"But, Commander, you shouldn't engage in combat!" Carl groaned, desperately fracturing his way out of his own holy barrier. The dome had been frozen solid into a thick, frost-laden igloo. He collapsed against the icy masonry, holding the ancient book and the tightly rolled scroll with a white-knuckled grip.
Hevana eyed him coldly over her shoulder. She was a vision of severe, unyielding authority. Her gleaming, segmented silver plate armor was completely unblemished, a long dark cape flowing behind her, and her striking, cold winter-blue eyes were completely focused. The glowing broadblade resting against her hip was considerably, terrifyingly larger than any standard paladin sword, pulsing with a dense, suffocating radiant energy.
Half of Carl's body was covered in thick sheets of black ice, and his holy life force was actively depleting at an incredible, alarming speed.
"You are my subordinate," Hevana muttered coldly, her voice a flat, razor-sharp edge that easily cut through the howling wind. "When my people fall, I must rise to fight. Seeing as these native women were handing your ass to you before I even arrived... you truly think you would be able to successfully handle them now?"
Carl gritted his teeth in a mixture of pain and blinding anger. "What about Antrea?" he hissed, his bloody face tightening. "You didn't..."
"Like you said, I am not supposed to engage in direct combat unless it is absolutely necessary. It is the only reason I left her for my lower-ranking men to deal with," Hevana continued seamlessly. "I originally came to this world specifically to give you a severe scolding regarding your reckless conduct... but seeing your currently battered state, I will refrain."
Her piercing blue eyes drifted away from the tome Carl was clutching. Her gaze teased across the snowy, frost-covered courtyard, tracking the fresh prints in the white blanket before finally locking onto Haki, who stood calmly a few paces before her. Hevana took a measured step forward, her heavy, armored silver boots digging deep into the fresh snow with each stripe.
Opposite her, Haki balanced her slender frame, matching her movements step-for-step in the freezing courtyard.
"As per my custom, or rather, my personal beliefs... I prefer giving a capable opponent a fair chance," Hevana began, the wind catching her spun-gold hair.
"Commander, noooo!!!" Carl roared. He desperately tried to force his frozen limbs to stand, but his failing body completely gave out, sending him sliding back against the icy wall.
The commander ignored him entirely.
"I am a paladin of Utopia, one of the five Holy Saintesses," she announced, her tone dripping with a quiet, dangerous grandeur. "Usually, I am strictly forbidden from partaking in any mortal warfare. But if a chaotic situation absolutely forces my hand, it should be in something as honorable as a strict, localized duel—not a mindless, messy brawl. Though I can no longer guarantee the safety of the criminal Antrea... if you manage to best me in a formal duel today, I will immediately withdraw my vanguard and leave this kingdom completely in peace."
The freezing gale blew hard against her golden hair, but her resolute blue eyes didn't waver in the slightest. She slowly lifted a flawless, armored silver hand toward Haki.
"If you are the chosen warrior made to fight me, I would highly urge you to accept. I don't particularly like being out in the cold for too long," she continued calmly.
"Hevana!!!" Carl yelled, his voice cracking with a mad, desperate fury. "You can't do this to me!!! We must kill her right now!"
Haki's blindfolded gaze lingered on the golden-haired saintess for a long, quiet moment. Then, she tilted her head slightly toward Carl's pathetic form. "I would truly like to trust your sacred code and all, Saintess... but wouldn't he just do something incredibly rash and underhanded despite the final outcome of our battle?"
"Ignore him," Hevana said coldly, her unwavering eyes completely locked onto Haki. "He is entirely blinded by vengeance. Then again, he is currently too weak to do anything on his own even if he desperately wants to." She shifted her footing slightly. "Do you accept, or do you reject my proposal?"
"Yeah... that's right."
A calm, chillingly beautiful voice drifted out from the edge of the courtyard.
The wind suddenly roared with renewed violence, whipping thick sheets of blinding white ice all around the ruined palace. Ever since Areia's catastrophic abyssal spear had struck the earth, the morning sun hadn't been able to breach the unnatural, dense clouds to claim hold of the world once more.
Areia stepped slowly from the dark shadows of the frozen forest canopy. The sub-zero gale whipped her long, shimmering white hair wildly around her face. She looked breathtakingly lethal, clad in form-fitting black leather that clung perfectly to her slender frame, guarded by sleek, riveted silver plating on her chest and shoulders. The armor on her forearms and shins caught the dim twilight, ending in high-heeled black leather boots, while a short white tattered cape trailed behind her.
Her deep purple gaze seemed to glow with a faint, predatory light under the dark aura of the storm.
Carl's pupils violently dilated, his eyes widening in pure, unadulterated fear the exact moment he recognized her face.
Areia calmly walked straight past his trembling form, completely unbothered by his presence as she closed the distance toward Hevana and Haki. Her high-heeled armored boots left deep, perfect prints in the freshly packed snow.
"She won't be fighting you," Areia continued smoothly, her hand resting with casual elegance on the small blade at her hip. Her hollow purple eyes locked onto the Holy Saintess. "I will."
"By the gods," Haki muttered, her head tilting slightly as her acute senses picked up the undeniable resonance in the air. "Is it really you?"
