Hydro Frez: The armies have been routed and now the commanders are going in! I can see the ending!

Tempest: It's time for, a DEATH BATTLE!

---
Rush Valley


War had begun.

Just mere days ago, a massive superpower country only known as the Empire had launched a preemptive strike on Amestris, wiping out several small towns and massacring their civilians. Almost immediately, the central State Military was brought together and managed to halt the progression of the Imperial Army.

However, that hadn't stopped several teams from the Empire from acting on their own. Without word or warning, they struck hard, capturing towns and crucifying the occupants as a warning, leaving them in the open to be slowly devoured by crows. Disgusted by the inhumane acts, several State Alchemists had taken to evacuating many of the towns too small to defend themselves. In doing so, they ensured that when Empire's main fighting force came in, the State Military wouldn't be stretched too thin and civilian casualties would be kept to a minimum.

During the evacuation of Rush Valley though, one State Alchemist had stayed behind.

In the market place, a lone man in a blue trench coat with white gloves stood stock still. He had heard word from one of their spies that a high-ranking general was the one to lead the charge on this location.

The one they called the Empire's Strongest.

Clenching his fists, Roy Mustang lifted his head to the sky and sighed. Clouds had covered the sun, leaving a cool breeze to flow through the abandoned area. 

"Hmm... hope it doesn't rain." Roy muttered to himself.

Suddenly, his ear twitched. Roy turned to the source. A pale white woman with blue-hair slowly strode towards him, her cap tilted downwards to hide her eyes.

"Well... looks like the tip-off was right."

Patiently waiting as Esdeath took her time, Roy gently brushed his fingers over his handgun. 

"I've heard many thing's about you General." Roy called out as Esdeath came to a stop, a respectable distance between them. "Or should I say, the Ice Queen?"

Esdeath gave a smug smile. "As have I, Colonel. Or do you prefer your title, the Flame Alchemist?" Brushing her hair over her shoulder, Esdeath placed her hands on her hips and smirked. "I need to know so that I have something to write on your gravestone."

Roy cocked his head to the side. "Getting a bit ahead of yourself there, aren't you?"

A wide grin spread across Esdeath's face, revealing a sadistic smile. "Try me."

Before she had finished speaking, Roy acted. Like a gunslinger at high-noon, he whipped out his handgun and squeezed the trigger, firing several bullets at Esdeath, who simply watched impassively as the bullets homed in on her.

Then, in a flash of silver, her rapier was drawn, becoming no more then a blinding streak as Esdeath casually swatted each and every bullet out of the air with extreme precision, the projectiles ricocheting and chipping into the stone streets and buildings.

"...tch."

Clicking his tongue, Roy aimed and fired his eleventh round, aiming directly for Esdeath's heart. Smirking, Esdeath levelled her rapier, pointing it straight out and thrusts forward, touching the tip with the front of the bullet. The moment it made contact, ice quickly coated it, stripping away the bullets inertia and stopping it in midair.

Letting the frozen bullet drop, Esdeath swung her rapier to the side. "Really Colonel? Did you seriously think simple bullets would be enough to stop me? I'm insulted."

Sighing, Roy tossed his handgun to the side, the weapon skidding out of view, and shrugged. "It was worth a shot. If anything, I was hoping to get lucky."

Esdeath cocked her head to the side. "Oh? If luck is how the famous Flame Alchemist wins his battles, then I'm disappointed." Waving her hand, several dozen sharp icicles formed in the air around her. "It can't be helped. I'll give you a painful death in return for that sorrowful display."

Carefully watching her opponent, Esdeath took a step forward, the icicles turning to face her opponent. On the other hand, Roy gave a small smile and stretched his arms out.

"Let me apologize then General. I've always thought that pragmatism is the best policy, especially against a fearsome opponent like yourself. After all, there's a reason why we have taken to calling you the Monster of Ice back in Amestris."

Esdeath paused. "Mmhmm. And what does that make you? The Knight in Shining Armour come to stop the scary monster?"

Snickering to himself, Roy tugged his gloves and held his right hand out for Esdeath to see. "Wrong."

Suddenly, every hair on Esdeath's head stood on end. Her eyes widening, the icicles were all sent rocketing forward, just as Roy snapped his fingers.

KA-BOOM!

A fiery explosion engulfed the icicles, the sheer force blasting them to pieces while the intense heat evaporated the remains. Esdeath barely had time to cross her arms as the cloud of fire consumed her.

Taking a step back, Roy watched as his explosion levelled the street. Dusting a loose piece of rubble off his shoulder, the Flame Alchemist raised his chin as the light of the flames flickered in his eyes.

