A blast of cold air, so frigid it felt as if my fingers might freeze solid, descended between us and the Second Princess.
Though the chill ca from the Second Princess’s powers, my body instinctively reacted to the palpable tension in the air. Every nerve in my body seed to shudder, making feel the weight of the mont more than I ever expected.
It wasn’t just us who felt it. The Second Princess didn’t imdiately attack but stood, watching us silently, her gaze cold and calculating.
I cast a glance at Gaia, bound by the ice.
Her complexion seed to be returning to normal, so it appeared the situation wasn’t as dire as it had seed.
Why was I even worried? It was because of her that everything had gotten this way. Once everything was over, I’d be asking Oko to handle the damages for what we’d endured.
Shaking off the stray thoughts, I refocused.
The power of the Fourth Exalted was strong enough to forcibly strip away divine power.
The ability to use elental affinities to overco any foe.
The endurance to freeze this world solid.
It was intimidating, to say the least.
It wasn’t the prospect of my death that scared ; it was the aftershock of failing. The thought of it made my hands tremble, and the will to fight seed to slip from my grasp.
This was probably the first ti I had truly provoked the Second Princess like this.
Just look at her face.
Even with her already cold expression, she was proving that a person’s face could beco even colder.
Despite the surprise attack, even Gaia, who had experienced fear in the face of death, had felt a mont of panic under her power.
But —an ordinary human—what chance did I have against her?
I began slowly going over my options.
The sword forged by Shimtol.
It was sturdy, resilient.
It was comparable to a weapon made from fragnts of a divine being. It would deal damage even to a divine entity like her, no doubt.
But it wouldn’t matter if I couldn’t land a hit.
Zumya’s dragon molecules.
I briefly considered whether they could be a counter to the Second Princess. After all, the fireballs could deal with her, but considering the nature of her abilities, it didn’t seem feasible.
Her powers weren’t just about generating ice. They were about draining warmth—life itself.
Could I rely on Oko’s help?
If the Second Princess had been a full divine being, I might have been able to expect it.
But she was half-human, half-divine.
I couldn’t risk using Oko’s strength while ignoring half of the Second Princess’s nature. The consequences could ripple throughout the entire universe.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized my pupils were twitching with fear.
Had I really beco this unprepared?
I had thought I was well-prepared.
No—I had underestimated her.
I had never imagined she would have the power to crush even Gaia.
The Second Princess moved.
She simply raised her arm, but the sheer weight of the action sent a surge of adrenaline through every part of my body.
Was that my brain telling to prepare to run or my instincts as a knight urging to fight with honor? I wasn’t sure.
“Iphomia!”
Suddenly, the Princess stepped forward and called out loudly.
Iphomia.
Was that the Second Princess’s na?
In this mont, I couldn’t help but admire the Princess’s resolve. She was determined to speak her mind. But when I looked at her face, I realized sothing wasn’t right.
The corners of her eyes, the corners of her lips—
They were trembling.
She was afraid too.
Not the fear of her life being threatened like mine, but the fear of confronting her own trauma.
“…Don’t call that.”
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. But there’s sothing I have to say to you! Please, just hear out, Iphomia!”
“Don’t call that na!!!”
The Princess’s words seed to trigger sothing in Iphomia. With a scream, she hurled ice in all directions, sending shards flying at breakneck speed.
By the ti I realized they were coming, they were already inches from my face.
I twisted my body at the last second.
Thanks to the protective gear the Princess had provided, I avoided injury.
But the Princess wasn’t as quick as I was.
“Aah!”
The Princess’s powers, tied to her life force, could heal and restore vitality.
So she wouldn’t die from this attack.
But she had already pushed herself to her limits protecting us.
Even if she didn’t die, she wouldn’t be in good shape.
“Princess!”
“What’s all this nonsense now?”
As I turned to check on the Princess’s condition, I heard Iphomia’s growl behind and quickly shifted my focus back to her.
Her expression had contorted into sothing hideously bitter.
