The Fire Nation Prince

Chapter 45: Battle for Nan-Hai (III)

The air was thick, not just with smoke and ash, but with the metallic tang of blood and the pounding weight of distant impacts. Every breath Ensign Lee took felt hot, dry, and dirty, the grit of pulverized stone scratching his throat.

He moved low through the chaos, weaving between Fire Nation infantry clashing with the green-and-brown waves of Earth Kingdom soldiers. Catapult stones screamed overhead, shattering into jagged shrapnel that tore through men and armor alike. His uniform was scorched in several places, the crimson dyed darker with drying blood, some his, most not.

His eyes scanned frantically through the haze of battle until they locked on a scene a dozen paces away. Sergeant Rin, helmet missing, hair plastered to his sweat-soaked forehead, armor battered and blackened, was locked in a vicious duel with an earthbender unlike most Lee had seen.

The man was broad-shouldered, his torso bare except for strips of leather strapped across a chest streaked with dust and dried crimson. His lower half was clad in standard Earth Kingdom uniform trousers, but his feet were bare, each step digging into the soil with practiced control. Even from here, Lee could see his calloused soles grip the dirt like an extension of himself.

Rin lunged forward, blade flashing in the sunlight that pierced the smoke, but the earthbender pivoted sharply, one hand slicing through the air. The ground between them buckled violently, a jagged spike of stone erupting upward. Rin twisted aside just in time, the rock grazing his armored shoulder and sending him stumbling.

Lee began moving toward them, ducking under the swing of a Fire Nation halberd as one of their own fought past him.

The earthbender pressed his advantage, stomping down hard, forcing the ground beneath Rin to ripple and crack like a living thing. Rin leapt onto one of the smaller rising plates, using it as a platform to launch himself forward, sword arcing for the man’s neck.

The earthbender’s arm swept up, catching Rin’s blade mid-strike with a sudden pillar of stone that shot from the ground. The impact rang out like a bell, sending vibrations up Rin’s arms.

“Come on!” the earthbender roared over the din, “Show me what you’ve got, Fire rat!”

Rin bared his teeth and twisted his wrists, snapping the blade free from the stone with a metallic scrape. He spun low, his sword’s edge igniting in a tight ribbon of flame as he slashed across the man’s midsection. The leather straps burned instantly, the smell of singed hide and skin mixing into the choking air.

But the earthbender didn’t cry out, instead, he stomped hard and thrust both palms forward, a wall of stone exploding toward Rin like a battering ram. Rin managed to raise his sword horizontally, the fiery blade cutting into the stone, but the sheer force sent him skidding back, boots tearing trenches in the dirt.

Lee reached them just as Rin steadied himself again.

“Need a hand, Sergeant?” Lee called, voice hoarse from smoke.

“Stay out of this, Ensign!” Rin barked without looking back. “This one’s mine.”

The earthbender smirked at that, his stance widening. He dragged one heel along the ground, pulling up a thick slab of earth that he spun like a shield before slamming it into the ground again. The resulting shockwave rippled outward, cracking the soil beneath Lee’s feet and forcing him to plant his stance hard to stay upright.

The man’s skill was undeniable, he wasn’t just throwing stone blindly. Every motion was controlled, deliberate, meant to force Rin into defensive movements. And Rin, for all his speed, was starting to tire under the relentless assault.

Lee’s hand tightened on his own blade. Watching from this close, he could see the rhythm, the earthbender’s left hand always dipped a split-second before he summoned stone spikes, his right heel grinding before a wall came up.

If Rin didn’t exploit those tells soon, Lee knew, this duel was going to end with a broken, lifeless body in Fire Nation armor.

Lee stayed just outside the immediate circle of their fight, boots grinding into loose gravel and dirt as the battle roared around him. The clash between Rin and the earthbender had formed its own little arena amid the chaos, men on both sides unconsciously giving them space, as though sensing that this was no ordinary exchange.

Rin was breathing harder now, his chest rising and falling beneath the blackened metal of his cuirass. Sweat ran down his temples, streaking clean lines through the grime coating his face. Every swing of his sword was fast, faster than most could track but the earthbender’s defenses were a fortress.

The man’s bare feet shifted constantly, each placement purposeful. Lee noticed how his toes curled into the dirt just before a counterattack, his whole body sinking low to draw strength from the ground. He moved like he and the earth were a single living being.

Rin darted left, then cut back right, his blade igniting in a sharp arc that sliced toward the man’s ribs. The earthbender dropped to one knee and swept his arm up, calling a jagged plate of stone that deflected the blow with a ringing clang. He didn’t pause, with his free hand, he punched forward, sending a volley of fist-sized stones hurtling toward Rin.

