She raised her hand.
A volley of Ice Spikes fired.
They weren’t aimed at that lion-like Magical Beast, but at the air surrounding it —
The moment they struck the ground, the Ice Spikes exploded, turning into countless tiny ice crystals that condensed into a semi-transparent ice wall in midair.
The Flame Lion’s sharp claws landed on the ice wall, creating a piercing scraping sound.
The ice wall only held for 1 second before it shattered with a loud bang.
But that 1 second was enough.
The student who had been pinned down was desperately dragged out by a companion and pulled to a safe zone.
Freya stood behind the ice wall, locking eyes with the beast.
The Flame Lion’s eyes were fixed on her, a low growl rumbling in its throat.
Its body was easily 3 times her size, wreathed in surging flames that distorted the surrounding air with heat.
Freya did not retreat.
She raised her hand, and silver-white Mana surged once more.
An even thicker, sturdier ice wall condensed in front of her.
Behind her, Instructor Kanaya’s roar pierced through the chaos —
“FREYA! ARE YOU CRAZY!”
But this time, she didn’t yell for her to “get back.”
Because the Flame Lion had already lunged toward Freya.
When Lyra arrived, this was the scene she witnessed.
A flaming beast taller than a human was pouncing toward that silver-white figure.
And that person stood behind a thin ice wall, not retreating a single step.
Lyra’s eyes instantly turned red.
She didn’t think.
She didn’t reason.
Her body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
The speed was so great that even she felt it was foreign.
The wind whistled past her ears.
The scenery before her blurred, leaving only that pale purple figure and the flaming monster lunging at her.
‘I have to stop it.’
‘I must stop it.’
Her nails —
‘No, not nails.’
Something was emerging from her fingertips.
Hard.
Sharp.
Carrying an instinctive, primal killing intent.
Her speed increased further.
It was so fast that the surroundings turned into flowing shadows of light.
The Flame Lion drew closer.
She drew closer to Freya.
She could see the cracks on the ice wall, the tension in Freya’s back, and the tips of her pale purple hair curling slightly in the heatwave.
‘Faster.’
‘Just a little faster — ‘
1 second before she was about to crash into those flames, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and gripped her wrist.
That hand was very cold.
Cold like ice from the deepest parts of the polar regions.
Lyra’s body came to a jarring halt.
She turned her head.
Ice-blue hair, deep blue eyes.
Deraellan stood beside her, the corners of his lips curling up slightly in a smile that carried an unreadable meaning.
“Don’t be in such a rush.”
His voice was soft, yet it clearly pierced through all the chaos.
“Watch.”
Lyra tried to wrench her hand away, only to find that his hand was like an invisible shackle, firmly locking her in place.
She could only watch.
Watch as the Flame Lion pounced on Freya.
Watch as the ice wall shattered.
Watch as that pale purple figure —
Did not retreat.
Did not dodge.
Instead, she faced the flames and raised her hand.
In that moment, time seemed to stand still.
In Freya’s palm, a cluster of silver-white light was condensing.
The light was cold.
So cold that the surrounding flames began to shrink back.
So cold that, for the first time, a flicker of fear appeared in the eyes of the lion pouncing at her.
Then —
The light exploded.
It wasn’t ice.
It wasn’t snow.
It was something purer, something more ancient.
It was the ETERNAL NIGHT OF THE POLAR REGIONS.
It was the 10,000-year-old chill that had slept in the depths of the glaciers, never having seen the sun.
The Flame Lion let out a shrill roar.
On the surface of its body, the flames were being extinguished at a pace visible to the naked eye.
A layer of white frost began to spread from where it made contact with Freya, rapidly covering its entire body.
It froze.
Like an ice sculpture, it remained in its pouncing posture, frozen solid in front of Freya.
The entire battlefield suddenly fell silent.
Everyone looked in that direction.
They looked at the girl with pale purple hair and the completely frozen beast before her.
Instructor Kanaya’s mouth hung open, but no words came out.
In the distance, the teachers and students who were still fighting also stopped their movements involuntarily.
A few seconds later.
Cracks began to appear on the frozen lion’s body.
Starting from the top of its head, they spread across its entire frame.
Then —
Crash.
It shattered into a pile of ice shards.
The sunlight hit those shards, reflecting fine glints of light.
Freya stood where she was and slowly lowered her hand.
Her face was a few shades paler than usual, and her breathing was a bit ragged.
But she stood very straight.
As straight as an ice tree that would never bend.
Lyra finally wrenched her hand free.
She rushed over and grabbed Freya for support.
“Boss!”
Her voice was trembling.
Those red eyes were filled with lingering fear and heartache.
Freya looked at her.
She saw those eyes that were so red they looked as if they might bleed, her pale face, and her slightly trembling lips.
“Why are you here?”
Her voice was soft, tinged with exhaustion.
Lyra opened her mouth to say something, but found she couldn’t speak.
She simply grabbed Freya’s arm and held on tight.
She wouldn’t let go.
Never again.
Deraellan stood in place, watching the two figures.
A glint of light flashed through his deep blue eyes.
