Note: I went on a vacation and I brought my laptop with me, thinking I can just finish this chapter quickly.
But I didn't find even a bit of time lmao...
I shall return home next week, see you then...
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The ringing in his ears refused to fade.
It echoed relentlessly inside his skull, drowning out the howling wind and every voice around him.
Tanaka remained kneeling in the snow, his ragged breaths spilling into the freezing air in white clouds. His pupils trembled as he stared blankly at the ground beneath him.
His throat...
The memory of razor-sharp claws tearing through his flesh flooded back with horrifying clarity.
Instinctively, his hand reached toward his neck, but the ringing immediately came back which prompted him to cover his ears once again.
"__ter!"
"__ay!"
The voices sounded distant at first, muffled as though they were coming from underwater.
Gradually, the ringing subsided and Tanaka slowly raised his head.
Kneeling in front of him was Zarestia.
Her golden almond eyes, which recently refused to meet his, were now locked into his, clouded with unmistakable worry.
"Jay!"
Beside her, the sapphire embedded in his bracelet shimmered.
"Master! Are you alright?"
Tanaka blinked several times before lowering the hands that had been clamped over his ears.
His entire body trembled faintly.
"...Tia?"
He unconsciously called her by her nickname, or maybe it was because he didn't have the strength to spell her full name.
The image of her face from moments ago flashed through his mind.
Her horrified expression and desperate scream.
The last thing he had seen before darkness swallowed him whole.
"..."
They were still outside the cave.
The entrance loomed only a few steps away.
Snow continued to fall from the sky, thicker than before, though faint traces of daylight still filtered through the blizzard.
He had returned.
Three...
Perhaps four hours.
Return by Death had rewound time once again.
Because of the contract linking them together, Zarestia and Hugo had immediately sensed the violent disturbance within him. Unbeknown to him, that was the result of their connection as spirits and a spirit art user.
Only afterward did Nora and Tristan notice him collapse to his knees.
Both had immediately stopped walking.
Tristan frowned. "What happened?"
His sharp eyes studied Tanaka carefully. "Is something wrong?"
Something wrong...
Tanaka replayed everything inside his head.
They entered that cave for no other reason but to take shelter from a deadly blizzard but a few hours later. The red eyes opening inside the darkness, countless Hoarfrost Stalkers pouring from every direction. Then a big one appeared with a deafening howl, completely neutralizing him.
Hugo putting himself in the range of the attack, blocking it once before fading.
Then, what followed was his own death...
One sentence resurfaced louder than all the others.
"This is their damn nest!"
Nora's voice.
Therefor, the only logical course of action for such a statement was the following.
"We can't stay inside that cave."
The others stared at him.
"...What?"
"We cannot enter that cave. It's a witch beast nest."
Silence.
Nora's expression immediately became serious.
"Did you see any tracks?"
"...No."
Nora turned around to scan the area, "Did you spot any of them on the way here?"
Tanaka hesitated, "No but..."
Tristan folded his arms., "Then on what basis are you saying that?"
His tone remained calm, but disbelief was obvious.
Tanaka clenched his fists.
"Listen I don't have anything to prove it but we take shelter inside that cave and it turns out that I'm right, we are all going to die!"
"You're making a claim without a shred of evidence."
His tone remained calm, but disbelief was obvious.
It was a standoff, Tanaka's statement didn't make any sense, he was making a baseless assumption with no alternative other than walking outside in the blizzard which was a certain danger.
Walking through the blizzard was perhaps even suicidal.
But remaining outside still offered a chance to move.
Inside that cave, they would be cornered .
His heartbeat quickened.
Damn it...
Think.
Think of something.
Every second they remained standing here brought them closer to repeating the exact same fate.
And he couldn't even invent a convincing lie quickly enough.
Then...
"We're not going inside."
Everyone turned.
It was Zarestia.
Her voice wasn't loud. Yet it was firm and resolute that it silenced the discussion.
Even Tanaka looked at her in surprise.
"Zarestia?"
Tristan frowned.
"Zarestia-Sama... are you serious?"
"..."
She didn't answer immediately, but her gaze remained unwavering.
"Even if he's right, we can't stay outside in this weather, we are more vulnerable outside."
"We are not going inside that cave."
She repeated the same sentence she said before. That didn't matter whether that choice was rational or not, she made up her mind and her decision will not change.
Before Tristan could respond, Nora spoke instead.
"...Actually..."
Everyone looked toward her.
"If he is right, then remaining inside would be far more dangerous."
Tristan still seemed unconvinced.
"We should at least investigate before deciding."
