Winter rose to his full height. Now that his ruse had been uncovered, there was no need to keep up the act—not that he had tried very hard. He'd never been a good actor. No, that wasn't quite right; he simply found such tactics beneath him. Instead, he had merely remained stoic, not too different from his usual expression, and had restrained his full might. However, it had been enough.
The reason was simple.
Someone who was always emotionless was hard to read. Shassra, not knowing him well, had no choice but to rely on the subtle clues he'd been given. Sometimes, the more perceptive an opponent was, the easier they were to deceive.
Winter focused inward, assessing his current state. He soon sensed the venom coursing through his veins—a substantial amount. A few months ago, this might have already hindered his movements, but now he barely felt it. The poison was no more than a gentle breeze ruffling his fur.
He chuckled, unable to suppress a glimmer of satisfaction. The old adage held true: danger and opportunity often came hand in hand. Forced to fight for his life for months against Shassra's most potent venom, he had endured unimaginable struggles, but his gains had been equally extraordinary.
He had felt it the very moment he awakened.
It wasn't just that he had developed an immense tolerance towards the poison; there was something beyond that. His body, long accustomed to the cold, had taken another step—another step toward perfection. For a being of his age and power, progress was nearly impossible. There were few areas left to improve. And yet, he could feel that this recent ordeal had sparked a fundamental transformation.
While his body had been frozen stiff, nearly merging with the essence of ice, he had sensed a shift—a new understanding, a kind of resonance. Whatever it was or wherever it had come from, its effects were undeniable.
Winter took a step, startling his opponent from his momentary trance.
"Let's talk," Shassra suggested, his mind quickly catching up with the new development.
Winter ignored him and took another step.
"I admit that I've underestimated you," Shassra said quickly, "but that doesn't mean you've already won."
Another step. Winter had already crossed half the distance between them.
Shassra's gaze hardened as he coiled his body, poised to strike. "Even if you win, you won't escape unscathed. Are you sure your weakened tribe can survive if you go into hibernation again? There are others with designs on your treasure, you know that, don't you?"
It was a veiled threat and not a bad one at that. In any other situation, Winter might have considered it. However, there were two reasons he didn't even flinch this time.
"…Two of my children are dead," Winter's voice was cold, fitting for the element he controlled. To any listener, it would seem he felt nothing—indifferent even to the death of his kin. But that couldn't be further from the truth. He simply refused to show his fury outwardly—not in his face, his voice, or his words. He would convey it only through his actions.
Winter took another step, and the faces of his children flashed before his eyes.
Frost, who had inherited his courage and pride. Despite his limitations, he had never complained or lamented his fate. He embodied a dutiful son, and there were many words Winter wished he could say to him—but now, he would never get the chance.
Then, there was Polaris, the child who had inherited his ambitions. It was unfortunate that she hadn't also inherited the strength to see them through. He didn't blame her, not even for her betrayal. She had always stayed true to her nature, unwilling to dim her light. Her death, too, was a deep regret.
"…you would throw away the future of your people just for the sake of revenge?" Shassra hissed.
Winter calmly shook his head. "I would not…"
"Then—"
"And I don't need to," Winter interrupted. "To deal with the likes of you, I don't even need my full strength." That was right. Winter could ignore all considerations and hidden threats because he had the utmost confidence to deal with the opponent in front of him.
Shassra's eyes narrowed. "Aren't you taking me too lightly?"
Winter didn't respond, and neither did he move. However, the air in the entire area seemed to become colder at a noticeable rate. It was as if the seasons were changing in real-time. The meaning was clear: Winter's mind was made up, and the time for words had passed.
As the chilling air thickened, Winter fully unleashed his power, and the ground trembled. He surged forward, a white blur against the darkening skies. Ice crackled in his wake, and with a flick of his paw, he sent a wave of frost toward Shassra.
Shassra reacted instinctively, coiling his serpentine form to evade the attack. But Winter's ice was relentless, surging like a tidal wave and freezing the air around them. As Shassra twisted to avoid the worst of the assault, he felt the cold seeping into the scales of his body. Winter's onslaught was not just physical; it enveloped the entire area, an invisible pressure that sought to freeze everything in existence.
With a flick of his head, Winter commanded the frost to rise, sharp spires erupting from the ground like jagged teeth, seeking to impale Shassra. The serpent retaliated with a spray of venom, launching it toward the approaching ice, but the frost absorbed the toxic attack, neutralizing it without slowing down.
Winter pressed on, conjuring a blizzard that howled through the air, reducing visibility to nothing. Shassra writhed and lashed out, but each movement was met with the inexorable advance of ice. As Winter extended his will, the icy tendrils wrapped around Shassra, coiling tighter, encasing him in an unyielding embrace. It was ironic to see a snake being choked in an inescapable stranglehold.