"I'm a Dragon, come to burn down you and every vile atrocity you have committed against my country you damn bitch."

Then, as the smoke parted, a large blue dome emerged from the wreckage. Somewhat surprised, Roy frowned, raised his right hand again and snapped again, creating a small explosion that demolished the icy dome.

Even as he watched the large chunks of ice fall to the ground, Roy could not contain his shock as the Ice General simply walked out from the wreckage of her protective shelter, the tip of her cap tilted downwards.



"Ah... so that's why they call you the Flame Alchemist." Esdeath mused out loud while Roy swiftly composed himself. "I just might have to stop underestimating you."

Roy crossed his arms and stared coldy at the General as he scanned the icy ruins. "So you managed to escape incineration by creating multiple walls of ice to protect yourself." Pausing in her walk, Esdeath raised an eyebrow and, after a brief moment of silence, gave a wry grin and a small nod before gesturing for the Flame Alchemist to continue. 

Uncrossing his arms, Roy scratched his chin. "Not only that, but even after I had destroyed the initial few layers, you continued to create layer upon layer of ice to withstand the explosions and thus, keep yourself from harm." 

Roy whistled. "To be able to create ice simply from the moisture in the air, even after my flames have dried it up... I must say, that is impressive."

A smile tugged at the corner of Esdeath's mouth. "Impressive yes, but those gloves of yours are quite fascinating in itself Colonel. To be able to create explosions simply by snapping one's fingers... truly, they must be a powerful Teigu."

His brow furrowing, Roy held out an arm and twisted his hand to show off the transmutation circle on the back. "I do not know what these "Teigu" you speak of are, but these gloves are simply the catalyst for my true power."

Gently rubbing his fingers together, Roy pointed them at Esdeath in the same way a viper might poise itself to strike. "Now let me show you how I got the title of Flame Alchemist."

Grinning, Esdeath swung her rapier, a gigantic sphere of ice forming over her head, one as large as a full grown elephant. "How kind of you Colonel. In return, I'll show you the reason why they call me the Empire's Strongest."

FIGHT!

Waving her arm while simultaneously jumping back, Esdeath sent the colossal piece of hail careening towards Roy, who also leapt back while snapping his fingers, sending an invisible spark to the ice, which quickly detonated into a large explosion that spread across the blue surface, sending shards of ice falling to the ground.

Smirking to herself, Esdeath swung her arm, the ice shards stopping in mid-air before elongating into long sharp icicles, all of which hovered in the sky, filling the surrounding area with a sparkling brilliance. To Roy, it looked like he was staring into the mouth of a monster, full of sharp pointy fangs.

With a simple gesture, every single icicle rocketed towards the Flame Alchemist. In an astounding display of agility, Roy weaved his way around the frozen spikes, the projectiles piercing the ground around him. Even when a few icicles homed in on their mark, all it took was a quick snap and a small fireball evaporated the icicles with pin-point accuracy.

Having weathered the storm, Roy twisted around sharply, aiming his right hand at Esdeath and snapped his fingers. However, Esdeath was one step ahead, and launched herself into the air on top a pillar of ice, the explosion destroying the base and causing it to collapse, but failing to hit the Ice General.

Shocked, Roy took a step back and looked up to the sky, Esdeath's wicked grin bearing down on him. Numerous icicles were created and rained down upon Roy, who aptly dodged the first round before ducking into a nearby alleyway, reducing the amount of icicles that could come down through the narrow space, and promptly slapped his hand against the stone wall. There was the tell-tale blue light of transmutation, and a stone slab stretched itself out to meet its sister wall, creating a makeshift bunker as several icicles shattered harmlessly against the stone.

Taking a quick breather, Roy tugged on his collar. This would be harder then he thought.

Suddenly, every nerve in his body screamed DANGER! His eyes widening, Roy sprinted out from his bunker, just as a veritable iceberg came crashing into it, pulverizing the alleyway and crushing the two buildings, leaving a large mound of ice sitting between the two crushed buildings.

Panting for breath, Roy stood up straight as Esdeath came into view atop the mountain of ice. A sadistic smile on her face, Esdeath dashed down the icy slope, using the slippery momentum to catapult herself forward, her rapier nothing more but a silver blur. Roy just barely avoided decapitation by bending over backwards, the rapier clipping the ends of his hair. Grimacing to himself, Roy fell onto his back and swept out with his legs, only for Esdeath to leap back.

