Allison could barely stay upright. Her body was in tatters, blood dripping steadily from her wounds. The Ant Queen's katana was gone, shattered, and with it, the carapace enchantment that had been her shield. Now, if even a single blow landed cleanly, it would mean death. Not even her draconic resilience could save her.

All she had left was the new weapon: a katana of ice, born from her own craft. Its cold bit into her flesh, but she raised it without hesitation, pointing the blade at the towering orc before her.

The Orc Lord stared down at her with open contempt. His chest heaved, but his eyes held nothing but the arrogance of a monster that had never known defeat. A low, rasping laugh rumbled from deep in his throat.

"Your courage is nothing but desperation," he said, his voice booming across the battlefield. "You're the last one left. And you'll die here, among the corpses you froze. Alone. Forgotten. A little dragon with no wings."

Allison's grip tightened on the ice blade. Her eyes burned with a cold fire that refused to die.

"That look…" The Orc Lord smirked, tilting his head. "Did I strike a nerve? Is that it? Maybe you were abandoned by the other dragons?"

His laughter erupted like a war drum, guttural and cruel. His wounds meant nothing to him, he believed himself untouchable.

"You're in my domain," he growled, his voice turning dark. "Here, I am king. Here, even dragons kneel and die."

Then he charged. The earth quaked under each massive step, snow cracking and scattering beneath his weight. The chains at his sides clattered, the twin iron spheres dragging deep grooves through the ground. But he wouldn't use them. Not this time. He wanted to crush her with his bare hands.

Allison didn't move. Her body trembled with exhaustion, but her gaze stayed locked, unyielding, sharp as a predator's. And then, like a true dragon, her breath came alive. White clouds of freezing vapor poured from her nostrils and lips, thick and relentless, far too much for a human frame to contain.

The Orc Lord raised his arms high, ready to slam her into the ground like a raging gorilla. At the final instant, Allison twisted her body and slid across the ice, slipping past the strike with perfect precision. The impact shook the battlefield. Cracks spiderwebbed through the ground, snow and shards of ice exploding skyward.

"Keep running!" the monster roared.

But when the snow settled, she was already standing in front of him again. Steady. Unbroken. Her eyes hard as steel.

"This is not your domain," she said, her voice as cold as the blade she held. "This is mine."

She closed her eyes for a heartbeat, sinking into the depths of her own essence. Then she drew it forth, the deepest power of her craft, sharpened by her bloodline. Her chest rose sharply, and the ice blade in her hand pulsed with life. The frost in her veins resonated with the ancient force slumbering in her soul. She channeled it.

[Funerary Ice Sculpture (Ultra-Rare)]: When the Ice Sculptor slays an enemy, they can instantly freeze the corpse, preserving it exactly in the position it fell and transforming it into a macabre ice sculpture. These sculptures remain standing for several hours, radiating an intense cold that gradually lowers the surrounding temperature. This effect creates a frozen terrain that strengthens all ice-based skills cast within its area of influence.

By channeling the power of [Heart of the Ice Dragon], the Sculptor can intensify the effect, causing the sculptures to drain even more heat from the surrounding space, making the environment severely cold and further amplifying the potency of ice arts. However, this additional strength comes at a cost: while sustaining this effect, the sculptures begin to melt, vanishing more quickly.

All around them, the frozen orc corpses began to glow faint blue. The ice that bound them shimmered like crystal in the phantom light. A biting wind swept through the field, carrying snow, until the battlefield itself was swallowed by a supernatural cold.

With each passing second, the air thickened, the ice grew denser, and the temperature plummeted further. A domain of white death took shape around them. And within that glacial storm, Allison rose, more imposing than ever.

The Orc Lord narrowed his eyes. For the first time, his laughter fell silent. She spread the invisible wings of her draconic heritage, not of flesh, but of spirit. The cold was no longer just the battlefield. It was her. It was the extension of her breath. Allison tilted her head back and let the fury of the dragon pour from her lungs.

