The Beast of Fire and Ice (Japanese: 氷焔の獣 Hyouen no Kemono) is the second Exhibition chapter of the Medalist manga.
Characters[]
Story[]
In the magical world, Tsukasa and Inori embark on a journey to become the number one "skate-swordsman" in the world, aiming to surpass the legendary Hikaru Kamisaki. With the help of Uobuchi, Tsukasa assists Inori in practice her quadruples with a harness. Her fellow apprentice, Rioh Sonidori, praises Tsukasa's guidance and proclaims himself as his number one disciple, a title that Inori insists is her own.
This exchange is witnessed by Hikaru on a nearby tree, who uses magic to teleport him to her lair to face Jun Yodaka, while she herself approaches Inori and Rioh, introducing herself as "Supernova Pikarun." Rioh, who lives with Hikaru, pulls her aside, warning that her magic is too powerful for this world, but Hikaru says she's come because he wouldn't lead Inori into the demon realm for her.
The three skate-swordsmen are then approached by a talking earthworm, which Inori finds incredibly cute. The worm pleads for their help, explaining that its family is under attack by pigeons. Rioh dismisses the problem as part of the natural food chain, but Inori slaps him with her "shrimp tail," insistent on helping. When Rioh points out that finding Tsukasa is more pressing, the worm mentions seeing afterimages of a huge blond man on the way. Inori asks the worm to lead them there, promising to exterminate the pigeons as well.
On their way, a motorcycle ridden by Mario Nachi and Ryoka Miketa speeds past, running over the worm and splitting it in half. However, the worm survives by reproducing asexually, becoming 2 worms. Afterwards, Ryoka also joins the party in their search for Tsukasa. Three hours later, they arrive at the evil lair, where they find Tsukasa being forced to practice backflips by Jun.
Jun tells Hikaru that Tsukasa has the same skate-swordsmanship abilities as she does, wondering why he chose to become a warlock. Hikaru grows wary of Tsukasa, realizing that because they share the same power, they repel each other, which is why she couldn't get close to Inori.
Inori introduces the companions who have helped her on her journey — earthworms that multiply each time they take a hit for their comrades, who have now grown into overwhelming numbers. Tsukasa is horrified, while Jun commands his demon pigeons to dispose of the earthworms. Devastated, Inori sets her new goal on avenging her fallen comrades.