The battlefield had fallen into an eerie silence. Ice Phoenix and Zenian stood frozen in place, their gazes locked onto Arfrotian, who remained crouched on the ground, clutching his chest in agony. The once chaotic storm of ice and destruction had ceased, but now, something far more ominous surrounded him—a pulsating, invisible force, a shield forged from the very essence of two catastrophic omniversal calamities.
The air grew unbearably heavy. The ground beneath them was layered in thick frost, and a creeping pressure made it hard to breathe. The sheer power emanating from Arfrotian's body was unlike anything they had ever seen before. It wasn't just destructive—it was something that defied all logic, a force that seemed to warp the very fabric of existence around it.
Ice Phoenix's heart pounded violently in her chest. Just what was happening to him?
Before she could process her emotions, her body moved on its own. She took a step forward.
And then—BOOM!
The invisible barrier surrounding Arfrotian reacted instantly. A violent burst of freezing energy erupted from the space around him, repelling her with terrifying force. Ice Phoenix barely managed to stabilize herself, her wings flaring out in an attempt to resist the pushback. But it wasn't just raw power that forced her away—it was the nature of the energy itself. A perfect fusion of the Eternal Frostheart's backlash and Pandora's Red Ice.
Her eyes widened in horror. This was dangerous. Too dangerous.
Zenian, who had been watching silently, let out a scoff, attempting to mask his own shock. "Hah. Look at him. Squatting on the ground like that after acting all high and mighty. Guess even he couldn't handle the power he boasted about."
His words dripped with mockery, but there was an undeniable tension in his voice. Because even he knew the truth.
If Arfrotian hadn't done what he did, they would all be dead right now.
Ice Phoenix, still staring at Arfrotian, clenched her fists. Zenian's words irritated her to no end. How dare he belittle the man who had just saved not only her, but the entire icy omniverse?
But she didn't have time to deal with Zenian right now. Her focus was entirely on Arfrotian.
She had to reach him.
She took another step forward, ignoring the previous backlash, but the invisible force surrounding Arfrotian was still there, radiating power that instinctively warned her to stay away. She bit her lip, frustration and worry filling her heart.
"Arfrotian..." she called out hesitantly, her voice softer this time.
There was no response.
She tried again, stepping as close as she could without getting thrown back. "Arfrotian, are you listening? If you have any problem just... tell me..." She hesitated, her face heating up slightly before she forced herself to continue. "I... I will do anything you ask for... okay? So..."
Still, no response.
Her heart tightened. Something was wrong.
"Hey! Arfrotian! What's happening to you!?" she asked, her voice now filled with undeniable worry. "Your condition looks terrible, and this barrier around you... what is it!?"
Finally, Arfrotian moved.
Slowly, painfully, he lifted his head, his expression one of exhaustion and unimaginable pain. Yet, despite this, he still managed to smirk—that same arrogant, fearless smirk of his.
"Oh, it's nothing..." he muttered, his voice strained yet casual, as if he wasn't suffering at all. "I just... assimilated the backlash from the Eternal Frostheart alongside the calamity I was unleashing... the Red Ice... both within me... so it'd be best if you leave me alone... for your own safety."
Ice Phoenix's breath hitched.
"...Wait. What?"
Zenian, who had been watching the exchange with furrowed brows, immediately snapped his head toward Arfrotian. "You... assimilated it? Are you serious?"
Even for someone like Zenian, who had witnessed countless battles, this was absurd.
Arfrotian had absorbed two omniversal-level calamities—into himself!?
"That's insane..." Ice Phoenix whispered, her mind struggling to process the words. "Why would you do something so reckless...?"
She took another step toward him. This time, she didn't care about the barrier.
The moment she tried to push forward—BOOM!
The energy surrounding Arfrotian reacted violently, flaring up as if it sensed her intrusion. She was thrown back once again, barely managing to remain upright.
"What, what are you saying, Arfrotian!?" she demanded, desperation creeping into her tone.
Arfrotian let out a small, pained chuckle. "Well... I unleashed my uncontrollable power in order to train it... against the backlash of the Eternal Frostheart... which was seemingly powerful... and so I did... but even though everything went quite well, there was still one risk."
Ice Phoenix and Zenian remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"It was uncertain... perhaps those two catastrophic forces might multiply and even destroy the entire omniverse in one go... but I had made a promise to you..." Arfrotian's gaze softened slightly as he looked at Ice Phoenix. "To keep this omniverse safe at all costs. And... even if it cost me my life... I wasn't going to break that promise."
Silence.
A complete, deafening silence filled the battlefield.
Ice Phoenix's heart stopped.
Even if it cost him his life...?
She felt her entire body go cold.
Arfrotian... was willing to die for this promise?
She had always known he was eccentric. She had always known he was someone who acted on his own desires, who only did things if he saw a benefit in them. But throwing away his life just to keep a promise to her?
Did he even realize what he was saying!?
Her breath grew unsteady as she clenched her fists, her emotions threatening to spiral out of control.
"...You're lying," she whispered, her voice shaking. "You... you don't mean that."
But Arfrotian just smirked.
Ice Phoenix felt something inside her snap.
Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. Why? Why was he like this!?
Why did he have to act like it was nothing!?
She took another step forward, forcing herself against the barrier with all her might. The sheer force of it tried to push her away, but she refused to back down.
"I won't let you die," she said, her voice breaking.
Zenian, who had been standing still this entire time, finally let out a shaky breath. "Tch... you really are a lunatic, aren't you?" His voice wasn't mocking anymore. It was... something else.
Arfrotian's smirk didn't fade.
But as the pain in his chest intensified, as the two catastrophic forces continued to clash within him, as his own existence trembled under the weight of what he had absorbed—he could feel it.
His body was reaching its limit.
And yet—he didn't regret it.
Because at the very least... he had kept his promise.
And for Arfrotian, that was enough.