Chapter 448: She’s gotten stronger as well
The following morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains, soft and golden. Nero woke first, his arm still wrapped around Khione, her white hair spread across his chest like silk. He lay still for a moment, listening to her breathing, feeling the warmth of her body against his. The night had been peaceful, restful, a rare pocket of calm in the chaos of their lives.
Then she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, ice-blue and clear, and she looked at him. For a moment, there was only the quiet intimacy of waking together—the softness of her gaze, the curve of her lips, the way her hand rested on his chest.
Then her expression shifted. Her eyes narrowed, studying him with that sharp, analytical focus she wore like armor.
"You’ve gotten stronger again," she said. It was not a question.
Nero did not deny it. He met her gaze, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I awakened another law. The Law of Water."
Khione was silent for a long moment. Her face remained still, her expression unreadable, but he could see the shock flickering behind her eyes, the way her mind raced to process the information. He had done it again. He had broken another barrier, reached another height, left another milestone behind.
She could only nod silently. Her lips parted, but no words came. She closed them, swallowed, and tried again.
"Water," she repeated. "You awakened the Law of Water."
"Yes."
Another pause. Her hand tightened on his chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. "That’s why I felt it. That connection, stronger than before. I thought it was just... us. But it was your law."
Her voice was barely above a whisper. "You awakened my element. The source of my ice."
Nero reached up and touched her face, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw. "I know. I felt it too. The closeness."
Khione closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.
They kissed. It was not a kiss of passion, but of quiet understanding, of shared acknowledgment. When they parted, Khione’s eyes were bright, her composure restored.
"Breakfast," she said. "Then we have a mission."
They dressed quickly, ate a simple meal in the small kitchenette, and left the dormitory. The academy city was waking, the streets filling with early risers. They walked to the train station, their hands linked, their steps unhurried. The super train waited on the platform, sleek and silent, and they boarded without a word.
The journey south took two hours. The landscape shifted as they traveled—green hills giving way to rocky plains, then to dry, sun-scorched earth. The sky grew brighter, the sun hotter. By the time they arrived, the air was thick with heat, shimmering above the red dirt.
The mission was simple: clear a den of fire drakes threatening a nearby city. Three A-rank drakes, according to the report. Powerful, territorial, dangerous. The city had requested immediate assistance, and the academy had dispatched the Fixer Club’s strongest members.
Nero and Khione disembarked and walked toward the mountains. The path was steep, the rocks sharp. The heat grew more intense with each step, radiating from the mountain’s core. They could feel the drakes’ presence—a heavy, oppressive weight, like the pressure before a storm.
Khione stopped at the base of the mountain. She looked up at the rocky peak, her expression cool, her eyes calculating. Then she turned to Nero.
"I’ll handle them," she said.
Nero raised an eyebrow. "All three?"
"Yes." Her voice was calm, certain. "I want to test my new strength. Watch."
He did not argue. He stepped back, his eyes fixed on her, and waited.
Khione walked forward, her wand appearing in her hand—small, exquisite, carved from a crystal that glowed faintly in the sun. She did not rush. She climbed the slope with measured steps, her white hair stirring in the hot wind, her robes flowing behind her like a banner.
The first drake emerged from its den. It was massive, its scales a deep, smoldering red, its eyes burning with ancient hunger. It opened its mouth, and a jet of flame roared toward her.
Khione did not flinch. She raised her wand, and a wall of ice erupted before her, thick and shimmering. The fire struck the ice and hissed, steam billowing, but the wall held. The drake snarled, confused.
Khione did not give it time to recover. Her wand traced a circle in the air, and ice spears shot forward, each one aimed at a vital point. The drake tried to dodge, but the spears were too fast, too precise. They pierced its wings, its throat, its heart. It collapsed, its fire dying.
The second drake charged from the side, its claws extended. Khione turned, her expression unchanged. She raised her hand, and a wave of frost rolled from her palm, sweeping across the ground, freezing the drake’s legs. It stumbled, crashed to the ground. She walked toward it, her steps unhurried, and touched its head with her wand. Ice spread from the point of contact, covering its skull, its eyes, its brain. It went still.
The third drake was the largest. It emerged from the deepest den, its scales blackened with age, its breath a searing inferno. It roared, and the mountain shook. It lunged.
Khione did not retreat. She raised her wand high, and the temperature around her plummeted. The air crystallized. The ground froze. She spoke a single word, soft and cold.
"Frozen World."
A sphere of absolute cold expanded from her body, encompassing the drake, the mountain, the sky. Within that sphere, everything slowed. The drake’s flames died. Its movements became sluggish, its roars muffled. Khione walked through the frozen air, her wand trailing frost, and touched the drake’s chest.
Ice spread from the point of contact, covering its body, its wings, its heart. The drake froze, a statue of black and white. It did not move again.
Khione lowered her wand. The sphere of cold faded. The mountain returned to its normal heat. She stood among the frozen bodies of the three drakes, her expression as cold as ever.
Nero watched from below, a smile touching his lips. She had grown stronger. Her control was perfect, her power immense. She had handled three A-rank drakes as if they were training dummies.
She descended the slope, her steps light, and stopped before him. Her eyes met his.
"The mission is complete," she said.
He reached out and took her hand. "I saw, you’ve gotten really stronger."
All she did was to smile, an extremely beautiful and enchanting smile.
Comments