The freezing wasteland fell silent. Even the relentless winds sweeping across the endless sea of ice seemed to retreat after the colossal wolf spoke.
Eskar stood motionless beneath the pale sky, his trembling blue eyes locked onto the divine beast towering before him while questions flooded his mind faster than he could process them.
The creature had not communicated through instinct or some primal emotional connection common among monsters. It had spoken with intelligence, awareness, and deliberate intent. No ordinary beast possessed language, much less telepathy powerful enough to force words directly into another person's mind.
Even Category Five monsters, beings capable of levelling entire regions, communicated through violence and instinct alone. Yet the wolf before him had spoken as casually as breathing.
Eskar's grip tightened around the crude bone blade in his hand while he stared in stunned disbelief at the enormous ivory wolf whose presence alone seemed to dwarf the frozen landscape surrounding it.
Then a deep growl rumbled beside him, snapping him violently back to reality. He glanced downward instinctively, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of the small dragon hidden beneath his robe beginning to glow brighter and brighter.
Crimson light leaked between the creature's scales while streams of heat distorted the frigid air around its body.
'Is it sensing danger?' Eskar wondered.
Before he could speak, however, the wolf's voice echoed through his mind once more.
"Is that," the ancient creature mused calmly, "a young Bloodscale?"
Eskar's eyes widened further. "You know about the Bloodscales?"
The massive wolf tilted its head slightly before giving a slow nod. "I do. They are descendants of one of my master's oldest companions."
A chill crawled down Eskar's spine. Instinctively, he took a careful step backwards across the frozen ground while his thoughts raced.
"Your master?" he asked cautiously. "Who exactly was your master?"
The wolf fell silent.
Its enormous blue eyes remained fixed upon him, as though carefully considering whether the answer itself was dangerous.
Finally, it spoke.
"I fear I cannot answer that question, human. Your fragile mind would fail to comprehend his existence… much less his name."
Eskar swallowed hard.
Something about the creature's tone unsettled him deeply because it lacked both arrogance and mockery. The beast sounded completely sincere, as though hearing that name alone might truly destroy him.
The young heir tightened his grip around his weapon and forced himself to remain steady despite the unease building in his chest.
"Then… may I at least ask who you are?"
The wolf blinked once.
"I am Frost," it answered simply.
"The Divine Beast of Winter. Guardian of this sacred region." Its voice deepened slightly as icy wind rolled across the wasteland once more.
"Now answer my question, human. Why are you here?"
Eskar froze.
Frost.
One of the Three Dangers. One of the strongest beings within the entire Tower of Ruin. Even among monsters, Frost existed near the summit of power, a creature spoken of through fragmented myths rather than proper history.
Unlike many horrors dwelling within the tower, Frost supposedly held no hatred toward humanity, yet that offered little comfort. An elephant did not hate ants either, and still it crushed them effortlessly beneath its weight.
A terrible realisation settled slowly into Eskar's chest.
If Frost guarded this place, then his journey might truly have been meaningless from the very beginning. His Founder lay somewhere beyond this frozen wasteland, and Frost existed specifically to ensure nobody ever reached him.
Eskar clenched his teeth.
'No.'
After surviving monsters, starvation, betrayal, and the endless nightmares within the tower itself, he refused to accept that this was the end.
Then suddenly, heat erupted across his body.
Frost's eyes narrowed slightly.
Eskar blinked in confusion before looking down at himself. Crimson streams of energy flickered faintly beneath his skin while heat distorted the air around him without him even realising he had activated his power.
The Divine Beast studied him carefully.
"Those marks…" Frost murmured thoughtfully. "The signature of the Cowardly Flame."
Eskar stiffened.
Slowly, Frost closed its eyes.
"I see now."
When the wolf opened them again, genuine understanding rested within its gaze for the first time since they met.
"You are his heir," Frost stated calmly. "And you seek to free him from his prison. Is that correct, human?"
Eskar straightened instinctively before nodding.
"Yeah," he admitted.
"That's exactly why I came here. I intend to free my Founder." He hesitated briefly before adding with forced politeness,
"So… will you allow me passage, great Divine Beast?"
Frost remained utterly unmoved by the praise. Its icy gaze rested upon him without hostility, yet without mercy either.
"You will not pass."
The answer came.
"I was entrusted with preventing that exact outcome."
For a brief moment, despair flickered across Eskar's face. His hand tightened around the hilt of his weapon until his knuckles turned pale beneath the cold.
'Not after coming this far.'
Silence stretched between them as snow drifted softly across the frozen plains, the endless white landscape illuminated beneath a pale sky that felt unnaturally still.
For several long moments, neither moved. Then, Eskar raised his blade. The small dragon crawled onto his arm, crimson scales glowing brilliantly against the sea of ice like living fire wrapped around his body.
Heat shimmered faintly around the creature while Eskar lifted his gaze fearlessly toward the colossal wolf towering above him.
"Divine Beast Frost," he declared, his voice carrying across the frozen wasteland with surprising steadiness,
"I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you will grant me safe passage to my Founder."