[Draconic Exhalation (Ultra-Rare)]: The Draconic Swordsman does not need to strike. The very breath of a dragon is enough to declare sovereignty. Empowered by the [Heart of the Ice Dragon], you can exhale a frost-laden mist that rolls outward like a silent curse. The air chills, creeping and merciless. Frost crawls across stone, armor groans as it cracks, lungs seize in the bitter cold. No rage, only inevitability, patient, constant, absolute. Beware: this power is bound to your emotions, for a dragon's fury is its greatest weapon.

White mist rolled outward, smothering the air like a living fog. The cold was so deep it seemed to slice skin open with every brush. Enveloped in the storm, the Orc Lord let out a furious growl.

He didn't know it yet, but the battlefield no longer belonged to him. The frost thickened, swallowing the world in a deathly silence. The air was so frigid it felt brittle, ready to shatter with each breath. Allison slid across the ice, her movements as light as the storm itself. In her hand, a translucent sphere took shape, pulsing with the power of the [Heart of the Ice Dragon].

[Iceball (Uncommon)]: The caster forms a compact sphere of solid ice in their hand using [Ice], further amplified by [Heart of the Ice Dragon]. When hurled at a target, the sphere detonates on impact, releasing explosive damage and a cloud of frost-laden snow that reduces visibility and hampers movement. In naturally cold environments, or areas already affected by frost skills, the spell's power and explosion radius increase, making it significantly more devastating.

She fired it with force. The impact against the Orc Lord's torso detonated in a burst of snow and piercing blue light. The creature roared as the freezing energy seeped into its thick hide, slowing its movements. He tried to charge, but Allison was already in motion, circling him. More iceballs flared into being and were fired in rapid succession, each one exploding into shards of frost that clung to his body, layering him in thin sheets of ice.

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The Orc Lord bellowed, his breath erupting in scalding steam. He tried to raise his body's heat to resist, but Allison's storm overwhelmed him, the synergy of her power pressing in from every side. She seized the opening, gliding across the frozen ground. Her katana gleamed with an icy light, and she struck.

[Freezing Slash (Uncommon)]: The Swordsman delivers a strike that inflicts a wound coated with frost, freezing the area around it for a short duration through the power of [Ice]. If the cut lands on vital parts of the body, the chilling effect can gradually slow muscles, weaken attacks, and reduce the target's speed. This skill is empowered by [Heart of the Ice Dragon].

The blade carved through flesh, and ice spread instantly across the wound. The Orc Lord roared in fury, lashing out with his chains. The iron spheres slammed into the ground, tearing the earth apart. But Allison had already slid out of reach, another Iceball flying into his exposed flank. Now the battlefield was hers. Every breath she took deepened the storm. Every strike spread the winter further, the cold seeping into the Orc Lord's body, corroding him from within.

The creature spun wildly, swinging its chains in a desperate arc. The metallic whine split through the mist, but the visibility now belonged entirely to her storm. The Orc Lord roared, whirling his chains with reckless fury. Each iron sphere slammed into the ground with earth-shattering force, throwing up waves of snow and ice. Allison slipped between them, loosing iceballs, striking whenever an opening appeared. But even weakened, the monster was still massive, still a king among orcs.

Then, in one sudden swing, he twisted his body and lashed out. The chain cut through the air like thunder. Allison tried to leap clear, but the mist distorted her timing. The impact smashed into her.

Metal rang across the battlefield. Her body was hurled back, ripped through the white curtain of her own storm. Ice cracked beneath her as she skidded and rolled across the snow, a groan of pain tearing from her throat. The Orc Lord charged, slower now but burning hot, his skin steaming like living coals fighting against winter.

"I'll tear off your head!" he bellowed.

Allison staggered to rise, only for a sharp sound to rip through the air. A thunderous impact. The orc staggered back, his roar of pain shaking the ground. He looked down in disbelief. A ballista bolt, thick as a spear, jutted from his abdomen. With a snarl, he wrenched it free, blood spilling over his torso. His eyes darted, hunting for the source.

Allison wiped blood from her lips and smiled.

"You thought I was running scared this whole time?" Her voice rang out steady, defiant. "I told you already… this is my territory now!"

