The Ice Kingdom

In the highlands of Gaia, chains of hills and jagged mountains stretched endlessly beneath a pale sky. Peak after peak rose like frozen waves, each crowned with grand structures that dared the heavens themselves. Icebound spires and steel bastions clung to the heights, unmoved by storm or time.

Cold winds screamed through the passes, carrying shards of snow that glittered like broken stars. Even the land felt ancient here, heavy with silence and restrained power.

Even with a high tech space shuttle, it took no less than a month to travel from the western edge of the planet to its central region. The journey alone was proof of Gaia's terrifying scale, a world that refused to be crossed lightly.

Distance here was not measured in miles, but in endurance.

"Identity?"

The voice echoed across the snowfield, metallic and emotionless, cutting through the howling wind.

A carriage formed of ice and reinforced steel descended slowly from the sky. As it touched the ground, its mechanical wings folded inward, plates shifting and locking until it returned to its original, elegant shape.

"Minister Finois, Divine Lokian mage."

The reply emerged from within the carriage, calm and authoritative, carrying the weight of status and power.

"Qualified. You may continue."

The metal pillar standing alone in the snow pulsed with divine essence. Light spilled outward, erasing an invisible barrier that had sealed the land moments before, as though reality itself had been peeled aside.

Snow settled again, undisturbed, as if nothing had happened.

"Those are the divine pillars of the kingdom. Do you know what that means?"

Inside the carriage, Minister Finois' voice carried clearly. Throughout the journey, he had spoken at length about Gaia's politics, its powers, and the delicate balance that ruled the planet.

Each explanation had only made the world feel more dangerous.

"Yes. This is an extension of a High God's authority, amplified through a high level formation. In other words, this entire kingdom is her Wonderland."

Zeke answered without hesitation, his tone flat but certain.

The word lingered in the air.

Wonderlands.

A term they had only learned recently, yet one that carried a quiet dread. A domain where a god's will was law, and reality bent without resistance.

They had crossed into sacred ground, and Gaia was watching.

""These pillars are part of the formation. Each one can release a blast with the strength of a god," Minister Fin went on, his tone measured but heavy.

"There are roughly four hundred of them surrounding the divine kingdom."

The words settled like frost inside the carriage. Shock spread quietly, followed by something colder. Fear.

Four hundred god level attacks. Enzo tried to picture it and failed. His mind simply slid away from the scale of such destruction.

"Hehe."

Minister Fin's smirk was bitter, almost tired. They truly did not understand. This was the main seat of a High God, a pinnacle existence in the wider universe. Four hundred divine strikes were nothing more than a surface defense.

A warning, not the blade.

"You also need to understand the word kingdom is literal," he continued. "The High God is not only divine. She is a monarch."

The carriage glided forward on its own, cutting through thick sheets of ice that coated the mountains like frozen skin. The land bent to her will, smooth paths forming where none should exist.

Only when the air grew still did the carriage slow, coming to a stop before towering wooden gates reinforced with ice and steel.

Count Jake TERF.

"Hey kids, brace yourselves," Minister Fin said lightly. "This friend of mine is far worse than me."

The Ice Kingdom was not a city. It was a vast weave of territories and domains, all bound under one ruler. For now, they would stay with one of the minister's associates before officially entering the Hunter Games in the capital.

That alone was worrying.

The real problem was the kind of friends Minister Fin kept.

"Watch out!!"

A bystander's scream tore through the air as a massive boulder came rolling down toward the carriage, crushing snow and ice beneath it.

From a nearby hill, an elderly man stood relaxed in tailored clothes, a curved sword resting at his side. A wide grin split his face as he watched the boulder gain speed.

Boom!!

The impact should have been catastrophic. Instead, the carriage lifted just in time, levitating cleanly as the boulder thundered past beneath it, shattering into fragments.

"You can't run, fuckterd."

The man on the hill laughed, already pulling out a bow, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

""Holddd."

