The flowers, grass, and trees were all encased in frost under the erosion of this cold air.
The subtle sound of freezing continued to ring out, weaving a melody that chilled the soul.
It felt as though even the air had frozen. Even though they had retreated to a position a hundred meters away, they still found it hard to breathe.
Every inhalation brought a flood of cold air into their lungs, making them feel a chill that cut to the bone.
The howling winter wind stung their skin like knives. In just the blink of an eye, frost had already formed on their eyelashes and skin, turning their faces pale as paper.
Even though they were warriors who had fought on battlefields in the extreme north and were long accustomed to bitter cold, not even the cold of the far north could compare to one-tenth of what they were feeling now.
Regardless of their strength, regardless of age, their teeth began to chatter.
Except for Esdeath.
"My little sister, you really know how to surprise me."
Amidst the dazzling snowstorm, she tightly pressed down the brim of her military cap. long ice-blue hair was tossed wildly by the wind, yet it still couldn't conceal the burning passion in her eyes.
Flowing within her veins was the blood of a Super Class Danger Beast. No degree of cold could affect her in the slightest.
And yet, at this moment, she could feel the essence of the demon boiling within her.
The will that resided in her blood—the will of the Lord of the Permafrost from the extreme north—had become active once more.
As if two tigers could not share one mountain.
And at the center of the ice tornado, a pair of crimson eyes suddenly opened, casting a domineering gaze through the white mist from above.
In that instant, as if being stared down by an overwhelming predator, the hearts of the Three Beasts simultaneously skipped a beat.
"Boom————!"
With the appearance of that crimson glow, the enveloping white mist and ice tornado suddenly burst outward, transforming several kilometers of the surrounding area into a world of ice.
This wasn't just a light frosting of ice.
Everything—everything—was covered in frost, radiating an intense chill.
Esdeath was forced to create a crystalline ice shield to protect the Three Beasts behind her.
Otherwise, they would've been instantly turned into humanoid ice sculptures—frozen exhibits in this snowy kingdom.
At the same time, the true form of the colossal entity finally revealed itself before them.
It was a massive, snow-white mechanical giant rabbit, terrifying in appearance.
Its uneven steel fangs were enough to instill fear at a glance, and the cold air it exhaled from its mouth made approaching it unthinkable.
"Are you guys okay or not?"
Yoshinon voice echoed from the sky. Even from over a hundred meters away, her words still reached the Three Beasts clearly.
Facing this somewhat mocking remark, the Three Beasts found themselves completely speechless.
When they saw that Yoshino could control frost, they were shocked—but even more so because both Yoshino and Esdeath happened to possess the same elemental attribute.
Even when Esdeath ordered them to go test Yoshino abilities, they had only approached the task with the mindset of playing with a child.
"But… what the hell is this thing?"
Nyau, the smallest in stature and wearing the least clothing, was now trembling uncontrollably, clearly at her limit.
"Lady Esdeath, we… we may truly be unable to carry out your command," said Liver, incredibly thankful that he wore a coat today. Though he tried to remain composed, he knew full well that this mission was beyond him.
"Nope, can't do it," Daidara muttered. The beard on his face had frozen stiff, making even speaking a challenge.
Seeing her three subordinates frightened before even engaging the enemy—in ordinary circumstances, Esdeath would have punished them harshly.
But in the current situation, she found herself surprisingly sympathetic.
"You're dismissed."
Esdeath didn't intend to push them further. Waving her hand, she muttered, "I'll assess her personally."
"Yes, ma'am." ×3
Hearing this, the Three Beasts acted as if receiving a royal pardon. They immediately retreated several more kilometers back, completely out of the frozen area.
They knew well that even if what followed was just a sparring match between sisters, it was a battle far beyond their ability to interfere with—or even to observe.
"So when you said you were afraid of people getting hurt… you actually meant you were worried about them getting hurt?" Esdeath asked with amusement.
"Yahaha~ It was you who told Yoshino to go all out. We didn't originally plan to go all in from the start, you know?" Yoshinon replied, showing not the slightest hint of embarrassment.
"I don't know where your power comes from," Esdeath nodded with satisfaction, "but even if it's not an Imperial Arm, this power is more than worthy of being ranked among them."
"To think you even made me feel a tinge of danger—very impressive."
"Ohhh? Then do we still need to continue testing?"
"We've come this far. Ending it now would be such a waste, don't you think?"
Ice spears began forming around Esdeath.
"A bit of exercise is good for strengthening bonds, or at least that's what I've heard."
"Yare yare… Though that might be true, Yoshinon really doesn't feel like this kind of activity helps build relationships…"
The ice construct puppet shrugged its bulky head. The mouth full of steel teeth let out a deep sigh of cold air, like a breath of resignation.
"Well, since it's a request from Lady Esdeath, we can't really say no."
The next moment, the red glow in the puppet's eyes intensified.
"Well then—let's play with you for a bit!"
Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest outside the Imperial Capital...
Tatsumi, who was out hunting for dinner, suddenly shivered and sneezed.
"What the heck… It's midday, so why does it suddenly feel like the temperature's dropped?"
Wiping his nose, he looked up at the blazing sun still hanging in the sky. He tossed the fish he had just caught into a basket.
But just as he was about to resume fishing, he suddenly felt the air temperature plummet even further.
A chilling shockwave blew through, and the lake surface began showing signs of freezing.
Realizing something was wrong, Tatsumi immediately leapt out of the lake. With a few agile jumps, he landed on a tree branch and looked in the direction the shockwave had come from.
When he saw the towering white giant rabbit—even taller than the ancient trees of the forest—his pupils shrank.
"That's… a Super Class Danger Beast?"
The distance made him doubt his own judgment.
"Hm?"
He squinted his eyes, as though seeing something odd.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but he felt like there was a person riding on the back of that Danger Beast.
"Anyway, I should go report to the Boss first."
After weighing his options, he decided not to approach rashly. Turning around, he sped off in the direction of Night Raid's base.
"To think such a dangerous creature would appear near our base… We've got to take it out fast. Otherwise, if it draws attention from the Capital, it'll be trouble."