Suddenly—
Just when the fiery dragon was about to swallow her whole—
As the searing blade of flame shaped like a dragon prepared to tear her fragile body apart—
"Ice Fortress!!"
A powerful voice rang out—clear, firm, and commanding.
Instantly, a massive wall of ice burst forth in front of Kyouno—crystal clear like glass, yet solid as eternity itself.
The flaming blade crashed into it.
BOOM! A resounding blast.
The fire dragon was completely absorbed—disappearing into a shimmering mist of steam and vapor in the cold air.
"Kyouno! Are you alright?!"
A trembling voice full of concern called out from behind.
A familiar voice.
Deep and warm.
And in an instant—it pulled the girl back from the edge of despair.
She turned around.
Her red eyes shook violently.
Her lips quivered.
"M-Mom… Mom…"
"Mana… Sister Mana… she's dead…"
Irina—
Her whole body froze at those broken words.
And when her eyes fell upon Mana's lifeless body—
Held tightly in her daughter's arms…
A pale, colorless face… hair matted with melting snow…
Irina's pupils contracted sharply.
Her heart felt like it was torn into a thousand pieces.
One second...
Then two...
All the emotions burst forth.
Irina stood, trembling with fury—
Her gaze lit with a blaze that could scorch the heavens.
She glared at Julius—
Still standing there, as if watching a bloody tragedy unfold for fun.
"Tsk tsk, so even the kingdom's elite soldiers could only distract you for that long, huh? What a bunch of useless fools.
But then again, when you think about it, this scene is actually quite touching…"
"The strong mother swoops in to save her precious child."
"In that case… why don't I send you all to the underworld together, so you can finish your tearful little family reunion there?"
His voice was icy, mocking, and dripping with cruelty.
Irina clenched her fists, her eyes shaking with rage.
But when she heard those words, she instinctively looked down—
At her trembling daughter, whose eyes were clouded with grief…
A thought flickered—
And it clenched her heart tighter than before.
A pain so deep it crushed her chest.
But she would not be swallowed by it again.
Irina bit her lip hard—
And let the sorrow burn away, forging it into pure, unwavering resolve.
"Kyouno… my dear… listen to me—listen very carefully…"
Irina's voice trembled, choking in her throat.
Every word shook as if her heart itself refused to let them be spoken.
Kyouno, sensing something strange in her mother's voice—
That heavy sorrow hidden in every syllable—
She slowly looked up, and saw it.
Her mother's eyes—
Filled with unbearable pain.
Eyes that hesitated, reluctant to let go.
But behind that sadness… was unshakable resolve.
"…Now, my love… you must…"
Irina paused, drawing in a deep breath to hold back the anguish boiling inside.
"You must leave this place.
Run. Run as far as you can.
And whatever happens—
Never look back."
A single sentence—
Like a lightning bolt through a freezing storm.
A farewell no one was ready to say.
A parting that came far too soon.
"No…"
Kyouno's voice cracked, her whole body shaking.
"No… Mom… what are you saying? You can't! Mana… she's already gone…
Now I only have you left… you can't leave me too… Mom, I…"
She cried out, clinging to the last sliver of hope.
But Irina… gently shook her head.
"That's exactly why…"
Her voice broke.
"Because I only have you left…
I can't lose you too."
Tears began to fall.
Quietly. Slowly. Endlessly.
As if her heart was melting apart from within.
She leaned down, cupped her daughter's tear-streaked face in both hands, and whispered softly:
"So please… my sweet girl,
All these years, you've always been stubborn and brave.
But just this once… I beg you—
Listen to your mother."
She smiled—
A broken smile through flowing tears, and continued:
"Leave this cold, cruel place.
Go far away… and live a life full of warmth.
Live freely, live fully…"
Irina looked straight into her daughter's tear-filled eyes.
In her gaze burned the final light—
The light of a mother about to send her child away from hell itself.
"And wherever you go… whatever you do…
Please remember—
Your mother and your sister… will always love you.
Forever, Kyouno…"
The moment the words left her lips—
Kyouno suddenly felt a pair of gentle hands lifting her body.
She froze.
The cold air, sharp and bitter, condensed into arms that were both soft and unyielding.
She struggled—panicked—
But those hands were firm, steady, filled with a mother's unshakable resolve.
"MOM! No… please don't!