Realizing that a melee battle was inevitable, Roy placed his hands on the ground, transmuting the cobblestone into a long stone sword. Grasping the hilt with both hands, Roy lunged forward right as Esdeath charged back in. Both Colonel and General swung, only for Roy to make a hasty retreat as Esdeath's rapier smashed the stone sword into pieces.

Dismayed, Roy snapped his fingers, creating a small explosion to push Esdeath back, only for her to create a wall of ice, allowing the ice to take the hit and come charging back in. 

Cursing under his breath, Roy narrowly blocked an attack with his forearm by stepping into Esdeath's guard, and brought his knee up to attack, but a vicious backhand sent him sprawling away.

Rolling to his feet, Roy scowled as Esdeath pressed her advantage. Hastily creating several stone pillars to block her path, Roy scanned the area.

"I need something stronger then stone..." He muttered to himself, right before a wave of frost sent him flying off his feet and crashing into the side of the street.

"Careful Colonel." Esdeath called out. "You might bite your tongue if you talk during the battle."

Scowling, Roy got up, grasping onto a metal ledge to pull himself up. Right as he was about head off into battle, he did a double take.

Metal.

Grinning to himself, Roy wasted no time in transmuting the metal ledge and window frame, elongating it into a long beautiful metal spear, reminiscent of the one the Fullmetal Alchemist used.

Twirling it around, Roy levelled it at Esdeath, who eyed it with mild interest.

"Your toys cannot help you Colonel." Pointing her rapier at Roy, her eyes flashed a dangerous red.

Scoffing, Roy's grip on his makeshift weapon tightened. "We'll see about that."

In the blink of an eye, the wielders of fire and ice crossed, their weapons clashing and spinning like bolts of gold and silver lightning respectively. Strikes were parried and counters were blocked as both sides gave it their all.

Frowning, Roy blocked a downwards strike with the handle of his weapon before pushing Esdeath off, hoping to knock her slightly off balance. Spinning his weapon around, Roy let loose a series of rapid fire thrusts in an attempt to skewer the General. In response, Esdeath simply sneered and countered with rapid-fire parries of her own, using her rapier to push Roy's spear so that it just slightly passed by her, not even leaving a single nick on her uniform.

Furrowing his brow, Roy leapt back as Esdeath began her counterattack, narrowly dodging a swing, and placed both hands on the ground, creating a small fissure that caused the cobblestone road to shake. Shock replaced Esdeath's normally cool face as her footing became uneven and caused her to stumble. Seizing the opportunity, Roy sprinted in to pierce the spear through Esdeath's heart.

Mere inches before the spear made contact, a layer of ice spread across Esdeath's chest, halting the attack and trapping Roy's weapon.

"With your strength..." Esdeath smirked as Roy gaped in sheer shock while he struggled in vain to remove his spear. "You'll never break through my ice!"

With a simple gesture of her hand, the ice quickly spread across the spear. Right as the frost began to nip at Roy's fingers, Esdeath swung up with her rapier, smashing through the frozen part of the weapon, shattering it like glass.

As Roy stumbled back, Esdeath lashed out with her leg, slamming her boot into Roy's chest and digging her heel into his sternum. The impact was so powerful, it blasted Roy several feet back into the street, where he tumbled across the ground. To his credit, he made it to his feet quite easily, but nearly doubled over in pain as the fractures in his sternum radiated throughout his entire upper body.

"Does it hurt Colonel?" Roy glanced up to see Esdeath making her way towards him, her sinister blue eyes full of mocking. "Don't move too much, or the fractures in your sternum will spread to your ribs." Holding up one of her hands as if to admire her fingernails, Esdeath slowly counted down. "And then, one by one, they'll all collapse. The bone shards will pierce your lungs, drowning you in your own blood as your heart continues to pump. Your own body will be your undoing as it slowly kills you."

Huffing for breath, Roy glared at the Ice General and stood up to his full height, ignoring the pain that flashed through his body. Without letting a single hint of agony cross his face, Roy stuck his left hand in his coat pocket and dropped his right hand by his side.

"Well luckily for me, I don't need to run around."

Lifting his hand ever so slightly, Roy snapped his fingers together. The first flame flickered for a brief moment before rapidly expanding itself into a full blown explosion. Esdeath swiftly sprinted away from the point of detonation, but Roy was ready. With the eyes of an eagle, he tracked Esdeath's every move, aiming for points in her path with his Flame Alchemy. Large explosions dotted the city's street, but Esdeath weaved and dodged around each one with surprising speed, coating the soles of her feet in ice and freezing the ground in front of her for swifter mobility.

