“It seems… this is the final battle.”
Hearing Wolf King Gallo’s voice, Snow Hill offered no denial. She kept her expression gravely serious. Deep down, she agreed with him. No matter how one sliced it, with her father and brother unable to step forward, she was likely the North’s last monument. The moment she fell in defeat, the North would be done for.
Without a doubt!
This was the final battle!!!
If that black-haired boy were here right now, she truly wanted to tell him: “See? I told you. There’s always one person who has to stand tall. If I don’t, then who will!?”
Jeez… why was she suddenly dwelling on these strange thoughts?
And… what was this indescribable emotion swirling in her heart at this moment?
Could it be… unease?
For a fleeting instant, the thoughts of the ice-blue silhouette drifted far away.
Facing the famed Ice Princess—Snow Hill—once more, Wolf King Gallo showed no negligence.
In the next second, his body began to transform. Without question, this was the Semi-Werewolf Transformation. He retained his humanoid form, without even his upper and lower jaws protruding. White fur simply grew across his body, his muscles swelling massively. Though male, his pale white hair extended nearly to his thighs. The fur formed a natural garment over his frame, while a wolf tail flicked about with a mind of its own, poised to strike. Not only did his muscles bulge explosively, but his nails grew rapidly into razor-sharp blades…
Paired with his command over 【Supernatural Ability】 in the form of thunder, white Thunder Arcs coiled around him, darting up and down. Forget getting close—even watching from afar was enough to send chills down the spine.
Just a moment ago, the knights had been rejoicing at Snow Hill’s timely intervention. In the next, they realized things might not be so straightforward.
Mullen Piyexi and the other captains, now bereft of fighting strength, lay nearby. They struggled to their feet, staring at Wolf King Gallo’s changes.
Mullen Piyexi gave a wry smile. “Looks like we can’t celebrate too soon…”
Even Mondo, who so idolized Snow Hill, couldn’t hide a flicker of unease. Shocked, he said, “That werewolf… when he was fighting us earlier, he wasn’t even going all out. Not even half…”
Even so, Mondo gritted his teeth stubbornly. “No! I still believe in the vice commander. She’ll definitely defeat the enemy!”
The other captains nodded at Mondo’s words, echoing his sentiment. Snow Hill was the First Knight of the era, a swordsmanship genius who had wrought countless miracles.
Snow Hill—this woman carried an undefeated legend!
No matter what, she would surely triumph over the enemy!
Though the other captains believed this, Mullen Piyexi was different. As the only Diamond Tier knight present, he stood closer to the power gap between Wolf King Gallo and Snow Hill than the rest. He could see more clearly. After a long pause, he said with a complicated expression, “I hope you’re right.”
Suddenly, a thunderclap flashed!!!
In the blink of an eye, amid the flickering light before the sound could catch up, both Wolf King Gallo and Snow Hill vanished from sight in that split second.
As Snow Hill closed in on the Wolf King, she swung her blade at blinding speed. Sword Qi was a form of mental energy, distinct from the physical might of 【Superpower】. Legend held it was an ultra-advanced technique usable only by those chosen by the sword—not something invoked at will, but a skill triggered half-voluntarily, half-instinctively by the blade sensing its wielder’s unyielding will.
At this moment, however, Snow Hill refrained from unleashing Sword Qi. She merely wielded her blade with raw power, whipping up ferocious sword winds. Then her eyes narrowed, her irises flashing red. Yes—without a doubt—she was activating her 【Blood Curse Technique】: Ice Power.
A mighty sword wind laced with countless ice spikes hurtled toward Wolf King Gallo.
Gallo, too, charged at Snow Hill at top speed. Facing the head-on assault, he pushed his body to its limits with Thunder Power and tanked the attack outright, emerging unscathed.
Finally, blade met claw in a direct clash.
Gallo praised her sincerely. “You’re one terrifying woman. To think you can stand against my Semi-Werewolf Transformation combined with Thunder Power activation… In terms of raw physical strength alone, you might rival the First-Generation Hill Family Head. It’s a shame your superpower is so feeble!”
Snow Hill ignored his taunt and said nothing. Her Blood Eyes blazed with light.
In the next instant, over a dozen icy crystalline vines sprouted from her blade, creeping onto Wolf King Gallo’s body. She aimed to bind him right then and there.
“These parlor tricks? Don’t underestimate me, little girl! I’ve lived far too long for that!!!”
The words had barely left his mouth.