Don't do this!
Don't stay here…
Don't face him alone…
I'm begging you…"
Her desperate cries, broken and sobbing, stabbed deep into her mother's heart like knives.
But Irina…
Only smiled.
A soft, gentle smile—though her eyes shimmered with tears.
"I'm sorry…
Forgive me, my sweet girl…
But I have to do this… to protect you.
Because you're all I have left in this world…"
She leaned down, and placed a tender kiss on Kyouno's forehead.
Her voice shook, barely a whisper in the wind:
"Live well… my precious daughter…
And please… forgive me…"
Then—
Before the little girl's eyes, wide and brimming with despair, Irina softly murmured:
"Ice Passage."
In an instant—
The hands cradling Kyouno transformed into icy arms—clear as crystal.
They tightened around her trembling body—
And shot off.
Like a comet through the night sky,
With blinding speed, beyond control,
They whisked her away—
Far from the battlefield.
Far from her mother's arms…
All that remained after—
Was a heavy silence, thick with sorrow, choking in its grief.
A farewell without a single word. A moment frozen in eternity, as if her heart had been torn in two.
To her… it felt like the last time she would ever see her daughter again.
Irina froze, her gaze drifting into emptiness.
The pain washed over her like a tidal wave, threatening to drown her mind.
But then—she clenched her teeth, forcing down the surge of emotion.
A second later, her eyes turned to ice.
Cold. Unyielding. Sharp as a blade.
She turned around—
And stared straight at the knight emerging from the dissolving snow.
The one who had shattered the fragile peace she and her children had struggled so long to protect.
That life… now reduced to ash.
"Sir Julius!!"
The shout rang out in unison—like thunder breaking across the gray winter sky.
Behind him stood tens of thousands of soldiers in armor, their overwhelming presence advancing like a living wall.
They were the ones—
The ones who had held her back.
The reason she hadn't made it in time…
Hadn't been there to protect her precious daughter.
Irina's hand clenched so tightly, her knuckles turned white.
And now, in her eyes—
Only the flames of hatred remained, burning so fiercely they seemed ready to consume the world.
In contrast, Julius wore a calm, insufferable expression.
He waved a hand, signaling his soldiers to retreat. Then he stepped forward, slow and deliberate.
With every step he took upon the snowy ground, waves of searing heat surged from him—
A pressure so immense, it felt as if a volcano had awakened.
Within an instant, the ice and snow in all directions… evaporated into nothingness.
"What a touching farewell," Julius sneered. "But you know as well as I do…
Even if you had stopped me here, the girl's fate wouldn't have changed."
"You know the truth about that girl's power, don't you?"
"A multi-element mage—a mutation that was thought to exist only in ancient legends.."
"Right now, the kingdom is facing a raging storm—an unprecedented threat.
That is why the Emperor needs sources of absolute power to weather this turmoil.
At first, we came here for you—for the power that once struck fear into the entire continent.
But now, things have changed. You're no longer necessary.
Because… there's that girl.
A multi-elemental magic core—an absolute weapon
It will bring the kingdom the absolute power the Emperor seeks."
"With a elemental core like that...
The Emperor will never turn a blind eye."
A hunting order will be issued across the entire kingdom."
"Your daughter... will be hunted like a beast,
her life worse than death."
"Death, for her... is no longer something she can escape."
"That's why… the best option, right now—"
"SHUT UP!!"
Irina's furious roar split the sky like thunder.
Unfazed by the blazing heat radiating from her enemy, she stepped forward—eyes as sharp as drawn steel.
In that moment—
The space around her shattered like glass under divine force.
Two auras erupted from her body: one blue, one black.
They spiraled around each other, intertwining—
And then exploded outward, flooding the battlefield.
The pressure was immense. Overwhelming.
Not inferior to Julius—
In fact… even greater.
The soldiers behind Julius buckled under the weight.
Some dropped to their knees, trembling.
Others, weaker still, froze completely, paralyzed by fear.
Irina gritted her teeth. Her voice rang out, cold and final—like a death knell:
"Hold you back, you say? Is that what you think, Fire Dragon Knight Julius?"
"Then let me make it clear—
To you, and to your dog of an Emperor."
Her eyes gleamed, brimming with killing intent:
"I will slaughter them all.
I will destroy every last one who dares lay a hand on my beloved daughter!"
...