Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

Whoosh! The crimson arrow hurtled toward Melanie, but was caught in the corner of her eye and easily blocked by an ice shield.

Sure enough, it's much better than before...

But Ryūka didn't care; it was enough to cause interference and restraint. The second arrow followed immediately.

"It's amazing you managed to keep up."

Melanie smiled slightly, seemingly no longer taking Liuxia seriously. To her, the only threat was the rampaging snow spirit beast in front of her.

A massive ice wall was unleashed, instantly blocking all the arrows fired by Ryūka. Then, Melanie countered with an ice spike aimed at Ryūka from above.

Boom! The power far exceeded Ryuka's expectations. The ice spikes shattered his landing spot. Ryuka quickly jumped to create distance and was unharmed, though his movements were somewhat disheveled.

"Wow, that's amazing, Miss Snowfield! You're on a completely different level compared to before. But the accuracy is still a bit lacking."

Melanie responded nonchalantly to Ryūka's sarcastic remarks, summoning two giant frost golems to block Vitris.

"If the precision is insufficient, then we can make up for it with quantity."

With a wave of her staff, more giant ice spikes condensed in the magic circle around Melanie, and the speed of the magic chanting and formation increased several times, all rushing towards Ryusha at once.

Chapter 24 Bone-chilling cold

"Tsk."

Even Ryuga felt a sense of unease as the swarm of ice spikes flew towards them. It seemed that Melanie and Vitry were incredibly powerful as they approached the blue snow spirit sculpture.

"I'm the only one who isn't an ice and snow ability user, so I'm a little lonely."

Ryusha drew his own longsword with his left hand and Hetia's family heirloom sword with his right. Two streams of crimson battle aura, one strong and one weak, were released, and the two swords danced like blazing flames to block the oncoming ice.

In any case, the way to deal with a mage is close combat. I need to find a way to get close to Melanie. Even if I can't turn the tide immediately, I need to force her out of the Snow Spirit Sculpture's amplification range little by little.

Liu Xia channeled his fighting spirit, leaping across the giant flying ice spikes, attempting to get closer.

If all else fails, I'll have to use [Witch's Erosion] again, even though that might scare Vitry.

However, just as Ryusha was in mid-air, Melanie's figure unexpectedly appeared behind the ice spikes beneath her feet.

"I knew you wanted to get close. Even if you sealed your chanting, do you think I'm that easy to deal with?"

The staff in her hand had transformed into an ice spear, which she thrust towards Ryusha's ribs.

At least it can seal the magic chanting, right? Before Liuxia could even retort verbally, the icy, bone-chilling spear tip arrived in an instant.

So fast!

Melanie's snow-white skin was now covered in icy blue patterns, a state of enhancement never seen before.

It wasn't time to hold back and save the best move. In the instant of blocking, Ryuka activated [Witch's Erosion], and the instantly enhanced power allowed him to block the attack at the last second.

Ryūka then skillfully used sensory deception, feinting and striking Melanie from an unexpected direction.

Melanie's sharp gaze and delicate profile were frozen in time with her gun raised, like a fine sculpture.

It would be a shame to ruin her face, Ryuka thought cruelly. He wanted to capture Melanie alive and train her to be like Hetia, so that the two of them could serve and play with her together.

But just as Ryuka was controlling the tip of her sword to avoid Melanie's vitals, her eyes suddenly met her own.

How could that be? I clearly deceived her senses; her attention should have been on that false version of myself in her field of vision.

Boom! The massive ice spear struck Ryūka squarely in the waist, sending him flying to the ground.

Fortunately, the distance was close enough that it wouldn't be pierced through.

But Ryuka, clutching his almost completely cold side, looked at Melanie with a solemn and cruel expression.

[Charm] This is the first time she has failed in battle. Could it be that Melanie gambled that the image of herself in her senses was fake and guessed the true direction of her attack?

No... that would be too extreme... or is it that with the amplification from the Snow Spirit Sculpture, Melanie has exceeded the range of her [charm] ability?

As Ryūka's mind raced, Melanie's eyes revealed a hint of smugness, as well as a sense of relief as she emerged from the tension and fear.

After Melanie fought with Ryusha last time, she made a contingency plan for the strange state he would be in under the influence of the [Witch's Corruption].