"No, we will just end up leaving our scent, we should just try and get down. Descending the mountain may cause the blizzard conditions to stop, but only if we drop below the storm altitude or reach a tree line."
No one objected this time.
The decision had been made.
Without another word, Nora adjusted the pack on her shoulders and began walking through the snow.
Tristan sighed before following after her.
Tanaka remained kneeling for another moment, staring blankly at the cave until...
"..."
A hand suddenly appeared in front of him.
He looked up.
Zarestia stood there, snowflakes gathering that couldn't be distinguished from her white hair.
Her expression had softened.
"...Come on. Can you stand?"
For a brief moment, Tanaka simply stared at her outstretched hand.
Then...
He reached forward.
Their hands met.
"...Yeah."
He slowly pulled himself to his feet.
"...Thank you."
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Second Part:
Two hours had passed since they abandoned the cave.
The four of them continued descending the mountainside, moving forward despite the blizzard that seemed determined to swallow the entire world.
Instead of weakening, the snowfall had only grown fiercer.
The wind howled relentlessly between the peaks, carrying curtains of white that reduced visibility to barely ten meters, every step sank into fresh snow.
"Keep moving!" Nora shouted from the front of the group.
Her voice was almost stolen by the storm.
"The river should be below us! If we keep descending, we should reach it sooner or later!"
Nobody answered.
There was little point since the wind devoured every sound.
Despite the chaos surrounding him, Tanaka quietly spoke beneath his breath.
"...Hugo."
"Yes, Master?"
The familiar voice echoed gently inside his mind.
"...Nothing."
A small smile formed on Tanaka's lips.
"I'm just... glad to hear your voice."
"...Ah." Hugo hesitated for a second. "Thank you... I think?"
His tone carried obvious confusion.
He had no idea why his master suddenly sounded so relieved.
Tanaka closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Although everything had happened in only a few seconds...
He remembered.
The golden barrier.
The desperate attempt to protect him.
The shield shattering.
Hugo had thrown himself between Tanaka and death without a moment's hesitation.
Even though time had been rewound...
That sacrifice still existed inside Tanaka's memories.
The feeling of loss refused to disappear.
Once they reached somewhere safe...
He would make it absolutely clear.
Neither Hugo...
Nor Zarestia...
Were ever to throw away their lives for him again.
Unlike him...
They only had one.
And besides...
Return by Death wasn't something he could continue relying upon blindly.
Especially after what Cepheus had told him.
"...Are you feeling better?"
The voice pulled him from his thoughts.
He turned.
Walking beside him was Zarestia.
Snow rested atop her White hair, while countless flakes melted against her scarf.
Her golden eyes were fixed entirely on him.
There were no signs for her usual arrogance or dissatisfaction given the argument they had yesterday.
The only thing that was evident was her genuine concern.
"...Yeah."
Tanaka gave a small nod.
"I'm alright."
After a brief pause, he smiled softly.
"...And thank you."
She blinked.
"...For trusting me back there."
"Hmph..." She looked away. "...That was the natural thing to do."
He couldn't help smiling.
She had stood beside him when no one else believed him.
She had defended him without asking for proof.
And even now, she kept checking on him every few minutes.
He really was grateful for her.
Ironically...
Although the blizzard had become far more dangerous than before...
Tanaka actually felt safer now.
Inside that cave...
They had been trapped.
Forced to fight while worrying about collapsing the cavern around themselves.
Neither he nor Zarestia could have fought seriously.
Out here...
If another battle broke out...
They could unleash everything without restraint.
That alone drastically increased their chances of survival.
"Hey."
Tanaka blinked.
"What?"
Zarestia slowed her pace before extending a hand toward him.
"I know you have a lot on your mind..."
"But don't fall behind."
She awkwardly looked away.
"...Hold my hand."
For a moment...
Tanaka simply stared.
Then an involuntary smile spread across his face.
At some point...
Without even realizing it, she had become someone precious to him.
So that's why he mustn't make the same mistake he did before.
Like the mistake he did to Beatrice, he wouldn't let another misunderstanding remain unresolved.
Once this current hurdle is over...
He would apologize and would listen to her properly.
He slowly reached toward her hand.
"Thank y—"
His words never finished.
"AAAAAH!!"
A scream tore from his throat.
Something clamped around his ankle.
Before he even understood what had happened, he was violently ripped off the ground.
Snow exploded around him.
The world spun.
He was dragged across the mountainside at terrifying speed.
"__AY!"
Zarestia screamed, a violent hurricane erupted from her body.
The blizzard itself was blown apart.
For one brief instant, the world became visible. Nearly a hundred meters of swirling snow vanished.
