Eternal XII

With a sickening jolt in Freya's heart, a sharp hiss rang out. A biting cold wind grazed her cheek, severed several strands of hair beside her ear, and left a bloody mark on her face. "What was that?" The future Valkyrie's eyes widened. She instinctively turned around and saw it strike Aleya in the neck behind her. It was a sharp icicle. Its thin blade pierced the knight's neck from the left and emerged on the other side. The young Cruz Knight let out a miserable scream as blood gushed from the wound, and he toppled headfirst from his horse.

"Aleya!" Freya could hardly believe what she was seeing. She turned around and saw countless Pale Children in the forest snarling softly. The cold air gathered as it swirled around their silver fur, forming clusters of rotating air. Within each cluster, a sharp icicle gradually emerged.

And every icicle was poised to strike—

Freya sucked in a cold breath and immediately realized how dangerous their situation was. She did not even have time to wipe the blood from her cheek before she said to Nemesis behind her, "Senior, find a way to wake the others! We have to find a way to break through!"

"What are you planning to do?" Nemesis asked, her heart stirring slightly as she saw Freya seize the reins with one hand and surge outward by a horse's length.

"...That thing seems to recognize me. Brando told me about something similar, too. I don't know what the War Goddess's bloodline really is, but perhaps I can try to draw their attention."

Freya had already drawn the Lionheart Sacred Sword. She released the reins, tightened her legs, and charged forward without hesitation together with her warhorse.

Her final words came back in broken fragments, almost swallowed by