The wheel of war turned forward, and events began to accelerate.
The Black Knight of Earth had prevailed—after a thunderous battle that split the moon and wrought a phenomenon humanity would never forget.
Now, the White Knight of Earth was about to face his own trial.
Since parting ways with Frey, Snow Lionheart had pushed deep into Ultras territory. For days he moved relentlessly, erasing every enemy encampment he found along the way... until Seris Moonlight’s call reached him, reporting the sudden disappearance of their allies.
"I’ll head there at once."
That was Snow’s reply as he veered off and streaked toward the same destination Frey had chosen. He was on the opposite end of the map entirely, so naturally it would take him much longer .. except his Void Step let him devour distance at terrifying speed.
The plan was to rendezvous with Frey Starlight, learn what had happened to their comrades, and deal with any enemy presence on sight.
That was the plan. And so ..
Snow Lionheart tore across the Ultras deserts, unaware that his movement had already been caught in the distant gaze of demonic eyes.
Atop a high ridge that overlooked the barren plain, two figures stood watching him. One was a demon with the shape of a young man .. but his mere presence was a catastrophe. Beside him stood a hooded giant, over three meters tall.
From beneath the black cloak poured an uncanny, killing chill—an aura that felt like living frost.
They stood there, and they watched. Then the demon raised a finger and pointed at Snow.
That simple gesture was an omen .. ill luck descending upon the promised hero.
Seconds later, the hooded creature answered the signal, launching in the direction the demon had indicated.
...
...
...
"How’s the situation?"
Snow asked as he ran at maximum speed without slowing a fraction. On the other end of the channel, Seris Moonlight answered immediately.
"Frey is about to reach the point where our teams vanished... At your pace, you’ll catch up to him in a few hours."
Snow’s expression tightened.
"That’s not good. If I’m more than an hour late, it could all be over by the time I arrive."
Seris nodded to herself, agreeing.
"I’ll ask Frey to hold position and wait. There’s no need for him to charge in alone." She had been bouncing the link between Frey and Snow nonstop, coordinating them both.
But Snow refused at once.
"No need. I’ll be there shortly."
Even as he spoke, Snow’s eyes flared with pure radiance. He was about to unleash his true power and carve a straight path to Frey. He was certain he could close the gap if he went all out.
Light of immaculate purity flooded Snow Lionheart’s body. Since mastering the Spirit of Light that resided within him, his power had surged .. amplified by the golden World Tree and the opening of his Path. It was like a colossal dam bursting, letting a cataclysmic volume of destructive force roar through.
Covering that distance and joining Frey would be trivial ..
but before he could move, Snow froze in place.
A strange, glacial aura crept over his skin—a warning that prickled every sense. Danger.
A colossal shadow fell across him. Snow’s eyes lifted slowly.
A greatsword was cleaving the air straight for his skull .. held by a towering, massive creature wreathed in a detonation of killing intent that promised to obliterate everything it touched.
An instant before that blade could split him, Seris Moonlight felt her stomach drop. The detonation was so violent she felt its echo through the crystal despite being far away.
"Snow! Are you okay?! What’s happening?!"
She couldn’t see from his angle; the crystal didn’t show her the strike.
"Snow!" she called again .. just as his voice came back, steady.
"Calm down. I’m fine."
Snow had already reappeared far from the impact point. The blow had gouged a vast crater into the desert, at the center of which stood the hooded monster.
Snow stood at a distance, gaze cool.
"Seris, looks like some obstacles showed up. I’ll handle it and call you back."
Seris hesitated. She had no idea who the enemy was or how strong ... but it was only one opponent, and Snow was the strongest of their generation after Frey. She assumed he could manage it.
"Can you take it?"
"Of course I can. I’ll finish this quickly—tell Frey not to do anything reckless."
"...All right. Good luck."
Snow cut the link. His expression grew colder still.
On the other side, the strange creature cast off its shroud and revealed itself.
It was no human . an otherworldly figure from whose body rose a cold, uncanny vapor. Fully armored, greatsword in hand, its face hid beneath an ethereal helm. Its eyes burned a sky-blue glow veiled in darkness, and its aura was dreadful.
Facing it head-on, Snow Lionheart felt that power and began to recognize it.
A crushing pressure .. one that reminded him of a very particular man.
"This pressure... it matches .. no, it surpasses Blattier."
A hard smile slowly formed on Snow’s face.
"SSS-class, then."
His opponent was anything but ordinary; yet for all Snow’s scrutiny, it didn’t seem sane .. the thing hadn’t spoken a single word.
Instead it screamed, a feral bellow, as its aura swelled.
Golden sigils flared across Snow’s body as he stepped forward.
"You... I know what you are," Snow said, voice cold as he advanced. "I still can’t fully grasp all of my old memories yet—but I recognize you, without a doubt."
"You’re one of the Knights of Baharat... aren’t you?"
The Knights of Baharat: a cadre of warriors from the Fireborn race who dwell on a distant world called Irithyll .. the very race that produced Number Six of the Seven Great Powers, Vordt.
"Knights of Baharat are supposed to be the noblest of fighters, sworn to follow the path of the great warrior ..Saint Gehrman. That is what you were meant to be, fallen knight."
Snow drew Vermithor.
"Knight of Baharat... I don’t know why you’ve come here, so far from your kin, but I promise you this: if you withdraw now and put away the killing intent you’re aiming at me, I won’t harm you. I won’t lay a finger on you. And I won’t kill you."
His tone sharpened.
"But if you still choose to raise your blade against me, you leave me no choice."
The answer was another savage howl from the armored knight.
That was all Snow needed.
"I see... so be it."
There was nothing left to say. The battle had already begun.
The Baharat knight blew the ground apart beneath his feet and charged like a berserker, annihilating everything in his path.
Snow slipped aside at once. Light Spirit power wrapped his blade, and with a flick of his hand he loosed dozens of radiant arcs that hammered into the knight’s frame, shockwaves ripping outward.
The Baharat knight tanked the barrage and hurled his greatsword at Snow.
Snow dodged again .. only a fool would take that strike head-on. He was right. The instant he slipped past it, a distant mountain behind them was cleaved clean through.
Snow wove the elements, feeding blue fire along his edge and packing his left hand with black lightning. He countered in a blur, carving for the giant’s mass.
Blue fire detonated with black thunder. The Light Spirit amplified each element monstrously as runes flared across Snow’s body.
The knight staggered a single step .. then came again, even more ferocious.
"A tank, then?"
Reading his foe, Snow attacked anew. He circled at speed, raining black bolts and sapphire flame, lacing them with focused slashes of light. Every shot landed.
The armor absorbed it all. The knight’s swings only grew heavier. Each sweep of that colossal blade hurled a storm of destruction and killing frost that scoured the field.
Under that overwhelming pressure, Snow evaded .. barely, each time. Without noticing, a haze of rime was crawling over his skin.
Feeling that ether-cold creep toward him, Snow understood the tide.
"This aether chill... they say it can freeze even souls—slip past time itself."
He poured more Light Spirit power through his body, purging the frost, and fought on.