There, being dragged across the mountain by one of the pale, feline witch beasts was Tanaka.
Then the snow swallowed everything once again.
"No...!"
Before she could chase after him, dozens of crimson eyes emerged from the blizzard.
One after another, then another.
Then dozens more.
The Hoarfrost Stalkers had completely surrounded them.
"Zarestia-sama!"
Tristan immediately stepped in front of her, drawing his greatsword.
"Focus! They've encircled us!"
Nora cursed beneath her breath.
"...Damn it. They must have followed since we saw them in the river."
That was the only explanation she could come up with, they have the ability to blend within a blizzard but they wouldn't be out in storm unless they were tailing something.
__
___
____
Meanwhile, Tanaka was being dragged downhill at a terrifying speed.
His face repeatedly slammed into deep snow.
Every attempt to inhale only filled his mouth and nose with freezing powder.
He couldn't breathe.
Couldn't see.
Couldn't even think.
His body bounced violently against buried rocks and frozen roots. Every impact sent pain shooting through his limbs.
Not even a second was spared to him, that would allow him to gather enough thought to cast a spell.
His thoughts scattered, even forming an incantation was impossible with all the snow in his mouth.
Then, the ground trembled.
...Rumble.
Another vibration.
Stronger this time.
The beast dragging him slowed ever so slightly.
Tanaka felt it too.
The mountain itself...
Was shaking.
Before he could understand why, he seized the opportunity.
Ignoring the snow filling his lungs, he screamed with everything he had left.
"FURA!!"
A tremendous explosion of wind erupted around him.
Far stronger than he had intended.
To the point that the beast was reduced to nothing but a pile of meat.
Tanaka was launched high into the air as the surrounding snow was blasted away.
For the first time in several minutes, he could finally see.
Then...
His blood ran cold.
An ocean of snow was racing straight toward him, an avalanche was heading towards him.
"...Master!!"
Hugo's panicked voice echoed inside his head.
Golden light burst from the sapphire bracelet, the tiny spirit immediately materialized beside him.
A brilliant golden sphere enveloped Tanaka just before gravity reclaimed him.
The barrier struck the mountainside...
And the avalanche hit.
The impact was monstrous.
The golden sphere was swept away like a pebble caught in a raging river.
Tanaka's scream vanished beneath the deafening roar of collapsing snow, the world became nothing but white.
Up.
Down.
Left.
Right.
He couldn't tell anymore, the barrier rolled uncontrollably, crashing through boulders, uprooted trees, and sheets of ice.
Each collision rattled his bones, they continued tumbling down the mountain until—
CRASH!
The sphere slammed violently into the trunk of a massive pine.
The impact finally brought them to a halt.
Silence.
Only the distant rumble of the avalanche remained.
"...Master!"
Hugo's frightened voice echoed once more.
"Master... are you okay?"
"Yes... thanks to you." Tanaka exhaled heavily, still lying inside the golden sphere. "...But this barrier won't last much longer."
The shimmering golden shell that had protected them from the avalanche, shielding them from countless impacts and preventing them from being buried alive beneath the snow, was finally reaching its limit.
Tiny fractures spread across its surface like cracks through glass.
Each passing second, they multiplied.
It wouldn't hold much longer.
"Huma!"
The instant the incantation left his lips, the earth trembled.
A massive wall of crystal-clear ice erupted from the ground before them, curving into a wide U-shape that embraced the barrier from the front.
Moments later...
BOOOOOOM!
The remaining avalanche slammed into the wall with overwhelming force.
Snow exploded skyward.
The entire structure groaned beneath the impact.
Tanaka gritted his teeth as he poured more mana into maintaining it.
Seconds felt like minutes.
Gradually...
The deafening roar faded.
The rushing snow dispersed around the frozen barricade instead of crushing them.
Silence returned.
Only the sound of the wind remained.
"Hah! Hah!"
Tanaka doubled over, planting one hand against the snow as he struggled to catch his breath. Every inhale burned his lungs, the freezing air cutting through him.
"...Augh..."
A sharp pain suddenly shot through his ribs.
His face twisted in pain as he instinctively grabbed his side.
He hadn't escaped unscathed.
That piece of shit while dragging him, had battered his body mercilessly, and now that the adrenaline was fading, every bruise and fracture was making itself known.
"It's not over yet, Master."
Hugo's voice echoed urgently inside his mind.
"They're still coming. I can sense them."
Tanaka immediately lifted his head.
The avalanche had carried him far enough down the mountainside that the blizzard had weakened considerably. Snow still fell relentlessly, but visibility had improved just enough to make out the terrain ahead.
