Orman was a pervert, in every sense of the word.
“Gazing at the Past.”
This skill could truly peer through the threads of fate in its initial phase, revealing the full essence of any object or being.
Including their experiences.
And “Gazing at the Past” was merely one of Orman’s abilities—yet even that alone posed a dire threat.
But something didn’t feel quite right…
The Winter Queen rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
Upon closer reflection, Orman couldn’t see Isabella’s memories—and naturally, he hadn’t glimpsed Kris’s figure either…
More importantly, he had no idea where the “Ice Holy Key” was located, even after peering into her past.
This meant “Gazing at the Past” had its flaws and limitations. If she could exploit them properly…
As long as she played it right.
“Killing you will take only three strikes, Miss Winter Queen.”
Nina stared at the hazy golden glow.
She understood now why Muir had sacrificed everything just to feed her more intelligence.
Of course she did.
In an instant, the Winter King’s Palace was cleaved in two, its sections rearranged like child’s play blocks.
Orman spoke.
“Winter Queen, legend holds that the Camiran Continent once underwent a Reset in its history. But the gods paid it no mind back then. The timeline advanced over a century, while the external axis remained unchanged—leaving history here utterly transformed.”
“And you… you’re one of the few who escaped that ‘Reset.’ So what allowed a being like you to slip through?”
“It’s because you swallowed the ‘Ice Holy Key,’ isn’t it? You ingested the Demon God King’s seal and merged with that entity. That’s why I haven’t rushed to hunt you down. Instead, I’ve given you this chance.”
“Across all planes, no one surpasses the Demon God King in strength. Her seal isn’t something you can contain. If I’m right, you are the Ice Holy Key. That’s the only explanation.”
“Is that so? Then come take it.”
The second strike followed swiftly on the heels of the light, reducing the palace to rubble. Had Nina not ordered the servants to flee the battlefield beforehand, none would have survived.
Wherever the sword qi swept, everything crumbled to dust—as if beneath the radiant Holy Sword, all things were equal.
Nina gasped for breath, clutching her bleeding shoulder. Ice had formed her armor and wings, but now she cut a ragged figure. Still, she reshaped her blood into fresh frost plating over her elegant, blood-soaked gown. Ice-blue and crimson blended into a striking purple.
She dropped to one knee.
It hurt—terribly.
But not enough to sever her pain receptors. This was still within her tolerance.
Orman advanced toward her shattered throne amid a relentless barrage of deafening explosions—like the fanfare of a curtain call, or the prelude to torment.
Nina summoned three Ice Crystals to assail him, but he flicked them away with the Holy Sword. They hurtled hundreds of meters to strike a miraculously intact tower. The structure collapsed in a thunderous roar, shaking the earth.
“Once you’re dead, the Elf Kingdom will fall.”
“If you won’t surrender the Ice Holy Key, I have no other choice.”
Orman’s voice was flat and matter-of-fact, like a man reciting plain truths. Yet it filled every listener with incomparable dread.
Nina ignored him. Shakily, she rose—only to stumble and collapse against the throne. A jagged edge sliced her skin, carving deep gashes. Propping herself up with one hand, she wiped the blood from her face with the other, exhaling a plume of frost. More Ice Crystals swirled around her.
“Is this your choice, then?”
“Fine. I’ll just use your corpse as the new seal.”
Cold.
People had always called her cold—from every angle imaginable.
If asked what she’d done to earn that, she had tales aplenty to boast of.
Disobedient weaklings. Arrogant, impotent fools. Traitors adrift from a dying age.
She’d slain them without mercy, earning the label of “tyrant.”
She remembered those elders who’d opposed her—defying even the Elf Queen’s warnings. She’d hunted them down personally, bombarding their entire domain with Ice Crystals until it was pulverized to nothing. The campaign lasted a mere three weeks, forcing every doubter to confront her sheer terror.
Convinced her so-called family was that frail, Nina had sought out the daughter of that traitor.
A little girl.
Bundled in a blanket, curled in the campfire’s corner. She watched the Winter Queen—Nina—with eyes long dulled, steeped in despair.
Then Nina had scooped her up… and given her a new name.
Muir
The reason she had taken a new name was that Nina didn’t even know what her former self had been called.
In other words, she couldn’t have cared less.
She didn’t care about anything—as long as she grew stronger and the elves grew stronger alongside her.
That included Isabella…
That woman was the one she despised most. Just the thought of her made Nina’s entire body tremble with rage, a burning urge to rip out her throat on the spot!!
Orman’s “Gazing at the Past” had its flaws in the end. He had even deluded himself into thinking he was putting on some grand performance with Isabella—laughably absurd.
To completely sever ties with Isabella, Nina had injured her multiple times. Even now, the Elf Queen was no match for her, thanks to those lingering wounds from back then.
“Don’t come near me again. Don’t force your ideals on me anymore—like you did in the First Playthrough, you arrogant, ignorant archetype of a wretched elf!
In the end, the Southern Border Elves—including Isabella—were better suited as figureheads.
She would rule this nation through faith alone.
What of those so-called “gods”?
They were nothing more than tools.
Free from Isabella’s restraints, Nina had harnessed a century’s worth of accumulated power to liberate the obstinate, forest-bound Southern Border Elves of the Second Playthrough. She had transformed them into the mightiest nation across the entire Camiran Continent. Her countless glorious achievements proved beyond doubt that she had been right all along.
That was, until recently, when Isabella tracked her down once more—and Nina had brushed her off dismissively.
What infuriated her even more was that the woman didn’t seem to harbor any grudge at all!
But Nina hadn’t been wrong. How could she possibly have been?
And yet, she had still followed Isabella’s words and handed over the Ice Holy Key…
That had been the gravest mistake of her life.
She had seen it all coming from a mile away, and still she had faltered.
All for some so-called “Demon God King.”
But in the end, when Orman spoke the name “Isabella,” why had Nina felt that surge of anger?
Impossible…
“Is that so…”
“……”
Nina’s gaze grew dimmer still. She struggled to prop herself up, forcing her body to stand even as the blood pooled beneath her like a river.
In the end, she gave up and collapsed into the crimson flood.
She reached a trembling hand toward the sky.
“So, Mom… were you right after all?”