Another crack. Another massive bolt slammed into his chest, tearing through his thick flesh. The Orc Lord howled, his breath rasping heavier.

"The ballistas!" he roared, eyes widening.

Across the orc village, three wooden towers still stood. From each, strained but relentless, Mason, Eugene, and Miriam forced the massive weapons into action, their arms trembling with exhaustion but refusing to stop.

"We forged the bolts from your own damned forest and the armor of your soldiers!" Allison shouted as she sprinted back into the fray. "You cornered us, but the whole time we were planning your death!"

The Orc Lord let out a roar of rage and despair. The cold of the storm dragged his strength down. The bolts ripped through his body. And Allison came for him, sliding across the ice like a dragon given flesh, rushing in to finish it.

The beast bellowed, bleeding from a dozen wounds, but still surged forward like a living fortress. Allison fired iceballs in rapid succession, each one detonating in bursts of frost that cracked against his hide. She slid, cut, struck, but the monster endured. Then, with a sudden lunge, his massive arm wrapped around her. The chains clattered to the ground as he crushed her against his chest.

"Now you can't escape!" he roared, squeezing with bone-snapping force.

A scream tore from her lips. Pain surged through her body, each breath a desperate fight against suffocation. Blood spilled from her mouth as her ribs threatened to give way. But alongside the pain came something fiercer. The fury of a dragon.

From deep in her chest, the draconic Exhalation erupted with doubled intensity. White mist burst from her mouth and nose in violent streams, freezing the very air. The katana of ice blazed like a star in the storm. She poured every shred of power into one final strike, her Freezing Slash unleashed in a single, piercing thrust.

The blade drove through his chest plate as though it were glass, plunging straight into his heart. Frost exploded outward, racing through his veins, branching like frozen roots. The colossus roared, his voice thunderous, trying to rip her apart, but the ice had already claimed his arms. He howled as more ballista bolts tore into his back.

Allison roared too, not in fear, but in fury, in agony, in defiance. The freezing breath poured from her like a river without end, every exhale making the battlefield even more lethal. The Orc Lord, in one final act of defiance, lifted her high, trying to tear her apart. Allison felt her bones creak under the crushing force, but she never let go of the katana. With a final, primal scream, she drove the blade deeper.

The Orc Lord's heart froze. Silence fell. Only the wind remained, carrying drifting snow across the battlefield. The giant released her.

Allison collapsed to her knees in the blood-soaked snow, coughing scarlet mist into the frozen air. Her body shook, every muscle screaming in pain, but still she forced herself upright. The katana of ice remained in her grip, raised in defiance.

The Orc Lord's gaze locked on her, and a torn smile spread across his lips. "At last…" His voice was raw, little more than a rasp. "Now you are a true dragon."

Then his body toppled, crashing into the snow with an earth-shaking thud that sent shards of ice scattering like glass. As life drained from him, Allison's skill triggered. The Orc Lord's corpse began to crystallize, ice crawling over his flesh until his hulking form rose into a grotesque sculpture of frost and death.

Allison stood firm, though her body trembled and her breaths came ragged. Blood ran from the corner of her mouth, dripping onto the snow in crimson drops. She did not look away from the monster she had slain. The frozen body of the Orc Lord shuddered one last time. Cracks spread across his skin, the sculpted death sealing him in place. Yet somehow, with the last of his strength, his lips moved.

"You…" His voice was weak, torn with pain and venom. "You have no idea… what waits inside that castle."

Allison narrowed her eyes, her katana still poised.

"There is no defeating… what lies within…" He spat blood that froze the moment it touched the air. "It is too old… from a place… that no longer exists."

His final breath rattled out, eyes glazing over. "Only the witch… is the weakness… of the King…"

The words broke into silence. His stare dulled, and the last vestige of life left him as the frost claimed his body entirely. Now he was nothing but an icebound monument to his own death, forever locked in that final expression. Allison's chest heaved, her strength nearly spent, yet she did not falter. She remained standing before her defeated foe.

Then the system notification appeared before her eyes:

[You have slain Gravthar, Son of Onix (Orc Lord) – Lvl 70]

[An item has been added to your inventory]

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