Gallo threw his head back in a howl. As if the heavens answered his call, a bolt of lightning crashed down, striking precisely atop Snow Hill’s head. At the last possible moment, she leaped back, forced to halt her casting.
“Whew~ Looks like victory won’t come that easily…”
In mere seconds, with a powerful backward leap, Snow Hill and Gallo separated by dozens of meters. Through their first exchange and now this clash, she had sensed something off.
“Why is it that after fighting Mullen Piyexi, this guy’s 【Mana】 hasn’t diminished at all? If anything, he’s gotten stronger.”
No matter how she looked at it, even in his old age, Mullen Piyexi was a Diamond Tier knight—second only to her, her father, and her brother in the Rose Knight Order. Yet after battling such a foe, Gallo had grown stronger.
Moreover, why did Werewolf Gallo still look like a man in his prime after millennia?
What secret lay behind it!?
“Um…”
As these thoughts crossed Snow Hill’s mind, she locked eyes on Gallo once more. The more she watched, the stranger it seemed. He looked younger now—not the man around forty he’d appeared before, but a youth in his thirties.
Yes… he’d grown younger again!
In the next second, a chill wind howled, lifting the long silver hair at Wolf King Gallo’s back. Faintly, Snow Hill caught a glimpse of crimson light.
Something was hidden on this man’s back!?
Determined to uncover it, Snow Hill pushed her movement technique to the utmost, charging straight at Gallo. She unleashed a fluid chain of sword techniques, a dazzling flurry that left even him struggling to defend fully. Wounds riddled his body, though he deftly evaded anything lethal.
At this juncture, though the main forces still clashed, many eyes—werewolf and knight alike—were drawn to the spectacle. All were awestruck by the duel between Snow Hill and Gallo.
The werewolves, in particular, gaped in disbelief. “Impossible! That woman broke through the king’s Thunderbolt Armor… The king is injured!”
As those around him reeled from Snow Hill’s prowess, Wolf King Gallo grew ever more exhilarated, his killing intent surging like a berserker’s. The more blood he spilled, the stronger he became.
“Hahaha, Ice Princess, you’re even more powerful than before—both in strength and speed… Aside from the True Ancestor and the First Generation House Head, you’re the first to breach my Thunderbolt Armor. And a woman, no less…”
Snow Hill never lost sight of her goal and ignored his words. At the end of her combo, she slammed her blade into the ground. Her Blood Eyes flared brilliantly. Countless ice blades erupted from the earth—not merely to impale the foe, but to probe the truth.
She just wanted to confirm what lay on his back!
She wanted to flip aside that hair!
Yet…
Gallo was no ordinary opponent. As if reading her intent, he’d taken the hits head-on until now. But facing this move, he stomped the ground explosively, launching himself into the air and widening the gap.
“Ha~ So that’s your target…”
Seeing that Gallo had seen through her, Snow Hill dropped the pretense and pressed the attack anew.
Goaded by her relentless assault, Gallo glanced at his battered body, then flashed a mocking grin. “So this is… the North’s ace, huh…”
“Heh… I got careless. You’re no joke—stronger than I thought. If Thunderbolt Armor isn’t tough enough, let’s try Thunder Emperor Armor!”
Moments ago, the thunder coiling around Gallo had carried a grayish tinge. Now it turned pure white—wilder, more terrifying.
Not only that, white thunder formed boots and gauntlets around his limbs, while a crown settled atop his head.
Snow Hill had been ready to press on, but she halted mid-stride. Even from a hundred meters away, she felt his overwhelming might—like a vortex of thunder. One step closer, and lightning would strike.
What a pain…
Ever since her birth, Snow Hill had never faced a battle as dire as this one. She had always upheld her Knight’s Way: because she was strong, she had to protect the weak. This conviction was etched deep into her very bones. She had fought every skirmish along the way with that unshakeable belief, and she had never known defeat.
However.
In this moment, she felt it for real—a faint, unfamiliar emotion stirring within her.
Unease.
It was almost comical. Even as thunder rumbled across the sky and dark clouds blanketed the heavens, the snow kept falling. The Northern Region truly had nothing going for it: endless snow year-round, with no flowers in bloom except for the occasional rose.
Suddenly.
Fragments of memory drifted through Snow Hill’s mind—a blue-haired boy buying a wilted bouquet of Blue Enchantress from a street vendor and handing it to her.
“Here, the flowers are yours…”
“Everyone says Snow’s just a sword, but I don’t think so… You’re a flower. A little flower blooming in the North…”
