It's unclear...
"Where... am I...?"
A girl's voice echoed softly.
Trembling, fragmented, as if each word was being strangled by the cold air before escaping.
"Where... where are the others...?"
No answer came.
"...Is this... real...?"
A brief silence lingered.
"It's so cold..."
*Crack.*
A small sound rang out, dry and brittle, like ice fracturing under invisible pressure.
"Who... is there?"
◇
Uzuki remained perched on the branch, his entire body rigid.
He never took his eyes off the scene before him, because his instincts screamed that whatever this was, it didn't match anything he'd ever encountered before.
The girl lifted her leg gently.
*Whisper.*
Her pristine white foot touched the freezing snow without leaving any visible trace, as if her weight didn't entirely exist in this world.
As she moved, her hand gracefully grasped the sword's hilt.
No preparation, no hesitation—the blade was drawn with natural momentum, smooth and effortless.
The tip skimmed the snow's surface, leaving behind a perfectly clean line, razor-straight against the white expanse.
She continued toward Uzuki.
Suddenly, a wave of white snow came from nowhere.
It coiled around her body like a small whirlwind, spinning silently before dissipating.
As the snow cleared, the girl's appearance had changed.
From wrist to hand, a layer of metallic armor appeared, fitting her body with perfect proportions—protective enough yet deliberately leaving portions of bare skin exposed.
She wore a white ceremonial robe over it, both delicate and resilient.
Thin silk ribbons hung behind her, swaying slowly with each of her steps like flowing water bending through the air.
Uzuki narrowed his eyes.
He certainly felt how dangerous this threat was...
His eyes blazed again, as if entering combat mode.
The girl kept advancing. Then suddenly, she lifted her face, her gaze locking onto Uzuki high above.
"Pierce."
The command rang out, but before anyone could process her words, Uzuki had already spread his legs wide.
*BOOM!*
*Crack!*
*Crack!!*
*Crack!!!*
The moment Uzuki launched himself from the tree, from all eight directions, dozens of ice spears instantly pierced through the slender branches of the trunk, bypassing where Uzuki had just stood without fail.
Uzuki glanced at that location, then suddenly twisted his body hard.
Both hands gripped the sword's hilt and swung powerfully backward!
*Thump!*
The blade immediately cut across an ice lance that had appeared from nowhere, charging straight at him.
His eyes dimmed.
Uzuki's body followed the momentum of his slash, launching forward, twisting nimbly before slamming hard onto the snow.
Not a moment to rest.
Uzuki immediately kicked off hard again, charging forward at high speed, his eyes glancing slightly toward the girl who still hadn't moved from her position.
A wave of white snow drifted past the girl's body lightly...
Where did she go???
Uzuki seemed slightly stunned, he swung his sword forcefully in the direction he was moving.
*KENGGGGGG!!!!!*
Uzuki's sharp blade collided violently with the girl's sword, creating a piercing *screech!* that stung the ears.
Both of them were quickly thrown apart.
Uzuki didn't think—he immediately swung the blade at the girl again.
*Whoosh!*
The slash cut through nothing but cold air.
Meanwhile, the girl had already crouched down and easily dodged the swing, as if she and the knight from before were two completely different entities.
The silver blade in her hand trembled slightly, reflecting the cold light of the snow.
The girl immediately charged straight at Uzuki.
Her sword drew along a razor-sharp current of freezing air.
Uzuki didn't advance.
He held his defensive stance, meeting the downward slash head-on!
*Clang!*
Both blades met for just an instant.
At that very moment, the girl looked up.
And her face came directly face-to-face with Uzuki.
Her body froze.
As if locked in ice at the moment she faced Uzuki's eyes.
He showed no emotion whatsoever.
With his free hand, he thrust the blade powerfully.
*WHOOSH!*
The girl was sent flying up into the air.
Her body rotated cleanly, her form tracing a perfect arc before landing.
*Thud.*
Her feet touched the snow lightly and precisely, without a single wasted movement.
She immediately lifted her head, her gaze locking onto Uzuki.
"You... in the end, what are you?"
The question rang out, dry and strange, breaking the prolonged silence that had filled the space until now.
Uzuki didn't answer.
He simply took a slow step to the right, his expression showing a hint of rare displeasure.
He lowered his center of gravity slightly.
The sword in his hand was no longer merely a weapon—it had become one with his arm, an extension of his body.
An invisible pressure radiated outward, so much so that snowflakes falling down couldn't touch the blade, quietly shifting away before they could make contact.
"Haizzzz..."
He suddenly exhaled.
"I've had enough."
This was the first time he'd spoken since the start.
His voice was low and deep, not loud, but it conveyed a barely concealed frustration.
Uzuki quickly reached into his pocket.
He pulled out the blue flower he'd picked earlier and extended it straight toward the girl.
"I'm sorry for taking it."
"I'm asking permission... to return this."
Each word was spoken quickly and decisively, as if it had been suppressed the entire time.
The girl seemed stunned.
Her gaze fixed onto the flower.
A pale blue light emanated from it, undulating gently in the cold air, brimming with life, completely out of place in this desolate frozen wasteland.
The girl froze.
Only for a single breath.
Uzuki lowered his voice further.
"So you're an agent sent from above?"
The words seemed to strike directly at every cell in the girl's body.
She gasped.
Her body jolted upright by reflex, and in the same motion, she had raised her sword and swung it straight at Uzuki.
Uzuki immediately launched backward, gliding across the snow, a faint confusion flickering in his eyes.
She held her sword with one hand, the tip pointed straight at Uzuki.
"How cunning after all..."
Uzuki stood firm again, his expression showing clear bewilderment.
"...?"
The girl continued, her voice turning cold.
"You lot really are becoming filthier and filthier."
"Just to get it,"
"you dare use any means!"
The sword in her hand trembled slightly. Perhaps a fury had just been awakened.