The End of the Ice Crystal

Layered Armor: The storage place for the brain. Any differences are considered derivative works. Apologies for any inaccuracies. Feedback is welcome.

The warmth brought by the Flame of Destruction was like the first breeze of early spring, gently brushing across the frozen earth and quickly dispelling the bone-chilling cold within the palace.

The biting cold in the air was replaced by a gentle sense of revival, and even the light seemed a little brighter. Heiter greedily took a deep breath of the air that no longer stung his lungs, and struggled to sit up, but Lowell gently pressed his shoulder down.

"Don't move, you wine-and-meat monk." Lowell had returned to his side at some point and casually picked up the Holy Scripture that had fallen to the side.

A soft, milky-white light emanated from his fingertips as he gently pressed them against Heiter's back. Pure life energy flowed in like a gentle stream, nourishing the monk's nearly depleted body.

"I also know a little about healing magic. You've used up far too much energy. You're a monk with over five hundred years of magical power accumulated by an ordinary person. I told you to drink less alcohol, but do you feel completely drained? Looks like you're exhausted."

A warm current flowed through his body, and a trace of color returned to Heiter's pale face. He chuckled, and although still weak, his former boldness had returned. "Haha... wine is a gift from the Goddess, the best of all medicines... but..."

He glanced at his companions who were gradually regaining consciousness, and clicked his tongue with lingering fear. "I'll have to find a way to learn 'Awakening Curse Dispel' next time, otherwise this is too dangerous. Goddess above, I, Heiter, am only twenty years old, in the prime of my youth. I don't want to be drinking tea and chatting with her so early."

Lowell continued working, but couldn't resist teasing, "Yes, yes, I knew you, this wine-and-meat monk, would live to be a hundred. After all, as the saying goes, evil lives on for a thousand years."

On the other side, Eisen silently stretched his stiff neck, making a soft "click" sound. His bronze face remained expressionless, but his steady eyes instantly sharpened like a hawk's. He silently gripped his battle axe, his short, stocky body lowering slightly, like a rock poised to strike. His piercing gaze locked onto the Snow Witch ahead, as if it were a tangible object. A warrior's instinct instantly jolted him out of his daze, putting him into absolute combat readiness.

Ruby sat up, rubbing her still-dizzy head. Her large, bright blue eyes were initially blank, but then fragments of the embarrassing scene from her hallucination flashed through her mind, causing her face to flush bright red, like a ripe apple. She stomped her foot and muttered under her breath, her voice filled with annoyance:

"Damn it... I knew it was an illusion from the start... It's all Himmel's fault... No, no! It's all that damned Demons's fault! How embarrassing... I absolutely can't let Master Serie know about this, or she'll say 'My stupid disciple can't even break through this level of illusion' again..."

Himmel had completely shaken off the illusion. He elegantly brushed aside the slightly disheveled blue hair on his forehead, and the confusion in his eyes, like a thin mist blown away by the wind, became clear and sharp again, like a sword drawn from its sheath.

He held his longsword level, its tip pointing at the slightly disheveled Monet beside the Frozen Throne. His voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable resolve, as sharp as the Northern Frontier winds. "A very powerful combination of sealing and illusion magic, truly impressive. However, this farce must end. Miss Monet, are you prepared to pay the price for everything you've done?"

Monet gently brushed away the few ice shards clinging to her skirt, a pitiful sorrow appearing on her exquisitely beautiful face. Her sapphire-like eyes shimmered with tears, as if holding endless grievances, and her voice, ethereal, carried a perfectly timed sob and helplessness.

"It seems... I am indeed no match for you all~ Really, that useless fellow Grausam, who claimed to wield 'miracles,' turned out to be so easily defeated... Alas, I have entrusted myself to the wrong person, leaving me here to face the wrath of you heroes."

