Jude walked straight into the shadow, letting the darkness swallow him whole. It felt like stepping through cold water—silent, weightless, and absolute.
The forest behind him faded as if he had simply dissolved into the night.
Back in the woods, the air trembled. Brenna steadied her breathing and launched herself at the ice bear once more. The ground cracked beneath her feet as she accelerated, her focus sharpened into a single unwavering point.
The ice bear reacted instantly. Its massive form pulsed with mana, and jagged spears of ice shot out in rapid bursts—shards as sharp as forged steel and large enough to impale a horse.
The beast fired them relentlessly, attempting to keep the fight at long range. It had realized something important: Brenna was far more dangerous when she closed the distance.
But Brenna didn't stop. She didn't even slow down.
She weaved through the barrage, slipping between the spears with trained precision.
Each shard shattered against trees or sank into the snowy ground, leaving trails of frost spreading outward like spiderweb cracks.
Silver aura ignited around her twin blades—thin at first, then bright enough to cast her reflection across the ice.
The bear roared and swung its enormous paw, the force of it sending a blast of cold air crashing outward. Brenna dropped her shoulder and dodged.
The claws slammed into a nearby tree, carving deep trenches through the bark. The tree groaned, splitting in half before collapsing behind her.
Brenna didn't even glance back.
She slid forward on the snow, slipping beneath the beast's chest as it readjusted its stance. Her blades crossed, sweeping in a clean diagonal arc.
Steel bit into flesh—cutting across the bear's lower abdomen in a quick, deep slash. A rush of steaming blood splattered across the ground, sizzling against the frosted earth.
She came out the other side and rose in one fluid motion, landing several paces away.
The bear roared, a sound so deep the trees shook.
Then the wound froze.
Ice crystallized over the cut, sealing the bleeding gash within seconds. Frost crawled across its fur like living veins. Its breath grew harsher, its eyes wild with fury.
It entered a frenzy.
The air pulsed with freezing mana. The bear roared again—this time with a maddened, agonized pitch—and unleashed a storm of ice spears in every direction.
Trees shattered. Snow sprayed upward in violent bursts. The forest echoed with the sound of splintering wood and exploding frost.
Brenna's world narrowed to survival. She darted between trees, ducking behind trunks that shattered moments later. Ice burned through the air around her. Every breath stung her lungs. Every step echoed desperation and discipline.
Down at the camp, a ripple of darkness formed near the supply crates. Jude stepped out of a shadow as casually as someone stepping through a curtain. The knights jumped in surprise; none had sensed him approach.
The Head Knight hurried forward.
"Young master—how did you get here so suddenly?"
"That isn't important," Jude said sharply. "Brenna is fighting an ice bear alone."
Shock widened the knight's eyes.
A six-star magical beast was no trivial threat—not even for trained knights.
Before the Head Knight could respond, Jude had already turned away.
The knights exchanged looks of urgency. Then, without hesitation, they sprinted into the forest.
Branches snapped under their boots as they raced toward the sound of destruction.
Brenna was at her limit now. The ice spears had intensified—so many and so fast that there was barely space to breathe.
The ground was covered in frost, the trees riddled with frozen cracks. Every dodge cost her more strength. Every moment brought her closer to the edge.
Just as the bear prepared another barrage, a surge of knightly aura burst into the clearing.
The knights arrived like a wave of steel and light.
The bear instantly shifted its attention, recognizing the new threat. It turned its massive body toward them, ice cracking at its feet. The air filled with tension—raw, dangerous, suffocating.
The Head Knight charged first. Aura condensed around his blade, glowing with lethal sharpness. His steps thundered through the frozen ground as he sprinted forward and leapt high into the air.
The bear swiped at him, claws slicing through space, but the knight twisted in mid-air and brought his sword down with a powerful arc.
Steel met flesh.
In a single devastating strike, he severed one of the bear's paws.
The forest shook from the bear's agonized roar. Birds scattered from the treetops. Even the snow seemed to tremble.
The other knights followed in, surrounding the wounded beast. They moved with discipline—attacking from angles, forcing the bear to defend itself in multiple directions. But the creature refused to fall quietly.
Its mana surged violently, gathering in its throat and chest. Frost crackled across its fur as icy vapor poured out of its mouth.
A magical burst was seconds away.
The knights sensed the danger and leapt backward, widening the distance immediately. But they were still too close. If the bear released that attack, many of them would suffer serious injuries.
Before the bear could unleash it—
A shadow moved above.
Brenna.
She had climbed a tree moments earlier. Now she launched herself downward like a striking phoenix, twin blades blazing with bright silver aura. She twisted mid-air, crossing her blades and aiming directly at the beast's neck.
The bear looked up too late.
With a single decisive strike—clean, powerful, perfectly executed—
she severed the ice bear's head.
It rolled across the snow with a heavy thud.
The bear's massive body collapsed a heartbeat later, sending a wave of frost and loose snow sweeping through the clearing.
For a moment, the forest fell absolutely silent.
Brenna landed lightly on her feet, blades humming softly with residual aura. Her breath came out in clouds of mist, steady and controlled. Snow settled around her like drifting feathers.
She sheathed her blades without a word.
The battle was over.
And the night swallowed the forest once more.