To Protect The One I Love

“Phew…”

Moon Bora exhaled.

A chillingly cold breath formed as mist.

She lifted her head.

Yu Seha.

Despite being wounded and bleeding in various places, he was smiling brightly.

‘Thank goodness…’

Moon Bora felt relieved.
It was truly a blessing.
A miracle.
She hadn’t been too late.
She had made it in time.

Glance.

When she looked down, her fingertips had begun to freeze ever so slightly.

Through the snowflake-like ice crystals,
her nails—now a deep violet hue—stood out prominently.

But Moon Bora paid it no mind.

Just as Yu Seha, with his keen eyes, had noticed, Moon Bora’s powers were currently experiencing a problem.

Her strength had grown exponentially, but each time she used her abilities, her own body froze under the strain.

It wasn’t that her ability was flawed.

Currently, what Moon Bora was using as her core was the Cheon Mira’s [Poison Martial Arts], [Ice Moon Divine Arts].

It was an Epic grade skill, a specialized ability unheard of in the world.

In fact, it was a powerful force that did not fall behind the [Overlord Sword Technique] that Yu Seha learned from Peng Jin-ah.

It was just that…

‘It’s only because my blood is too weak.’

The blood of the flowing in Moon Bora’s body was too weak, insufficient to withstand the powerful cold.

This was actually natural.

The had long used despicable means to attract numerous prodigies, mating and breeding, continuing a scandalously promiscuous lineage.

Among them, it was by chance that the blood of the flowed.

It was only natural for Moon Bora to struggle.

Her master, Cheon Mira, said, ‘…I’m sorry. I didn’t anticipate this. Be careful using your power until we find a definitive solution.’ However…

Moon Bora spread even stronger cold onto the ground in response.

The cold, swirling like mist, froze the clones in an instant.

A derivative ability of the Hero grade [Frozen Tundra].

It was [Frozen Field].

Not only was its power overwhelming, but its precision was flawless.

It froze only the clones, carefully avoiding Choi Mari, Divine Light Garam, and the sisters.

“They… froze?”
“My god, they’re not even moving…”
“Just how powerful is she…?”

‘…Sigh.’

Moon Bora inwardly apologized to her master, Cheon Mira.

If Cheon Mira had witnessed this scene, she would have clicked her tongue, saying, ‘I told you not to do it…’

‘I’m sorry.’

Once again, Moon Bora apologized.

She would have scolded Moon Bora, asking why she was risking her life.

But…

‘I cannot stop.’

Moon Bora’s hair began to flutter.

It was evidence that the incantation of [Ice Moon Divine Arts] was manifesting from her body.

As it progressed, Moon Bora’s purple-tinged hair gradually turned white.

Her appearance, akin to a snow maiden, naturally reminded one of Cheon Mira.

In that moment, Yu Seha’s voice was heard.

“…Moon Bora.”
“……”

Moon Bora gave a gentle smile towards Yu Seha, whose eyes clearly reflected worry.

It was a signal that she was okay.

‘Sorry for deceiving you.’

In truth, she wasn’t okay.

Moon Bora sensed some of her internal organs freezing.

But if this continued over and over, she would eventually have to pay the price.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

The reason Moon Bora learned this.
The reason she trained so hard.
The reason she sought power.
All of it was for Yu Seha.

He was in danger.
He had been fighting alone, endlessly sacrificing himself for the sake of others.

‘Well, it’s not surprising.’

Although she didn’t show it, Moon Bora knew well.

Yu Seha.

He was the kind of man who always put himself last.

No matter what strategy he devised, it always ended with him in the most dangerous position.

This had been made abundantly clear during the raid.

‘Hana seems to vaguely know. Ju Na-young seems unaware.’

Moon Bora understood more painfully than anyone else.

Yu Seha.

He was strange.
To him, his own life was the least important thing.
His companions’ lives always came first.
He had… no love for himself.

‘I don’t like it.’

Moon Bora disliked it.

She didn’t know what had happened in his past, but she couldn’t bear to watch him sacrifice himself alone.

Yet, she had no right to tell him not to.

Because, in a way, she had also contributed to that burden, leaning on his kindness without realizing it.

And so, she made her choice.
She would walk the same path as him.

Moon Bora brought her hands together, as if in prayer.

‘Sacrifice…’

I will also bear it with you.

A vast array of magic circles overlapped and spun within her hands.

Yu Seha, watching, widened his eyes like never before.

As expected, he recognized it immediately.

‘Seha, don’t worry.’

Moon Bora watched him struggling fiercely within the maze of [Perception Hindrance].