Even as the heat flared on her skin and shrapnel danced around her, Esdeath's grin just got wider. Swinging her rapier, several icicles were shot out. Taking a quick step to the side, Roy let them fly by and countered with a burst of Flame Alchemy without a moment's pause. This time, the explosion detonated underneath Esdeath's feet, blowing apart the frozen ground and sending her flying into the air.

Immediately, Esdeath took advantage of her airborne position and spun around in mid-air, the space around her swirling with glittering frost. Almost instantly, a humongous globe of ice formed and Esdeath wasted no time in hurling the Hagelsprung at the Flame Alchemist.

Staring impassively at the massive round iceberg careening towards him like a meteor, Roy raised his right hand above his head and snapped his fingers together, the sound ringing loud and clear.

KA-POW!

A MASSIVE explosion, one comparable to a small nuke, rocked the entire city the wielders of Ice and Fire were fighting in. Buildings shook down to their very foundations as windows cracked and shattered. The iceberg promptly burst like a piñata, small shards of ice cascading down on the city while the bigger chunks were atomized by the intense flaming heat.

Brushing some ice crystals off his jacket, Roy dashed off down the street, sticking to the sides of the buildings to prevent Esdeath from sneaking up on him. Wiping the sweat off his brow, Roy flexed his hand and scanned the area. Spotting his opponent's blue hair standing atop a building opposite of where he was, Roy prepared to decimate the building when Esdeath created a large spike of ice the size of a truck and shot it at Roy.

His eyes widening, Roy nearly activated his Flame Alchemy, but stopped himself, knowing that given the speed of the ice spike, the shrapnel from the explosion would be a bitch to dodge. Instead, he dropped to the ground and transmuted his own spike in front of him in the form of a large stone staglamite and aimed it upwards at an angle. The staglamite struck out from the ground and hit the ice spike directly on the tip, splitting it in two like a knife through warm butter. The two halves then continued their trajectory, hitting the ground on both sides of where Roy stood, completely missing their intended target.

Ignoring the stabbing pain in his chest, Roy launched his stone spike out of the ground at Esdeath, who created a thick barrier of ice that wrapped itself around Roy's projectile, trapping it in midair. Gravity took hold, and the spike fell to the ground, shattering into a million pieces.

While Esdeath was preoccupied in defending herself, only the tell-tale sound of boots crunching frozen bits of stone caught her attention. Just barely, she leapt off the building, just as the roof detonated. It was like a lid exploding off a pot as the force of the heat pushed Esdeath through the air. Wincing slightly, she spun around to regain her balance when every single nerve in her body went off.

Reacting quickly, Esdeath turned and formed a hefty wall of ice, just as a round of Flame Alchemy exploded. The ice wall was destroyed in the blast, but served its purpose in taking the brunt of the attack for its master.

Scowling, Esdeath's instincts went into overload as Roy repeatedly snapped his fingers. Each explosion was blocked by an impromptu ice barrier as Roy showed no mercy and continued to spam his Flame Alchemy without giving Esdeath time to rest, knocking her around the sky like a ping-pong ball.

"What's the matter? Can't take the heat?" Roy roared.

"Da-damn you!" Esdeath shouted as she narrowly blocked another explosion, one which sent her crashing to the street in front of a large clock tower.

Covered in soot and bruises, Esdeath propped herself up on her elbows and coughed up small red droplets. Panting for breath, she glares up to see Roy standing a safe distance away, panting for breath himself.

Snickering, Esdeath called out, "What's wrong Colonel? Too scared to finish me with your own two hands?"

"Hmph. As if I'm stupid enough to approach a wounded animal." Whipping his hand to the side, Roy snapped his fingers. Esdeath, prepared to brace the attack, had already created a solid wall of ice.

However, what she failed to see...

Was that Roy wasn't aiming for her.

Instead, the base of the clock tower exploded in a fiery inferno of twisted metal. With its support decimated, the tower tipped over, gravity pulling it towards a shocked Esdeath, several hundred tons of stone and steel ready to crush her into a flat blue-haired pancake.

"Heh~♪"

To Roy's astonishment and utmost horror, two enormous columns of ice rose up from the ground, slamming into the falling tower with a loud crash. The high pitched squeal of tearing metal pierced straight through Roy's eardrums, forcing him to cover his ears. Even so, the ice pillars held, keeping the ruined clock tower suspended in the air.

Esdeath snickered and stood up quite easily, much to Roy's bewilderment. Noticing her opponent's expression Esdeath smiled and brought her rapier up, running her tongue down the length.

"You should've finished me when you had the chance Colonel."

