The battlefield had become complete chaos.
Snowstorms raged violently across Dragon's Peak while frost magic and monstrous roars echoed endlessly through the mountain.
Frost elves.
Frost wyverns.
And now—
Rio stood directly in the center of both.
The collapse beneath the mountain had swallowed Kiraya and Cynthia whole.
Rio's eyes darkened slightly.
Then—
the Frost Wyvern Queen moved.
The gigantic creature spread its wings wide enough to block the storm itself.
Frost energy rapidly gathered within its jaws.
The temperature around the battlefield plummeted instantly.
Even the remaining frost elves stopped moving.
They knew what was coming.
Rio looked upward calmly.
"…So you chose me first."
The Frost Wyvern Queen unleashed its attack.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!
A colossal stream of freezing breath erupted from the sky.
The mountain trembled as the beam descended toward Rio with enough force to erase the entire battlefield.
Rio immediately raised her Crimson Bloodmoon.
[Sword Skill: Moonlight Melody]
CRIMSON LIGHT erupted from her blade.
A crescent-shaped wave of blood-red energy tore upward toward the incoming frost breath.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The two attacks collided violently.
Frozen winds exploded outward across the battlefield.
The shockwave shattered nearby trees instantly.
Ice and crimson energy spiraled wildly around Rio as she pushed forward against the breath attack.
The ground beneath her feet cracked from the pressure.
But then—
Rio's eyes narrowed slightly.
Something was wrong.
Movement.
Tiny distortions in the snow around her.
Invisible presences.
Not one.
Multiple.
Rio immediately understood.
"…Camouflage."
Without hesitation—
she activated another skill.
[Sword Skill: Butterfly Dance]
Four glowing crimson butterflies materialized around her instantly.
Unlike Moonlight Melody—
this skill carried almost no destructive power.
But that was never the point.
The butterflies scattered in four separate directions.
For one second—
nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Four invisible figures were struck simultaneously.
Snow exploded upward as hidden creatures were revealed midair.
Frost wyverns.
Smaller hunting variants.
Their scales carried natural camouflage abilities that allowed them to blend perfectly into snowstorms.
One crashed against a tree.
Another rolled violently across the ice.
The remaining two roared angrily after being exposed.
Rio smirked slightly.
"…Found you."
Then she sensed it again.
Another presence nearby.
Close.
Very close.
Without even turning—
Rio activated Butterfly Dance again.
Four more butterflies scattered outward.
This time—
they curved sharply toward a nearby snow-covered bush.
BOOM!
Two figures burst out from hiding.
The butterflies chased them relentlessly through the air.
Rio finally saw them clearly.
The first was tall and lean.
Dual frost blades rested in his hands while icy mist flowed from his armor.
His glowing blue eyes narrowed sharply toward Rio.
Frost Elf Champion — Gladius.
The second was larger.
Much larger.
Heavy armor covered his body while a massive frost spear rested in his grip.
His presence alone felt overwhelming.
Frost Elf Warrior — Argos.
The two elite frost elves immediately rushed Rio simultaneously.
Gladius vanished low through the snow with blinding speed.
Argos charged directly from the front like a battering ram.
Perfect coordination.
Dual assault.
Rio smiled slightly.
"…Could you give me a little hand, Auram?"
The moment she spoke—
golden light erupted beside her.
CLANG!!!
A massive black blade suddenly blocked Gladius's dual swords.
At the same time—
another strike intercepted Argos's spear before it could reach Rio.
Auram had appeared.
His crimson eyes glowed faintly beneath the storm.
The black armor of the World Legacy Knight radiated ancient pressure across the battlefield.
Gladius immediately jumped backward.
Even Argos hesitated slightly.
Auram slowly raised his sword.
"…To attack Lady Rio while she is occupied."
His voice remained calm.
Yet somehow—
the snowstorm itself seemed to tremble.
"…You creatures are quite bold."
Argos roared and thrust his spear forward again.
Auram stepped once.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The impact alone shattered the surrounding snow.
Yet Auram didn't move an inch.
He had stopped the gigantic spear using one hand on his sword.
Argos's eyes widened.
Auram tilted his head slightly.
"…Too slow."
SHING!
One slash.
That was all.
Argos's spear shattered instantly.
The frost elf warrior was blasted backward through three frozen trees before crashing into a cliff wall.
Meanwhile—
Gladius had already reappeared behind Auram.
His dual blades aimed directly toward Auram's neck.
Fast.
Extremely fast.
But Auram simply turned slightly.
CLANG! CLANG!
Both blades were blocked effortlessly.
Then Auram's sword moved.
Gladius's eyes widened immediately.
Too fast.
SHINK!
One of Gladius's frost blades flew through the air.
Severed.
The frost elf champion immediately retreated backward across the snow.
For the first time—
fear appeared on his face.
Rio watched quietly.
Then glanced upward again.
The Frost Wyvern Queen was still circling above the battlefield.
Watching.
Waiting.
And below—
more frost elves continued emerging from the storm.
Rio slowly exhaled.
"…Great."
She tightened her grip on the Crimson Bloodmoon.
Auram stood beside her silently.
The snowstorm howled louder.
Then Rio smiled faintly.
"…Looks like this mountain wants us dead."
The blizzard roared across Dragon's Peak.
Snow spiraled endlessly through the mountain skies while shattered ice and crimson energy lit up the battlefield below.
The Frost Wyvern Queen ascended higher into the storm clouds.
Its gigantic wings spread wide—
massive enough to blot out the moonlight itself.
Rio looked upward carefully.
The queen was changing altitude.
Preparing another large-scale attack.
At the same time—
the remaining frost elves had begun regrouping beneath the mountain.
