Viktor lightly held up the silver-white armor and carefully fastened the final section behind Gwen.
Gwen stood quietly in place and closed her eyes.
She felt Viktor securely place the steel helmet, shining with a silver-white glow, onto her head.
This cold and imposing silver-white armor was finally completely equipped on Gwen's body.
"Done."
Viktor stepped back a few paces and looked Gwen over from head to toe.
The silver-white figure reflected in his deep obsidian eyes like a shooting star falling from the sky.
A sharp steel protrusion rose from the chest armor, shaped like a ferocious evil hound. Its mouth was filled with sharp silver fangs, making it look extremely majestic.
The crystal-clear wrist guards reflected bright white light, while the silver patterns on the waist armor seemed like mysterious ripples slowly flowing across its surface.
Layer upon layer of ice crystal-like scales covered the greaves, with silver fur lightly decorating the joints.
The moment Gwen put on the silver helmet, light subtly flickered around the originally exposed jaw area.
A gentle wave of ice crystal-like magic brushed across her face, and the helmet locked perfectly into place.
The exposed face looked like a giant maw splitting open. A mysterious silver mask gradually climbed across Gwen's face, slowly covering her features.
Only her silver hair extended from the back of the helmet, like a silver waterfall.
Kefra looked at Gwen with a complicated expression.
She was Angus's eldest child and had lived through the years when Angus fought for the Empire.
Back then, Angus had worn this armor through countless battles.
Now, this armor had appeared on Gwen once again.
Although its size and shape had been adjusted to better fit her, a trace of nostalgia still flashed through Kefra's eyes.
Things remained, but people had changed.
Viktor observed Gwen carefully for a long time as he thought things through.
He could clearly see the Snow Mastiff Armor's attributes, as well as the two restrictions listed in its special status panel,
[Can only be equipped by the Knight class]
[Can only be equipped by the owner of the armor and their blood descendants]
These two restrictions meant that only Gwen could use this armor. Even Kefra could not wear it.
Because Kefra was not a knight. She was a demon hunter.
At this moment, the fully armored Gwen slowly opened her eyes.
A pale stream of light burst from them.
It was as if two rotating ice storms were hidden within her deep eyes, raging freely.
The moment Gwen opened her eyes, Kefra eagerly asked, "How does it feel?"
Gwen did not answer. She simply raised her hand and fixed her silver gaze on her palm.
A pale light slowly extended from the armor's palm.
After circling once through the air, it transformed into a pair of silver blades.
Then it tore a long crack through the room.
Instantly, countless weapons of different forms emerged from the crack and floated high in the air.
Longswords, battle axes, flails, spears...
Several pale weapons appeared in the sky and began circling around Gwen.
Viktor narrowed his eyes and watched them.
These weapons had all been hidden inside the Snow Mastiff Armor.
Only the wearer of the armor could take them out.
Although Angus was known as a weapon master, it was naturally impossible for him to pull out every weapon during battle.
So this Snow Mastiff Armor solved the problem of being unable to use multiple weapons.
And this armor made specifically for him had indeed granted him even greater combat power.
At that moment, Gwen reached out and grabbed a longsword floating in the air.
It was the weapon she was most skilled with.
The moment she gripped the hilt, heavy snow and wind slowly began falling from the sky and spreading across the land.
A pale wave rose from outside the mansion and covered the vast grounds of the Delin estate.
It was as though everything outside had been swallowed by the snow filling heaven and earth.
Kefra watched the sword in Gwen's hand bloom with bright pale light. Her eyes widened as she stood frozen in place.
Clearly, the power contained within this armor seemed far beyond her expectations.
Although it was already winter, it was not yet time for snow in the Empire.
And...
Kefra raised a hand.
Feeling snowflakes land in her palm, her mind was already becoming sluggish.
'This was indoors. How could it possibly snow indoors!?'
Clearly, the only explanation was the armor Gwen was wearing.
Just as Kefra was wondering about it, the thick mist around them suddenly dispersed.
The surroundings seemed to have changed.
Deep within her purple eyes was reflected an endless snowfield.
The sky was gloomy and deep. Darkness seemed to have swallowed all life, leaving only dim moonlight shining across the endless white snow.
Goose-feather snowflakes fell from above, forcing even the darkness to retreat.
Kefra stood quietly and looked around.
Deathly silence and coldness seemed like whispers carried through the snowstorm into her ears.
Her heart trembled. The chill was like a wild mastiff running through her spine and bones.