Areia brushed a slender, gloved hand against her face, a rare, faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "To think you'd actually forget me over the course of just a few years," she murmured, shifting her weight with effortless grace. "Then again... I suppose I can't really judge a blind person." She shrugged her shoulders casually.
"You know her?" Veronica asked from behind them, her voice trembling violently from the lingering sub-zero chill.
"She's..." Haki began, but Areia smoothly raised a single hand, signaling the beastkin warrior to stop mid-sentence.
Areia walked right past the Holy Saintess and Haki, stepping closer to where the small Queen huddled. She stood directly before the monarch, her deep purple gaze looking cold as hell.
"Wait, Areia... that's the Queen," Haki muttered under her breath, her posture tensing slightly.
"I know," Areia said slowly. "We were taught all about her back in Amag."
Without warning, the silver-haired lethal beauty placed a gloved hand firmly over her chest and executed a deep, flawlessly respectful bow toward Veronica. The moment her aura shifted, a sharp CRACK echoed through the courtyard—the stubborn ice gripping the Queen's hair and clothes completely shattered into harmless glittering dust.
"I am Areia, the Vanguard Knight of Dan Shula," she announced firmly, her voice carrying a heavy, unyielding pride as she straighted up. "Haki here once saved my life from the secret lair of my creators." She closed her purple eyes for a brief moment, the memory passing through her mind.
"Well... I wouldn't exactly call what I did 'saving' you," Haki laughed softly, a rare warmth breaking through her guarded demeanor. "We mostly just fought each other for a long time. Back when you were barely ten years old. Back then, I don't even think you had a proper name." Her blindfolded face turned fully toward the white-haired girl. "You've grown immensely. I could never mistake that chaotic, sharp aura you give off. Damn... you might have actually surpassed me by now."
Veronica finally got up, rubbing her sore shoulder and twisting her arm to ensure the joints were still fully functional. She stepped forward and, despite Areia's imposing, dangerous presence, casually reached up and patted the legendary knight on the head.
"I've heard quite a lot about you, Areia," Veronica smiled, her silver canine tail giving a faint twitch. "A certain messy-haired boy just wouldn't shut up about you every chance he got."
"About me?" Areia asked, her stoic expression cracking into genuine confusion.
Veronica looked past Areia's shoulder, only to see Haki behind her making frantic, wild hand gestures, desperately signaling the Queen to change the topic immediately before things got awkward.
"Are you the one entirely responsible for this absurd spell?" Veronica asked, smoothly pivoting the conversation.
"Yes. But given the immense distance I threw it from, I didn't think the impact would actually be this severe," Areia said, standing up perfectly straight and looking around at the frozen kingdom. "I am not well-versed in complex magic, you see. I may have accidentally channeled significantly more mana into the spear than I originally intended."
A sharp, deliberate cough suddenly cut through the howling wind.
Everyone in the courtyard violently turned their heads toward Commander Hevana. The Holy Saintess still stood with her armored hand raised, trying to maintain her severe, regal posture. But it wasn't her stance that caught the group's attention; it was the slight, microscopic movements shaking her frame. To a normal human, it would have gone completely unnoticed, but to the elite warriors standing in the yard, it was clear as day.
The proud commander was shivering.
"If you guys could please hurry up your little reunion," Hevana muttered through slightly gritted teeth, her winter-blue eyes glaring at them, "I would highly appreciate it. I'd like to get the hell out of this snow some time today if you don't mind."
The commander is... actually shivering? Carl thought, his mind completely reeling as he stared at his superior from the snowy ground.
"Oh, right," Areia said coolly.
She turned her body to face the Saintess fully. With measured, deliberate steps, her high-heeled armored boots dug into the thick snow as she walked right past Haki. She closed the distance until she was standing directly in front of the golden-haired paladin, extending a slender, gloved hand and firmly taking Hevana's.
"I accept your request for a duel."
Hevana stared back at Areia, her winter-blue eyes locking onto the knight's deep purple gaze in a silent, suffocating clash of wills. Neither backed down.
"Well... let us find a suitable place for the battle," Hevana finally spoke, her severe voice wavering just a fraction from the frost. "We can't exactly do it in a place full of people now, can we?"
"I agree," Areia shrugged, letting go of the commander's hand. "The ravine below, where Thranduil is currently taking care of Antrea, is a bit warmer than up here on the summit. I think a little distance from that spot should be cool—and it's quite far from the kingdom."
Suddenly, Areia sneezed, rubbing her nose as she looked up at the darkened, overcast sky. "Damn it. I absolutely hate the cold." She adjusted the blade on her hip and looked back at the Saintess. "Also... aren't you the least bit worried about your frozen knights down there?"
"They are divine beings. They don't simply die from being frozen," Hevana said hurriedly, her composure slipping by the second. "Now, let us go."
Hevana muttered the words sharply, no longer able to hide the violent shivering racking her armored frame. Turning her back on the courtyard, the proud commander began to walk away. Areia followed close behind, her movements fluid and effortless. Slowly, both girls departed into the shadows of the frozen forest, disappearing completely out of sight.