Powerful, but somewhat radical and uncontrollable, accompanied by illusionary magic that can deceive the senses.

Melanie couldn't think of any good way to counter him except by ambushing him before he got into that state.

But while Melanie was being tormented by the scalding hot springs and the heat coming from all directions, she suddenly had a brilliant idea.

temperature.

It seems that Ryuka's deception was limited to his own senses about him.

As a great ice and snow magician, manipulating and sensing temperature should not be difficult for him.

Looking at the thin layer of icy mist emanating from Melanie, and at her own body and longsword, which were soaked with sweat due to her high body temperature, Ryuga seemed to understand something.

Has this guy given up using his eyes and ears and started judging his location by sensing the temperature around him?

What a terrifying woman! She actually tried this tactic in close combat; one wrong move and she could lose her life.

No wonder Kania said that witches' seductive tricks only work on fools. It seems that those who are smart and bold enough can always find a weakness.

Although this method is not without ways to break it again, Melanie will not give Ryusha time to think about it.

As she knocked Ryuga away, she immediately began chanting a spell, and a wide-range attack magic circle enveloped the entire plaza below, including Vitris, who had just shattered two frost golems.

Was she trying to take down both of them in one fell swoop? Seeing the incredibly powerful magic circle, Ryuga had no choice but to release the sword in her left hand, clutching it to her waist and using her fighting spirit to quickly alleviate the freezing effect. At the same time, she gathered astonishing fighting spirit and power in her right hand, roaring as she hurled Hetia's sword fiercely towards Melanie in mid-air.

Sorry, Hetia, I'll get it back for you later.

The attack pierced through Melanie's ice shield, but Melanie managed to dodge it by tilting her head at the last second. The crimson longsword grazed her temple, shaving off a patch of her already short, ice-blue hair above her ear.

"Frosty Dust Ice Prison... abyssalfrostmotes!!!"

As Melanie frowned and roared, the air in Liuxia's vision seemed to turn into a translucent, endless, icy blue... Exposed skin felt a sharp, needle-like pain that penetrated to the bone, rendering her completely immobile. And all of this, in just a few breaths, transformed into an even more terrifying, frigid hell.

Despite Ryuka's best efforts to resist with her Crimson Aura, Melanie's superior strength still overwhelmed her own, and the amplification from [Witch's Erosion] was also offset by the amplification from the Snow Spirit Sculpture.

Is this the end? I feel a little guilty about my promise to Kania, and I also promised to return Hetia's sword properly.

Ryuka had lost all feeling in her body; everything above her chest had lost its color in the extreme cold, but a warmth enveloped her at that moment.

It was Vitry, who was using her enormous, beast-like body to shield herself from the cold.

Although both are ice-based abilities, Vitris seemed unable to resist Melanie's magic. Her previously crazed and dazed blue eyes returned to normal, revealing a pained expression...

"It's over."

Melanie looked at Vitry, who had turned into an ice sculpture, her posture remarkably similar to the Snow Spirit sculpture in the center of the square, except one was white and the other was blue.

She slowly approached the Snow Spirit sculpture, stroking the enormous crystal that could enhance her power. The massive Snow Spirit sculpture seemed to be embracing something, but its gaze was fixed on the distance.

It was clearly a wild beast, yet its expression was serene and sorrowful.

"How should we take it with us? Should we break it into smaller pieces and transport it out? I wonder if that will affect the amplification effect."

Melanie gazed at the enormous sculpture, pondering how to handle her spoils. This thing not only greatly enhanced her combat abilities, but if she cultivated within its range, reaching the Heavenly Rank within a few years seemed like a realistic possibility.

But the next moment, a warm sensation traveled from his lower back to his upper abdomen...

Her muscles tensed instantly, and Melanie couldn't even make a sound. Then the warmth turned into intense pain.

She trembled as she looked down at the steel fork protruding from her upper abdomen, her own crimson blood flowing from it, the purplish steel fork slowly infiltrating her body with the poison of dark magic.

"H-How could this be..."

Blood flowed from her mouth, and she stared ferociously behind her. A boy, almost frozen in ice, was struggling to hold a steel fork and bent over as he pierced her body from behind.

I just saw... a frozen corpse of Ryuuka in Vitry's arms, lifeless and without a heartbeat...

Illusion? But...

"The temperature readings are malfunctioning, Miss Snowfield..."