In the empty world, only Gwen stood alone amid the wind and snow.
Like a silver statue, she held a sword and looked up toward the sky.
At that moment, Viktor's cold and deep voice slowly sounded beside Kefra's ear,
"It seems even you didn't know your father's armor hid a secret like this."
The black trench coat appeared beside Kefra as Viktor calmly continued, "The Snow Mastiff Knight. This is Angus's domain and his secret territory alone."
"Only he knew about this place."
And if Angus ever brought someone here, it meant that person had already been sentenced to death by him.
No one had ever survived within this world of wind and snow ruled by Angus.
Because if Angus allowed someone to enter, he had already decided that person would never leave.
Which meant that when Viktor fought Angus back then, Angus had already intended to kill him.
Of course, he failed to defeat Viktor.
However, Viktor had been completely focused on defeating Angus at the time and had not noticed the hidden issue within this domain.
Perhaps deep within this domain lay secrets left behind by Angus, the previous owner of the Snow Mastiff Armor.
That was why Viktor had Gwen wear the armor and summon this snowy domain.
At this moment, Gwen lowered the sword in her hand.
She removed her helmet with both hands and tossed back her long hair. Her silver-white hair traced a long arc through the night sky, like a silver river amid falling snow.
Mysterious, noble, and elegant.
As Kefra looked at Gwen standing alone in the snowstorm, a strange feeling arose in her heart.
It felt as though this armor had been created specifically for Gwen.
Viktor slowly explained, "This armor carries the blessing of the ice element."
"After Angus's death, only Gwen is qualified to control it."
He turned to look at Kefra.
"How about sparring with Gwen?"
"You might not be able to beat her now."
The moment she heard that, Kefra became interested.
She turned and ran toward Gwen with a smile appearing on her face.
She seemed to be looking forward to a satisfying fight with Gwen.
"Gwen! Want to spar with your big sister?"
Viktor watched Kefra's purple figure run off. Her purple hair swayed through the air before being hidden by the wind and snow.
He quietly watched until he saw Kefra and Gwen standing together and chatting.
Only then did Viktor slowly speak, "Now no one will disturb us."
"Let's take a look at the deepest secret hidden here."
The moment those words fell, Veigar's single eye suddenly became deep and dark, as though it would swallow all light.
In the blink of an eye, Viktor and his bird seemed to be swallowed by black ink and disappeared into the snow.
The wind and snow around them grew even fiercer, as though signaling that the deeper parts of this land held even more violent blizzards.
A black shadow slithered through the snow like a serpent and silently rose from the ground.
Viktor and Veigar emerged from the darkness, their bodies covered with a thin layer of snow.
In front of them stood a wooden cabin emitting a warm firelight.
White smoke drifted from the chimney, and warmth lingered in the air.
In this endless world of ice and snow, the cabin felt especially cozy.
Like a faint yet warm candle in a long night.
This place was an area created from Angus's memories during his lifetime.
It was equivalent to a hidden fragment of his soul.
Viktor stood before the cabin door and narrowed his eyes at the clearly grained wooden door.
A panel completely out of place with its surroundings appeared before him.
[Administrator Permission Required]
Since this place was hidden within the Snow Mastiff Armor's domain, the administrator undoubtedly referred to the armor's owner.
Now, Gwen was the owner of the Snow Mastiff Armor, and Viktor had her complete trust.
Therefore...
A beam of light scanned Viktor's eyes.
With a click, the panel appeared before him once more.
[Administrator Permission Granted]
The wooden door seemed to unlatch and slowly opened inward.
Warm yellow light shone through the doorway and fell at Viktor's feet.
Viktor stepped through the light, pushed open the door, and entered the cabin.
The cabin was filled with a warm atmosphere. An eternal flame burned within the stone fireplace, casting a warm glow over the furniture.
Animal fur covered the wooden tables and chairs, and the blankets looked completely new, as though no one had ever used them.
Viktor looked around and felt the warmth surrounding him.
Then his attention was drawn to a white-covered notebook on the wooden table.
Just like a necessary element in every game.
An NPC's house would always contain special items that players could use to uncover story information.
Angus's memories had been stored deep within the armor's domain in this very way.
Viktor picked up the notebook and opened the first page.
A crisp texture came through his fingertips. The scent of ink entered his nose as the words appeared before his eyes.
Viktor narrowed his eyes and began reading, "Gwen..."
"You are the child the gods bestowed upon me."