Rin twisted, flames bursting from his boots as he slid sideways, the stones smashing into the ground where he had stood a heartbeat ago. The impact sent shards flying, one of which clipped his cheek, leaving a thin crimson trail.

The earthbender’s lips curved into a faint, wolfish smile. “You’re quicker than most.” His voice was rough, almost approving. Then his tone hardened. “But not quick enough.”

He stomped once, the ground beneath Rin’s feet cracking, then split violently upward in twin pillars aimed to crush him between them. Rin’s instincts saved him, he kicked off one of the rising slabs, flipping backward in an acrobatic twist that landed him low and ready, sword angled forward in a defensive stance.

Lee’s grip on his own sword tightened. He could feel the tempo of the duel shifting, Rin’s bursts of attack were becoming shorter, his dodges a little tighter, his recovery a hair slower.

The earthbender stepped in, one hand raised. With a guttural shout, he slammed both fists down toward the ground. A shockwave rippled outward in a ring, knocking loose dirt and pebbles into the air. Rin staggered, one knee hitting the ground as the force rattled through his bones.

Lee’s pulse quickened. He knew that motion, it was the setup for a finishing blow. The earthbender was already shifting his stance, right foot sliding forward, his shadow falling over Rin.

Rin spat blood, but instead of retreating, he leaned forward on one hand, blade drawn low and glowing with intense heat. His eyes locked on his opponent, and Lee could read the silent message there, I’m not done yet.

The earthbender surged forward, arm cocked to summon a crushing boulder strike. The ground trembled as the moment hung in the balance, the noise of the larger battle fading into a dull, distant roar around them.

Lee remained still, heart pounding, eyes fixed on the razor-thin space between them. One mistake, just one and Rin would be gone.

The earthbender stepped in for the killing strike, his arm driving forward, earth buckling beneath his will but Rin moved first.

A sudden gout of fire erupted from his free hand, forcing the man to shield his face with a hastily raised stone wall. But the flames weren’t meant to hit him, they were meant to mask Rin’s advance.

Rin darted through the smoke, sword low and wreathed in fire, the blade glowing like molten metal. He swung upward in a brutal arc, the impact shattering the corner of the wall and forcing the earthbender back two steps.

The man’s eyes widened, surprised at the sudden ferocity. He stomped, trying to raise another barrier, but Rin was already inside his guard. His sword whipped left, a streak of burning steel slicing across the man’s armored forearm. The scent of scorched leather and singed flesh filled the air.

With a grunt, the earthbender slammed his foot down again, forcing a jagged spike up between them, trying to create space. Rin answered with a tight spin, his boot trailing fire that melted the edge of the stone as he rolled clear.

Lee could see it now, the rhythm had shifted. Rin’s movements were sharper, more dangerous, his firebending no longer separate from his swordsmanship but woven seamlessly into it. Every slash came with a burst of flame, every step was propelled by jets of fire from his heels.

The earthbender swung a stone hammer into being and lunged, roaring as he brought it down. Rin caught it on the flat of his blade, flames erupting along the steel in a violent flash. The heat was so intense that the hammer’s edge cracked.

Rin snarled, shoving the weapon aside and twisting his torso into a downward slash. Fire licked along the blade’s edge as it cut deep into the man’s side, the armor there splitting under the combined force of steel and flame.

The earthbender staggered back, one hand going to the wound. His face was twisted in both pain and disbelief. He tried to summon another wall, but his foot barely grazed the dirt before Rin closed the distance again.

This time Rin didn’t give him a chance. He drove the tip of his flaming sword forward in a precise thrust that pierced through the chest plate just below the collarbone. A burst of fire channeled through the blade, erupting from the back in a searing explosion.

The earthbender gasped, a wet, choking sound, before collapsing forward, smoke rising from the hole in his armor.

Rin pulled the sword free, flicking the blood and char from its edge before stepping back into the larger chaos of the battlefield. His chest was heaving, but his stance was still strong.

Lee exhaled slowly, tension draining from his body. He stepped forward, clapping Rin on the shoulder. “Remind me never to doubt you again, Sergeant.”

Rin gave him a sidelong glance, wiping soot from his cheek. “Good. Saves me the trouble of proving you wrong next time.”

Somewhere deeper in the fray, the roar of bending and the screams of the dying called them back to reality. Neither man said another word as they turned toward the next fight.

[A/N: Can’t wait to see what happens next? Get exclusive early access on .com/saiyanprincenovels.]