The situation had taken a disastrous turn. Standing amidst the crowd, Amora watched as the black jade ring spun farther and farther away along with Shu. She felt as if her one chance to get close to it had been ruined—thanks to Shu. Meanwhile, Shu glared angrily in her direction, equally convinced that his one opportunity to approach the Frost Valkyrie had been utterly destroyed by her.
"Care to dance, my lady?"
A husky yet soft voice whispered in Amora's ear. She looked up to see the blue-haired Valkyrie bowing slightly, extending a hand toward her.
"I believe you might need a dance partner?"
The Frost Valkyrie's eyes were a pale blue, empty and pristine. Yet as Amora stared into them, she saw her own reflection filling their depths. For a moment, Amora was lost, unconsciously reaching out her hand. But just as her fingertips grazed the icy skin of the other woman, clarity struck her like a bolt of lightning.
An induction spell!
The realization jolted Amora to her senses, and she did not hesitate. She turned and ran.
She understood precisely what spell the Valkyrie had cast. Amora's divine system and the Root System resonated with one another, their magic intertwined. The Root System's core resided in the Sky Fortress, with countless mages across the world passively linked to it. Only a select few could fully "operate" it, bearing subsystems embedded within them.
The Frost Valkyrie was clearly one of them.
As long as Amora refrained from actively engaging her divine system with the Root System, she could remain undetected. Mengel had assured her of this. But that induction spell—a harmless, welcoming formula—had caught her off guard, triggering a connection between their systems.
And just like that, the Valkyrie saw into her divine system as clearly as Amora glimpsed the Valkyrie's Root System.
"Stop!"
The Frost Valkyrie's voice rang out, as sharp and biting as the icy wind that followed.
A trail of frost shot toward Amora, the ground crystallizing into ice beneath her feet. Mist spread through the air as jagged icicles erupted from below. Roses froze mid-bloom, the hems of skirts stiffened in mid-air, and spilled wine hovered like frozen needles between the scattering crowd. Heat fled the room as snowflakes drifted down from a ceiling now layered in ice.
Amora stumbled and dodged the piercing ice spikes, sprinting toward Shu.
Her lips moved swiftly, reciting an incantation:
"On the path that bows to me, there are no thorns, no mire."
The icy shards blocking her way shattered and broke, leaving behind a slick, gleaming surface. Amora slid along the Valkyrie's frosted path straight to Shu's side.
By now, chaos had erupted. Guests struggled to free themselves from frozen clothing, while others frantically shouted for help. People stumbled, some fell, and a few were trampled in the panic. Near the Frost Valkyrie, however, there was nothing but a chilling void.
The silver-haired commander had reacted the moment the Valkyrie called out. He stood protectively in front of Shu, his hands glowing red with the outline of a forming spear.
Though it wasn't the time for official duties, and spellcasting permissions hadn't been granted, he couldn't allow Amora to escape after being targeted by the Valkyrie.
Amora knew the only way to suppress an opposing mage was to think faster than they could. But for her divine system, the challenge was even greater—her chant had to outpace their mental calculations.
"I am brighter than light!"
She chose the briefest spell possible. Leaning forward, she accelerated to the fastest sprint of her life.
Blinding light flooded the room as she closed the distance, finally reaching Shu, who was behind the commander. In the fleeting moment when the commander was stunned by the radiant burst, a slim combat dagger slid from Amora's sleeve—a keepsake from the mercenary she had confronted before. She had retrieved it from Old Bart.
"Stop!"
The Frost Valkyrie instantly realized Amora's intentions. She wasn't merely taking Shu hostage.
No, it was something far more dangerous.
Amora's divine system had already activated its automatic defenses in response to the hostile presence. The resulting dazzling light caused exponential mental disruption. Simultaneously, the resonance between the divine system and the Root System's subsystems escalated. Realizing her cover was blown, Amora chose to exploit this resonance, disrupting her opponent's system calculations.
The silver-haired commander was momentarily immobilized by the dazzling light, his connection to the Root System severed, leaving him isolated and defenseless.
Amora seized the opportunity. Grabbing Shu's cravat with one hand, she wielded the combat knife in the other, swiftly slashing across the commander's wrist. The blade, sharp and unreflective, left a smooth, clean cut. Without hesitation, Amora kicked the severed hand toward the door, dragging Shu along as she retreated from the stunned commander.
A glimmer of frost appeared in the Frost Valkyrie's hand. Acting quickly, she sealed her comrade's wound with ice, encasing his lower arm completely in frost. Her response was so timely that not a single drop of blood escaped.
The commander, pale but composed, muttered darkly, "It's for the black jade. She's one of Mengel's allies."
