In a country on the European continent, Paris—the City of Romance—had transformed into an unrecognizable scene.
France's pride, the Eiffel Tower was half-destroyed, its majestic framework now encased in thick ice.
Everything within a one-kilometer radius was completely frozen. Sidewalks, cars, even building ruins—all were coated in heavy frost. The once-famous City of Romance now resembled the barren, frozen Antarctica.
Clearly, this drastic landscape change was caused by the battle between two women with extraordinary ice-manipulation powers!
On one side, Elena with her Sacred Gear: Absolute Demise, granting her absolute control over ice and cold temperatures. On the other, Esdeath with her Imperial Arm: Demon's Extract, a legendary weapon giving her similar ice-manipulation abilities.
However, unlike the intense, life-staking fights Charlie and Wang Jian endured, the dynamics here felt one-sided from the start.
Thanks to Divine Protection of the Powerful Resistances, elemental attacks were weakened by 80%. This meant Esdeath's ice attacks only dealt one-fifth of their original power to Elena. Thus, Elena had the upper hand in endurance.
Still, Elena didn't easily defeat her opponent.
Esdeath wasn't a woman who relied entirely on her Imperial Arm. Long before receiving Demon's Extract as a reward from the Prime Minister for her countless services, she was already a formidable warrior.
Her deadly swordsmanship, brutal martial arts, extensive battlefield experience, beast-like instincts, and exceptional combat talent—all made her the best of the best in her original world.
Unfortunately, in this fight, those elements alone weren't enough. Without her ice manipulation as her primary strength, Esdeath was at a severe disadvantage. She was forced to fight solely with her sword, while her counterattacks using ice manipulation were almost ineffective against her foe.
And finally, the outcome was inevitable: Esdeath was defeated!
"Are you even human? Even without your Demon's Extract, you're incredibly hard to beat. This took a lot of effort."
Elena stood several meters from Esdeath's collapsed body on the ice layer. Esdeath's body was covered in severe wounds, her blood frozen across her pale skin.
Elena couldn't help but respect Esdeath's tenacity. Her brown eyes gazed at her with a hint of admiration.
"Hmph! In the end, I lost. Kill me. The strong take everything from the weak. That's the law of nature."
Facing death, Esdeath showed not a trace of fear. Her eyes still radiated the same resolve. Raised by her father on the principle of survival of the fittest, she had prepared for an end like this.
"Haaah… Stubborn woman. Fine. Out of respect for you, I'll grant a quick, painless death."
Holding no personal grudge against Esdeath, Elena felt slight sympathy for someone whose life was shaped by the world's cruelty.
"Do it."
At Elena's command, Absolute Demise—manifesting as an elegant three-meter-tall female ice doll—raised its hand.
*SWISHHHH!*
The air around Esdeath vibrated intensely before freezing instantly, encasing her in a clear, perfect crystal ice block, like a monument to herself.
*CRACK!* *CRACK!* *BANG!*
Fine cracks suddenly spread rapidly across the ice block's surface. The next second, the entire block shattered—not into large chunks, but directly into sparkling fine ice dust.
The particles were then lifted by the wind, scattering and swirling before finally vanishing, taking Esdeath's last remnants with them.
Elena stood in the sudden silence.
"Since I was attacked, my two comrades might be in similar situations, right? I hope they don't die. Completing the Quest alone would be a huge hassle."
"Whatever. Considering how often Gaia praises Charlie as the 'Strongest' among us, worrying about him is pointless."
With a hand gesture, she deactivated her Sacred Gear. Absolute Demise's form faded into cold light particles before disappearing entirely. Elena surveyed her surroundings, gazing at the world of ice and snow she had created from the battle.
Flicking her flowing brown hair, she turned and began walking away, leaving the silent battlefield and the traces of the ended fight. Her footsteps left temporary prints in the snow, the only signs of life in this frozen emptiness.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"You're finally awake, Charlie."
Aishia's calm voice greeted him as he opened his eyes. Charlie blinked, trying to adjust his vision in the dimly lit room.
"Aishia? Where are we?"
He then looked around. In an instant, Charlie realized this was a teenage girl's room.
How did he know?
It was obvious from the walls painted soft pink and the faded, peeling posters of ponies and cute characters in some corners. A rickety wooden bookshelf was filled with plush dolls now covered in thick dust.
Signs of abandonment were everywhere; cobwebs dangled from ceiling corners, and a layer of dust coated every surface. The room felt like a long-uninhabited time capsule.
"This is a house two kilometers from Tokyo Tower. We made it our temporary base until you woke up. Charlie, don't you want to apologize?"
"Huh? For what?"
Charlie stared at Aishia with complete confusion, not understanding why he needed to apologize.
"Your words before passing out caused a misunderstanding. Especially for Est, who panicked because of it."
Her tone remained monotonous and her expression flat as usual, but Charlie, having known her long enough, could sense a subtle wave of unease beneath the surface. Aishia was clearly not as calm as she appeared.
Before Charlie could defend himself, a small, accusatory voice came from beside the bed.
"Onii-chan, I'm mad. It turns out you just had a regular fever, but you made it sound like you were on death's door."
Est, who had been sitting quietly on an old wooden stool, finally spoke. Her gaze fixed on him with accusation mixed with slight relief.
"Ahem… I didn't mean to! At that moment, the weakness really made me think I was dying!" Charlie defended himself, feeling cornered.
His reason might sound dramatic, but for him—and perhaps most men—a fever wasn't just an ordinary illness!
For men, a fever is a deadly disease that makes them feel weak and helpless. A man could seem fine and even joke after a traffic accident leaving several stitches, acting casual as if it were trivial.
But a fever? That's a completely different story!
Rising body temperature, dizziness, and weakness make them feel like their life is on a final countdown. They start acting as if there's no tomorrow, uttering messages that sound like last wills.
It might seem overly exaggerated to others, but that's the psychological reality men experience when a fever strikes!
As a man, Charlie was no exception to this rule!
"Fine. Sorry. I promise I won't make death dramas again just because of a fever. Next time, I'll just pass out without talking." Charlie sighed, giving up on arguing with women.
Truly, there's no point in debating with women.
"…"
Est and Aishia exchanged glances. They knew that was the best promise they'd get from him.