"Hey, Rei. How are things going with Akito Kurosawa?" Ren asked, eyes still fixed on the road. He was behind the wheel, soft evening light pouring in through the windows of the car.
"Everything's fine," Rei replied calmly, brushing her hair aside. "But honestly, we've barely spoken. Not before, not now. It's hard to say we've had more than a couple of conversations."
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Akito stood between Targus and Kenshi.
"I'll crush you into paste," Targus growled, clenching his fist so hard the air around it seemed to vibrate.
"Pretty boys shouldn't be fighting," Kenshi smirked, raising a brow.
"Stop!" Akito cut in sharply. "Targus, you're next to reach S-Rank. Ready?"
"Hah! I've been waiting for this, Jarl. Let's go!"
In an instant, they were teleported back to the familiar icy fortress — the same one where they had once fought the Prince of Frost. But this time, everything was different.
The hall was blue and white, woven from snow and shimmering light. In the center stood a frozen throne, coated in frost. Upon it sat a skeleton, crowned in ice and ancient magic.
"I am the ruler of these lands," came a low, hoarse voice, like the whisper of a blizzard.
A notification appeared before Akito's eyes:
[Defeat: Harzum — Lord of Ice] [Rank: A]
"He's definitely stronger than Hatari," Akito thought.
"Time to warm up," Targus muttered and activated:
[Jotun Blood]
His body was engulfed in a blue aura of rage, and with a roar, he charged in. A mighty swing of his axe—impact!—but the blade struck a wall of ice, which countered by launching spikes. Targus didn't flinch — he shattered them barehanded.
Then came:
[Thunder Anchor]
His axe slammed into the floor, sending a wave that knocked Harzum back — only to yank him straight toward Targus again. Another blow sent the Frost Lord crashing into a frozen wall. But Harzum rose again… an icy spear forming in his hand.
A precise throw —
But [Brunhild's Shield] appeared, blocking the deadly spear with a heavy thud.
Suddenly, Harzum split into five clones. Three charged at Targus, two at Akito.
"I got this. Jarl's just watching," Targus growled, shielding Akito behind him.
He rushed forward again, like a tank in overdrive. His heavy steps thundered across the ice, yet his movements remained agile and sharp. Swing — strike — one clone blocked with its spear, another slashed his leg, drawing blood.
But Targus only got wilder.
[Thunder Anchor] — activated again.
The three clones were pulled back — and with a massive swing, he cleaved them in half. They burst into ice dust.
Meanwhile, the real Harzum approached Akito. His spear sliced through the air — but Akito blocked it with his forearm and spun into a counterpunch, smashing a fist into Harzum's face. The Frost Lord staggered back. A crack formed across his crown.
"I'm above all of them… Never thought the 'Eye of Truth' was this broken," Akito thought, smirking.
One of Harzum's clones came at him with a flurry of vertical strikes, but Akito moved like he saw everything before it happened. He dodged with effortless grace, dancing through the blizzard of blades — until the clone retreated and melted back into the others.
Then, Harzum activated his true power.
A suffocating pressure filled the air. The walls of the fortress began to frost over. Icicles rained from the ceiling. In mere seconds, the ground was coated in a thick layer of ice. Silence fell over the hall — as if death itself had walked in.
"What the—" Targus muttered, but didn't finish.
Explosion.
From the center of the throne room burst a wave of ice — massive, alive, and merciless. It hit everything.
The clones froze instantly. Targus tried to raise his shield, but the ice was faster. Even with Jotun Blood, his body turned into a frozen statue.
Akito tried to leap forward, but the frost caught his legs, numbing his movements.
Everything… froze.
Except for one.
Only one of the "frozen" clones began to move — the real Harzum.
His icy cloak fell from his shoulders, eyes glowing with cold blue fire.
He stepped toward Akito, who was immobilized.
"This is the end," he hissed.
But in the very next moment, everything changed.
Time itself seemed to stop.
Akito appeared behind Harzum — Chaos Blades gleaming in his hands.
First strike. Crack.
Second — and Harzum's body began to shatter, fragmenting like a sculpture made of enchanted ice.
[You defeated: Harzum — Lord of Ice]
[Guardian Rank Up: A → S]
[Guardian Level: 200 → 250]
[Skills Enhanced: Brunhild's Shield (Lv.3 → Lv.4), Thunder Anchor (Lv.3 → Lv.4), Jotun Blood (Lv.3 → Lv.4)]
[User Level: 303 → 304]
[Reward: 2,500 enni | Bonus Points: 5]
In a flash, everything vanished.
Akito was back in his apartment.
He quietly sat down, still buzzing from the pressure.
"Good thing I activated the Will of the Sole One," he thought, breathing steadily.
A system window opened before his eyes.
[Reach S-Rank with all Guardians to unlock a Special Trial for one of them.]
He closed his eyes, sensing that something even greater was drawing near.
[Noxveil]
Hey there, reader!
If you've made it this far, thank you so much. I'm writing this story in Russian and translating it into English — so I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Even one small comment gives me huge motivation 💬💙
Let me know who your favorite character is so far!