A sharp sound echoed through the forest, followed by a sudden blinding pillar of light erupting from the pit. The ground trembled beneath his feet as the light pierced the darkening sky.
His heart dropped.
No... don't tell me...
In front of Roland, a small fragment of light suddenly appeared—crackling violently as if barely containing its energy.
Bang!
Before he could react, the light exploded outward. His sluggish mind couldn't process fast enough. The blast sent him flying through the air, crashing hard into nearby tree.
Leaves drifted down around him as he slumped against the trunk, his body limp and trembling. A searing pain radiated from his stomach—burnt, torn, and raw. Blood trickled from a wound on his forehead, spilling into his eyes and dyeing his vision red.
"ROAR!"
Through the crimson haze, Roland could barely make out the monstrous silhouette clawing its way out of the pit.
The beast's body was now ablaze, bright orange flames consuming every inch of its flesh. With a low growl, it took a step toward Roland, its flaming paws scorching the forest floor. But its movements were unstable—it stumbled, letting out a pained, guttural howl.
The pit trap had worked. Its body was riddled with deep wounds, spears still lodged in its flesh. It was barely holding together, yet its monstrous tenacity drove it forward, ignoring the gaping injuries that should have killed it.
Am I really... going to die here? Roland stared at the approaching inferno, adrenaline surging through his veins, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
At that moment, the sky darkened, the last rays of evening light fading behind the thick canopy above. Shadows deepened, casting a strange gloom over the forest.
Roland's first thought was that night had come early—but that couldn't be right. It was still too soon.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Beads of water landed on his scorched skin, the sudden coolness startling him. A refreshing sensation washed over him, like a fleeting comfort in the chaos.
He blinked through the blood in his eyes, confusion setting in as he stared up at the darkening sky.
Rain?
The light drizzle quickly transformed into a torrential downpour, soaking Roland to the bone in seconds.
But when the rain touched the beast, it evaporated instantly—turning into thick clouds of steam that hissed around its flaming body.
Steam… Steam! A spark of realization flared in Roland's weary mind.
"I got it!" he whispered hoarsely. A desperate plan formed—a final, reckless gamble.
He clenched his teeth and pushed himself upright, summoning the last dregs of strength left in his battered body. The icy energy surged within him, coursing through his veins like a storm.
More. He poured everything into it—every drop of energy, every ounce of will—forcing the power to swell inside him like an overfilled balloon, pressing against the limits of what his body could endure.
And then—he let it go.
A violent burst of frost erupted from his core, surging outward in a massive wave. In an instant, the forest around him was swallowed in ice. Trees, grass, and soil all froze solid as a thin mist curled into the air.
The falling rain froze midair, transforming into deadly shards of condensed ice. They rained down onto the beast with terrifying speed, their velocity too great for its flaming aura to completely melt them in time.
The icy barrage tore into the beast's flesh, lodging deep into its body.
"ROAR!"
The beast howled in agony, staggering beneath the relentless assault. In a desperate countermeasure, it released a massive surge of heat, waves of searing energy flooding the forest to push back against Roland's frost.
Above the beast, fragments of light sparked into existence—crackling violently before erupting in brilliant explosions. The blasts sent shockwaves through the air, generating enough heat to vaporize the frozen shards mid-fall.
Steam and smoke collided in the space between them, creating a chaotic battlefield of fire and ice.
However, Roland paid no mind to the beast's desperate resistance. His right hand was already raised to the sky, gathering the icy energy that lingered in the drenched air.
Normally, I can't create much ice on my own... he thought, but if I only need to freeze what's already here, then that's a different story.
He funneled every ounce of his remaining mental strength into shaping the frozen water.
Above him, ten lances of ice slowly began to materialize, each one forming with painstaking effort. Mist clung to them like a veil, swirling in the cold air as the shapes solidified.
By the time the steam had cleared and both combatants could see again, the lances had fully formed—silent and deadly, suspended in the misty sky.
"Die," Roland whispered hoarsely, his voice barely audible over the storm, as he brought his right arm down in a swift motion.
The ten lances of ice shot forward like divine punishment, tearing through the air with explosive speed, each leaving a trail of frost in their wake.
The beast responded immediately, summoning the last of its strength to release flickering fragments of light, trying desperately to detonate the incoming projectiles. But the explosions fizzled—too weak, too late. The lances pierced through the smoke with relentless force, undeterred.
Realizing it couldn't escape in time, the beast raised its remaining two tails in a final, futile attempt to shield itself.
The beast swung one of its tails, narrowly deflecting the first lance. The second was caught mid-flight by the other tail, ice cracking but held—for a moment.
Then came the third, fourth, and fifth—too fast, too precise. They tore past its defenses, slamming into its chest, front leg, and lower back.
"ROAR—" The beast's monstrous three-way mouth opened in a cry of agony—
But a lance drove straight through the center of its open maw, silencing it instantly. Its head snapped back violently, the light fading from its eyes.
Yet the final four lances didn't stop. One after another, they found their marks with unrelenting precision, each strike a cold, brutal reminder:
Roland had won.
The beast's corpse didn't collapse. Instead, it remained upright—pinned by the lances jutting from its body like frozen stakes.
Seeing this, Roland finally allowed himself to relax. His body gave out, and he dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.
I've been hitting the ground a lot lately, he mused with a faint chuckle, the pain dulling behind exhaustion.
"I've won," he whispered.
And with that, Roland closed his eyes, surrendering to the darkness.
...
Within the Imperial Palace chamber, Roland slowly stirred awake, his heavy eyelids fluttering open.
"Cough! Cough!" His throat felt like sandpaper, each breath scraping painfully. He coughed violently, his chest heaving.
Water… I need water, he thought, reaching out blindly.
But the room was cloaked in complete darkness, swallowing everything in shadow. Disoriented and weak, Roland pushed himself upright. His legs wobbled beneath him as he struggled to stay on his feet, fumbling forward in search of something—anything.
Then, without warning, the door before him creaked open. A soft orange glow poured in, spilling across the chamber floor and brushing against his skin like the first warmth of dawn.
Looking toward the door, Roland immediately recognized the man holding the lantern. Despite his exhaustion, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
Standing there was a tall, scholarly man of average build, dressed in a crisp white suit paired with a brown vest. A crystal-clear monocle rested over his right eye, glinting in the lantern's warm light. It was none other than Enzo—his eyes swollen and red from crying.
"Roland…" Enzo whispered, the lantern slipping from his grasp as he rushed forward. He embraced Roland tightly, momentarily forgetting his usual composed and refined demeanor.
After hugging him for a moment, Enzo suddenly pulled back, flustered.
"S–Sorry, my lord… It wasn't my place to—"
He was cut off as Roland pulled him back into a hug.
Enzo froze, his breath catching in his throat. Then, without being able to stop himself, tears welled up again and streamed down his cheeks. He clutched the back of Roland's robe tightly, trembling.
"You're alive…" he whispered, voice cracking.