She abruptly changed the subject, spreading her hands slightly to appear defenseless and vulnerable, her tone becoming soft and pleading:

"However, it seems there's no escaping it now~ In that case, I'll surrender, is that alright?~ I beg you heroes to show mercy. All of this... was actually forced upon me by that Grausam! He is one of the Seven Sages of Destruction of the Demon King, directly under his command, with immense power. I am merely a weak snow maiden from a remote corner, powerless and alone, and dare not disobey his orders~ I... I had no choice~"

As she spoke, she secretly observed the reactions of the others out of the corner of her eye, especially those of Himmel seemed to be the most upright and gentle.

"Do you think we'd believe you!" Ruby looked at Monet, who had a somewhat seductive air about her, and jumped up in anger, though it was unclear what she was angry about.

She pointed her little finger at Monet, her blue eyes Burning with anger like two leaping flames. "All the Demons... uh, most of them are liars! They're masters of sweet talk! We won't fall for it! They just tried to freeze us all into ice sculptures! And... 'a little snow woman'?"

She Imitation Monet's tone, hands on her hips, her little face puffed up with anger, "She was calling herself the mighty 'Snow Witch' of the Great Demons just a moment ago! Now she's acting like a weak, pitiful, and helpless woman. Her change of face is faster than flipping through a book!"

Monet's sorrow vanished instantly, as if she had removed a mask. She pursed her lips and said, "Tsk... that's true~ After all, you've all seen a bit of the world to get this far... Looks like playing the victim won't work on you."

A chill ran through her once more, and a murderous intent surged in her blue eyes, as if a blizzard was gathering. "Then it seems I have no choice but to put up a little resistance."

Before she finished speaking, Monet suddenly spread her arms wide, and the remaining ice and snow in the entire hall seemed to be drawn by invisible threads, making a "rustling" sound as they frantically converged on her! The moisture in the air instantly condensed into countless sharp, gleaming, eerie blue ice crystal arrows, densely packed behind her, blotting out the sky, like a raging swarm of bees poised to pounce!

"Endless Ice Prison - A Thousand Splendors in Disarray!"

With a sharp cry, thousands of ice crystal arrows, accompanied by ear-piercing shrieks that seemed to tear at the soul, rained down upon the crowd! Their range was so vast that they covered almost every inch of the entire hall!

"Watch out!" Himmel shouted, his figure flashing like lightning. As his sword danced, it seemed to transform into an impenetrable blue light curtain, deflecting and shattering all the ice arrows aimed at him and his companions behind him. The crisp, clanging sounds were like a sudden downpour striking a jade plate, forming a continuous chorus.

Eisen roared, his voice like muffled thunder, and swung his battle axe wildly. The heavy axe blade, accompanied by a terrifying roar that tore through the air, shattered the ice arrows that came straight at him as if they were melons and vegetables. The surging wind whipped up the snow on the ground, and the dwarf warrior stood firm like a rock in a blizzard, not retreating an inch.

"Hmph! A mere trick!" Although Ruby felt ashamed just now, she was still fearless in battle. She slammed her staff on the ground, "Seraphic Guardian Barrier!" A thick wall of fire, Burning with raging flames, rose from the ground, protecting her and the still somewhat unsteady-footed Heiter behind her. Ice arrows struck the wall of fire, quickly vaporizing with a hissing sound and rising into a cloud of white mist.

Frieren's emerald eyes swept over the swarm of ice arrows. She raised her staff and gently tapped it. Several seemingly thin but intricately structured honeycomb-shaped Defensive Magic took shape, precisely blocking every ice crystal that might slip through.

Seeing that her attack had failed, Monet's eyes grew even colder. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and extremely cold magic was frantically compressed and condensed around her, even the surrounding light seemed to be drawn away. A pale blue sphere, no bigger than a fist, emanated a light that slightly distorted space and seemed to roar with absolute zero inside, and quickly took shape!

"Judgment of Icy Cold!"

She shoved the ball of light violently toward the crowd! The ball of light wasn't flying very fast, but wherever it passed, even the air was completely Frozen, leaving behind a clear trail of ice crystals that exuded an aura of death!

This time, before anyone else could make a move, Frieren stepped forward. She didn't use any large-scale magic; her expression remained calm. She simply tapped her staff lightly, and a tiny, yet exceptionally dazzling, white light, as if condensed from the core energy of a star, gathered at her fingertips, aiming at the incoming azure orb.