In truth, she shouldn’t have even made it here.
She had no innate resistance skills, nothing that should have allowed her to navigate this battlefield.
But she had forced her way through, suffering every step of the way because Yu Seha was here.

The leader of the party.
A dear friend.
A precious person.

Finally…

‘To protect the one I love.’

Moon Bora quickly hid such shameless feelings.

She, who had once doubted him…
She, who had hidden her past from him…
She, who carried the dirty, disgraceful bloodline of the …
She had no right to love him.

‘Just watch over me.’

Just being helpful was enough.

Crunch!

A snowflake-shaped pattern was engraved beneath Moon Bora’s feet.

Soon, an intensely powerful phrase was shouted from her mouth.

“<Bloom the Flower of Ice and Snow.>”

The <Ultimate Skill> of [Frozen Tundra].

[Frost Snow Blossom] bloomed the most beautiful flower of all.

---

Crack-crack!!!
Crunch!

Dozens of long ice flowers sprouted from the body of the frozen clones.

The ice flowers, shyly budding, fully bloomed and scattered sharp petals one by one.

Over 50 petals danced up as if in tune with Moon Bora’s will.

[Frost Snow Blossom] was renowned among <Ultimate Skills> for its exceptionally strong persistence.

Its power was notable, but its utility was particularly excellent.

Swoosh!

The fluttering petals became sharp ice blades, randomly scraping the clones.

Their weakened bodies couldn’t withstand the onslaught.
With just a few cuts, they shattered, unable to hold their form.

At the sight of this, Jing Daram, who had been slowly regenerating, flashed a look of pure rage.

“Y-you filthy worms!!!”
“…That mouth.”

Shut it.

Moon Bora’s fingertips were tinged with anger.

Half of the ice petals that shot like an arrow embedded into Jing Daram’s body, freezing her.

Crackle!

The other half encircled Yu Seha and Jing Daram, forming a hemisphere.

Where the ice fell short, it linked together, spreading cold to seal the gaps.

It was the special ability of [Snow Ice Story], [Shackles of Ice].

“Seha, leave the cleanup to me.”
“Moon Bora…”

Moon Bora continued as she gave a potion to her senior in the class.

“Supporting you, the leader, with all my strength… That is my role.”

You just have to run wild as you please.

She ended with a pretty wink.

“That ugly hag.”

Blow her away!

---

Who…
Who?!!!

“Who are you calling an ugly hag?!!”

Jing Daram broke the ice forcefully and sprang out.

The body of the began to distort grotesquely.

This was proof that she had sucked her lifespan to the limit and entered a frenzy state, and counter-evidence that she could no longer maintain her sanity.

A black sphere began to surge on Jing Daram’s left hand.

It shot out a black projectile.

It was the Hero-grade skill and the demons’ specialty, [Black Demon Cannon].

“……”

Yu Seha, with his head bowed, didn’t move at all.

Seeing this, Jing Daram assumed he had given up, and a vile smirk spread across her face.

But that smirk… didn’t last long.

In an instant…

Yu Seha swung his fist and smashed the incoming Black Demon Cannon into nothing.

Jing Daram’s mouth fell open.

No way…

“Wh-what on earth are you?”

Jing Daram couldn’t finish the sentence.

Her body began to tremble.

The golden pupils shinning from Yu Seha’s eyes.
Simultaneously, the blue light of mana transformed into a purple hue.

Jing Daram felt an overwhelming fear.

This was the same for the that constituted her body.

Immediately after, Yu Seha disappeared.

“…Wh-where?!”

There was no time to turn her head.

An overwhelming blow struck her abdomen, causing a blood-mixed liquid to spew from Jing Daram’s mouth.

“Ka-ugh!!”
“……”

Yu Seha, who forcefully landed a punch, glanced down.

The manifestation of the most powerful ability he currently possessed.

A sense of omnipotence surged, making him feel he could do anything.

‘Thank you, Moon Bora.’

Yu Seha expressed gratitude inwardly.

The reason he couldn’t recklessly use [Monstrous Strength] was due to the significant mana consumption and the large scale and aftermath, which could inadvertently drag everyone in.

Moreover, the power was so immense that it was difficult to control delicately.

‘But now it’s different.’

Moon Bora was covering his back.

She was taking care of all the variables that might affect the seniors.

She supplemented the attacks he couldn’t focus on with ice.

Thanks to this, Yu Seha could run at full power.

‘I will end this.’

Here and now, he would finish off Jing Daram.

“Die!!!”

