Part 2.4:Partner

"Phuffffff!"

"...."

"Huh...?"

She waited—yet the searing pain never came.

Slowly, the girl lifted her gaze, uncertainty clouding her eyes—

"!!!"

Kyouno froze.

Right in front of her, the beast still had its gaping maw open, fangs gleaming like daggers.

But, its vicious snout was now sealed shut by a thick layer of frost, entirely frozen solid.

Even the monster looked stunned.

It staggered, jaws twitching, trying to clamp down, but only managed a strangled hiss. Its entire lower face had been immobilized in ice, locking its muscles in place.

A moment that was both dangerous… and oddly absurd.

"W-What just happened…?" Kyouno gasped in disbelief.

And then, behind her—

"Gwooff."

A deep, calm rumble answered.

Kyouno instinctively turned around—

And there it stood.

The large snow wolf—

The same creature that had lain limp on the ground moments ago—now towered behind her once more, its eyes fierce and unwavering.

As if… it had never fallen.

No—

That wasn't quite right.

Looking closer, Kyouno noticed the truth.

Its entire body trembled slightly, its hind legs bent as though barely supporting its own weight.

Blood still matted its thick fur, but those wounds… were now sealed beneath a thin crust of ice.

Kyouno's breath caught.

She recognized it immediately. A technique her mother once spoke of:

" Ice-element mages can temporarily seal wounds by freezing their own flesh—sometimes even encasing broken bones in ice.

This allows them to keep fighting, even while gravely injured."

But it wasn't a perfect fix.

Ice, after all, lacked the flexibility of skin or bone.

It was brittle. Fragile. Prone to shattering under pressure.

Closing minor cuts was manageable—but freezing fractured bones was a gamble. One misstep, and the wrong pressure could shatter the bone like glass.

And yet, this wolf—It didn't just know the technique.It had frozen even its broken bones, wagering everything—its entire ability to move—on one final stand…

"You… you're planning to…"

Faced with the snow wolf's unwavering gaze, Kyouno instantly understood.

It—though battered and scarred—had chosen to rise again.

To protect what it held most dear.

To resist once more.

To fight again.

This time, it was placing all its hopes on the small girl before it.

Betting everything—to save everything.

"Are you sure?"

Kyouno asked, her voice tinged with hesitation.

The snow wolf nodded in response.

No words, no flourish—just a single nod, heavy with resolve.

"Alright."

Kyouno nodded back. A silent pact had been formed.

— — —

"GRRAAAAAAAAAHH!!!"

A roar ripped through the air like a blade.

The monster had shattered the ice sealing its jaws.

It turned to Kyouno, eyes bloodshot with fury.

Fangs bared, claws raised—its killing intent surged like a tidal wave, ready to annihilate all in its path.

Kyouno shivered.

Her hands trembled, heart pounding like war drums.

Fear clutched every breath.

But then—

She turned her gaze to her snowy companion.

Her voice rang out, clear, resolute, and alive:

"First time teaming up. Hope you can keep up, partner."

"Gwoofff!"

A low growl answered her call.

As her words fell, the girl turned once more to face the monstrous beast.

Two silhouettes—one girl, one wolf—stood firm before the overwhelming force.

A worn-out girl and a wounded wolf.

To any onlooker, it was a battle between ants and a giant.

A hopeless mismatch.

But… so what?

Does being small mean you can't fight back?

No.

As long as there is will—

the fight is not over.

Kyouno stood still

And then—

"Whishhh!!!"

A sharp sound tore through the air.

Kyouno's petite frame, like an icy arrow, shot upward, melding into the white storm of snow and wind.

The beast showed no sign of hesitation.

It roared, and its massive arms, like twin warhammers, came crashing down upon the earth—

"BOOM!!!"

The impact shook the entire region.

The ground split apart, shockwaves rippling out like a tsunami across land, sweeping everything away.