"Highly compressed magic, pinpoint penetration." She stated calmly, as a thin, white light shot out from her fingertip, faster than the eye could perceive, and precisely struck the core of the azure orb.

"Puff!"

A soft sound, like a bubble bursting, rang out. The sphere of light, imbued with terrifying chill, was struck by the subtle yet incredibly concentrated white light. Like a punctured airbag, it began to disintegrate from the inside out. The eerie blue light quickly dimmed and dissipated, eventually transforming into a cold breeze that brushed against everyone's cheeks, bringing only a slight chill and posing no further threat.

"What?" Monet's expression changed slightly. One of her strongest killing moves had been neutralized so easily.

"It seems you've exhausted all your tricks, Miss Monet." Himmel's voice rang in her ears. Without her noticing, he had already moved with extraordinary speed, passing through the wreckage of the ice arrow and appearing beside Monet! His longsword carried an unstoppable momentum, its tip aimed directly at her heart!

Monet hastily conjured a thick, diamond-like ice mirror in front of him, but...

"Snap!"

The ice mirror shattered instantly! It was as fragile as paper!

However, the ice mirror did manage to block Himmel strike for a moment. Monet used the force to fly backward, her figure as elusive as snowflakes. At the same time, she swung her hands rapidly, and countless sharp ice spikes rose from the ground, like Bloom ice thorns, trying to stop Himmel's pursuit.

However, a short, stocky figure charged in like a cannonball – it was Eisen! He roared, ignoring the ice spikes that had sprung up beneath his feet, spikes strong enough to pierce iron armor. With the power to split mountains and shatter rocks, his battle axe swept across with tremendous force, smashing all the ice spikes in its path with a deafening boom. The axe blade continued its momentum, slashing towards Monet's legs with a piercing whistling sound!

Monet hurriedly leaped to dodge, his posture somewhat disheveled, his body staggering in the air.

Just then, Ruby's sharp voice rang out. "Let me show you what it's like to be roasted! Red Lotus Explosive Flame Pillar!"

"Boom--!"

A thick column of fire, seemingly emanating from the earth's core, shot skyward from the ground directly beneath Monet! The scorching heat distorted the air itself!

"Ugh." Monet had nowhere to dodge and was struck squarely on the hem of her skirt by the pillar of fire. Her pure white ice crystal dress was instantly charred black. She let out a painful groan and fell uncontrollably from the air.

Before she could land, Frieren's staff slammed to the ground again. This time, there was no dazzling light and shadow, but the space around Monet seemed to be instantly imprisoned by an invisible force, as if she were trapped in transparent amber, and her falling motion abruptly stopped.

Himmel's sword, Eisen's axe, and Ruby's newly formed, intensely hot fireball, radiating a chilling aura, had locked onto her from three directions. The shadow of death completely enveloped her.

"Heh... heh... truly... utterly, utterly defeated."

Monet slumped onto the cold snow, giving up the struggle, letting out a low, enigmatic laugh—a laugh tinged with self-mockery, relief, and an indescribable sense of desolation. "I never imagined the 'hero' I encountered this time would be so... beyond imagination, defying all logic. Perhaps, this is fate."

She closed her eyes, her long, silver eyelashes fluttering gently like snow-covered butterfly wings, as if she were recalling something. On her cold face, a trace of tender longing, so incongruous with her witch identity, appeared.

"Mother... Monet ultimately couldn't do it... I really wanted to use this eternal ice and snow to... keep you by Monet's side forever..."

Her whisper was barely audible, dissipating in the wind. In a small room in the distance, in an inconspicuous ice crystal photo frame in the corner, was a picture of a family of three. The youngest was a shy child of only eight or nine years old, who bore a seven or eight-point resemblance to Monet, but without the Demons's signature horns.

A complex emotion flashed in Himmel's eyes, but his sword showed no hesitation. He took a deep breath, and with a flash of lightning, he severed her head without hesitation.

Monet, the Snow Witch who had lingered here for countless years, died.