Chapter 216

“There’s no room for complacency.”

Even though it hovered in the sky, the massive tree seemed to stretch endlessly upward, practically monopolizing the heavens.

Glancing sidelong at the towering tree that stood like an endless barrier, Minette redirected her gaze downward once more.

From this dizzying height, she had entrusted her body to a cloud of finely chilled ice particles.

However, perhaps the weight of a human body was too much for just that; her descent was slow but inevitable.

Still, at this speed, there wasn’t much to worry about.

‘If I go too high, breathing gets tough.’

While turning the human body into something akin to a natural phenomenon allows for prolonged endurance… it merely consumes both mental and physical strength to endure.

It’s inefficient.

‘But even this…’

has its uses.

Heat rises naturally, and cold sinks—this principle can be manipulated. Minette cooled and crystallized her body, then shattered it into microscopic fragments, making herself as light as possible, almost weightless.

By scattering these tiny ice particles everywhere, she aimed to encompass and monitor every area they reached, including heights where they floated upwards toward the sky.

At that point, Minette picked up Zora’s signal.

Next, she swiftly reconstructed her body at that location.

Even so, despite the considerable distance remaining, she could still reach the area faster than anyone else.

‘Next…’

Chill the atmosphere.

It stretched out diagonally like a slope, and as Minette leaned into it, her entire body slid downwards toward the ground at a speed comparable to freefall.

Passing through countless forests that blurred into lines and planes, she eventually spotted some figures creating commotion below, their forms hazy but discernible.

‘That’s…’

Instinctively generating ice crystals over her pupils, she deftly adjusted the refraction of light to refine her field of vision and distance. Even from this great distance, visibility was no issue.

Based on this, she began to mentally decide how to intervene and respond.

Just then, the situation took a sudden turn for the worse.

‘…Even though we’re both inheritors of the Great Demon King’s legacy, the difference is staggering.’

At this point, despair would be less fitting than a sense of futility.

Not that she felt anger from past humiliations or inferiority or any competitive drive. Minette was largely indifferent to everything except herself.

‘…Still.’

Neglecting or ignoring what must be done isn’t an option.

Reflecting on how things escalated to this point reveals numerous inconsistencies, but pondering them now would be pointless.

The giant tree monster, presumably created by the Demon King, resembled the colossal entity she had seen once in Soremn Village.

Though smaller and in far worse condition than that one, it still exuded an overwhelming aura that forbade opposition from ordinary lifeforms.

Remira appeared to be forming some kind of wooden barrier, but it seemed insufficient.

‘About time…’

Minette increased her speed. Passing above the Demon King’s position mid-air,

‘As always…’

she instantly formed a massive wall of ice.

Creeeak!

Rather than rising from the ground, the ice coalesced in midair, expanding into a vast wall—a truly spectacular sight.

But it wasn’t enough. The lack of time meant the ice hadn’t fully solidified yet.

So she piggybacked on Remira’s wooden wall, using it as a base to expand its volume and scale further.

Crack!

The impact was surprisingly mild for such a collision. But this wasn’t the end.

The giant tree monster began rapidly freezing upon contact with the ice wall. Frost spread across its surface and seeped inward, freezing it entirely and halting its mobility.

The penetrating cold targeted its vital points and core, exerting immense pressure.

Creeeak! Crack!

Despite attempts to resist and break apart, the creature’s movements gradually slowed as fresh waves of frost battered it.

As if sensing the intent, rain began pouring from the sky, accelerating the freezing process.

‘Spirit spells?’

Remira must have used her own tactics here. In cases like this, spirit spells are far more effective than magic.

Lately, this combination had proven highly efficient against beings from the Demon Realm.

But most of those recent invaders weren’t in their right minds. And judging by appearances, this Demon King might be in a similar state.

‘Yeah. Definitely different from before.’

Perched atop the edge of the ice wall, Minette coldly observed the black-armored girl—or woman—struggling far away. Their previous encounter while tracking Carriel hadn’t been under ideal circumstances.

Attempting conversation had been disrupted when the girl suddenly attacked. Who could’ve predicted that mere wounds would render her immobile?

‘Pain…’

She prides herself on having endured every conceivable pain in life. It was that horrifying.

If Princess Ellie hadn’t alleviated their curses, she’d likely have perished miserably amidst the agony.

“….”

Such humiliation should only happen once.

Fiery crimson branches erupted from the Demon King’s armor and full body, firing sharp thorns in all directions.

Yet none of them harmed Minette, whose entire body was already covered in layers of thin but sturdy crystalline barriers.

Moreover, most projectiles aiming for Minette lost momentum due to the supercooled atmospheric conditions, barely managing to graze her as proof of their initial force.

“Minette! There’s no need to exhaust yourself trying to take it down! Just holding it off will leave it near death!”

“….”

Reinforcements will stabilize the situation further. Like how Remira held out here, and how Minette joined later to solidify the situation.