“As I thought,” he whispered.
His voice was so quiet that only he could hear it.
“It is her.”
In the distance, behind the Medical Station tents, someone else was also watching this scene.
The person was wearing white robes with a hood drawn up, their face hidden in the shadows.
But those eyes, peeking through the gap of the hood’s brim, were staring fixedly at Freya.
In those eyes, there was shock, fear, and —
A sliver of deep, uncontrollable greed.
The person turned and vanished into the shadows of the tents.
No one noticed.
The silence on the battlefield lasted for a long time.
Everyone gazed in that direction —
At the girl with pale purple hair and the remains shattered into ice shards at her feet.
That Flame Lion was one of the highest-level creatures among this batch of rampaging beasts.
Fifth Grade students from the Combat Department had besieged it for a full 15 minutes, only leaving a few shallow wounds on its body.
And Freya.
A Third Grade student from the Theoretical Department.
One hit.
Just one hit.
Instructor Kanaya’s mouth opened and closed, closed and opened, before she finally squeezed out a raspy sentence.
“…What the hell…”
She didn’t finish her curse because her legs gave out, and she nearly tumbled over.
Freya quickly stepped forward to support her, and this time Kanaya didn’t shove her away.
“You need treatment.”
Kanaya glanced down at the wound on her ribs, then looked up at Freya.
On that habitually stern face, an expression Freya didn’t recognize appeared for the first time.
“You…”
Kanaya’s voice was as rough as sandpaper.
“What kind of Mana is that?”
Freya did not answer.
Kanaya stared at her for a long time.
Then she looked away, gazing at the distant teachers and students who were still dazed. She took a deep breath and roared with all her might.
“WHAT ARE YOU ALL STANDING AROUND FOR! THE MAGICAL BEASTS AREN’T ALL GONE YET! KEEP GOING!”
That roar was like a bolt of thunder, shattering the stagnation on the battlefield.
Various colors of Magic light flared up again, and the sounds of shouting, roaring, and explosions intertwined once more.
But during every gap in the fighting, everyone couldn’t help but steal a glance in that direction.
At the girl with pale purple hair.
At the Third Grade student who had frozen a Flame Lion to death in a single hit.
Lyra kept holding Freya’s arm, never letting go.
Her body was still trembling slightly.
It wasn’t from fear.
It was from the sheer terror of what might have happened.
In that moment just now, if Freya hadn’t blocked it…
If that ice wall had shattered…
If that lion had reached her…
She didn’t dare think about it.
She buried her face against Freya’s shoulder and nuzzled her hard, as if confirming she was still alive, still by her side.
“Boss.”
“Mhm.”
“You scared me to death.”
Freya looked down at her.
She saw the fluffy white head and those red, slightly moist eyes peeking out from the crook of her arm.
She was silent for a moment.
Then she reached out and gently rubbed that head.
“It’s over now.”
Lyra didn’t look up.
But her grip on Freya’s arm tightened even more.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Freya turned her head.
Deraellan was walking over slowly. His ice-blue hair held a strange luster under the firelight, and his deep blue eyes were filled with an emotion Freya couldn’t decipher.
He stopped 3 steps away from her.
He didn’t come closer.
He didn’t speak.
He just looked at her.
He looked for a long time.
So long that Lyra looked up and glared at him warily with her red eyes.
The corners of Deraellan’s lips curled up slightly.
“Deraellan Reraellan, from Winter Magic Academy.”
He spoke, his voice like flowing water in a deep ravine.
“That strike just now was magnificent.”
Freya looked at him.
“Thank you.”
It was brief.
Void of any extra emotion.
Deraellan didn’t seem to mind her coldness. Instead, the smile on his lips deepened further.
“I have a question I’d like to ask you, Student Freya.”
He paused.
“What was the name of the move you just used?”
Freya’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
She didn’t answer.
Deraellan waited for a few seconds, then gave a light chuckle.
“It’s fine if it’s not convenient to say.”
He gave a slight nod.
“I look forward to our next meeting.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the depths of the battlefield.
After a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
He didn’t turn around.
“By the way.”
His voice drifted back from the front.
“That lion wasn’t an ordinary flame-attribute Magical Beast. It had traces of an Ancient Bloodline within it. To be able to freeze it to death in one hit — “
He paused.
“In the entire continent, there are no more than five people who can do that.”
His silhouette disappeared into the chaotic crowd.
Freya stood there, watching that direction.
Lyra tugged at her sleeve.
“Boss?”
Freya withdrew her gaze.
“It’s nothing.”
The battle lasted for nearly 1 hour.
By the time the last Magical Beast was subdued, the setting sun had already dipped below the horizon.
The entire Combat Simulation Zone was a mess, littered with shards of broken barriers, bloodstains from the beasts, and the magical marks left by the battle.
The teachers from the Medical Station were still busy treating the wounded. Stretchers came and went, and the sounds of moaning rose and fell.
Instructor Kanaya was being forced onto a stretcher to have her wounds bandaged, still cursing as she directed the cleanup work.
Freya stood at the edge of the battlefield, looking out over it all.