*BOOM!*
It was a jet-black sword slash that stretched from the sky to the earth.
Entirely condensed from magical energy, incomparably solid, and resembling a towering heavenly pillar, the pitch-black blade of light descended upon the desolate snowfield.
It crashed down upon the earth.
Wherever it passed, the accumulated snow instantly melted, and the surrounding atmosphere was completely vaporized. A gigantic ravine, as dark as the abyss, was carved across the snowfield, creating a massive, cliff-like landscape.
Under such an overwhelming slash, the ground trembled violently, and even the sky seemed to cry out in anguish.
Meanwhile, the endless blizzards that blanketed the northern polar region were forcibly split apart, as though an entire sea of snow had been cleaved in two, while the divided snowstorm exploded outward on the spot, unleashing chaotic shockwaves that shook the entire frozen wasteland.
"!!!"
Caught completely off guard, both Ivy and Leo were blown away by the shockwave, vanishing into the raging snowstorm in an instant.
"Tch!"
Lilith activated teleportation magic and disappeared from where she stood, narrowly avoiding the avalanche-like shockwave sweeping toward her.
"Master!"
Lizbeth cried out in alarm and was about to move when Riezel pulled her into his embrace.
"Force Sanctuary."
A hemispherical barrier expanded beneath them, shielding the two of them as it split the incoming avalanche apart.
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
Amid the chaos, the alchemy beast and the two lesser frost dragons let out furious roars, desperately digging their claws into the frozen ground with all their strength. Thanks to their massive bodies as large monsters, they barely avoided being buried beneath the avalanche or blown away by the shockwave.
Such was the terrifying scene before them.
It was almost impossible to believe that this natural disaster-like devastation had been caused by nothing more than someone casually swinging a sword.
Naturally, Yanivette had never expected Euryale to unleash such terrifying power.
At the critical moment, she could only hastily gather freezing energy, forming a massive sphere of ice around herself as protection while desperately avoiding the direct strike of the magic sword.
Even so, under the ravaging force, the enormous ice sphere was tossed around like a ball amid the exploding snow, ice, and violent shockwaves, crashing into countless ice boulders and frozen cliffs.
*Ka-cha-Ka-cha-Ka-cha—*
Not long afterward, cracks began spreading across the surface of the ice sphere, as countless fractures rapidly appeared.
*PENG!*
Finally, the ice sphere reached its limit and shattered apart.
Yanivette fell out of the broken sphere like a kite with its string cut, sent flying by the violent aftershock until she slammed into an iceberg, finally bringing her backward flight to a stop.
*Cough!*
Yanivette coughed up a mouthful of blood, having been injured once again.
'...Who would have thought that after several hundred years, having been reborn, I would be injured repeatedly within less than two days?'
Yanivette subconsciously wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
Looking at the crimson stain on the back of her hand, a bitter smile gradually appeared on her face.
'Nothing like this ever happened when I was alive. Yet after death, it keeps happening one after another.'
As she spoke, the blazing fighting intent burning within her pair of radiant golden eyes showed no sign of fading.
'But that's for the best.'
'Only then will this world be a little less boring.'
'There is no satisfaction in fighting without worthy opponents. Not to mention that my opponent belongs to that clan.'
'There couldn't be a better opponent than this!'
With that burning fighting intent filling her heart, Yanivette pushed herself back to her feet. Holding the ice sword now covered in countless cracks, she slowly walked forward.
At this moment, the aftershock had yet to fully subside.
Yanivette advanced directly against the surging shockwaves, the immense pressure squeezing her entire body until it groaned in protest. Yet she paid no attention to her physical condition.
Boundless freezing energy surged from her body as crystals of ice gradually appeared across her skin, spreading over her alluring figure before eventually forming a complete suit of icy armor.
It was a suit perfectly tailored to her physique, accentuating every graceful curve of her body.
The upper half consisted of an exquisitely crafted breastplate, while the lower half was protected by an armored skirt that extended only to her knees, giving the entire set an appearance that was both elegant and magnificently ornate.
Like the ice sword in her hand, the armor had been condensed entirely from ice. Yet immense magical energy and freezing power surged within it, continuously reinforcing its defensive strength.
Driven by her overwhelming fighting intent, her bloodline awakened even further, and her power rose to another level. At last, she crossed that final threshold and stepped into an entirely new realm.