And somewhere below the collapsed cliff—
Kiraya and Cynthia were still missing.
Rio's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then she spoke calmly.
"Auram."
The black-armored knight immediately turned toward her.
Rio pointed toward the cliffside below.
"Go."
Auram remained silent.
"The queen is drawing aggro upward."
"This is the best chance we have."
Rio looked down into the snowy abyss.
"Find Kiraya and Cynthia."
Auram nodded once.
"As you command, Lady Rio."
Then—
BOOOOM!
The ground shattered beneath his feet as Auram leapt directly off the cliff.
His body vanished into the blizzard below.
The Frost Elf Brothers reacted instantly.
Gladius narrowed his eyes.
Argos roared furiously.
The remaining frost elves immediately pursued Auram down the mountain.
Their figures disappeared into the storm one after another.
Rio watched them leave.
Good.
That reduced the pressure.
Then—
the Frost Wyvern Queen roared.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!
The sky itself trembled.
A freezing magic circle appeared high above the battlefield.
Rio immediately recognized it.
"…An area bombardment."
The clouds split apart.
And then—
massive icebergs began falling from the heavens.
Not ordinary ice shards.
These were gigantic frozen spears the size of entire trees.
CRAAAAASH!!!
One struck the mountain directly beside Rio.
The impact exploded the cliff wall apart.
Another descended immediately after.
Rio dashed sideways.
BOOM!
Snow erupted upward violently.
A third iceberg came from above.
Rio swung her Crimson Bloodmoon.
SHING!
The gigantic iceberg split cleanly in half.
The two pieces crashed behind her.
But more kept coming.
Dozens.
The Frost Wyvern Queen was carpet bombing the entire mountainside.
Rio clicked her tongue.
"…You're really trying to flatten the mountain."
Another iceberg descended directly toward her head.
Rio spun low beneath it before slashing upward again.
CRAAAAACK!
Ice shattered across the battlefield.
But even Rio could feel the pressure building.
This wasn't a fight anymore.
The queen was attempting total extermination.
Far below the collapsing battlefield—
Kiraya slowly opened her eyes.
Pain immediately surged through her body.
"…Gh…"
Everything hurt.
Her vision blurred from the impact.
Cold air filled her lungs.
Snow covered her armor.
No—
what remained of her armor.
Large sections of her crusader plating had shattered completely from the fall.
Her sword—
Lionfang—
lay broken beside her.
Only half the blade remained.
Kiraya's breathing trembled slightly.
"…Damn…"
She tried to move.
The moment she did—
agonizing pain shot through her side.
"AH—!"
A hand suddenly covered her mouth.
Kiraya's eyes widened instantly.
Then she saw Cynthia kneeling beside her.
The blonde craftsman had blood running down the side of her forehead.
Bruises covered her arms.
One side of her coat had been torn open from the fall.
Yet despite her injuries—
her eyes remained sharp.
Cynthia quickly shook her head.
Quiet.
She slowly pointed outside the cave entrance.
Kiraya followed her gaze.
And froze.
Dozens of frost elves wandered outside through the blizzard.
Patrol groups.
Search teams.
Some carried spears.
Others bows.
A few even dragged strange icy lanterns through the snow while scanning the cliffs carefully.
They were searching for survivors.
Kiraya immediately lowered her voice.
"…How did we get here?"
Cynthia whispered back carefully.
"We fell."
Kiraya blinked.
"…That much I know."
Cynthia pointed upward toward the barely visible cliff opening far above them.
"It was around seventy feet."
"Maybe more."
Kiraya stared upward silently.
That high…?
Cynthia continued quietly.
"There was thick snow everywhere below."
"It cushioned the impact."
Kiraya looked around the cave.
It was small.
Narrow.
Barely hidden beneath layers of hanging snow and frozen rock.
If Cynthia hadn't found it—
the frost elves would have discovered them immediately.
Cynthia lowered her voice further.
"When I woke up…"
"…the elves were already nearby."
Kiraya listened silently.
"So I dragged you here."
Kiraya blinked slowly.
"…You dragged me?"
Cynthia looked away awkwardly.
"You're lighter than your armor looks…"
Kiraya almost laughed.
Almost.
But another sharp pain immediately shot through her ribs.
"…Tch…"
Cynthia quickly supported her shoulder.
"Don't move too much."
"You're injured badly."
Kiraya glanced at her broken armor.
"…Yeah. I noticed."
For a few seconds—
silence filled the cave.
Only the distant blizzard and marching frost elves outside could be heard.
Then Kiraya looked toward Cynthia.
"…Thanks."
Cynthia blinked.
"Huh?"
"For dragging me here."
Kiraya smiled weakly.
"You probably saved my life."
Cynthia froze slightly.
Then awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"…I couldn't exactly leave you there."
Kiraya laughed softly.
"…You're nicer than you look."
Outside—
one of the frost elves suddenly stopped walking.
Both girls immediately froze.
The elf slowly turned toward the cave entrance.
Its glowing blue eyes narrowed slightly.
Kiraya quietly grabbed the broken remains of her sword.
Cynthia nervously covered her mouth.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The frost elf slowly approached through the snow.
Closer.
Closer.
Then suddenly—
a loud scream echoed from somewhere deeper in the mountain below.
The frost elf immediately turned.
Several others shouted loudly in their language.
Then the patrol groups rapidly moved away from the cave.
Kiraya exhaled slowly.
"…What was that?"
Cynthia looked confused.
But then—
both girls suddenly felt it.
A strange pressure.
Heavy.
Ancient.
And familiar.
Kiraya's eyes widened slightly.
"…Auram?"