She could feel her connection to those ice blades being forcibly severed by an overwhelming, higher-dimensional power!
How... how was this possible?!
Her ice was a blessing bestowed by the spirits of nature—sacred power! How could it be suppressed by another form of "ice"?
"Your ice slows down molecular motion in matter. My ice stops time itself." Cloud spoke like a patient teacher delivering a lecture. "At the fundamental level, I'm operating on a higher dimension than you. Little sis-in-law, you need to get acquainted with the Holy Sword of Physics."
With that, he lightly flicked his finger at the "frozen" forest of ice blades.
Crash—
The entire frozen forest shattered like glass artwork struck by a hammer, exploding into glittering ice-crystal powder that drifted through the air.
Under the sunlight, these tiny crystals refracted seven colors of light, blanketing the entire village in a dreamlike, luminous rain of indescribable beauty.
The villagers stared in awe, gasps of wonder rising from all around.
Only Rimururu stood frozen in place, her face pale, her lips trembling slightly.
She had lost.
Completely, utterly, without question.
Her opponent hadn't even taken a single step, yet he'd toyed with her proud ice powers as if they were nothing.
It was like a child still playing with mud encountering a Gundam pilot. Their "combat power" wasn't even in the same dimension.
Frustration, helplessness, and fury at her inability to protect her sister surged up all at once. The girl's eyes reddened, and two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks unbidden.
"Uwaaaah—"
The next second, the Ice Priestess—future powerhouse Rimururu—lost all dignity, plopping down on the snowy ground and bursting into loud, uncontrollable sobs.
Her crying was utterly heartbroken, utterly aggrieved.
Nakoruru watched with a mixture of heartache and amusement, shooting Cloud a fierce glare that clearly said: Look what you did! You made my little sister cry!
Cloud rubbed his nose, feeling utterly innocent.
I swear on heaven and earth, I didn't hit her! She attacked me, discovered she couldn't win, and then just... started crying. Is this a case of "skill issue equals original sin"?
He walked over to the tear-streaked Rimururu, crouched down, and produced a strawberry-flavored lollipop from his system space like magic.
"Don't cry anymore, little sis-in-law." He offered the lollipop with what he considered his most gentle smile. "Here—brother-in-law's treat."
Rimururu lifted her teary eyes to look at the crystalline, sweet-smelling "strange object" before her, then at Cloud's "hateful" smiling face—and cried even harder.
"Wuuuu... you're bullying me... you big meanie! Wuuu..."
Cloud: "..."
Apparently, managing a tsundere, overprotective little sister-in-law was harder than fighting a god-tier battle.
He sighed, looking at the pile of "child-soothing artifacts" in his arms—chocolate, plush toys, the latest gaming console...
It seemed his path to earning the title "brother-in-law" would be long and arduous.
Rimururu's wailing echoed over the Divine Village, breaking the hearts of all who heard it.
Her pitiful, aggrieved expression even made passing sled dogs pause to look, as if saying: Girl, what possessed you to pick a fight with this cheating overlord?
In the end, it was Nakoruru, feeling sorry for her sister, who stepped forward to help Rimururu up from the snow while softly consoling her—and shooting Cloud several more pointed glares.
Those glares translated roughly to: We'll settle this when we get home! Tonight you're sleeping on the floor!
Cloud rubbed his nose, feeling more wronged than anyone.
He'd merely exercised reasonable self-defense while delivering a small lesson in "dimensional crushing." How was he supposed to know this little sister-in-law's psychological defenses were so fragile they'd shatter at the first touch?
"Sister, he... he's definitely a demon! Don't be with him!" Rimururu, still sniffling, hid behind Nakoruru, only one tearstained blue eye peeking out, fixed warily on Cloud.
"He's not a demon, Rimu." Nakoruru sighed, patiently explaining. "Though Cloud's power may seem frightening, he has never used it to harm the innocent. On the contrary, he has always used that power to protect us."
"But... but there's evil energy coming from him!" Rimururu still wouldn't back down. This was the point she cared most about.
"About that..." Cloud decided it was time to employ his real skills and update this little sister-in-law's worldview.
He cleared his throat and beckoned to Rimururu with a finger. "Little sis-in-law, looks like words alone won't convince you. How about this—let's have another match. This time, I'll make you completely accept it. If I lose, I'll leave the Divine Village immediately without another word. But if I win, from now on you have to call me 'brother-in-law' like a good girl. Deal?"
"Who wants to make a bet with you! Who's calling you brother-in-law!" Rimururu's face flushed red with anger and embarrassment.
But remembering the humiliation of having her ice "finger-snapped" into oblivion moments ago, a competitive fire ignited within her.
"Fine! Deal!" The young girl ground her teeth and stepped out from behind her sister. "I won't hold back this time! I'll use the Divine Village's guardian power to completely purify the evil inside you!"
"Bring it on, bring it on. I professionally handle all purification, exorcism, and consecration services." Cloud waved his hand with a grin, wearing an expression of "come at me—if I so much as frown, I lose."
Nakoruru watched from the side, opening her mouth but ultimately choosing not to intervene.
She understood her sister. Though Rimururu was innocent by nature, she was stubbornly tenacious at her core.
If she wasn't allowed to personally experience Cloud's power and harmlessness, she would never let this go. Besides, Nakoruru trusted that Cloud would know exactly how far to go.
"Here I come!"
Rimururu had learned her lesson this time. Instead of launching a wide-area AOE attack, she concentrated all her power.
"Divine Command—Crystal Ice Mirrors!"
Her sacred jewel "Shikuru" blazed with radiant light as enormous, crystalline ice mirrors materialized around Cloud from all directions, completely encircling him.
Each mirror emanated bone-chilling cold and could reflect Rimururu's image, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.
"Oh? Solid clones plus ranged attacks? Interesting. This is basically Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. Good thing I've watched so many years of Naruto." Cloud scanned his surroundings with keen interest.
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