The battlefield was silent—
too silent.
Shattered stone, scorched earth, lingering ether residue drifting like fog. Five had stood here.
One already lay dead.
The remaining four spread out in a loose arc, eyes locked on Stellar.
She stood relaxed, hands loose at her sides, shoulders rolled back like she was stretching before a spar—not a fight to the death.
They mistook that calm for hesitation.
A fatal error.
"Don't let her cast," said the man with water magic, voice sharp. "Pressure her."
Names followed intent.
Veyrion Fluxstep — the spatial switcher, eyes glowing silver, reality bending subtly around him.
Maelor Tideshade — water incarnate, ether flowing like an ocean beneath his skin.
Brakkus Amplion — enhancement specialist, runes glowing across his arms as power stacked upon power.
Nyx Ferroblade — silent, lethal, daggers hovering around him, metal magic singing with killing intent.
They moved together.
Perfect coordination.
Veyrion vanished—reappeared behind Stellar—then instantly switched places with a boulder mid-strike. Maelor's water condensed into blades, slashing from every angle. Brakkus roared as enhancement surged through the group, multiplying their speed and strength. Nyx blurred low, daggers flashing for arteries and tendons.
A kill formation.
Stellar didn't summon ice.
She stepped forward.
And everything changed.
Her fist met Brakkus' enhanced strike head-on.
The shockwave cracked the ground beneath them.
Brakkus staggered back, eyes wide.
"…What?"
Stellar smiled.
God-candidate strength wasn't theoretical.
It was absolute.
Nyx's daggers came next—four blades aimed at her throat, ribs, spine, and knee. Stellar twisted, catching one blade bare-handed, elbowing another aside, knee driving up into Nyx's ribs hard enough to lift him off the ground.
Bone cracked.
She pivoted mid-motion, grabbed Maelor's arm as water surged—and froze the air around his elbow.
Not ice magic.
Control.
His arm locked in place, joints screaming.
She used his body as a pivot, hurling him directly at Veyrion just as the spatial mage tried to swap positions again. Veyrion's eyes widened—
—and the switch misfired.
Maelor slammed into him instead.
Brakkus charged again, enhancement peaking, muscles swollen beyond normal limits.
Stellar met him with technique.
Palm strike to the throat.
Elbow to the clavicle.
Sweep to the knee.
Heel drop to the spine.
A martial arts chain, fluid, ruthless, perfected through adaptive combat. She absorbed their movements, corrected in real time, evolving mid-fight.
Brakkus collapsed, enhancement flickering out.
Stellar inhaled.
Energy flowed into her.
Bruises faded.
Breathing steadied.
As long as energy existed—
she could heal.
Nyx staggered up, blood dripping from his mouth, metal screaming as every blade around him converged for a final strike.
Stellar vanished from his perception.
Not teleportation.
Speed.
She appeared beside him.
Her fist drove into his abdomen.
A perfect gut-check.
All the air left his lungs in a single, broken sound. Nyx folded instantly, face slamming into the ground as he clutched his stomach, body refusing to obey.
Only Maelor remained—frozen air cracking, body shaking as he tried to summon water again.
Stellar laughed.
Not a chuckle.
A full, unrestrained laugh.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
A familiar voice followed.
"Damn, Stellar. I know you're having fun—but don't make it weird."
She turned, smirking.
"Shut up, muscle brain."
Rein Clark stood there, dragon blood still drying on his armor, grin sharp as ever.
Stellar snapped her fingers.
The four bodies froze instantly.
Perfect statues of ice.
A second later—
They shattered into glittering ice dust.
She turned toward the tower.
"Let's go," she said casually.
And together, they walked into Atlas—
unaware that one day, she would sit upon the Seat of Frost,
and freeze not flesh—
but concepts themselves.