The momentum of the assault could no longer be stopped. Hoshimi Miyabi and Zane crashed into each other with full force, their weapons erupting with violent energy as they tore and collided.
Light burst in all directions. After a brief silence—an explosion split the air!
BOOM!!!
Through the swirling frost, a figure was flung out—it was Hoshimi Miyabi!
Her clothes were slightly torn, but no visible wounds marked her body.
She steadied herself midair before landing on the ice. The tremendous recoil still surged beneath her feet, forcing her to drive her long blade into the frozen surface to keep from being thrown back.
Crack—crack—!
She slid across the ice for dozens of meters before finally coming to a stop. Her demon blade was now buried a third of its length into the ice.
Tiny sparks flickered faintly across the frozen ground, but the residual currents posed no threat to her.
As the frost cleared, Zane's figure emerged. He stepped forward, leaving the shattered ice behind, his gaze fixed firmly on Hoshimi Miyabi.
"Miyabi, stop testing me."
"This isn't a game of make-believe..."
His voice was calm, but every word reached her ears with perfect clarity.
Neither of them had gone all out—that much was certain.
Hoshimi Miyabi understood that, yet she still wanted to push further. And Zane... allowed her to.
"I know."
Her voice rang clear, her expression steady. The demon spirit beside her quieted, its cold blue flames flickering faintly.
"I won't let you down..."
Her lips moved slightly, the words so soft that only she could hear them.
"Sir..."
Whoosh—
Behind her, vast ice-aspected energy began to gather. A towering shadow formed, slowly expanding larger and larger.
One tail... two tails... three tails...
The phantom behind her grew denser, its outline sharpening—a majestic, spectral fox of ghostly blue. Razor fangs gleamed beneath its piercing gaze, its body sleek and fluid, tails fanning out like veils of night.
"Sir, it may not be time yet... but I never had the chance before. This time, I'll show you how much I've grown."
Her voice was barely a whisper. She stood tall, blade poised, ready to fight.
Snowflakes drifted down, settling on her ears, her hair, her clothes—adorning the scene like delicate jewels.
The demon fox's shadow bared its fangs and roared before leaping from behind her, its form shrinking rapidly as it poured itself entirely into the demon blade.
As the fox vanished, Hoshimi Miyabi moved!
A flash of pale blue, sharp as an aurora, sliced through the air—the instant she vanished from Zane's sight.
He could only trace fleeting afterimages and trails of fractured ice in her wake.
He narrowly dodged the first strike, which then shot skyward toward Sky Island. Without losing momentum, it soared higher and higher until it slammed hard into the hollow shell above, making the entire space tremble.
On the ice below, Hoshimi Miyabi was already upon him. The biting cold was so intense it nearly froze Zane's blood, slowing his movements.
Her blade cut through the air—cold light blazing!
The strike, carrying her full power, exploded at point-blank range between them!
BOOOOM!!!
The deafening blast thundered like lightning through storm clouds—but this wasn't a storm from the heavens. It was the sound of ice breaking, of snow cascading as the frozen world itself shattered!
Within the hollow, the devastating force burst outward, splintering into dozens of streaks of blade light that scattered across the frozen expanse. The ground quaked like an earthquake under their might.
Boom!
A massive sheet of ice was torn free and crashed into the waters below, sending up towering waves.
Above, cracks split open in the hollow's shell. Slivers of light from the outside world spilled through. Hoshimi Miyabi could even feel time itself beginning to flow again.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Zane's body was flung backward, smashing through several layers of ice—each over ten meters thick—before finally slowing down.
But Hoshimi Miyabi gave no pause. She was already moving in pursuit.
Don't give the enemy a chance to breathe!
As she darted between shards of ice toward Zane, a crimson light suddenly flared in her vision—bright and fast.
Her instincts screamed a warning. She stomped down hard on the ice to halt her momentum—just as a roaring fire dragon came crashing toward her.
The colossal beast bore down with crushing pressure. Her small frame seemed fragile before it, like a mantis trying to stop a cart.
Yet she didn't hesitate. Not for a second.
She drew her blade once more—and charged straight ahead!
Ice and fire collided in a blinding explosion of force!
...
While the fierce battle raged within the hollow, another unseen confrontation was unfolding deep within Zane's consciousness space.
It was an endless void of darkness—just like the hollow before.