"...DAMNIT!" Roaring, Roy attempted to blast Esdeath with another round of Flame Alchemy, but not before she formed a large platform of ice beneath her feet and used it to send her soaring into the air.

Though her platform was demolished, Esdeath paid little heed to it and instead, wrapped her ankles and wrist in small blocks of ice. 

Smirking, Esdeath floated down to a dumbfounded Roy. By freezing ice around her wrists and ankles and making them float, she was able to take to the sky, something her landlocked opponent could not.

"I'm afraid this is where we separate the gods from the mortals Colonel." Esdeath sneered. Sheathing her rapier, hundreds upon thousands of icicles materialized around her.

Scowling, Roy raised his hand and pressed his middle finger and thumb together...

SHLICK!

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Only for an icicle to shoot down and slash open the back of his hand, tearing apart his Ignition Glove and staining the white fabric a scarlet red.

Clutching his injured hand, Roy nearly buckled as his right arm almost went limp. Esdeath snickered and held up her hand as every single icicle around her pointed themselves at the Flame Alchemist.

"Word of advice Colonel. If you're going to insist on using a Teigu..."

A blast of cold wind slammed Roy in the face, sweeping through his coat and forcing him to brace his arms against the windchill. Gritting his teeth, he squinted through the winds at Esdeath's sadistic grin.

"Then make sure you better fucking use it."


His eyes widening, Roy lunged to the side as the first barrage of icicles shot out like machine-gun fire. Ignoring the pain in his hand as best as he could, Roy quickly transmuted a thick stone wall to block the second barrage, the icicles piercing through the stone, but failing to get through.

Before Roy could so much as catch his breath, the stone wall was blown apart by the third wave of attack. Roy just barely had time to roll away as the icicles turned the place he was sitting on into a field of spikes.

Scowling, Roy sprinted down the street as icicles soared overhead. Ducking into a nearby alleyway, Roy took the short amount of time he had to quickly sear the wound on his hand shut, gritting his teeth in agony as his Flame Alchemy sealed the cut.

Huffing, Roy shook his hand a few times and clenched it into a fist. With the loss of blood no longer a problem, Roy dashed down the alleyway as Esdeath flew overhead and shot more icicles down at him, filling the alleyway with sharp spikes.

Making it back into the street, Roy turned around just as Esdeath cleared the top of the buildings. Smirking, Roy lifted his left hand, and much to Esdeath's shock, revealed his second Ignition Glove, the transmutation circle for Flame Alchemy glowing clear as day.

"All warfare is based on the Art of Deception."  

Tugging on his glove slightly, Roy placed his right hand behind his back and pointed his left hand at Esdeath, much in the same way an executioner would aim his gun at a death-row inmate.

"I'm surprised you missed that class General."

Snarling, Esdeath quickly fired the rest of her icicles at Roy, only for the Flame Alchemist to snap his fingers together. This time, instead of one large explosion, the icicles exploded in a chain reaction, one that swiftly decimated the entire onslaught in a single fell swoop.

Her eyes widening, Esdeath prepared to summon more icicles when Roy pointed his fingers directly at her. Every hair stood on end as Esdeath felt the space around her head start to spin. Reacting quickly, she flew downwards, just as Roy blasted a small, but powerful burst of Flame Alchemy at her. Just in the nick of time, Esdeath avoided a painful incineration as the explosion detonated in empty air.

Clicking his tongue, Roy wasted no time in assaulting Esdeath with bursts of Flame Alchemy, aiming for her eyes and skin. The General was quick though, keeping a narrow eye on where he was aiming and acting accordingly as bright red explosions filled the sky like fireworks.

With a burst of speed, Esdeath twirled around a burst of fire, hissing as the sheer heat burned her skin, and rocketed towards Roy at mach speed. Slightly surprised, Roy leapt to the side as Esdeath sped past him. Seizing the opportunity, Roy snapped his fingers.



POW!

Just like that, one of the cuff links on Esdeath's arms exploded. For the first time since the battle started, the Ice General shrieked in pain, her flight path taking sharp turns as her concentration went askew. Grinding her teeth to fight the pain, Esdeath willed herself upwards onto a rooftop, crashing into the brick and mortar rather painfully.

Breathing heavily, Esdeath made it back to her feet. Wincing slightly, she examined her injured hand, heavy burn marks surrounding her wrist. Flexing her fingers, Esdeath counted three broken fingers and several large fractures in the bone of her hand.

"Hmph. Looks like things are finally getting interesting..." Esdeath mused. Closing her eyes, she let out a deep breath, opening her senses.