The boy lowered his head, his body hunched over, as if the cold had robbed him of any extra mobility, and his voice was very weak.

Is that so...? Even in a state of severe hypothermia, one can still deceive one's senses and struggle to come over and pierce oneself.

That's a really good kid, but...

"Gurgle... Ah!!!"

Melanie endured the excruciating pain and froze the wounds inside her body. Even the hard steel that ran through her body became incredibly fragile and was broken by her own body!

The icy wind raised by his right hand violently knocked Ryuka back, sending him crashing to the ground with a heavy thud like ice colliding. But the power of this blow was even less than that of an apprentice who had just become a formal magician.

Melanie lost her balance and slid to her knees in front of the Snow Spirit sculpture, her blood-stained hands touching the dark blue sculpture.

"Magic potion... elixir... healing potion... tsk..."

She groped around on her body, only to find that her supplies were already exhausted. She looked at the snow spirit sculpture in front of her with a struggling and unwilling expression.

"I can't die... This is my teacher's last wish... and it's also my... dream..."

"I absolutely will become the strongest ice and snow mage!"

Tears slid down her cheeks, only to quickly freeze into ice beads. It is said that there exists a heretical race called mermaids, whose tears, when they are only female, freeze into pearls.

But Melanie was not a heretic, nor did she have any special identity or bloodline; her tears were simply the result of her resentment condensed under the influence of out-of-control magic.

She stood up despite her injuries. What was this? She had suffered far more fatal wounds before. She would do anything...

Click.

A crisp cracking sound came from behind, causing Melanie's pupils to contract instantly.

Bang! The huge beast body, which had been turned into an ice sculpture, shattered instantly. Amidst the ice shards, Vitris, who had transformed back into a young girl, staggered to her feet.

"Guh... Don't come any closer!!!"

Melanie tried to condense magic again, but only managed to unleash a shapeless snowstorm, which caused Vitris to stumble and fall to the ground.

But the Snow Spirit girl quickly got up again, using both her hands and feet to approach Melanie.

Her unfocused pupils seemed to see only Melanie as an enemy, and no matter how Melanie attacked, she could not stop the walking corpse-like Vitry from slowly approaching.

The snow-white maiden seemed to only then realize what was happening, and she looked shakily at the boy beside her. This friend, whom she had only known for a day, had already lost the energy she had when they first met. The mischievous smile that she usually wore was gone; her eyes were only slightly open, but they didn't move at all, completely devoid of any spirit...

In his hand, he held a broken steel fork, the decorations added by the snow goblins long since shattered, restoring it to its original plain appearance.

"Ah...ah...ahhh..."

Vitry's trembling fingers gently traced Ryuka's stiff face, but she could no longer feel the soft touch she had given him when they were playfully fighting over the barbecue.

Oh dear~ What ate my horse?

They're horse thieves!

Ryuka, Hunter Ryuka, what's your name? Why are you here all alone?

Vitry, the warrior's blade?

Do you want me to treat your wound?

Hey! Vivi! This leg is mine!

Run!

A gentle yet blurry figure appeared before Vitry's eyes, soft hands stroking her soft hair.

"In the long life and the lonely mission of the race, a moment of warmth is enough to melt the thick ice and snow. One day, Vitte will understand."

The explanatory voice was too gentle, and the memory too vague, causing Vitry's emotions to plummet like an avalanche.

In that instant, she finally understood what her mother was feeling when she said those words to her.

"Ah...ah...ahhhhh!!!!"

The snow spirit girl hugged the boy and howled in pain, which sent chills down Melanie's spine.

But Melanie's face no longer showed the hysteria she had shown before. Instead, she looked at the scene before her with a calm expression, as if she had accepted her defeat and her fate of being torn apart by Vitry.

"Ha, beast..."

Weak words escaped her lips, but her eyes darted away. Melanie watched as Vitris stood up and struggled to walk toward her.

Just as she was preparing to face death, the Snow Spirit Maiden skipped over her and knelt down in front of the Snow Spirit sculpture, stroking the deep blue sculpture with both hands.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to kill me?"

Melanie seemed furious at this disregard, taunting Vitry with contemptuous words, as if death held no fear for her more than defeat.

But the Snow Spirit girl only glanced at her and uttered two words in a less-than-perfect Common Language.