Amusement flickered within the ancient beast's enormous blue eyes. Frost's maw curved into the faintest grin as the wolf regarded the young heir with growing interest.
"You believe you can defeat me?" the Divine Beast asked, its thunderous voice rolling through Eskar's mind.
"Very well then, human, but answer me this first. What happens if you lose?"
Eskar did not hesitate.
"Then you kill me."
The answer came cold and absolute, spoken without fear or uncertainty.
His grip tightened around the hilt of his crude blade as he continued quietly,
"If I can't even overcome a Divine Beast, then what use am I?"
The instant those words left his mouth, the world itself seemed to change.
The blizzard vanished completely. The howling winds ceased, the falling snow disappeared, and the thick mist dissolved into nothingness until the frozen battlefield stretched endlessly beneath the pale heavens in perfect silence. Frost stared at Eskar for several long seconds before an unexpected sound thundered across the wasteland.
The Divine Beast laughed.
The sound was deep and powerful, carrying enough force to shake the frozen earth itself. Yet despite its overwhelming presence, there was genuine warmth within it.
"I like you," Frost admitted, amusement flickering within his ancient gaze. "You resemble your father far more than you realise."
Eskar's expression twisted into disgust.
"What the hell would you know about my father?" he snapped bitterly. "That bastard abused me for years. I'm nothing like him."
Frost's laughter deepened.
"Oh, dear heir," the Divine Beast replied between chuckles,
"I was not speaking of the man who raised you. I meant your soul-father. Your creator."
His icy eyes gleamed faintly.
"The Cowardly Flame himself."
Eskar froze.
An awkward realization struck him, and his hostility faded into visible embarrassment.
"Oh."
He cleared his throat stiffly before lowering his blade slightly.
"My apologies... great Divine Beast."
Frost sighed dramatically, though amusement still lingered in his expression.
"It is no issue."
Then the colossal wolf began to glow.
Brilliant white light enveloped Frost's gigantic body as divine energy rippled outward through the frozen air. The enormous beast slowly condensed inward, shrinking as though its impossible mass were folding into itself. The transformation lasted only moments, yet the pressure radiating from the light made Eskar's entire body tense instinctively.
When the glow finally faded, a man stood where the wolf had once been.
He looked beautiful in a way that felt profoundly unnatural.
Long ivory-white hair drifted gently around pale skin that almost seemed to glow beneath the frozen light, while piercing blue eyes regarded Eskar with calm amusement. His features possessed a celestial perfection no mortal could naturally attain, and despite his human appearance, the overwhelming presence surrounding him remained utterly monstrous.
In one hand rested a silver straight sword.
The weapon appeared deceptively simple, yet the instant Eskar saw it, instinct screamed a terrifying truth into his mind.
'The moment this man truly decides to kill me, I die.'
Eskar gritted his teeth and lowered himself into a stance, bone blade raised carefully before him while the small dragon slipped beneath his robe once more, ready to strike if necessary. Frost observed him calmly for a moment before speaking again.
"Are you prepared?"
Then the Divine Beast paused slightly, as though remembering something important.
"Oh. I forgot to ask." A faint smile touched his lips. "What is your name, heir of the Cowardly Flame?"
Eskar blinked at the sudden question.
"It's Eskar."
"A fine name," Frost replied warmly.
The Divine Beast slowly lifted his silver blade into a relaxed stance, placing one hand behind his back with almost insulting casualness.
"Well then, young Eskar, allow me to demonstrate the magnitude of the foolish decision you have made. Naturally, I shall treat you as an equal. There is little enjoyment in crushing someone with my full strength."
Eskar steadied his breathing and tightened his grip around the hilt of his weapon.
"Yeah," he muttered, "good luck with that."
Frost chuckled softly.
"I believe," he began calmly, "that it is you who requires the lu-"
Before the sentence could finish, Eskar exploded forward.
The frozen ground shattered beneath his feet as he crossed the distance between them in a single instant, moving with speed impossible for an ordinary human.
His bone blade rose overhead before crashing downward with every ounce of strength he possessed, the force behind the strike violent enough to split stone apart.
Frost smiled.
Casually, almost lazily, the Divine Beast raised his silver sword above his head.
CLANG.
The impact echoed across the wasteland like a thunderclap, yet Frost's arm did not move even slightly. The silver blade remained perfectly steady beneath Eskar's overwhelming strike.
"Quite fast," Frost remarked pleasantly. "As expected of one of the heirs."
Eskar gritted his teeth and pushed harder, muscles straining violently as he attempted to force the blade downward, but it was completely useless. Frost merely rotated his wrist ever so slightly.
A tiny movement.
Nothing more.
Yet the resulting force hurled Eskar backwards across the frozen field as though he weighed nothing at all. The young heir skidded violently across the ice before finally catching himself several dozen meters away.
Frost calmly adjusted his stance, one hand still resting behind his back while the silver blade pointed elegantly toward Eskar. His blue eyes remained gentle, patient, and utterly terrifying.
"Now then," the Divine Beast asked softly, "shall we begin properly?"