— Karin’s POV —

  The battlefield had transformed.

  What was once a vast, sunlit green field was now a fractured landscape of ice and water—half-frozen, half-flooded—as if torn between two seasons. Patches of grass still clung to life where my frost had yet to reach, but the rest of the land had already surrendered to winter's frigid grasp.

  Sharp icicles jutted from the ground, remnants of my earlier spells. Pools of water—some frozen solid, others still rippling from the battle’s fury—reflected the world above.

  Stretching across the sky, a magnificent rainbow arced through the mist—born from the clash of my ice and Tears' water magic.

  It was a fleeting beauty. A fragile moment of color amidst the destruction.

  “Crying in the rain is strange, isn’t it? No one can see your tears, and for a moment, it feels like the sky is grieving with you. But when the rain stops… the world looks clearer, as if it washed away something more than just the sorrow.”

  Perhaps, in another life, we could have been artists instead of mages—our battlefield a canvas, our magic the paint.

  Tears, standing amidst her shimmering puddles, marveled at the sight with a childlike wonder.

  “Wow, Big Sis, you really understand me! The rainbow is so beautiful! Do you think we could ever get along”

  Her voice was light, yet something lingered beneath it—a fleeting sadness, maybe even a longing.

  "What a coincidence—I think so too," I replied with a playful smile. "How about switching sides?"

  I suggested with a smile beneath the vibrant rainbow.

  Tears giggled, twirling her staff. “Sorry, but I can’t betray my friends!”

  “I thought so.”

  As the waters and ice collided and the rainbow arced above, we stood in a playful conversation.

  For a moment, under the rainbow’s glow, we stood as if we were not enemies, just two mages who understood each other better than we cared to admit.

  But then—

  "I HATE people who forget my existence!"

  With a roar, Hate surged forward, flames exploding around him. His sword, wreathed in searing red fire, carved through the air like a meteor aiming straight for my head.

  *CLANG!*

  I caught his blade against a shimmering Ice Barrier, but the sheer force sent cracks spider webbing across its surface.

  I twisted away, summoning three more layers in quick succession.

  *CRACK!* *CRACK!*

  Each barrier shattered under his relentless assault. The heat from his blade licked at my next defense, melting its edges before it could fully form.

  He was getting faster.

  I pivoted, using Snow White Steps to slide across the battlefield, barely evading his furious swings.

  My mana surged, weaving through my fingertips as I traced sigils in the air.

  Ice Spear.

  A trio of razor-sharp ice spears erupted from the ground at Hate’s feet. He jumped back, flames coiling around his form as he slashed through one of them—

  But the second spear pierced through his side.

  “Ghh—!” Hate coughed, blood splattering across the ice.

  Before I could press my advantage, Dread intervened.

  A wall of wind barriers shimmered into existence, encasing Hate like an unbreakable cocoon.

  The moment I attempted to move forward, a sharp gust howled toward me, razor-thin wind blades cutting across my path.

  “Tch.” I clicked my tongue.

  Dread was buying them time.

  I needed to break their rhythm.

  Raising my staff, I gathered mana from the residual moisture in the air. Hate's fire had melted parts of the battlefield, leaving puddles scattered across the ground. Perfect.

  I clenched my fist.

  Ice Spike.

  The temperature plummeted. The water on the battlefield froze instantly, thick sheets of ice swallowing the puddles and creeping toward Dread’s feet.

  “W-Wait—!”

  With a sudden surge, jagged ice spikes shot upward from the frozen earth, aiming straight for him.

  “W-Whaa!?”

  Dread screamed as the barriers around him shattered under the pressure. He barely managed to jump back, clutching his bleeding arm where an ice shard had grazed him.

  “Hah! Nice try, Queen!” Hate taunted, forcing himself to stand despite his wound.

  Then his aura changed.

  "Lion Aura."

  *WHIRRRRR!*

  A crimson glow erupted from his body, forming the shape of a roaring lion made of flames. His muscles tensed, and his body seemed to expand slightly, the sheer heat radiating from him melting the ice in a ten-meter radius.

  My eyes narrowed. His speed and strength had increased significantly—probably reaching 60,000 status or more.

  "Tch. Annoying," I muttered.

  He charged.

  His blade flared to life, cutting through the air, a crescent-shaped fire wave roaring toward me.

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  I had one second to react.

  I raised my staff.

  "Ice Wall!"

  A massive wall of solid ice erupted between us—

  But the fire sliced through it like butter.

  *Whaapp!*

  I leaped back as the attack grazed my side. A faint sting lingered where the heat had nearly burned my skin.

  That was too close.

  I wasn’t the only one struggling.

  Dread was panting, his once-stable wind barriers flickering.

  Hate was bleeding heavily, his stance unsteady.

  Even Tears, despite her playful demeanor, was gripping her staff tightly, her breathing slightly ragged.

  And yet—

  They weren’t giving up.

  <“Neither was I.”>

  Tears suddenly slammed her staff into the ground.

  “Well, our playtime is over, big sis.”

  *RUMBLE!*

  The earth trembled.

  Mana poured from her body, condensing into a single line of energy before her.

  The water lingering across the battlefield shifted, gathering into one singular point—

  Then it rose.

  “Tsunami.”

  Towering, immense, a wall of destruction aimed at me and Hate.

  For a moment, I wondered—Was she willing to sacrifice her own ally just to take me out?

  But before I could contemplate further—

  The ground beneath Hate erupted with a geyser of water, propelling him skyward, higher than the towering water, before descending towards Tears and Dread.