But it didn't end there—

"BOOM… CRACK… BOOM BOOM!!!"

The earth howled.

Cracks spiderwebbed outward—twisting and jagged, like veins of a colossal, wounded beast.

And the next instant—

"BOOM!!!... BOOM!!!... BOOM!!!"

From the depths of the earth, colossal stone pillars burst forth like the spears of some infernal god.

Each spike pierced the air, ripped through the terrain, annihilating all within a hundred-meter radius.

Dust exploded into a blinding haze.

The thunderous blasts echoed like war drums—like the very proclamation of destruction.

A single strike.

A single breath of time—

Was enough to flatten an entire region.

Amidst the choking smoke, the beast stood tall, its blood-red eyes gleaming with arrogance.

But—

Just as it raised its head in triumphant pride—

"Hey, you brain-dead brute!"

"Grrr?"

A puzzled growl rumbled from its throat.

"Up here, short-snout."

A cold voice rang out—from directly above its head—

It looked up—

Up there, a lone, graceful figure shot upward like a bolt of lightning cleaving through the night sky, suddenly hovering midair above the monster's head.

Her gaze—cold as an ice-forged blade—was fixed downward, unwavering.

Facing the beast, Kyouno extended her hand. Her voice rang out loud and firm, filled with defiance and without a hint of fear:

"Fireball!"

Flames surged in her palm, blazing red like a miniature sun condensed in the dark. A heartbeat later—

Whoosh!

The fireball streaked through the air like a meteor crashing down.

Gravelmaw snarled, a guttural growl dripping with mockery. It raised its thick arms, and from them, the surrounding rocks seemed drawn by an invisible force, forming a dense earthen barrier that thrust upward in defense.

Clearly, for someone whose stamina was almost depleted like Kyouno, a fireball like that wouldn't even make the beast flinch.

But—

Just as Gravelmaw let its guard down—

A sudden chill swept in like a blade, making it instinctively flinch and whip its head around.

From the ground below, countless ice spikes burst forth—sharp as death's fangs—lunging straight at it.

The Snow Wolf—had made its move.

"GRAOOOOOOOO!!!"

Gravelmaw froze, its glowing yellow eyes widening in disbelief. It tried to dodge, but—

It couldn't.

Because on one side, the fireball was still coming fast.

On the other, the ice spikes were closing in.

A perfect pincer attack.

For a fleeting moment, even the prideful beast was stunned.

And then—

"BOOM!!!"

The impact rang out like thunder across a frozen sky.

Flame and frost collided in a violent blast. The ground cracked apart. Sand and dust billowed high. Chunks of earth were ripped from the ground, flung like ashes into a raging wind.

A brilliant red flare exploded at the point of impact, expanding into a massive ring of fire that devoured everything nearby.

The entire space was drowned in smoke and heat—scorching waves surging like a furnace.

It seemed as though the monster had finally been buried beneath the wreckage...

But—seconds later—

"Grrrrhhhhh… GRAAAUUGH!"

Gravelmaw burst out of the smoke, roaring in fury.

Seeing that, Kyouno let out a dry laugh—tinged with fatigue:

"As expected... That wasn't enough to send you off, was it?"

Of course not—a monster that had reached Master Tier wouldn't go down from a single strike like that.

But then—

A spark lit in her eyes.

She had noticed—its steps were unsteady. On its thick fur, faint patches of seared flesh still smoldered.

It—this seemingly invincible beast—had finally been hit.

The Snow Wolf's ice spikes alone might not affect it. But her Fireball, a fire-element spell, was a natural counter to Gravelmaw's earth-based resistance.

This time, thanks to the combined attack of fire and ice, the beast couldn't dodge as it had before.

Hope—faint, but real—flickered in Kyouno's eyes.

And that was enough.

She looked up at the enraged creature.

With a crooked grin, she raised one hand, thumb pointing downward, and declared:

"Time to flip the battlefield...

You rock-brained brute!"

...