The Frost Valkyrie raised her hand, and the air pressure plummeted. An arctic chill surged from every direction, and frost began spreading rapidly.
"Wait!" the commander interjected, stopping her. "You'll freeze the little duke to death!"
Shu, gasping under the pressure of Amora's grip, struggled in vain. She had already cast a binding spell on him. Standing at the door, Amora controlled Shu with one hand, while the other carefully reached for the severed hand she had kicked away.
The Frost Valkyrie's short blue hair whipped around her face like a tempest as she commanded, her voice cutting through the icy air, "This is your final warning. Don't move!"
Unmoved, Amora stripped the glove from the severed hand, removing the black jade ring one deliberate motion at a time.
"Step back and prepare a carriage for me. Brand new, with no data input. Park it at the main gate of the castle. If you fail, he dies."
Her voice was calm, but her posture radiated deadly resolve. It was clear that she wouldn't hesitate to take Shu down with her.
"Release the young duke!"
Green entered, flanked by a contingent of magical advisors, and froze at the chaotic scene before him: trampled nobles, nearly everyone suffering from frostbite, a mutilated foreign emissary, and the duke's son on the brink of death.
Green's career prospects seemed to crumble in that instant.
"Do as she says! Do it!" Shu managed to choke out, his face purple from the pressure on his neck. Taking advantage of a slight loosening of Amora's grip, he bellowed, "Hurry up, you fools!"
Green's legs trembled as he edged toward the Frost Valkyrie. "Please, step back for now. We need to ensure the young duke's safety."
The Frost Valkyrie squinted, her piercing gaze burning with suspicion. However, her companion remained unnervingly calm. He gently pulled her aside without a word, focusing on contacting the embassy. Yet, surprisingly, no response came.
The Frost Valkyrie and the commander exchanged uneasy glances, their concern evident.
The worst-case scenario had become reality.
Meanwhile, Amora tightened her hold on Shu's cravat, gripping the black jade ring tightly. Its cold, unyielding surface steadied her racing heartbeat.
Her voice, icy and composed, rang out, "The carriage must have fresh magical systems. No pre-loaded data. Park it at the castle's main gate. Afterward, you may leave."
"Understood," Green stammered, barking orders at his subordinates.
He discreetly sent an urgent communication to the duke but received no reply. His unease deepened. Turning to a nearby advisor, he whispered, "Check the duke's chambers immediately."
The advisor obeyed and reached the duke's door in record time.
"Your Grace?" he called, but there was no answer.
Stepping closer to knock, he froze. A viscous, dark-red liquid seeped out from beneath the door, mingled with pale, pulpy matter. It was a horrifying sight—the door seemed to transform into the gaping maw of a beast.
"What the—" He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The floor was spotless, the grotesque vision gone.
Shaking his head, he tried to dismiss it as stress-induced hallucination. But the memory lingered, too vivid to be false. The room reeked of death, the foreboding sensation clawing at his nerves.
Swallowing hard, he conjured several defensive spells before pushing the door open. It wasn't locked.
Inside, the room was pristine. A grotesquely ornate beast-shaped lamp cast a bright light beside the circular bed. The blankets were neatly raised, as though the duke were peacefully sleeping beneath them. There were no signs of struggle, no mess—just an unsettling serenity.
Relieved, the advisor took a step forward, ready to rouse the duke.
But before he could reach the bed, warm droplets splashed onto his face. One, then two, then three. The acrid, metallic scent hit him as sticky fluid began dripping like rain.
Panic gripped him as he wiped his face. It was blood—mixed with decaying flesh.
Terror-stricken, he looked up.
A grotesque cocoon hung from the crystal chandelier, large enough to contain a person. A gaping hole marred its underside, as if something had clawed its way out. The open cavity resembled the maw of a beast, mid-feast.
"Crack!"
The sickening crunch of bone being crushed echoed in the chamber.
The room plunged into utter darkness.
The mages stood at a distance, observing the freshly equipped carriage with wary eyes.
Green repeatedly tried to contact the mage he had sent to check on the duke, but no response came. He wanted to go himself to investigate, but he couldn't—Shu's safety remained in the hands of the girl holding him hostage.
The carriage finally set off. Instead of horses, it was pulled by a massive mole-like phantasmal beast, its fur pitch black. In an instant, it disappeared into the night, darting through narrow alleyways with the carriage trailing behind.
Unlike horses, this phantasmal creature made no rhythmic hoofbeats; its padded claws ensured complete silence, bypassing sound-detection spells. Its black fur absorbed all light, rendering most night surveillance magic ineffective.