Jing Daram once again fired [Black Demon Cannon].

But Yu Seha was no longer there.

In no time, he had jumped high and turned his body.

A more intense power wrapped around his legs.

He forced a shock onto Jing Daram, as if a meteor was crashing down.

“Gwaaaaaah!!!”

A deep, irreparable footprint was imprinted on Jing Daram’s body.

The power of the King of Monsters, who was said to overturn the world with a single step.

Though it couldn’t compare to the mythical tales of eradicating a nation, it was enough to crush a mere .

Crash!

Yu Seha’s fists and feet moved automatically.
He didn’t even bother using the [Saint’s Sword].
He didn’t chain his attacks with any other skills.
There was no need.

Yu Seha’s body, having activated [Monstrous Strength], was terrifying enough on its own.

He struck deliberately.
Painfully.
With raw, unrelenting brutality.

He wanted to engrave into Jing Daram’s bones the true meaning of overwhelming violence.

She was utterly helpless, unable to do anything but take the beating.

And when Yu Seha delivered a powerful punch,
her body was sent flying, blackened blood spewing from her mouth.

She crashed into the icy barrier formed by [Ten Thousand Ice Snow Flower], her body slowly freezing upon impact.

“Kuugh…! Kugh!”

Tears spilled from Jing Daram’s eyes.
In that moment, she knew with absolute certainty.
This was different.

He had already been far too powerful for a mere first-year cadet.

But now…
Now, he was on an entirely different level.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…!”

With fear-stricken eyes, Jing Daram turned her gaze and saw him.

Yu Seha, wrapped in mysterious, monstrous energy, was walking towards her.

Step, step.
It was no different from the footsteps of the Grim Reaper.

“Ugh, ah, ugh…”

Jing Daram realized instinctively.
She couldn’t win.
She must escape.
She had to flee.

She turned her body awkwardly.
She had to break through this ice wall and escape quickly.

However, the strange sound that followed soon startled her.

This is…

“…the sound of water?”

A gigantic water orb was swirling within Yu Seha’s palm, raised towards the sky.

Its size cast a huge shadow over Jing Daram.

It was the power and authority of the .

An Epic-grade skill symbolizing the ruler of the sea, the manifestation of [Rising Tidal Wave].

Empowered by Yu Seha’s [Monstrous Strength], the water orb that swallowed exhibited an even stronger momentum than usual.

In an instant, it transformed into a towering wave that could engulf even a tsunami.

The [Tsunami] instantly swept over Jing Daram.

“Kyaaa!!!”

Jing Daram was helplessly swept away by the massive flow of water.

The staggering mass and water pressure crushed Jing Daram’s body, swallowing her whole.

“No, no…!”

If this continued, she would die.

She was going to die!!!

Jing Daram turned her body.

The ice petals becoming a sturdy wall to prevent [Tsunami] from sweeping away others.

She tried to break it.

But Jing Daram didn’t know.

“…H-huh?!”

Splash, splash, splash!!!

Yu Seha.

The fact that he could run on water.

With the manifestation of [Underwater Dash], Yu Seha surged forward like a blade, closing the distance in an instant.

“St-stop, don’t come!!!”

Jing Daram mutated the body of the .
She wildly swung her elongated arms like tentacles.

“……”

Yu Seha dodged without even looking.

He had long since mastered the fluid and lethal movements of Bodenov Silla’s whip techniques.

Compared to that, Jing Daram’s wild flailing was nothing but child’s play.

With no allies around to worry about,
with no reason to hold back…

Jing Daram, even at her strongest, was no match for Yu Seha.

He gripped his sword so tightly the hilt nearly cracked.

With the current exhilaration and stats, a secret skill could have been possible…

Unfortunately, not much mana was left.

‘Is [Overlord’s Annihilation] too much?’

In that case…
He would use something just as deadly.

Raising his sword with both hands, he timed his strike perfectly.

Just as Jing Daram’s tentacles came crashing down.

Recall it.
The first secret skill he had ever witnessed that had filled him with awe, the one he had successfully learned.

His muscles steadied.
The angle of his wrists and ankles shifted.
His lower body and waist absorbed the impact force.

A singular focus.
A burst of explosive power.
All of it converging into one absolute strike.

This was violence, refined into an art form.
A strike that transcended mere swordplay.

Behind Yu Seha, the form of a white tiger roared into existence, absorbing Jing Daram’s attack and launching a devastating counter.

A final, blinding white flash exploded toward Jing Daram.

“[Peng Furious Wolf]!!“

“Kyahhh!!!”