According to Riezel, this was the moment Yanivette had truly become a genuine Level 9.
'As expected, battle is the quickest way to awaken the power sleeping within one's bloodline. I have finally regained the strength I possessed at my peak. What a pity that sword isn't by my side.'
A rare smile appeared on Yanivette's cold face as she thought that, and by then, she had already arrived before Euryale.
"?"
Euryale, still holding the jet-black magic sword, seemed surprised by Yanivette's new appearance.
Yanivette paid it no mind.
Wearing a dazzling smile, she spoke up.
"You still haven't used your full strength, have you?"
"I am different from the others. I know your clan very well."
"Where is your holy sword? Why not borrow it from that other girl?"
"What about Reinnail's greatest swordsmanship and greatest magic? Why aren't you using them?"
"I've also heard that your clan possesses a special bloodline secret technique that can multiply your power several times over for a short period."
"Come. Show me all of it. Let me see just how much power remains within the clan of heroes blessed by the God!"
Upon hearing those words, the only response Euryale could offer was a confused tilt of her head.
"What? You refuse to use them?" Yanivette sneered. "In that case, I shall force you to."
With those words, she raised the ice sword in her hand, and the freezing aura erupting from her body transformed into an endless blizzard that gradually spread outward, threatening to engulf the entire battlefield.
Even though Euryale did not understand what Yanivette meant, it did not stop her from responding as she always did.
Hence, Euryale raised the shadow sword she had confiscated from Rohm and poured magical energy into it.
*BUZZ—!*
As the jet-black magic sword trembled violently, an unimaginably vast amount of magical energy—dozens or even hundreds of times greater than what the Shadow Sword Saint Rohm could wield—was poured into the Shadow Sword, causing it to emit one excited hum after another.
Anyone witnessing the scene, so long as their perception had not failed them, would immediately understand one thing: the next slash would be even stronger than the last.
Needless to say, the devastating strike from before had not been Euryale's full strength at all.
Realizing that, Yanivette's heart trembled slightly.
Partly from shock.
Partly from excitement.
'Is this the power of the royal clan? Was this the strength that made Theresis willingly become a vassal and follow them without hesitation?'
Thinking that, the blood flowing through Yanivette's veins began to boil, as though it were telling her that this was where she belonged—the one she was destined to serve.
After all, if the history passed down through the generations was accurate, then the bloodline and power Theresis possessed today had likewise been bestowed by Reinnail.
Two holy swords.
Two bloodlines.
One belonged to the king, while the other belonged to the vassal.
In other words, the woman before her was the monarch, while she herself was the vassal.
However, that had all happened over ten thousand years ago.
Now, she was also a monarch.
With that conviction filling her heart, Yanivette poured every ounce of her strength into her next attack.
'Our next strikes... will decide the victor...'
Just as Yanivette steeled herself and Euryale tilted her head, preparing to swing down the magic sword—
*PA!*
The sound of a clap echoed across the battlefield.
It was not loud, yet for some reason it rang clearly in both Euryale's and Yanivette's ears, causing the terrifying magical energy gathering around them to abruptly stall.
Only then did the two girls notice that a figure had appeared between them without either of them realizing it.
"Enough."
Riezel stood directly between Euryale and Yanivette, cutting off their confrontation like a sharp blade driven between them and bringing the battle to an end.
Seeing him, Yanivette frowned, while Euryale merely blinked before obediently putting away the Shadow Sword.
"You intend to stop me?"
Yanivette's frown deepened, and she even glared at Riezel.
Riezel, however, showed not the slightest trace of hesitation as he simply turned to face Yanivette.
"If this keeps up, neither of you's gonna be able to hold back anymore," Riezel said calmly. "And when that happens, you're gonna die."
Anyone could understand what those words meant: Yanivette would lose.
"It doesn't matter..." Yanivette replied coldly. "If I can die at the hands of someone stronger than myself, that is a kind of happiness."
It was certainly far better than dying of old age because her cursed bloodline had shortened her lifespan.
Just as Yanivette was about to become irritated by that thought, Riezel cut her off with a single sentence.
"You caused all this trouble, took over Chloria's body, and even went all the way to the Theresis Tribe's homeland to awaken your bloodline. Was all that really just so you could come out here and pick a fight like this?"