Then he saw them.
The snow itself was moving.
Long trails carved through the white landscape as though something enormous was tunneling beneath the surface.
One...
Three...
Five...
More and more tunnels rapidly converged toward their position.
"They're burrowing..."
Tanaka quietly took a deep breath.
"...Shamak."
Darkness spilled from beneath his feet.
Black mist spread across the snowy ground like ink flowing through water, swallowing the surrounding area.
Unlike its offensive applications, Tanaka wasn't using Shamak to attack.
He only needed it to hinder their movements.
If they entered the darkness...
They would lose their bearings.
Unfortunately, he still couldn't tell where they were but that would buy him time to think or escape.
"Three on your right, Master!"
The moment Hugo shouted, Tanaka reacted instinctively.
He swung his arm in a wide arc.
"Fura!"
A crescent-shaped blade of compressed wind tore through the darkness.
A heartbeat later...
Slash!
Blood erupted across the pristine white snow.
Something heavy collapsed beneath the surface.
Tanaka blinked.
"...I hit it?"
There wasn't time to question it.
"Two behind you!"
"Huma!"
Jagged ice lances erupted from beneath the snow.
Shrill cries echoed before abruptly falling silent.
"Left!"
"Fura!"
"Behind!"
"Huma!"
The coordination between them became almost effortless.
Tanaka didn't know how Hugo was finding them.
He simply trusted every direction the young spirit gave.
Each spell landed with terrifying precision.
One after another...
The Hoarfrost Stalkers died before they could even emerge from the snow.
Then...
The tunnels stopped.
Silence.
A deep vibration shook the ground beneath his feet.
Something much larger approached.
The snow burst apart.
A gigantic Hoarfrost Stalker emerged, nearly twice the size of the others.
Its crimson eyes immediately locked onto Tanaka.
Its massive chest expanded.
It inhaled.
Tanaka's eyes widened.
The howl.
Not this time.
"Huma!"
Before the beast could even open its jaws, a colossal pillar of ice exploded upward from beneath it.
The crystal spear pierced straight through its abdomen.
The creature convulsed.
Then countless razor-sharp ice crystals bloomed from inside its body, tearing through flesh and fur alike.
Blood scattered across the snow.
The enormous beast collapsed without ever releasing its deafening cry.
Silence returned.
"...That's the last one."
Tanaka slowly lowered his hand, his breathing was still heavy. No more movement beneath the snow, the forest had become still once again.
"That was incredible, Master!"
Hugo's cheerful voice practically rang inside his head.
Tanaka let out a small laugh.
"I should be the one saying that."
He looked down at the glowing sapphire embedded within his bracelet.
"How did you manage to locate every single one of them?"
"...Locate them?"
Hugo sounded genuinely confused.
"I... don't really know. I just focused really hard."
"I borrowed a little mana from your gate..."
"...and then I could somehow feel where they were moving."
Tanaka fell silent. "It must be an intuitive."
Some people possessed talents that simply couldn't be explained.
Unlike Tanaka, who had to understand every principle behind a spell before he could reproduce it, there were those who simply... did it.
Magic came naturally to them.
Emilia had been one such example.
Emilia, although it was very brief demonstration, she used ice magic or rather temperature magic to train. Although it might be a rude thing to assume but he really doubted if that girl thought of anything while displaying magic.
Tanaka's Shamak was barely sufficient, it had it's basic function to immobilize the enemy but...
"If it was Beatrice, that Shamak would've revealed every one of those little pests. I was lucky to have you with me."
"Beatrice? Who is that?"
Tanaka froze for a moment before awkwardly scratching his cheek.
"Ah... Forget it."
"I was just talking to myself."
It had slipped out without him realizing.
The names of the people he'd left behind still escaped his lips every now and then.
"...Augh."
A sharp sting shot through his ribs.
His expression immediately twisted.
The adrenaline was finally wearing off.
Bruises.
Cuts.
Possibly even cracked bones.
His body had endured far more punishment than he'd initially realized.
"Master!"
Hugo's voice became panicked.
"You're injured!"
Warm light suddenly flowed from the sapphire bracelet.
Gentle golden mana wrapped around Tanaka's body.
The pain gradually dulled.
His breathing eased.
Tanaka looked down in surprise.
"...You can even use healing magic?"
"I watched you heal yourself back in Kararagi. I'm only copying what I saw."
Tanaka frowned.
"No..."
"This isn't water magic."
He could tell immediately. In the first place, Hugo only possessed the Yang attribute.
The sensation was completely different.
