Halstein stood motionless for a long moment, his gaze locked onto the raging blizzard. Then, with a sharp breath, he raised his hand. The ground beneath them erupted in a blinding golden light as a massive magic circle expanded outward, humming with power. Within the glowing circle, reality twisted—time rewound.
Stiles unfroze in an instant, his body snapping back to its previous state, no longer encased in ice. The hunters who had been hurled away by the storm reappeared in their original positions, as if they had never been caught in the blizzard. The raging winds died in an instant, the frost dissipating into nothingness.
"W-what the hell?" Stiles muttered, glancing at his hands, his body fully intact and unscathed.
Halstein exhaled sharply, sweat beading on his forehead. "This is going to be a pain in the ass…" He steadied himself before shouting, "Everyone! Use the terrain to your advantage! Don't charge recklessly—work together!" His voice carried authority, though the exhaustion in his breath was evident.
"Tch, damn it," Stiles clicked his tongue, scanning the battlefield. His eyes locked onto the dragon as it reemerged from the mist, its icy glare piercing through the thinning veil of snow.
Dante wasted no time. Rushing forward, he activated [Phantom Cleave], his spectral green scythe materializing in his hands. With a swift, fluid motion, he slashed through the air—three successive strikes of eerie, translucent energy cleaved into the dragon. The scythe dug into its soul. A deep, guttural growl rumbled from the beast as its defenses and resistances visibly weakened.
Nearby, SteelArm braced himself near the shield bearers and slammed his fists together. "I'll handle defense! Shields, hold strong! Everyone behind, focus long-range attacks!" His voice was like thunder as he activated [Iron Fortress], [Mountain Body], and [Orc's Rage] in rapid succession. His body bulked up, muscles hardening like tempered steel, while an immovable aura settled around him.
The mages quickly responded, nodding in unison. Incantations filled the air as fireballs and arcs of lightning surged toward the dragon. A few seconds later, an ominous black flame formed above them, twisting like a vortex before launching toward the beast with an eerie hiss.
"Took me a minute, but…" the second SS-rank member exhaled, his breath ragged from exertion. "This spell eats up a shit-ton of mana, but it works like a damn charm." He wiped his brow, smirking as the infernal flames roared toward the dragon.
Meanwhile, the melee hunters had learned from their mistakes. Rather than recklessly charging the dragon head-on, they spread out, using the ice-covered terrain and scattered trees as cover, slowly closing in from different angles.
The dragon soared into the sky, its massive wings kicking up a whirlwind of snow and ice. With a deep, guttural growl, it opened its maw wide, and an overwhelming wave of freezing breath surged toward the hunters like a glacial storm ready to swallow them whole.
Without hesitation, Halstein stepped forward, thrusting his hand into the air. A small, intricate golden magic circle flared to life before expanding outward. The air crackled as golden bars materialized around the incoming attack, forming a perfect cage mid-air.
[Time Prison]
The dragon's breath attack froze in place, locked in a prison beyond time. The ice, now stood motionless, trapped in an eternal, shimmering stasis. The golden cage pulsed with golden aura every few seconds.
Halstein exhaled sharply, his body trembling as he dropped to one knee. Sweat dripped down his brow, his breath ragged.
"Shit…" he muttered, clutching his knee as his vision blurred for a moment. "I forgot how much this damn thing takes out of me…"
Stiles dashed forward, slashing his palm open, allowing his twin blades to materialize once more. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward a tree, leaping onto a sturdy branch. His crimson gaze locked onto the dragon's glowing eyes, a smirk tugging at his lips. He activated [Luminous Rift]
A sharp, concentrated charge pulsed through his body before he unleashed a precise horizontal slash. The air cracked as the arc of energy shot toward the dragon, but the beast reacted instantly, soaring higher to evade the strike. Before Stiles could react, a glaive of ice erupted from the branch he stood on, grazing his arm as he barely twisted away.
"Shit," he hissed, his gaze darting to the spreading frost creeping along his arm.
Without hesitation, he made a brutal decision. His blade flashed, slicing into his own flesh, carving away the infected skin. Pain surged through his nerves like wildfire, but he gritted his teeth through it. Blood dripped from the wound, staining the icy bark beneath him.
His gaze flicked toward the battlefield, locking onto an unfamiliar hunter. In a blur, Stiles leaped from the tree, landing gracefully behind the man. Without a moment's hesitation, his blade swung in a clean arc. The hunter's head separated from his shoulders in an instant, blood spraying into the air. The moment the crimson liquid touched Stiles, his body healed instantly.
A surge of raw power coursed through him—his speed, strength, and defense skyrocketed as his body absorbed the energy. The blood spiraled around him, forming a protective barrier that pulsed with an ominous glow.
"Shit… wasn't expecting that," he muttered, his tone devoid of emotion as if another life lost meant nothing.
Without wasting another second, he launched himself back into the treetops, his gaze locking onto the dragon once more. Suddenly, the black flame from earlier—massive and raging—collided into the beast's back. The dragon had been so focused on Stiles that it failed to react in time.
A deafening crash echoed for miles as the dragon plummeted to the ground, the impact shaking the entire forest. The distant news cameras zoomed in, capturing the devastating scene.
Before the dust could even settle, Dante appeared above the fallen beast, his eyes gleaming with lethal intent.
[Phantom Overdrive]
[Phantom Annihilation]
To the naked eye, Dante vanished—but the dragon could see him. A sharp pain pulsed through its body as it let out a thunderous roar. A spear had embedded itself deep into its scales, piercing through to its very soul.
The dragon's head whipped around in confusion, only to see multiple versions of Dante dashing around it, each one striking the exact same spot. The pain intensified exponentially with every blow, the phantom attacks leaving no room for recovery.
Halstein, watching from a distance, clenched his fist and reversed his [Time Prison] spell. The frozen dragon's breath that had been sealed away suddenly surged forward, barreling toward the dragon at full force.
The icy torrent slammed into the beast. While it visibly staggered under the assault, the attack barely had any real effect.
"Damn it…" Halstein muttered under his breath, breathing heavily. "That thing is still standing?!"
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. The very air itself turned hostile as a raging snowstorm consumed the entire forest. Ice-laced tornadoes spiraled into existence, howling as they tore through the landscape, uprooting trees and reducing everything in their path to frozen debris.
A deep, pulsating glow of bright blue mana surged around the dragon's body, distorting its massive form. Its colossal frame began to shrink, folding in on itself. Within moments, the towering beast was no more. In its place stood a figure—a human.
He had short, icy-blue hair that shimmered like frost under the storm's eerie glow. His piercing, glacier-like eyes radiated an overwhelming presence. In his hand, he wielded a long sword—its blade forged from a dragon scale, radiating a deadly, chilling aura.
With an exasperated sigh, he lazily lifted the sword into the air. Instantly, a violent tornado erupted around him, swirling with bladed ice. The storm split into three separate, smaller tornadoes, each one crackling with violent energy as they surged forward toward the hunters.
Halstein's eyes widened in horror as realization struck—he had made a grave miscalculation. "Shit, I should've just called in more help.." he thought to himself before his voice rang out with urgency.
"Every hunter who can hear me—RETREAT!"
The moment the order was given, the hunters sprang into action, leaping back and sprinting in the opposite direction. Mages unleashed a barrage of spells, fire and lightning crackling through the air in a desperate attempt to slow the advancing tornadoes. The raging storm clashed against their magic, struggling but relentless, tearing through the defenses like a force of nature given purpose.
Then, a voice echoed through the air—cold, commanding, inhuman.
"Escape is an option not allowed."