Despite the annoyance of being attacked without warning, Fin did not seem angered. If anything, he looked entertained. Instead of retaliating directly, he played along, weaving and swerving as projectile after projectile tore through the air around him.

Outside the fortress, thunderous bangs echoed across the mountains, sharp enough to trigger the internal alarms. Guards rushed to the walls, weapons raised.

When they saw the source, they could only sigh.

It was Count Jake.

Their leader had always been like this. Trouble followed him the way shadows followed light.

"Enzo," Minister Fin called out casually as he slipped past another strike, "why don't you give our friend a little surprise. He's far too relaxed."

"Hm."

Enzo did not answer aloud. His body faded into a dark fold within the carriage, dissolving like smoke. A heartbeat later, he reappeared deep within the mountain woods, shadows pooling beneath his feet as he summoned his batlike shade.

"Distract."

He wrapped his face in dark cloth and moved uphill through the trees, each step soundless as he approached from behind.

"Hm? Teleportation?"

Despite Enzo's careful concealment, the count had already turned. His gaze sharpened, locking onto the forest with sudden interest.

"Heheh, that gives me an idea."

The count vanished in a flicker, reappearing high in the sky. In a single smooth motion, he loosed three shots.

One toward the floating carriage.

Two toward the forest.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Each strike was precise, placed not to kill, but to cripple movement. It was instinctive. Just like Fin, the count had not been born into power or privilege. No grand lineage. No divine backing.

Only grit. Only luck.

Combat was as natural to him as breathing.

"He's not aware of how I move yet," Enzo realized as he twisted past the arrows. "He's just attacking where my presence appears next."

Blind fire. Calculated, but still blind.

"Still," Enzo narrowed his eyes, shadows tightening around him, "approaching a god head on would be stupid."

"He said distract.

Enzo nodded to himself, the decision settling cleanly in his mind. A slow smile crept onto his face, sharp and quiet.

"Silent zone."

The words left his lips barely louder than a breath. Behind him, the black coffin surfaced from nothing, its presence dragging the air into a strange stillness. Space seemed to fold inward, sound thinning, vision bending at the edges.

Count Jake's sight blurred. The world swayed for a split second, as though his senses had slipped out of alignment. Even his hearing fractured, distant and uneven.

It was not enough to cripple him.

But it was enough.

Woosh. Bang!!!

Something heavy smashed into his side, the impact brutal and sudden. His body was sent flying, tearing through the air before he could fully react.

For a brief moment, weight abandoned him. Snow and sky spun together as instinct forced his limbs to steady, muscles tightening as he regained control.

That was when he saw Enzo.

Standing calmly in the snow below, cloak fluttering faintly, a massive black coffin strapped to his back. His gaze was steady, unreadable.

Losing was not the issue. The rhythm between himself and Fin was long established, solid and familiar.

What unsettled him was something else.

Enzo had just used an ability that interfered with a divine being.

That alone was worth a pause.

""Good one, kid. Next time he'll think twice before messing with us."

Minister Fin's laughter echoed from inside the carriage, warm and approving. There was no real concern in his voice. Jake was reckless, yes, but not malicious. Their bond ran deep, forged long before titles and power complicated things.

Besides, when it truly mattered, provoking Inkous over his student and some stray divine curiosity would have been idiotic.

"Thank you."

Enzo smiled faintly in response, the tension easing from his shoulders.

Truthfully, he had hoped the old man would push things further. Just for a moment. If Jake had unleashed more of his power, Enzo could have used the Void Cutters to replenish himself.

The red crawl attack energy still lingered within him, residue from the assassination attempt on Gravity Forest Mountain. It felt heavy now, outdated. He needed something new. Something sharper.

Unfortunately, Count jake held back.

And so did Minister Fin.

Opportunity slipped away, leaving only drifting snow and unspoken calculations behind.

He was still a guest here however so going overboard was not recommended, eise he might just be killed for disrespecting a god.

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