“Sothing you want to say? Then why didn’t you say it earlier? All this ti, you’ve ignored , hoarded your love, and now that you’ve finished, you think you can relax and call by the na you decided on for ?”
Iphomia took a step forward, drawing the sword from her back and assuming a defensive stance.
A wave of ice-cold air, so sharp it felt like it could freeze my fingers solid, settled between us and the Second Princess.
Though the cold ca from her powers, it was also the palpable tension of the mont that made every muscle in my body seize with the chill.
It wasn’t just us feeling it; the Second Princess didn’t imdiately attack but stood silently, coldly watching us.
I glanced sideways at Gaia, bound by the ice.
Her face seed to be returning to normal, so it seed there wasn’t much damage after all.
Why was I even worried? This was all her fault. Once it’s all over, I’d ask Oko for compensation for all the damage we’d endured.
I pushed aside those thoughts and refocused.
The Second Princess had enough power to forcibly strip away even the powers of the Four Exalted.
Her ability could overco any divine being by exploiting elental affinities.
Her endurance was enough to freeze the world solid.
It was intimidating, to say the least.
It wasn’t fear of dying that gripped , but the thought of the aftermath of failure. The idea of failing made my hands tremble, and my resolve started to wane.
This was probably the first ti I had truly provoked the Second Princess like this.
Look at her face.
Even with her cold expression, she was proving that a person’s face could get even colder.
Even Gaia, who had felt fear for her life before, had experienced a mont of terror from her.
But , a re human—could I possibly win against her?
I slowly reviewed my options.
The sword Shimtol forged for .
It was strong, resilient.
It was comparable to a weapon made from fragnts of a divine being, so it would surely deal damage to her, no matter how strong she was.
But that only mattered if I could land a blow.
Zumya’s dragon molecules.
Could they counter the Second Princess? I considered it, but the chanics of her powers made that plan fall apart.
Her powers didn’t just create ice; they drained warmth, the very essence of life itself.
Could I rely on Oko’s help?
Maybe if the Second Princess were a full divine being, I could count on her.
But she was half-human, half-divine.
If I used Oko’s power while ignoring her divine nature, the consequences could be catastrophic.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized my pupils were twitching in fear.
Was I really this unprepared?
I had thought I was ready.
No—I had underestimated her.
I never imagined she would be powerful enough to crush Gaia.
The Second Princess made her move.
She simply raised her arm, and I felt adrenaline coursing through my entire body, a surge of instinct that told to either run or fight.
Was that my brain telling to flee, or my knight’s instinct telling to stand and fight? I couldn’t tell.
“Iphomia!”
Suddenly, the Princess stepped forward and shouted.
Iphomia.
Was that her na?
I admired the Princess’s resolve for speaking up, but when I looked at her face, I realized sothing wasn’t right.
The corners of her eyes, the corners of her lips—
They were trembling.
She was afraid too.
But not the fear of death—more like the fear of facing her own trauma.
“…Don’t call that.”
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. But there’s sothing I need to tell you! Please, just listen, Iphomia!”
“Don’t call that na!!!”
Iphomia’s words seed to set sothing off in her. With a scream, she hurled ice in all directions, the shards coming at us faster than we could react.
By the ti I recognized the attack, the ice was already almost upon us.
I twisted my body just in ti.
Thanks to the protective gear the Princess had given , I was unhard.
But the Princess wasn’t as fast as I was.
“Aah!”
The Princess’s powers, tied to her life force, could heal and restore vitality.
So she wouldn’t die from this attack.
But she had already pushed herself too far in protecting us.
Even if she didn’t die, she wouldn’t be in good condition.
“Princess!”
“What are you talking about now?”
I turned to check on the Princess, but Iphomia’s snarling voice caused to snap my focus back to her.
Her expression twisted into a look of disgust.
“Sothing you want to say? Then why didn’t you say it earlier? All this ti, you’ve ignored , hoarded your love, and now that it’s all over, you think you can just call by the na you decided for ?”
Iphomia stepped forward, drawing the sword from her back and getting into a defensive stance.
Reviews
All reviews (0)