Almost immediately, she felt the immense killing intent her opponent was giving off. Grabbing his exact location, Esdeath grinned as ice crystals began to swirl around her. Raising her hand into the air, the crystals were drawn together, creating a globe of ice that rapidly expanded until it was the size of a small hill.

Then, without even looking, Esdeath sent it flying towards the Flame Alchemist.

To Roy, it was like a mountain had come flying out of nowhere. Cursing under his breath, Roy sprinted out from his hiding spot and dashed into a nearby building, running through several rooms before exiting out the back, just in time as the massive sphere of ice crashed into the ground with such force, every building surrounding it collapsed while the ice itself fell apart, covering the streets in sharp icy pieces.

Grimacing at the wanton carnage, Roy noticed another sphere of ice forming. Thinking quickly, he entered yet another building to formulate a strategy and wonder just how Esdeath was able to see him, despite the fact that he was hidden.

Meanwhile, Esdeath frowned as she sensed Roy's killing intent shift into a closed location. Dropping the ice sphere off the roof, Esdeath opened her eyes and smirked.

"You cannot hide Colonel. You're nothing more then a rat trapped in a maze."

Placing her hands on the ground, a wave of blue energy pulsed from her palms. Within moments, a layer of frost spread across the surface of the roof, coating it in an icy surface.

Smiling to herself, Esdeath sent out another blast of energy. This time, the ice rapidly expanded, coating the entire building in ice, travelling down the side, and spreading across the entire city block. Within seconds, the entire district look like it had entered a second ice age, with frost covering every square inch.

Even as Roy watched from indoors as the temperature plummeted, he understood what Esdeath was doing. Swearing out loud, he took a running start and crashed through a window, shattering the glass and ice before it got too thick. Tucking in his shoulder, Roy cried out as his chest throbbed with pain as he rolled across the crystal fragments.

Wheezing, Roy vomited a large puddle of blood. Pressing a hand against his ribs, he counted at least two of them had broken from the collision. 

"Damnit!" Slamming a fist into the ground, Roy desperately tried to think of a strategy. When none came to him, he slammed his fist into the ground again in frustration, breaking a bit of the ice. Watching as an ice crystal fell onto his skin, Roy prepares to wipe it off when the ice melted.


"THAT'S IT!" 

His eyes widening at the relegation, Roy almost broke into laughter at just how obvious the answer really was.

"How did I not see it before? Ice is still water, just in another state of matter! There's no reason why I can't use this to my advantage!" Roy muttered under his breath.

Suddenly, a blue-haired woman crashed down, just several feet from where Roy was standing, the impact breaking the ice around her and revealing the cobblestone street.

"Have you prayed to your god yet Colonel?" Esdeath taunted as she flexed her hand, sharp ice crystals forming around her feet. "You have nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. This is my world now, where the cold reigns supreme."

"Ha~ Is that so?"

To Esdeath's confusion, Roy actually chuckled. Even in the face of such overwhelming power, this man still found it in himself to laugh?

Narrowing her eyes, Esdeath scowled. "Care to explain what's so funny Colonel?"

Clearing his throat, Roy smirked. "The cold reigns supreme General? No no, it's moments like this, where the cold turns to true heat."

Before Esdeath could react, Roy placed his palms on the ground, a pale blue light flashing for a brief moment. Quizzically tilting her head, Esdeath frowned and prepared to send a storm of icicles at the Colonel...

When all of the ice, from the veritable tundra on the road to the frost of the buildings...

Started emitting a fine white mist.

Shocked, Esdeath looked around wildly as the cold fog swiftly gathered around their feet. "What have you done?" Esdeath snarled.

"Heh... so not even you can figure it out?" Roy mocked while Esdeath merely glowered. "Well listen up then, I won't say it twice."

Crossing her arms, Esdeath stared at Roy with a look of disdain one would reserve for a rotting corpse. "Continue..."

Shoving his hands into his coat pockets, Roy gave a smug smile. "It's basic science. Water is composed of two elements, hydrogen and oxygen, and can exist in one of three states of matter, liquid, solid and gas. Your ice is still water, just in another state of matter."

Pausing for a quick breath, Roy continued. "While hydrogen and oxygen together make water, on their own, they're normally in a gaseous form. By themselves however, they are highly combustible, hydrogen more then oxygen."

Roy suddenly broke into a wicked smile as a sudden revelation dawned on Esdeath. "Do you get it now General? I've separated the oxygen molecules from the hydrogen in your ice. This entire area is now a ticking hydrogen bomb!"