“….”

In that case…

If the other side thinks, they might attempt something. Even without thinking, instinctively they should feel this much.

…Or maybe.

This assault was its final struggle.

-….

Though still flailing, it continued staggering forward, albeit very slowly. It didn’t seem capable of much more.

Feint? Deception?

No room for complacency. That thing could reverse the situation with even the slightest opportunity—it was a monster named Demon King after all.

But.

How should this be interpreted?

“Hmph. You useless wench. We told you to act as bait, not get caught and eaten.”

When did she appear?

A small human girl approached the Demon King, cloaked in ominous darkness, sneering contemptuously.

“If you accepted the task, you should bear the consequences. Do you think the world bends to your whims just because some idiot writhes in pain? How many times do I have to explain this?”

Her words carried unexpected gravity and authority, almost noble if you ignored the content.

“That must be… backup from the other side?”

“….”

Before long, Remira gracefully ascended the ice wall beside Minette, witnessing the scene together.

“Hmm.”

Blood dripped from the corners of the girl’s eyes as she shook violently. Clearly, she wasn’t in a normal state either, yet…

Why does this girl radiate something comparable to the Demon King?

Even at this distance, her presence makes the hairs stand on end, alternating between scorching heat and icy chills coursing down the spine…

“Anyway… why misuse Uthpala like that?”

Suddenly turning her head, the young girl shot a mocking glance.

“It’s used like this.”

With a flick of her finger,

…a snowfield formed.

“―?!”

“Wha—?!”

How do you explain or accept the world turning stark white in the blink of an eye?

“No need for grandeur. No need for spectacle.”

As the girl curled her flicked finger, blood dripped from her eyes and nose,

“Ho, don’t breathe!”

Minette immediately warned.

“―?!”

Though Remira understood instantly,

“What good does understanding do? Realization came too late.”

Her body rapidly froze from within the instant it entered her nasal passages. But that wasn’t the end.

The frozen crystals shattered and destroyed themselves, cutting and tearing internally. And still, it wasn’t over.

The blood and bodily fluids inside, exposed to extreme cold, froze instantly. Frostbite occurred throughout the internal systems.

“!!”

Minette immediately restrained Remira, suppressing the chaotic frost spreading within her body and all its effects—all she could do was freeze and cool it down.

“Kuh—.”

Quickly rendering Remira unconscious. Losing consciousness in this situation was risky, but unavoidable given the circumstances.

After that brief moment, half of Remira’s internal system was wrecked by frostbite, injuries, and internal bleeding—an unbearable agony to endure consciously.

“Hmph!”

With another icy sneer, the girl now bleeding from her ears instructed the Demon King,

“You’ve been given rest. Handle the rest yourself.”

With that, the ominous shadow surrounding the girl dissipated.

“Cough!”

The girl coughed up more blood and collapsed limply.

“….”

The pristine white snowscape remained, but it posed no further threat. Yet…

Creeeak!

The tree monster, which had been stuck to the ice wall, inexplicably moved around unimpeded.

‘What…?’

Minette had reacted, and the effects lingered. Normally, she shouldn’t be affected like Remira.

This is… something different.

The sinister harmony that just ravaged the area—the transcendent power—had clearly impacted even Minette, despite the source disappearing.

‘Not good.’

Remira remains precarious. If Minette lets go, her life will deteriorate rapidly.

Minette herself struggles to endure. Meanwhile, the Demon King and the monster appear to be recovering.

…What happened? What did that guy do?

The ability and authority were clear, yet why such a glaring disparity in levels?

“….”

The situation reversed in the blink of an eye.

The tree monster sprawled helplessly on the ground,

Slowly regaining its footing while wriggling along the floor, leaving Minette powerless to act.

‘….’

The mounting frustration is suppressed. More accurately, frozen and cooled.

Normally, such feelings shouldn’t persist, but the sinister figure who just appeared evidently left some lingering influence on her emotions. Otherwise, why would Minette feel so unnerved?

Grrrrr…

The tree monster places its hand on the ice wall. And instead of destroying it, it chooses to climb directly over to Minette.

Or rather, it begins scaling the wall with claws sharp and thick like a monstrous bird’s talons, embedding each one into the barrier, causing it to waver precariously.

![%= Swiper %]

At that moment, the Demon King issued an order. Understanding it, the climbing monster abruptly changed direction, circling the ice wall instead.

‘Damn!’

Trying to expand the wall proved futile.

‘So that’s what pulling back meant?’

There’s no need to subdue Minette. Just incapacitate her momentarily—that was the plan.

Eventually, the tree monster split into parts resembling its monstrous form, reaching the World Tree’s surface and extending grotesque limbs—hardly claw-like anymore—like tentacles of a living mountain toward it.

…However.

BOOM!

It was blocked.

As if an invisible barrier existed, the tree monster’s sinister tentacles faltered in front of the World Tree, aimlessly floating in the air.

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