The serpent twisted and turned, desperate to break free. However, the numerous injuries he had sustained in their earlier fight began to take their toll. While they weren't serious on their own, they became a critical weakness just when he needed all his strength.
In desperation, Shassra unleashed a torrent of acid from his scales, but the noxious mist quickly dissipated against Winter's crystalline defenses. It wasn't that the acid had no effect, but every bit of ice he melted was instantly replaced with twice the amount. It felt as if Winter had a bottomless reservoir of energy. The temperature continued to plummet, and with each passing moment, Shassra felt the cold seep deeper into his flesh.
With a final surge of will, Winter drew all the ice together, forming a massive prison around Shassra. The frost crackled and shimmered, a transparent cage that left no room for escape. Shassra's body strained against the binding ice, but it held firm, growing thicker and colder.
As he thrashed in a futile attempt to melt his icy prison, he felt a creeping dread settle over him. No matter how he fought, Winter's ice resisted his venom, standing as an insurmountable barrier. Panic washed over him as he realized the futility of his efforts; his poison had lost its potency, rendered ineffective against the unyielding ice.
"Wait!" he pleaded. "Don't do this… I can… I can help you!"
The wolf stood still, unmoved since the beginning. In that moment, he embodied winter itself. His expression remained unchanged as he ignored his rival's final plea and sealed the prison with a slight motion. The ground beneath them erupted with ice, swallowing the last remnants of warmth as Shassra became entirely encased.
Motionless, Winter stood gazing into the eyes of his enemy through the thick walls of his frozen prison. The snake wasn't dead, but his struggles grew weaker as he strained against his restraints. It was a pitiful sight, yet not a flicker of mercy crossed Winter's face. He merely watched, as if witnessing something trivial rather than the final struggle of a mighty Progenitor.
Minutes turned to hours until, eventually, Shassra's movements ceased. The cold seeped into his body, fully enveloping him. It was only then that Winter finally relaxed. Despite appearances, killing someone of Shassra's caliber was not an easy feat, even for him. Although his victory had seemed certain from the start, preventing the cunning snake from escaping was far from simple, requiring many conditions to be met.
Thankfully, everything had gone according to plan. He had avenged the death of his children. Otherwise, it would have been another addition to the many regrets he had accrued over his long life…
His weary gaze drifted upward to the night sky. Unbeknownst to him, their battle had lasted the entire day, and the full moon now hung high above. Overcome by a surge of emotion, Winter let out an piercing howl, declaring his victory to everyone in the land. Yet, amid his triumphant cry, a hidden sadness could be sensed.
***
Zeke sat cross-legged in the center of his puppet army, a deep frown on his face. He had held true to his promise not to leave his spot. That treaty had been made hours ago, and night had already arrived. Thanks to his presence, the peace had held until now.
However, that didn't come without a price. His gaze drifted to the side, where he could see the silhouette of a young woman. Her posture was as lifeless as a marionette with its strings cut. Her once vibrant ice had turned sullen, and there was no trace of the excitable girl he had come to know.
Zeke sighed. He had chosen to entrust the reinforcement of the Elders to Khai'zar and Snow instead of going himself. He had felt confident in his ability to protect her from a distance, thanks to his expansive Sphere of Awareness. However, in the final moments of the fight, he made a crucial mistake.
Polaris had decided to use the last of her strength for a suicide attack. Although he managed to protect Snow with a [Spatial Barrier] at the last moment, he failed to notice the second attack aimed at Frost.
As a result of his oversight, the little girl lost both her elder sister and brother simultaneously. It was too much for her immature mind, and she had become overwhelmed by grief. Only when Zeke had restored enough of his power to teleport her back did her weeping finally cease, resulting in her current state. However, he was uncertain if this change was for the better or worse.
Zeke's expression hardened as he turned to face the Frostscale army, thoughts of vengeance swirling in his mind. However, he soon calmed himself, dispelling these misguided feelings. He knew all too well that these soldiers were not to blame for this outcome; this was just his anger trying to find a target to vent.
Hopefully, the rest of the tribe would see it the same way. Otherwise, his efforts to preserve their enemies' lives would have been in vain. Well, Zeke wouldn't blame them either way; he couldn't expect them to overlook the death and suffering the tribe had endured over the past months with just a few words.
Lost in such thoughts, Zeke was suddenly pierced by a wolf's howl that cut through the night air. It felt distant yet somehow incredibly close. Everyone, including the members of the Frostscale tribe, flinched at the sound.
Despite his somber mood, Zeke's furrowed brows relaxed, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. He understood the meaning of that howl all too well: it was a declaration of victory.
The war… was over.