Just like the Ice Feather Sect's domain, the territory of the Nine Ice Family possessed its own unique climate. The air here was frigid, and snow fell often, blanketing the land in a mantle of pure white. Chunks of ice jutted from the ground, dotting the landscape with jagged brilliance.
And yet, the pristine, pure white snow that had covered this part of the Nine Ice Family's territory only moments before—
—was now defiled.
After the detonation of some unknown object high overhead, thick, dark blood began to rain down. Along with it fell parts of severed heads—scraps of eyes, brains, teeth, and shattered skulls.
In an instant, the once immaculate courtyard was soaked in gore and strewn with broken remains. The sight was so grotesque that any ordinary person would have retched where they stood.
Then, a voice bellowed across the desolation—sharp, furious, defiant.
At once, the Nine Ice Family's elders and experts rushed to the source of the commotion.
They did not falter at the stench or the carnage around them. As experienced Adventurers, they had witnessed countless massacres and tragedies before. No, what weighed on their minds was not the horror itself—
—but the insult.
The brazen, calculated mockery of their entire clan.
One by one, the Elders' faces twisted with undisguised fury as they advanced. Even Artos himself radiated a rage so fierce it seemed to scorch the air.
They raced toward the main gates, the origin of the terrible cry.
And when they arrived, they stopped abruptly.
The gate was in ruins, blown apart, wreathed in dense black smoke. Two guards lay bleeding in the snow, their life forces dwindling with every ragged breath.
Artos's eyes burned scarlet. His voice cracked like thunder.
"Who dares to trespass here and humiliate my clan? Show yourself—and receive the punishment you deserve for your crimes!"
His whole body shook with fury. First the raining heads. Then the destruction of their gates, the maiming of their guards—and above all, the open challenge hurled at the Nine Ice Family.
If word of this humiliation spread, every noble clan and even the aristocrat clans would mock them without end.
The Nine Ice Family, one of the six great Noble Clans, reduced to a laughingstock in the Sacred Dragon Kingdom—
—because one man dared trample their pride.
For a moment, silence held.
Then, from within the choking smoke, a cold, echoing laughter erupted.
The figure of a young man slowly emerged, his steps unhurried.
"Hmph. Punishment for my crimes? If anyone deserves to suffer and be judged here," he spat, his voice low and scornful, "it's you—and the filthy wretches of your clan!"
He stepped fully into view, golden eyes like frozen embers locked on Artos.
"Artos Frois. Did you not appreciate my return of your people's heads? How disappointing."
Even though they already suspected who would dare such an outrage, the Elders couldn't help their shock when they saw him up close.
A young man with tousled silver hair. Golden eyes devoid of all emotion.
And though he emanated no visible aura at all, dread coiled in every heart that looked upon him.
"You truly came here alone, Finn Doria," Artos rasped, voice brittle.
Indeed—this was the youth who had hurled an interspatial ring brimming with severed heads and obliterated their gates.
Finn.
Artos slowly turned his gaze over the snow-drenched ground, at the scattered bits of bone and flesh. His expression darkened into something murderous.
"You're a reckless fool to do this to the Nine Ice Family. If I'm not mistaken… you came here all by yourself." His voice dropped to a menacing whisper. "Do you really think you'll leave this place alive after what you've done?"
A simmering violence infused every syllable.
Finn's mere presence was a slap across the face of their house—proof that he did not acknowledge their power or their rank.
"To make you pay for every sin you've committed," Finn roared back, his voice raw with fury. "I don't need anyone's help to face a vile old monster like you!"
That hatred had deep roots. For over eleven years, Finn had watched the Azure Wood Family suffer under the greed of the Black Tiger Family, the Nine Ice Family, and the Ice Feather Sect.
Countless innocents had died.
He had lost his uncle, Altair Doria—slain by the Black Tiger Family on orders from the very people standing before him.
And now more of his kin had perished in the war. More blood spilled because of this clan's endless hunger.
"Didn't your parents teach you any respect for your elders?!" Artos bellowed, shaking with rage.
Finn's eyes were knives. He stepped forward.
"Never question how my parents raised me." His tone turned cold as iron. "Respect is something earned—and you, Artos Frois, are filth beneath even the most savage beasts."
"Shut your mouth!" Artos's face went crimson. No one—no one—had ever spoken to him this way.
The veins in his temple bulged as he pointed a trembling finger at Finn.
"You're nothing but the child of a pathetic clan! You murdered dozens of my people—so I swear you will die here, in this place, to pay for it!"
He swept his arm toward the elders.
"Seize this wretched boy! We'll offer him as tribute to our dead!"
For a moment, the elders hesitated, glancing uneasily at each other.
According to the reports, this young man was a 9th Level Profound Rank—while they ranged only between the 1st and 5th Levels.
Did their Family Head truly expect them to rush to their deaths as Gastavo had?
Yet hesitation or not, they had no choice.
This was the command of their Family Head—and they had vowed to protect their clan with their lives.
Together, they charged, weapons raised.
But before they could even close the distance, their bodies froze.
A crushing force pressed on them—shoulders buckling, breath caught in their throats.
BANG!