Amora activated a sophisticated spell to both scan for and block detection. This was where an exceptional magical system like her divine realm outperformed others. Lesser systems would struggle to locate her, and even the Root System, the closest technological rival, was far from perfect.
"Mmph…!" Shu struggled to speak, but Amora ignored him.
The carriage sped southward, toward the port of Flynn County.
The city gates were under heavy lockdown. A lone fugitive like Amora stood no chance of breaking through the encircling military forces. Escape by land was out of the question. Without access to sophisticated aircraft and with the Nightmare Corps potentially deploying airborne fortresses, traveling by air was equally impossible.
The only option left was the sea.
Amora slipped the black jade ring onto her finger. Its dim, swirling glow seemed to merge with the darkness around her, providing an odd sense of comfort despite the precariousness of her situation. This ring, after all, was the keystone of her plans—the single success in an otherwise dire series of events.
The phantasmal mole halted abruptly, its shadowy form flickering before vanishing.
A salty wind, tinged with autumn's chill, blew from the sea, pressing against Amora's clothing. The air was filled with the sound of restless waves and gusting wind. This particular port was a quiet, seldom-used place. Cold ocean currents caused it to freeze over for much of the year, stifling Flynn County's maritime trade.
Dim, yellow lights bobbed over the harbor like glowing fish, drifting lazily in the night.
Amora knocked Shu unconscious, then leaped out of the carriage.
She glanced back—no mages were in pursuit yet, but they were undoubtedly scouring the city for her. It wouldn't be long before they arrived. Turning her attention to the harbor, she spotted several medium-sized cargo ships being loaded. But Amora quickly dismissed them as options.
Cargo ships weren't designed for long-distance voyages. They'd likely dock at bustling ports after crossing a few counties, where stringent customs inspections would leave her exposed.
Amora needed a smuggling vessel.
Flynn County, with its suspected ties to Sloane's illicit operations—drug trafficking, bribery, and slave trading—was likely a major smuggling hub. On a night like this, in a secluded port, there was a high probability of finding a black-market ship.
Walking carefully along the harbor, she noticed the glow of warning lights growing closer. The Nightmare Corps had arrived.
She stopped by a large vessel marked with black-and-white stripes. Several burly sailors guarded the gangplank, wearing hoods and smoking lazily. Their attire suggested they weren't seasoned seafarers. A group of similarly dressed individuals was climbing aboard under the watchful eyes of the sailors, each wearing a badge marked with numbers.
After the group boarded, the last two sailors began raising the gangplank.
Just then, a girl with chestnut hair, dressed similarly to Amora and wearing a numbered badge, ran toward them.
"Wait, please!" she called out in a hushed voice.
One of the sailors grumbled and lowered the gangplank. "Every year, there's always someone late. Stop whining and get on!"
They began talking about the passengers, paying little attention to their surroundings.
From the shadows, Amora lunged, grabbing the girl's ankle and pulling her to the ground. With swift precision, she knocked the girl unconscious, donned her cloak, and removed her badge. Without hesitation, she kicked the girl into the water.
The splash caught the sailors' attention.
"What's going on?" one of them yelled.
"My luggage fell in!" Amora cried out, her voice tinged with desperation.
"Forget it," the sailor said impatiently, flicking ash from his cigarette. "You'll get everything you need once we reach our destination. Get on, or the ship's leaving."
Scrambling, Amora climbed aboard.
A sudden beam of piercing light swept over the dock. Instinctively, she crouched low, while the sailors were fully exposed in the glare.
"All vessels must cease loading passengers and cargo. The harbor will be fully sealed in three minutes. Cooperate with military orders."
"Damn it, the military mages are here already," one sailor cursed, running off to inform the captain.
Moments later, Amora stood and watched as searchlights flickered across the harbor. The black ship, quietly preparing to depart, engaged a stealth spell that cloaked it from detection.
The deck was windy, making it difficult for Amora to maintain her balance. She secured her borrowed cloak, pulling the hood low over her face, leaving only her vivid green eyes exposed.
After a long night of relentless pursuit, the chaotic noise of the waves finally subsided. Her pounding heartbeat slowed.
It was over—at least for now. She had escaped the Prolman Empire with decisive swiftness.
The vast ocean stretched endlessly before her, its waves shattering starlight into countless luminous fragments. The celestial river above seemed to merge with the deep, boundless sea, the tides carrying the ship toward an unknown horizon.
For a fleeting moment, Amora felt as though the vessel were gliding toward the stars, riding a cascade of brilliance, adrift in an era of endless possibility.
Behind her, an old plaque bore an inscription in various languages:
"We greet you from afar, with the man-eating forests and the perpetual darkness of the rotting marshes as our welcome gifts. May your journey be blessed."