Laughing out loud, Roy raised his left hand and pressed his middle finger and thumb together while Esdeath's eyes widened in utter shock. "This is it General! Game over! I can survive the explosion, but can you?"

Without another second wasted, Roy threw his hand to the side and snapped his fingers.

Instantly, a large wave of fiery death erupted from the ice as an ear shattering BOOM detonated throughout the entire area. Within moments, a large mushroom cloud rose up from the city, engulfing its surroundings in the burning inferno, demolishing everything in its path.

Deep within the cloud, right as the fires of hell consumed her, Esdeath tipped her cap down over her eyes and smiled.

"Well played Colonel. Well played."

Eventually, the fires died down as their source of power was used up. Deep within the cloud of smoke, the skeletons of buildings, the few that were still standing at least, stood still, giving the impression of a graveyard.

As the smog slowly drifted away, a single object rose from the wreckage.

...

A large blue dome, covered in soot and ash with several large cracks in the shell.








---
Rewind

It was a single word, whispered in the cacophony of explosions, one that barely made it to Roy's ears.


Mahapadma.


And before he could comprehend what that word meant...


The entire world came to a complete stop as everything took on a deep blue tinge.

From the cloud of smoke, footsteps echoed through the empty void, revealing the blue-haired woman, her cap tilted downwards. As she walked, ice slowly spread across the entire area, freezing the flames while a massive wall, several dozen feet thick, rose up from the ground and curved over her, forming a protective shell. 

"Truly... you are a magnificent warrior."

Reaching out with her hand, a long spear of ice manifested itself in her palm. Wrapping her fingers around it, Esdeath walked until she was face to face with the Flame Alchemist, his body unmoving, his expression unchanging.

Time had stopped. Frozen to a standstill.

In this world that she created, only one could move.

Twirling the ice lance around, Esdeath thrust it forward into Roy's chest, piercing through his heart and exiting out his back as the ice dome finished making itself, trapping the two fighters in darkness.

Time resumed, slowly flowing once again. Roy's expression of victory shifted to one of shock, then contorted to one of sheer agony as Esdeath twisted the lance slightly, crimson liquid running down the icy shaft.

"Im... possi..."

His voice was cut short as Esdeath reached out and grabbed his face. His eyes widening, Roy desperately willed his body to move, to react, when frost seeped out from Esdeath's fingertips, spreading across his entire head. Within moments, an ice block surrounded Roy's skull, his eyes forever trapped in a look of horror and of failure.

Esdeath regarded her victim with a piteous glance. "But you are still weak..."

Removing her hand, she pushed Roy off her spear, his head hitting the ground with a loud clunk. The explosions outside shook the ice dome, several cracks appearing as small bits and pieces fell to the ground.

"And the weak shall be crushed..."

Stepping beside Roy, Esdeath placed her heel on top of the ice block containing Roy's horrified expression. 

"Beneath the boots..."

Cracks began to spiral out from underneath Esdeath's heel, spreading outwards as she increased the pressure.

"Of the strong..."

With one final push, the ice block shattered, scattering pieces of frozen brain, bone and flesh across the war torn floor.


---
Present

Outside of the dome in the ruined city, the icy exterior was split open. From within, a single figure walked out as the dome collapsed, turning into little more then a tomb for the fallen Flame Alchemist.

Waving her hand to clear the smoke around her mouth, Esdeath turned around to look at the final resting place of Roy Mustang.

"It's a shame..." She mused. "I would've very much liked it for us to be allies."

And with that, she began to walk away without so much as a sideways glance back at her latest conquest.






---
Hydro Frez: ...Well shit. I just had a bad premonition of things to come.

Tempest: In this battle, Esdeath was clearly the better fighter, physically speaking. Her strength and speed surpass that of Roy, for while Roy has fought against a lightning timer, Esdeath herself is a lightning timer.

Hydro Frez: Plus, she can kick a man's face off. Just... just that.

Tempest: However, this was not a battle of strength, but rather a battle of wit, skill, intelligence, and supernatural powers. While Esdeath dominated Roy (no, not that way) up close, Roy's intelligent enough to know that he's no match for Esdeath in a straight up fist-fight, and was able to utilize his Alchemy, both Flame and regular, to keep Esdeath at a distance.

Hydro Frez: Both are exceptional military commanders, but the key lies in the difference of their fighting styles. Esdeath relies on her sheer power over ice to overwhelm her foe with storms of icicles and giant icebergs. Roy on the other hand, can use both sheer force and precision to get around large and powerful foes.

Tempest: For Roy, he's shown that no matter what kind of ice power Esdeath threw at him, it was but a simple matter to merely snap his fingers and blow it all to kingdom come.