In the next instant, all nine elders were flung away like rag dolls, slamming into the ground with bone-shaking impact.
Finn laughed—deep, mocking laughter. His gaze locked on Artos, who was still staring in disbelief.
"Justice?" Finn's voice was a sneer. "How amusing you know that word. In my eyes, the only ones worthy of justice are my father—and my clansmen you all slaughtered."
"You think these decrepit old men and women will take me down?" He took a step forward, smile sharpening. "Even if you came at me with everything, you still wouldn't be enough!"
He lunged.
Artos barely regained his composure in time, meeting Finn's fist with his own.
BANG!
Their collision split the air—wind howling, snow exploding into the sky.
The ground fractured beneath them, deep cracks radiating outward.
Both men sprang back. Shock flickered across Artos's face—and all those watching.
That clash had been the meeting of two 9th Level Profound Ranks—yet it had felt like so much more.
Finn's grin widened. He hadn't even used half of his true strength.
Artos stared down at his trembling hand, then back up at the boy.
"You're strong—for a child with no experience," he growled hoarsely. "But… that alone isn't enough to defeat me!"
He roared, unleashing his aura in full. His energy surged through his limbs as he charged again.
Finn smiled coldly, bracing himself. He had no intention of wasting a single skill here. His body alone was more than enough.
BANG!
BANG!!
BANG!!!
They traded blows at a pace so furious the ground convulsed. Nearby buildings cracked and began to collapse, flames igniting despite the frigid air.
The Nine Ice Family could only watch in horror, praying their patriarch would prevail. Because if Artos fell—
They would all follow, their heads joining the ones already strewn across the snow.
BANG!!!!
A triumphant roar rose among the onlookers as Finn's body was finally hurled back, crashing into a building that exploded in dust.
But Artos didn't share their relief.
Even now—he felt it. Finn was still holding back.
A chunk of debris shot toward his face. He caught it, crushing it in one hand as Finn stepped out of the wreckage, unscathed.
"You're old, but your bones can still take a beating," Finn said with a cold smile, stretching his arms. "I suppose that's only fitting for the leader of a Noble Clan."
Artos's expression darkened. He'd poured everything into that last strike. And it had done… nothing.
"F-Family Head…" a trembling elder called.
They all knew it now. Even if every exchange seemed equal, it wasn't.
Finn hadn't once used his soulforce or techniques.
"Silence!" Artos snapped. "If you want to help me, then keep your mouths shut!"
His gaze locked on Finn again, an unreadable turmoil in his eyes.
If this boy was only 9th Level Profound Rank… why was he still so overwhelmingly strong?
"Finn Doria!" Artos roared, voice cracking. "Are you determined to start a war against the Nine Ice Family? You have no idea who you're provoking!"
Finn paused, then smiled faintly.
"Do you think I underestimate you, Artos Frois?" His tone turned quiet, almost gentle. "From the moment I came here and started this… I knew exactly who I was fighting. Is it the Ice Feather Sect you're so proud of? Or that greedy Crown Prince you cower behind?"
Shock rippled across Artos's face.
"If you know all that," he shouted, voice raw, "why would you still dare to seek revenge? No matter what you do—you're still just a 9th Level Profound Rank!"
"You really want to know?" Finn asked softly.
His smile vanished, replaced by an expression of absolute scorn.
He burst forward, roaring with all the force of his heart.
"Because I don't care!"
Artos reacted instantly, summoning his Mid-tier Excellent Armament—a gleaming spear—and leveling it at Finn's oncoming fist.
"You think too highly of yourself!" Artos bellowed.
CLANG!
Energy exploded in all directions as flesh met steel, wind spiraling into a screaming vortex. Lightning crackled where their weapons—spear and fist—collided.
And still, neither yielded.
They struck again, and again—
BANG!
BANG!!
BANG!!!
On and on, the duel raged, each blow shaking the earth itself.
'How…?' Artos thought, his chest heaving.
This boy was only using his body—while Artos wielded a Mid-tier Excellent Armament. Yet Finn met every strike head-on.
In only an hour, they had already devastated half the courtyard. Snow was scorched away by blazing fires, entire buildings shattered, deep fissures tearing across the ground.
Then—
Finn smiled.
And finally, for the first time, he let eighty percent of his physical strength flow into a single blow.
BANG!
A thunderclap split the world.
A yawning chasm opened beneath their feet.
BANG!
Artos flew backward, smashing into the ground with a deafening crash. Dust billowed, then cleared in the icy wind.
Though his armor had spared him from mortal harm, sweat poured down his ashen face as Finn approached.
"Finn Doria! Do you even know what you're doing? I am the Family Head of the Nine Ice Family!" Artos cried, voice shaking with dread.
He knew now—he could not win.
Not against this monster.
Finn halted, smiling faintly.
"Yes. You are the Family Head of the Nine Ice Family…"
His eyes blazed.
"…But I am Finn Doria."
He started to advance again—
—only to stop.
A presence surged over the battlefield, vast and crushing.
The aura of another 9th Level Profound Rank—
—but thicker. Stronger.
Someone far beyond Artos.
A voice boomed across the courtyard.
"Who dares bring chaos to my Nine Ice Family?!"