No matter how much intuition Tanaka lacked in magic, he could tell that he was not using water magic.
Rather than accelerating the body to repair itself and assisting it at a cellular scale.
This process felt almost like he was reversing it.
"It's enough."
Tanaka slowly stood, stretching his aching shoulders.
"I haven't finished yet, Master."
He rolled his arm experimentally.
The pain was still there, but it had become manageable.
"We need to regroup with the others, that's our priority."
He glanced back toward the mountain they'd been swept away from.
This loop had already diverged from the previous one.
Instead of being cornered inside a cave, he'd fought the beasts in open terrain.
And in open terrain...
The advantage belonged entirely to him.
With access to all six elemental affinities, he possessed answers for almost every battlefield.
His greatest weakness had always been endurance.
A gate that couldn't naturally replenish mana forced him to fight with constant restraint.
But now...
After absorbing the enormous supply of Glintstones Riften had given him...
And with both Zarestia and Hugo supporting his mana circulation through their contracts...
He no longer needed to back down from a fight.
...
He took a single step forward.
Then another.
Suddenly...
His legs gave out.
Thud.
Tanaka collapsed onto both knees.
"..."
It wasn't exhaustion.
Nor was it the injuries he had sustained during the avalanche.
No...
It was something that had happened far away...
Yet somehow reached him all the same.
A crushing emptiness spread through his chest.
It felt as though a part of himself had been violently torn away.
His breathing caught.
"..."
Despite this sudden change in his behavior, Hugo didn't panic or say a word.
Because he felt it too.
The bracelet on Tanaka's wrist trembled faintly.
"...Master..."
The young spirit's voice quivered.
He sounded as though he were on the verge of tears.
"...Zarestia Nee-Sama..."
Dead.
He didn't have to finish it, Tanaka already knew.
Dead.
The realization struck with terrifying certainty.
He had no proof.
He hadn't witnessed it.
He felt it instinctively. Was this what it meant to have a contract?
Even through he felt it, he denied it with all his heart.
He forced himself back to his feet.
One step.
Then another.
Soon those hesitant steps became a limping run.
He moved toward the place where the connection had vanished.
The snow beneath his boots gradually turned crimson.
Bodies.
Hoarfrost Stalkers lay scattered everywhere.
Some had been sliced apart.
Others were crushed beneath overwhelming force. The battlefield stretched across the mountainside.
Whatever had happened...
It hadn't been a fight.
It had been a massacre.
Then...
Something caught his eye. A lock of crimson hair protruded from beneath the snow.
His footsteps slowed.
"..."
Half a face remained visible.
The rest had been buried beneath the drifting snow.
Even so...
He recognized her instantly.
"Nora..."
His voice barely existed.
She didn't answer and she never would again.
Tanaka lowered his head.
Then...
He kept walking.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Several meters ahead...
An arm.
Still gripping the broken hilt of a greatsword.
A few more steps.
A leg.
Armor stained dark with frozen blood.
Then...
He saw the head.
Its eyes remained open.
Tristan...
His body had been torn apart so violently that pieces of him were scattered across the snow.
Tanaka looked away.
He couldn't bear to stare any longer.
Still...
He continued forward.
But to where? Zarestia was a spirit and now that she died, there wouldn't be a corpse around but he didn't stop looking.
"Master!"
Hugo was calling for him but this was the only time where he heard him.
Because this was the last time he called out to him in this life, because the sense of loss struck again with the sound of breaking, Hugo blocked something that was going to kill Tanaka from behind and paid his life as the price.
And when Tanaka turned around...
Splash...
He was crushed and died...
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"...We should stay here until the blizzard passes."
The familiar words echoed once more.
Tanaka's knees buckled immediately.
Thud.
He collapsed into the snow before anyone had even entered the cave.
The freezing wind roared around them.
Everyone was heading towards the cave.
Everyone but Zarestia who felt the violent disturbance through their connection, she spun around.
Her expression changed instantly.
"Jay?!"
Without hesitation, she sprinted back through the snow.
Hugo's panicked voice echoed inside Tanaka's mind.
"Master, what's wrong?!"
She dropped to her knees before him.
Both hands grabbed his shoulders and shook him gently.
"Jay! Are you okay? What's wrong!?"
Tanaka didn't answer.
"..."
He simply stared at her in awe, his vision blurred.
"Hic..."
A broken hiccup escaped his throat.
It came without a warning, just like what followed.
He threw his arms around her, pulling her tightly against himself.
His body shook violently as tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.
Zarestia froze.
She had no idea what had happened.
But her expression softened and without asking a single question...
She wrapped her arms around him back.