Hydro Frez: Also worth mentioning is that since Roy's Flame Alchemy is caused by igniting the oxygen/hydrogen in the air, overtime, the explosions will slowly dry out the area, stripping away Esdeath's most powerful weapon. If there's no moisture in the air, then there's nothing to freeze.

Tempest: But, and here's the clincher, Roy has absolutely no counters to Esdeath's ability to stop time. Even if he dries out the air, that would just force Esdeath to use her trump card sooner rather then later.

Hydro Frez: But, there was the off-chance that Roy could kill Esdeath before she used it. It's a trump card, Esdeath wouldn't use it right away unless she was in a desperate situation. With his Precision Flame Alchemy being incredibly hax, he could've blown out her eyeballs just by snapping his fingers, but...

Tempest: When you get right down to it, Esdeath could avoid and defend against the blasts. She possesses an immense sensitivity to danger, being able to sense killing intent and attacks from a few kilometres away. It's part of the reason why she's practically untouched. The one time she did get hit was because she was fighting the man she loved and thus, let her guard down.

Hydro Frez: Combine all of that with the ability to dodge lightning and the ability to create ice faster then hypersonic opponents, the chances of Roy actually hitting Esdeath dead on were... pretty slim.

Tempest: Some people also pegged Roy as the likely winner due to the fact that Esdeath holds back because she loves fighting and thus, would try to make the fight last longer. However, that is not entirely the case. 

Hydro Frez: It's more accurate to say that Esdeath loves war, not just fighting. If this wasn't a battle to the death, it's more likely Esdeath would first cripple Roy and then force him to watch helplessly as she has his friends and loved ones raped and tortured before slowly killing them and then letting Roy go in the hopes he would take revenge by organizing another army.

Tempest: The reason why it seems like she plays around is because she knows her opponents personally. Whenever she fights Night Raid, she's familiar enough with the team to enjoy toying with them. But in a battle against anyone else...



Hydro Frez: FYI, that's an army of over a thousand soldiers, including a general and his vice-commander... and Esdeath slaughtered all of them without a second thought.

Tempest: Even in the first battle against Night Raid, once they had done a hasty retreat, she decimated Susanoo without remorse. Roy would be no different.

Hydro Frez: And finally, while Roy's Alchemy has far more destructive power then Esdeath's ice, it's also far more easily disabled. If Roy loses his gloves, sure, he can just carve another transmutation circle on his hand and he doesn't need a circle for regular transmutation, but if his hands are sliced off, he's helpless. Esdeath's Demon Extract has no such weakness other then a very, very, vague upper limit.

Tempest: And on that topic, Esdeath's power over ice is much easier to implement in the midst of battle then Roy's alchemy. She can create ice on the fly with minimal movement while Roy needs to touch the object he wants to transmute in order to use Alchemy.

Hydro Frez: He may be our boy, but today, Roy just became Esdeath's toy.

Tempest: The winner, is General Esdeath!


General Esdeath
+Overall superior strength and speed
+Dominates in close-quarters
+Demon's Extract is not as easily disabled compared to Alchemy
+Sensitivity to danger allowed her to avoid/defend against Roy's Flame Alchemy
+Demon's Extract is easier to implement and activate in the midst of battle
+Mahapadma is a BEAST of a trump card and practically guarantees Esdeath's victory 100%...
=Roughly equal reflexes/reaction time
=Equal military intelligence/tactics
-...IF she gets the chance to use it
-Far less destructive power
-While its upper limit is unknown, Demon's Extract does have a finite pool of energy
-Theoretically, Flame Alchemy could eventually dry up all the moisture in the air, thus stripping Esdeath of her power over ice
-> +However, this would also force her to use Mahapadma sooner rather then later


Colonel Roy Mustang
+Far more destructive power with Flame Alchemy
+Smarter, academically speaking
+Alchemy gave him the all around terrain advantage
+Given Esdeath's personality, more likely to go with Precision Flame Alchemy sooner rather then later
+Precision Flame Alchemy nearly netted him the win
+Can transmute Esdeath's ice, giving an immediate counter and nullifying any terrain advantage Esdeath had
=Roughly equal reflexes/reaction time
=Equal military intelligence/tactics
-Gets wrecked in close-quarters
-Exactly ZERO counters to Mahapadma
-Overall weaker physicality 
-Alchemy can be disabled through removal of the hands/Ignition Gloves
-Flame Alchemy is avoidable, unlike Mahapadma

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NEXT TIME ON DEATH BATTLE!