeing Stella's obvious upset only made Annette laugh.

"My turn now," Annette said. "Pandora Mode."

Volt energy surrounded her and her body was encased in silver armor with a black reflective face plate. At the same time a scythe appeared in her hands. She now had exactly three minutes to win or lose her fight with Kazuya.

Wasting no time she leapt down to the street below.

XXX

Omake

"Oh my god! You almost killed Elizabeth!" Annette shouted.

"You bastard!" Stella screamed.

(To those of you who are not South Park fans I apologize, I just could not resist.)