Riezel's blunt question froze Yanivette's expression.
"You've got things you wanna accomplish, don't you? For this country..."
As though he could see straight through Yanivette's thoughts, Riezel said that first before calmly adding another.
"Besides, I already told you last night, didn't I?"
"Once we get there, behave yourself."
"If you dare lay a hand on the people around me... you're dead."
"Or did you already forget?"
By the time he spoke the final sentence, Riezel's tone had become so cold that even Lilith, Ivy, and Leo, who had only just returned, felt a chill run through their hearts.
Anyone could tell that if Yanivette insisted on continuing, Riezel would truly lose his temper.
"Um... Ms. Yanivette?"
Standing beside Riezel, Lizbeth timidly spoke up.
"Why don't we just let it go? None of us are enemies..."
Hearing that, Yanivette did not respond with the same overbearing attitude she had shown toward Ivy and Leo. Instead, she stared intently at Moslow in Lizbeth's arms.
'I see... so this girl is the legitimate heir...'
'Looks like this generation of Reinnail is quite fortunate. They actually produced a pair of sisters.'
'Or perhaps, just like Theresis, after so many generations, the bloodline has simply become diluted?'
Yanivette had completely misunderstood the relationship between Lizbeth and Euryale.
Still, now that Riezel had stepped in and Euryale had obediently put away the Shadow Sword before returning to Riezel's side, Yanivette understood that the battle could no longer continue.
"Haahh..."
Yanivette let out a long breath, lowered her ice sword, and spoke with obvious disappointment.
"In that case... let's end it here."
As soon as those words fell, both the icy armor covering her body and the ice sword in her hand shattered into countless fragments like broken ice.
Bathed in drifting ice crystals, she walked toward the carriage, and only when she passed by Riezel and the others did she stop.
"You two owe me a battle. Once I retrieve my sword and finish what I must do, both of you will repay that debt."
After saying that to Riezel and Euryale, she turned her gaze toward the little princess.
"And you as well, rightful heir of Reinnail. I shall challenge you too."
"M-Me too?"
Lizbeth's eyes widened, looking genuinely surprised.
"Of course."
Yanivette's gaze swept across Riezel, Euryale, and Lizbeth one after another, and a moment later, she smiled once more.
"It seems this awakening will not be a boring one after all. In any case, the three of you had better not think about running away."
Leaving behind words that sounded somewhere between a threat and a declaration, Yanivette departed.
Only then did Lilith, Ivy, and Leo hurriedly approach.
"I've gotta ask..." Leo said in a low voice, his face full of caution. "Who exactly is that woman? She's insanely strong."
"...When did the Akasha Continent start producing monsters like you guys?" Ivy said with a bitter smile. "Even among the priests, there aren't many who are that strong."
Ivy and Leo were truly shaken.
At first, they had assumed that the strongest people on the outside continent were nothing special. Even the birth of a Sword Saint was enough for an entire nation to celebrate, so they believed the continent's strength had its limits.
But now, they were beginning to wonder if they had been completely mistaken.
Whether it was Riezel, Euryale, or now the mysterious Yanivette, every one of them was vastly stronger than what Ivy and Leo had believed to be the continent's upper limit.
Even more frightening was their age.
Especially Riezel.
He would only turn eighteen after this winter.
It was simply absurd.
"Don't worry about her."
Unaware of the complicated emotions in Ivy's and Leo's hearts, Riezel replied indifferently.
"If I'm not mistaken, she's way more extraordinary than you can imagine. You can't compare her to the powerhouses on the continent today."
"She's got her own goals she's chasing, so for now, there's no need to worry about her doing anything to us."
"Of course, even if she does... I'm not afraid."
Riezel looked at everyone before speaking again.
"Let's go. We gotta keep moving. Urvashi's right up ahead."
With one hand holding Lizbeth's and the other holding Euryale's, Riezel walked toward the carriage, just as Yanivette had done.
Lilith immediately followed after him without saying a word.
Ivy and Leo exchanged helpless glances for quite a while before finally trailing behind as well.
What else could they do?
They simply were not as strong as the others, and besides, there was no one else to blame. In the end, all they could do was take things one step at a time.
===
[A bonus chapter for reaching 400 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]