Roselle barely managed to sidestep a barrage of icy spikes that tore through the battlefield with unrelenting force. Aliana stood tall in her Sword God form and launched her attacks with precision.

  “‘Next move,’ huh?” Aliana sneered. “You won’t even get the chance to try it, because I’m ending this right now!”

  Aliana summoned massive shards of ice from above. They rained down like falling meteors, forcing Roselle to dash and weave with every ounce of speed she could muster. The ice that hit the ground created explosions of frost and debris that she also had to watch out for.

  Roselle gritted her teeth. Each step brought her closer to exhaustion. Sweat began to bead down her forehead. She thought, ‘Just a little longer. I need to buy time...’

  The last shard crashed into the ground behind her with a deafening boom, leaving a haze of frost in its wake. Roselle had only a split second to recover before Aliana appeared with her blade held up in front of her.

  “Got you now!” Aliana hissed. Roselle barely raised her massive cannon in time. Their weapons clashed in a furious storm of lightning and frost.

  Roselle’s arms trembled. Aliana’s strength began to overpower her, and Roselle’s feet slid back slightly.

  ‘Yes!’ Aliana thought triumphantly as she pressed her blade forward. ‘I’ve got her now—‘

  Her victory was cut short as something slick was now under her feet. Her eyes widened in shock . She lost her balance and toppled to the ground. The impact sent her sword skidding several feet away.

  “What the—?!” Aliana sputtered.

  Roselle blinked in surprise, then quickly looked over to see Risebelle standing a short distance away, her hand extended. A faint blue glow surrounded her palm, though static sparks crackled violently across her body.

  A system warning flashed in Risebelle’s mind:

  System Alert:

  Magic Reserves: -125%

  Critical levels exceeded. Immediate recovery required.

  Her knees buckled slightly, but Risebelle managed to hold her ground. Her lips curved into a faint smirk. “Guess... even ice queens can slip down, eh?”

  Roselle didn’t waste the opportunity. Her lightning surged around her like a living storm.

  Aliana, now back on her feet glared at Roselle. “So, this was your plan all along,” she said with a scornful laugh. “Unfortunately for you, it’s not going to stop me!”

  She raised her sword into the air. The icy aura around her body flared to its maximum intensity. The ground around her froze instantly. The cold seeped ng through every crevice of the battlefield. Energy began to gather at the tip of her blade, pulled from the frozen environment she had created.

  “Glacial Domination!” Aliana roared like thunder. The ground erupted in a massive explosion of frost. A devastating wave of icy energy radiated outward.

  Roselle’s eyes narrowed. She glanced at Risebelle, who gave her a subtle nod, despite her visibly strained condition. Roselle smirked. Her fingers gripped the cannon tightly, but her mind was racing. ‘Runebelle’s energy is still in here,’ she thought. ‘If I can focus it... just maybe...’

  She closed her eyes for a fleeting second, visualizing the energy within the cannon—a swirling blazing force of fire infused with her own lightning. In her mind, she imagined it as a glowing sphere, tethered yet separate from her core. Slowly, she envisioned an electric hand reaching out to pull that fiery power from the cannon into her main body.

  The effort was agonizing. It felt like her body was being torn apart and reassembled all at once, her nerves sparking with pain. She gritted her teeth. “Come on,” she growled under her breath. “Just... a little more...”

  The energy flowed through her like a rushing current that ignited every fiber of her being with scorching heat. Roselle’s eyes snapped open with a fiery intensity.

  She tossed her cannon aside, letting it crash into the frozen ground with a resounding thud. Flames flickered to life around her body, intertwining with her lightning in an erratic yet mesmerizing dance. Her long yellow hair shifted, turning a vibrant, fiery red and the aura around her grew wild and untamed.

  Roselle stood still for a single breath. Aliana’s icy wave barreled toward her, freezing everything along the way.

  And then, Lightning erupted from her body in a deafening roar, streaking outward in sharp arcs that illuminated the battlefield in blinding flashes. The tendrils of electricity twisted and danced into a massive, spinning fan of crackling energy, racing toward the oncoming wave of ice.

