After the Ice Lord shattered the Covenant Beast into a million glittering shards, the creature defied death. In a grotesque display of regeneration, the pieces melded back together, and with a lash of its massive tentacle, it sent the Ice Lord hurtling backward. He skidded across the frozen expanse, gasping as he fought to regain his footing. The Beast, relentless and cold, surged forward for a killing blow.

  ?With a surge of ancient magic, the Ice Lord summoned a legion of crystalline clones to cloud the Beast’s vision. While the creature lashed out at the illusions, the true Lord leaped through the fray, landing firmly upon the Beast's towering head.

  ?"I know I cannot slay you," he whispered, his voice a calm blade against the wind. "But I will fulfill my second mission as I promised Alexander: I will tame you."

  ?He sliced his palm, letting crimson droplets seep into the Beast’s hide. Activating his core power, he didn't strike; instead, he allowed his spirit to dissolve into the Beast’s subconscious.

  ?He awoke in a realm of suffocating mist. Silence reigned for heartbeats until the fog finally parted, revealing a terrifying truth: he was floating in the center of a vast, infinite sky. Before him stood a towering figure with the head of an octopus, its eyes reflecting the weight of eons.

  ?"O you who have come to write upon the Covenant Document," the figure spoke, its voice vibrating through the Ice Lord's very soul. "Your wish shall be etched in the last place of existence. Speak—what do you desire?"

  ?The Ice Lord met the guardian’s gaze. "So, you are the Covenant Beast, the sentinel of the Document. My wish is simple: do not awaken until the Chosen One arrives."

  ?"The Chosen One?" The figure scoffed. "What is wrong with you mortals, rushing headlong toward your own extinction? The Chosen One will beat the drums of the Great War—a war that will annihilate you and all you hold dear. Do you long for the embrace of death?"

  ?"No," the Ice Lord replied firmly. "But until he comes, the world needs peace. I need you to sleep."

  ?"Listen, human," the Beast countered. "You, I, and all of creation are part of a pre-made loop. The events are already written; do not rush them. We are the safety lock preventing the ultimate disaster. By your request, you intend to give that person the first step. When the Chosen One destroys the Seven Covenants and the Fourteen Shields, chaos will erupt. The world will endure horrors the mind cannot conceive. Therefore, I refuse."

  ?"You refuse? Or are you simply afraid to die?"

  ?"It is not just me," the Beast rumbled. "Everyone will fear it—even you shiver within as you hear his name. He is the Shield Breaker. Time flows like a torrential river; soon, one will come who shatters the laws of this world to build a new one. It will either be a kingdom of prosperity or a wasteland of blood. Ask for something else, human."

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  ?The Ice Lord fell into a deep silence, weighing the fate of the world against the blood on his hands. "Then I must change the terms. Your covenant is to protect both sides, yet you have only guarded the status quo. Because of that, an innocent girl paid the ultimate price. I am not here to save everyone's life—both sides are my burden. I killed that girl, while they killed five hundred. But they are many, and she was one. Do the lives of those demons truly weigh more than hers?"

  ?The Beast’s eyes flashed with a dark amusement. "You call them demons? As you wish. But I shall continue to protect both parties. Now, what is your final wish?"

  ?The Ice Lord spoke his revised vow. The Beast placed the words upon a spectral scale that shimmered in the mist. "The wish is cast. Now for the trial. If you want this pact to be etched in stone, you must defeat me. If you fail, the charter remains blank, and you shall perish. Your physical body has ten minutes before it expires. Shall we begin?"

  ?The Beast manifested a staff of pure, jagged ice. The Ice Lord gripped his hilt, and in a flash, they collided. Steel met frost in a whirlwind of strikes. The Beast hurled blades of ice with lethal precision, but as the Ice Lord dodged, the staff extended like a serpent, knocking him back. The Beast loomed above, ready to crush him, but the Lord manipulated the frost beneath his feet to slide away. With a snap of his fingers, the ice he had planted on the ground surged upward, forming a jagged cage that snared the guardian.

  ?The Beast shattered the cage with a roar, only to find the Ice Lord standing inches from his face. A brutal kick sent the Beast reeling. The Lord drew his sword in a blur of motion, releasing a shimmering cloud of ice dust. The Beast stood amidst the haze, confused, until he noticed a thin red line appearing on his hand.

  ?"Have you surrendered?" the Beast asked, watching the Lord sheathe his blade.

  ?"Not surrendered," the Ice Lord replied coldly. "Internalized."

  ?The Beast’s eyes widened as the ice shards he had inhaled—the dust from the cloud—detonated from within. Hidden blades erupted through his skin, tearing his form apart from the inside out.

  ?The Beast smiled through the pain. "You win, Ice Lord. I will honor the request in the Covenant Document."

  ?As the Ice Lord's form began to evaporate, he whispered one last question: "How much of your true power did you use against me?"

  ?The Beast’s grin widened. "What? That power... that is already reserved for someone else."

  ?The Ice Lord chuckled softly. "So... we are the same."

  ?The Ice Lord snapped awake at the bottom of the freezing ocean, his lungs screaming for air. He surged toward the surface, shattering the thick crust of ice that blocked his path, and collapsed onto the frozen top, gasping for life.

  ?In the nearby villages, the Ice Knights gathered under the dimming sky.

  "Thank the Heavens you are all safe," Volak said, his voice heavy with relief.

  ?"It’s all thanks to Rose," Julian added. "She is the true hero of this day."

  ?Iris looked toward the horizon, her brow furrowed. "But... wasn't that last surge of power we felt... much stronger than the first?"

  ?"Yes," Volak whispered, his shadow lengthening. "Harold felt it too."

  ?Fear gripped Volak’s heart. He urged the knights toward Rose’s location, and the villagers followed close behind, their cheers dying down as a new, unspoken dread began to take root.

  ?A New Chapter Awaits!

  I apologize for the delay in the last chapter, but the next installment will be released in approximately two hours. These chapters cover the pivotal events that will set the stage for everything to come. Stay tuned