  Then—

  The tsunami crashed down.

  I reacted immediately.

  I gathered my remaining mana, channeling it into one final magic.

  "Snowstorm!"

  A vortex of freezing winds exploded outward.

  The sheer force met the tsunami mid-air—

  The collision sent ice and water spiraling into the heavens, a final, breathtaking clash—

  *Whaaammm!*

  The sheer volume of water was so huge that it couldn’t be stopped completely.

  *Blurp* *Blurp*

  It engulfed my whole body before I manipulated the water to be my barriers, though it still thrust me back in a relentless push.

  However, not only me was harmed.

  ““Argghhh!””

  The snowstorm pierced through the tsunami, hitting the three figures beyond it.

  A few minutes drifted by, and the deluge subsided, leaving the once-green field damp.

  And then—

  Snow fell.

  The battlefield went silent.

  Flakes of white drifted down from the sky, graceful, delicate.

  The tsunami had been neutralized, its force broken apart by the frigid winds.

  I stood there, surrounded by the gentle snowfall, my breath steady despite my exhaustion and wet body.

  Across the battlefield, there were only traces of my enemies left—bloodstains, footprints, and lingering mana.

  They escaped.

  The battle was over.

  For now.

  “Guildmaster!”

  The hurried sound of boots crunching against wet earth reached my ears before the voice did.

  Greg emerged from the mist of melted ice and bloodied soil, his face stricken with exhaustion and shame. On his back, Tian hung limply, unconscious but still breathing. Behind him, the other knights followed, their expressions grim.

  Greg stopped before me, his breath uneven. His fist was clenched tight, trembling.

  “Guildmaster! I’m sorry! I… I couldn’t save Esta and Hazel! They… They were kidnapped.”

  His voice cracked. The weight of his failure bore down on his shoulders, as if he, too, would collapse under it.

  I stared at him. I should have felt anger, frustration—something.

  But instead, there was only the familiar numbness.

  “…Ah, I see.”

  The words slipped from my lips like brittle ice.

  The snowfall around us grew thicker, the quiet descent of each flake stirring something deep inside me.

  My gaze drifted upward, watching as the sky continued its slow lament, covering the battlefield in a cold, suffocating silence.

  Greg was speaking. The world was moving. But I heard none of it.

  Because in that moment—

  My mind was no longer here.

  A long time ago…

  A different snowfall.

  A different battlefield.

  A place that should have been filled with laughter and warm festival lights, but instead—

  Blood. Fire. Screams.

  I was young. Weak. Helpless.

  The snowfall back then had been heavier, a merciless blizzard that swallowed the city in white.I remember stumbling through the frozen streets, my bare feet burning against the ice-crusted snow. Hunger gnawed at my insides, exhaustion dragged at my limbs—but I didn't stop running.

  I couldn’t.

  Somewhere in the chaos, they were still waiting for me.

  My little brothers. My little sisters.

  Not by blood. But they were mine.

  They had clung to me when we had nothing, their small hands gripping my ragged clothes, calling me ‘Big Sis’ in voices filled with trust. I was the eldest, the one who always promised to protect them, the one who swore we would survive, together.

  And yet—

  They were gone.

  The streets I once knew had become an unrecognizable nightmare.

  Festival banners, once vibrant with color, were soaked in crimson. Decorations meant to welcome the new year were torn apart, trampled beneath the feet of soldiers and civilians alike.

  The war that had erupted that night did not care for the weak.

  I remember the scent of iron, the cries of those who begged for mercy.

  I remember the warmth of hands slipping away from mine, the ones I reached for but could never hold onto.

  And I remember the snow.

  How it fell so gently.

  How it covered the bodies like a cruel, silent burial.

  By the time I realized—

  The fires had died.

  The blood had frozen beneath the ice.

  And—

  I had lost everything.

  I blinked.

  The battlefield came back into view. The present.

  The memories tightened around my throat like a vice.

  Having the ability to wield snow, they called me the Winter Queen.

  To them, I was a force of nature, an untouchable ice mage who could freeze entire battlefields.

  But winter had never been a blessing to me.

  Snow was not beautiful.

  It was a curse.

  A reminder of my trauma.

  My hands trembled. My fingers curled into fists.

  Now—Esta and Hazel are gone too.

  Just like back then.

  I had sworn by myself to protect them.

  I had told myself I would never let history repeat itself.

  And yet—

  Here I was again. Standing in the snow. Watching as the people I was supposed to protect disappeared from my grasp.

  A slow breath escaped my lips, barely above a whisper.

  “In the end… I couldn’t save anyone.”

  Something warm slid down my cheek. A tear. I barely even noticed.

  “Guildmaster?” Greg’s voice was laced with concern.

  I forced a small, empty smile and shook my head.

  “Mm. It’s nothing.”

  My mask was back in place. The walls were rebuilt in an instant.

  I turned away from him before anyone could see the cracks in my emotion.

  Before anyone could see that, just for a moment—

  The Winter Queen had faltered.

  The snow continued to fall, gentle and indifferent, just as it had that night long ago.

  But I wasn’t that helpless child anymore.

  I tightened my grip on my staff.

  The battlefield ahead still called to me.

  There was no time to mourn. No time to stop.

  “Let’s go,” I commanded, my voice steady once more. “There is still one battle waiting for our arrival.”

  And so, beneath the quiet snowfall, I stepped forward—

  Never stopping.

  Never looking back.