  “Thunderclap, Suuurge!” Roselle bellowed. But this was no ordinary Thunderclap Surge. Runebelle’s fire infused it. The flames intertwined with the arcs of lightning, and was so intense that it melted the frost on the ground, turning frozen earth into steaming mud in an instant.

  The spinning fan of electrified flames met Aliana’s icy wave head-on. Ice hissed and cracked under the intense heat while flames sputtered and danced against the freezing cold.

  Aliana’s eyes widened in horror. “No! This can’t be happening!” she screamed with desperation appearing on her face.

  The fiery tendrils began to tear through her icy wave like molten blades through brittle glass. Shards of ice exploded in all directions, vaporizing into steam. The once-unrelenting cold was overwhelmed by the heat and electricity which left a path of scorched destruction in its wake.

  The Thunderclap Surge raced toward Aliana, now stripped of its opposition. She raised her sword and created a wall of ice spikes in a last-ditch effort to block the attack but the fiery lightning melted it instantly and slammed into her.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “This... this isn’t possible!” Aliana gasped. “My Ice Heaven... my invincibility... it’s all falling apart!”

  Roselle cut through the chaos in a firm tone. “Your Ice Heaven was never invincible. It’s just like you—fragile when pushed to its limits!”

  Aliana scream loudly as the fiery lightning struck her, engulfing her entire body in a tremendous explosion of energy. The ground quaked violently, and the shockwave sent tremors rippling outward.

  The mystical forest was reduced to a soggy wasteland with steaming puddles of mud, frozen trees and everywhere. At the epicenter of the devastation was a massive crater marred the ground, charred and smoking from the sheer intensity of the attack.

  Roselle staggered backward and gasped for air. Her body trembled and wisps of steam rolled off her skin. The red streaks faded from her yellow hair. Droplets of sweat dripped from her chin.

  Her system flickered to life with a sharp alert:

  System Warning: Magic Reserves – 3% Remaining. Further use of high-cost abilities may result in critical system failure. Immediate rest recommended.

  Roselle winced at the notification, letting out a weak laugh. “Three percent left, huh?” She placed a hand on her knee, steadying herself. “I must’ve pushed to 200% without even realizing it...” She wiped her brow and straightened, a hint of a grin crossing her face. “But wow... that felt amazing.”

  She turned to see Risebelle and Runebelle nearby. Risebelle’s usually sharp, critical eyes were wide with awe while Runebelle’s hands were clasped tightly together with a similar look.

  “You’re... insane,” Risebelle finally said. “Do you even understand what you just did? That wasn’t normal, Roselle!”

  Runebelle nodded. “You... you looked like a storm and a fire all at once. It was incredible.”

  Roselle gave them a tired but triumphant smirk. She turned her eyes toward the steaming crater and looked on with her sisters. The three held serious looks on their faces despite their separate pains.

  Aliana drifted in a world of whiteness. For a moment, there was no pain, no sound—just an endless void of light. Then, she began to feel it: the heat of her defeat ebbing away.

  Her hair, once stark white in her heightened Sword God form began to shift. Strands of pale blue returned, cascading over her shoulders. Her silver armor dulled into the familiar azure hues of her usual robes. She could feel her power draining away.

  Aliana clenched her fists in the void and spoke with a tremble. “I don’t remember the last time I felt like this... defeated, broken.”

  Her thoughts churned. ‘I was always confident in my abilities. Every foe fell before me, every task handed to me was done flawlessly. How did it come to this? How could that child overpower me?’

  Her mind began to wander, slipping into the depths of her memories. Faint images surfaced, growing clearer with each heartbeat.

  She was back in the grand arena of her youth. The roar of the crowd echoed through the air. Her younger self stood in the middle of the battlefield.

  Her vibrant blue hair, wild and untamed flowed freely down her back. She gripped Tengoku, her treasured blade. The weapon gleamed with an icy brilliance.

  The announcer boomed through the arena with excitement. “And now, the final round of the tournament! The rising star of Eastern Jancito, the prodigy herself, Aliana Frostbane!”

  The crowd erupted into a frenzy. Aliana’s younger self wore a confident smirk. A seasoned warrior stood opposite her with scars across his face. His stance was firm.

