The tension in the air was thick as Kim Chul made the call to split into smaller groups.
"To cover more ground, move faster," he had reasoned.
But Jinwoo and Po exchanged a knowing glance.
They already knew how this would end.
Hunter Park decided to join them, along with Song-Yi and another Hunter who had fought alongside Jinwoo in the Red Gate.
Kim Chul and his squad?
They were all cocky grins and overconfidence as they went their own way.
But reality came crashing down on them when they realized that this Gate had two hostile groups:
Ice Bears – Towering beasts with razor-sharp claws, built like war machines.Ice Elves – Intelligent, merciless warriors with an eerie, predatory grace.
Kim Chul's group was expecting monsters.
They weren't expecting predators.
Within minutes, the Ice Elves wiped them out.
The only one left was Kim Chul himself.
He ran.
He screamed in fright.
The same arrogance that had been in his eyes was now replaced by sheer terror.
Meanwhile, Jinwoo and Po's group moved carefully.
At least, Jinwoo and Hunter Park were careful.
Po?
He was laughing and chatting like they were on a nature hike.
Song-Yi stared at him in disbelief.
"How the hell are you so relaxed right now!?"
Po grinned. "Because we already won."
She was about to question him when the trees trembled.
Then, from the frost-covered darkness—
Ice Bears charged.
Song-Yi froze in fear, but before the monsters could reach them—
Po raised a hand.
"Come."
A wave of power erupted as shadowy, yet equally radiant figures emerged from thin air.
Each of them wore shimmering armor, their forms a balance of darkness and light.
And then—they transformed.
With a pulse of destruction energy, Po's Guardians became dragons.
Not just any dragons—
Radiant Abyss Dragons.
The Ice Bears roared.
The Radiant Abyss Dragons roared back.
And then—they clashed.
Jinwoo, watching this, nodded in approval.
"Alright, Igris, your turn."
From the shadows, a powerful knight stepped forth.
With graceful brutality, Igris slaughtered the Ice Bear leader in a single, clean strike.
The battle was over.
Jinwoo turned to the group.
"We rest here. Tomorrow, we go for the Gate Boss."
That night, as they rested, Kim Chul stumbled into camp.
His face was pale, his eyes wild with terror.
And then—he started screaming.
"You bastards! You abandoned us!"
Everyone turned toward him.
Jinwoo's face was expressionless.
Po leaned against a tree, watching.
"You knew," Kim Chul snarled. "You knew this would happen!"
Jinwoo didn't answer.
Instead, he slowly raised a hand—
And a dagger shot out.
The blade pierced Kim Chul's forehead before he could even react.
A gurgled gasp.
A thud as his lifeless body hit the ground.
The camp was silent.
Then—
Jinwoo spoke.
"…Arise."
A chilling aura spread across the battlefield as Kim Chul's corpse twitched.
Dark energy coiled around him, reshaping him into something else.
A new Shadow stood before Jinwoo.
He smirked.
"Iron. That's your name now."
Iron roared in acknowledgment.
The next morning, they moved toward the Gate Boss.
But Po stopped.
His head tilted.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Drop the stealth,it's too weak to hide from me." He said casually.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
The Ice Elves attacked.
Jinwoo and Po moved as one.
Po's Radiant Abyss Dragons tore through the battlefield, breathing flames of balance and destruction.
Jinwoo's Shadows swarmed like a living tide of death.
It was absolute carnage.
And when the Ice Elf Leader fell, Jinwoo stepped forward.
He raised his hand.
"Arise."
The dark energy failed.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Jinwoo frowned.
Po, grinning, casually stepped up.
He snapped his fingers.
The Ice Elf Leader twitched, then stood.
Po smirked.
"Hiori," he said. "Yeah, that sounds cool."
With the battle over, they exited the Gate.
Most were exhausted.
But everyone was alive.
And just as they stepped into the outside world—
Baek Yoonho was waiting.
His eyes locked onto Po and Jinwoo.