Blood fell from her lips and touched the snow, and the snow turned red once more. The wind howled across the cliff like a beast mourning its dead.
Crystal's eyes opened.
They glowed faintly green, bright as the scales of a serpent in moonlight. The ground trembled at her presence, frost cracking beneath her boots as if the world itself feared to move.
Slowly, she reached down and pulled the blade from her body. The sound was low, wet, and final. Steam rose where her blood met the cold air.
All around her, shadows shifted. Figures stepped forward, armor glinting with crimson light. Her own soldiers—the Asura Guard—had surrounded her.
Crystal's breath caught. For the first time in years, she felt something close to disbelief. Her gaze moved past the circle of spears until it found him.
King Noah.
He stood with calm grace, snow resting on his shoulders, a faint smile curving his lips.
"Did you really think I would leave after a single wound?" His voice was smooth, almost tender. "I only needed time."
The words sank like stones.
Crystal's grip tightened on her sword hilt. Her eyes flashed, but before she could act, a sharp pain lanced through her chest. Her breath hitched; her vision wavered. Then she understood—the ache wasn't from the blade that had struck her. It was spreading through her veins, cold and heavy.
Poison.
Her thoughts raced. When?
And then she remembered—the water. It had tasted… strange. But she had dismissed it. It came from her own guard, one of the men she had trusted.
Her knees weakened. Still, she stood.
Noah watched her with quiet amusement. Around them, the soldiers tightened their circle.
Crystal's voice broke through the wind. "Why, Noah?" she asked softly. "After everything I did for you? I fought your wars. I conquered kingdoms. All… for you."
The cold carried her words like fragments of a dying prayer.
Noah's expression didn't change. Only the snow moved between them.
Her heart twisted. She was the daughter of the Clan of Valen—an ancient family that once ruled the western highlands, proud and unbroken. She had given all of that heritage to Noah, had lifted his claim to a throne no one believed he could reach.
And this was his answer.
Her vision blurred, edges darkening, but her mind refused to fade. Memories struck her like waves: the night her sister fell, the day her grandfather vanished, the silence that followed every victory she had handed him.
Her voice trembled. "It was you…"Her gaze sharpened, a single tear cutting through the blood on her cheek. "You wanted my family's power. You used me to gain it. My sister… my grandfather… they died because of you."
The words tasted like iron.
Noah didn't deny it. He only tilted his head, studying her as if she were a story finally reaching its end.
A hollow laugh escaped her lips. It echoed across the cliff, strange and broken.
Then the air changed.
A faint hum rippled from her body—the whisper of chaos itself. Green light flickered along her armor, spreading like cracks of emerald fire. The snow hissed where it touched the glow.
Her chaos energy had awakened, wild and uncontrolled. The ground quaked; the wind spun. Several soldiers flinched, shields rising too late as green flame swept through the line.
Cries filled the air. Snow turned to steam.
Crystal's figure blurred. In an instant, she was gone from sight—only to reappear beside the nearest guard.
Her sword moved once, clean and silent.
"Cycle Sword Art—Fourth Form: Serpent Slash."
The motion curved like a serpent's strike, swift and absolute. Three soldiers fell before the echo of her step faded. The light in her eyes pulsed brighter, then dimmed as the poison dragged at her breath.
She pressed forward, each swing slower than the last, each heartbeat heavier.
Noah drew his blade. It caught the dim light and gleamed like frozen moonlight. Their swords met once—a brief, ringing sound that shattered the air.
And then it was over.
A sharp pressure struck her chest. She stumbled back, the world tilting sideways. Her sword slipped from her fingers, landing softly in the snow.
Noah stood above her, composed, his weapon steady. He looked down at her with the same smile he had worn when he first crowned himself king.
"Do not blame me," he said quietly. "I never asked you to choose me. But you did. And now that I have what I sought… you are no longer needed."
The words were gentle. The meaning was not.
Her breathing came shallow and slow. Around her, the snow fell again, covering steel and blood alike. Her gaze, dimming, found the sky. It was no longer red—just gray, endless, cold.
Something within her shifted. The air grew still. For a moment, it seemed as though time hesitated, waiting for her final breath.
And then—a strange pulse.
The faint shimmer of green light slipped from her body, rising like smoke, twisting in the wind. It moved as if searching for something unseen.
Noah stepped back, his brow furrowing. The light bent, stretching upward, and then vanished, torn from her as though the world itself had claimed it.
Crystal's body stilled. Her eyes, once bright with serpentine fire, dimmed to quiet gray.
The snow continued to fall. Noah lowered his blade, watching her one last time before turning away.
Behind him, the wind whispered through the valley. Somewhere beneath the snow, a faint warmth lingered—a fragment of chaos refusing to fade.