  “You don’t stand a chance,” he growled, brandishing his broadsword.

  Aliana tilted her head. “You might want to save the trash talk for someone who hasn’t already planned how she is going to sculpt you in her ice.”

  The signal to begin was given, and the fight was on. Her opponent charged with brute force. Aliana danced around his strikes with effortless.

  With a flick of her wrist, jagged spears of ice shot from the ground, forcing her opponent to leap back. Aliana took the opportunity to press her advantage and whispered under her breath,

  “Sword Magic, Level 3: Tengoku Frostbite.”

  A storm of razor-sharp ice spikes erupted around her and swirled like a blizzard given form. The spikes honed in on her opponent, striking with unerring precision. He raised his weapon to block but the relentless assault overwhelmed him.

  With a final slash, Aliana struck him down. The man fell to the ground, defeated.

  The arena fell silent briefly. Then it erupted into deafening cheers for Aliana.

  “And the winner of the Grand Frost Tournament... Aliana Frostbane!” the announcer cried.

  The memory shifted to the aftermath of her tournament victory. In the arena’s private chambers, she polished her ice blade, Tengoku. But a nagging voice whispered, “Is this all there is?”

  Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. The door creaked open, and six figures entered.

  Aliana rested Tengoku on her shoulder. “Oh what’s this? Fans here for autographs?”

  The tallest, a crimson-haired manwith hair braided and tied stepped forward. “Fans? No. We’re here to see if you’re worth the hype.”

  A woman in black and silver robes cut in sharply. “Your potential is impressive, but potential without discipline is meaningless.”

  Aliana’s grinned. “You guys again? I don’t need lectures or your recognition. I’ll reach the Sword God form my way.”

  The woman unsheathed her blade with a sharp ring. “Then prove it.”

  Aliana’s icy magic flared as spikes erupted and frost consumed the air. But the woman moved like a ghost. In moments, Tengoku flew from Aliana’s grasp, leaving her sprawled on the ground.

  “Strength without discipline is just recklessness,” the woman said coldly. “Learn that—or stay mediocre.”

  Once the group left, the crimson-haired man glanced back. “If you want to truly wield power, seek us out. Until then, enjoy your fragile title, ‘champion.’”

  Aliana clenched her fists. Through gritted teeth, she whispered, “I’ll show them. I’ll surpass them all. Just you wait…”

  The words echoed in Aliana's mind like shards of ice piercing her resolve: “Strength without discipline is nothing but recklessness.” The memory dissolved, and the void.

  She opened her eyes, finding herself sprawled in the middle of a deep crater. Her once-pristine robes were tattered. Her blue hair clinged to her face. She groaned softly, pushing herself up on trembling arms.

  Aliana's gaze fell to Tengoku which lay a few feet away, buried in the scorched dirt. Its once powerful surface was dim. She reached out her fingers to reach the hilt and spoke with a whisper. “Tengoku... was it that? Was it discipline that I’ve lacked all this time? I thought I was strong enough... I felt strong enough. But...Maybe... maybe I’ve been wrong. Maybe I’m not strong enough to wield you after all.”

  The blade hummed faintly in response. Tengoku had never betrayed her, but had she betrayed it? By overestimating herself and refusing to see her flaws?

  “I’ve always thought power was enough. That as long as I kept pushing forward, nothing else mattered. But... it wasn’t, was it?” Aliana’s eyes stung, though she refused to let the tears fall. “I thought discipline was just a word thrown at those too afraid to reach for greatness. But...”

  Her thoughts drifted to the six Sword Gods, to the woman who had bested her without a single spell, to the child who had stood before her with powers she hadn’t anticipated. Each moment chipped away at her pride.

  Just then, a sudden shout pierced through the air. "Princess Aliana, don't give up!"

  Startled, Aliana turned her gaze toward the source. There, standing before her in a magic academy uniform with blue hair that seemed to shimmer like a sapphire.

  Roselle and Runebelle exchanged bewildered glances. The sudden appearance of this girl had taken them by surprise.

  Risebelle, on the other hand maintained a serious demeanor and growled. “Shit. Reinforcements.”