The moment Elaris managed to push Elithia down through the castle, she glanced once toward her companions before continuing upward using her ice magic to reach the top floor. Slamming her sister into the ground, she prepared to strike with the Lúmen'Thyr gauntlets. Before the blow could land on her sister's face, she was kicked in the stomach by a boot forged from Lúmen'Thyr. Pushed backward, she hit the wall and immediately rolled to the side, barely avoiding another kick.
The two stared at each other. For a few seconds Elithia showed a sad expression before returning to a cold gaze.
"So you came back, sister."
"Why wouldn't I? I still have something to ask you."
Elaris had noticed that sad expression, but she knew it was fake—meant to confuse her. Her sister clearly had some plan prepared in case she lost, and that plan had started the moment she said those words before they last parted.
"Can you answer that question now?"
"If you win, I will."
Elithia maintained a cold expression with only the faintest trace of hesitation, even though she had shown none during the previous strikes. Those attacks had been strong enough to kill fifth-circle mages and seriously injure sixth-circle ones like Elaris.
'She's a good actress.'
With a bitter smile, Elaris assumed a fighting stance while Elithia tore apart the dress she had been wearing, revealing armor made from the World Tree along with Lúmen'Thyr boots on her legs. The boots reached her knees, partially merging with the silver armor.
That armor was legendary, capable of reflecting both physical and magical blows—though still limited by the user's circle. If struck by a strong sixth-circle attack, it would still hurt.
'According to Enrico, those Lúmen'Thyr boots can create earthquakes… almost like a unique earthquake magic.'
It was fortunate she had been warned. Fighting her sister without knowing that ability would have been far more dangerous. After all, counting the family's unique ability, Elithia effectively possessed a third affinity.
'I have a powerful ability in my weapon too.'
Activating her Lúmen'Thyr gauntlets, Elaris punched the air, releasing a frozen distortion that transformed the surrounding atmosphere into pure ice. Elithia stood within that zone and was frozen along with it. This ability was perfect for freezing mages with the same affinity, because it used the opponent's own ice mana to strengthen the effect—making escape impossible unless the mage was at least eighth circle.
"Ice Beasts."
A fox, a leopard, and a bear appeared behind her in attack positions. This was another effect of her gauntlets: when striking something, they could trigger different outcomes on the target. With her ice magic, Elaris could produce two effects—the first one used a mage's own ice mana to immobilize them, while the second froze the magic within the opponent's body for a moment.
Even so, she didn't lower her guard—and she was right not to. A moment later an earthquake erupted from within the frozen zone, shattering the ice into fragments.
Elithia emerged from within, pointing her hand at Elaris. Closing her fist, spikes appeared above her sister's head. The descending ice spikes were blocked when the ice bear leapt forward, taking the attack on its back.
"Ice Pillar."
A pillar rose behind Elithia and struck her, launching her upward. With a leap, Elaris was already above her with a raised fist, ready to strike. Sensing the attack, Elithia kicked Elaris's fist just as she descended.
Still in midair, the two exchanged blows. Elaris's punch struck the center of Elithia's chest while Elithia's kick smashed into Elaris's face. At the exact moment the kick landed, the earthquake ability activated instantly.
"Earthquake Kick."
The air itself seemed to tremble violently, and blood burst from Elaris's face. As she fell to the ground below, the three ice beasts suddenly appeared behind Elithia. The leopard bit her shoulder, the fox clamped onto her arm, and the bear slashed her back with its claws.
But when the beasts struck, they were thrown backward by the armor's reflection ability.
'I didn't think my sister could resist the reflective power of my armor.'
Elithia watched her sister stand up, wiping blood from her face while staring back at her. Her little sister had endured the recoil when she struck her chest earlier. That determination was incredible—and it only made Elithia want to break her sister even more before killing her.
'That determination… I want to crush it.'
'Killing her won't be easy… just like I expected.'
Both wore cold expressions hiding their true emotions. Each wanted to kill the other—but for different reasons. Elithia wanted her sister to suffer. Elaris only wanted to end everything as quickly as possible.
"Ice Beast Fist."
Elaris's gauntlets became covered in ice, taking on a more beast-like appearance. She was trying to refine the Lúmen'Thyr weapon using the concept of ego weapons. At the same time, the necklace around her neck began to glow before a burst of mana erupted and enveloped her.
Elithia looked at the necklace with surprise and intense interest. She could feel Elaris's mana increasing—and something about her had clearly changed.
'Did that necklace transform her?'
Elaris's appearance shifted, and wings of ice—resembling those of an angel—formed behind her.
Seeing that, the only thought Elithia allowed herself was that the necklace was terrifying. Somehow, Elaris now possessed a far greater control over ice than before—even better than her own.
'Why does she have that?'
With a single forward motion of Elaris's hand, the ice moved so naturally that the ice affinity inside Elithia's body trembled. She barely managed to leap aside to avoid the attack, though part of her face froze even as she dodged. There was no doubt—this item would make the mage who used it the strongest ice mage alive. And that was simply…
'Perfect for me.'
Since the battle began, a sinister smile spread across Elithia's face. She had never possessed the same ice talent as the rest of her family and had always wanted to surpass them.
Now, standing before her, she had the chance to gain two things at once: The death of her little sister… and an artifact that would let her surpass her ancestors.