The knight statue towered over Sieg, its stone frame six times his height, and with a swing of its colossal sword, he barely twisted out of the path of annihilation.

  "I AM NOT PARRYING THAT!" Tremors were sent throughout the impacted ground, scattering snow flakes and other small debris down the cliff side.

  But Sieg couldn't waste anymore time idling, for several knight statues began to awaken and move, and each of their steps shook the ground they walked on.

  The slum boy scrambled upward, gasping for air as panic nagged at him.

  Then he halted, staring at the slipping statues with an embarrassed grimace. Size wasn't everything, on the icy slope, the massive constructs struggled to find adequate footing.

  A sudden thud rang out. One statue toppled crashing into another. A domino effect followed: like falling trees, they tumbled down the mountainside, plunging into the deep abyss.

  "Dumbasses—" Sieg muttered. But one detail bothered him. I'm not seeing any attributes for these statues? He thought about it, but he couldn't make sense of it. Every enemy he'd fought so far had attributes, and he found this quite odd.

  But before he could catch his breath, another set of stone swords swung toward him.

  Pure reflex saved him! Then he slammed his scabbard against a blow, as a result he felt the heavy force vibrate up his arm.

  "WHO IS IT THIS TIME?!" He couldn't believe his eyes, too many fantastical horrors were converging on him at once.

  "STONE KNIGHTS?" He squinted. But roughly his size. Short king size, he thought bitterly.

  To his misfortune, more were emerging from the snow-covered mountainside, previously hidden beneath the thick white blanket.

  "An ambush!" Without hesitation, Sieg kicked one backward and drew Cryostalgia from its scabbard in a fluid motion.

  On the treacherous slope, his movements were limited and he every footing must be measured.

  Sieg slashed through the first stone knight, he was surprised by how sharp Cryostalgia felt even as it cut through stone.

  Not wanting to lose momentum, he rushed forward. Stone enemies weren't built for snow. And on this slippery terrain, they moved like wobbling stationary practice targets.

  It helped that they didn't look all that intimidating. Being inanimate made the kills feel less… guilty.

  Sieg carved through them in a zigzag, four precise slashes sending the stone knights sprawling across the snow.

  For the first time that chaotic day, he allowed himself a small proud smile.

  Not bad, he thought.

  He was slowly falling in love with Cryostalgia. However, more stone knights came with the intent to flank him, and some where already advancing from ahead.

  Sieg knew he had no choice: he had to force his way through. Their numbers formed an unyielding wall of stone.

  "This is bullshit!" Without a choice, the slum boy charged forward, weaving through the swarm of stone knights. Each swing of Cryostalgia sent shards of ice and splintered stone flying.

  As snow flew in all directions, the echo of steel and breaking stone rang across the mountainside.

  He slipped beneath a sweeping blade, pivoted past another, and sent a third skidding away with a kick, desperately carving a path through the relentless press of enemies.

  The incline turned each step into a gamble with death, yet Sieg's speed and reflexes outmatched the clumsy stone knights, as living muscle responded far faster than rock.

  At last, the throng of knights began to thin, and his eyes fell upon the source of the path's escalation: a massive iron gate with dark metal work appeared ahead, decorated with intricate scriptures of creatures such as dragons, snakes, and other mystical beings.

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  Sieg's eyes caught movement ahead.

  ? [Enemy: Cryo Witch, Threat Level: Tier 0 — Mundane.]

  It hovered in the air, clad in a blue fur robe. Its face was hidden beneath a cowl.

  Sieg had no idea what it could do, only that it radiated a chilling, oppressive aura. He tightened his grip on Cryostalgia, aware he couldn't spam Permafrost Slash without tearing at his sanity, and readied himself to charge the Cryo Witch, his adrenaline burning too hot for fear to take hold.

  Suddenly, the snow beneath him froze. And Instinctively, he leapt back, narrowly avoiding a trap that sent ice spikes above the ground.

  "That Cryo Witch doesn't seem that strong." he muttered, at least compared to Mister Knight.

  Then the witch summoned skeletons from the ground, they appeared to be long forgotten warriors or candidates that failed to climb the mountain.

  To Sieg it was a reminder that, no matter what happens, he must survive.

  Sieg swung Cryostalgia in a wide arc, Permafrost Slash #1, shattering the first wave of skeletons.

  So far I don't feel any strain…

  Then the witch hurled frost bolts in his direction, as much as he wanted to parry them all mid-flight, being consistent was far more important right now than being flashy.

  "SCREW IT!" He parried all four bolts anyway, Cryostalgia slicing through them like butter.

  The witch reacted by summoning more skeletons, which immediately came rushing toward the slum boy to prevent him from reaching their summoner.

  "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Sieg unleashed Permafrost Slash #2, cutting through another wave. His arm tingled, and a slight ache throbbed in his temple.

  "One more… I can do one more." His eyes locked on the witch, who seemed to be suffering a migraine of its own.

  It's reaching its own limit?! Then he remembered, the enemy was a mere tier 0.

  The witch panicked and summoned one last batch of skeletons. They came in threes, which wasn't enough to overwhelm Sieg. He cut through the remaining summons with measured movements, their speed couldn't compare to Mister Knight's relentless pace.

  To Sieg, it was rather easy.

  Upon seeing this, the witch tried to retreat, but it was clear its headache was worsening, clutching its head in pain. Not even someone like the witch could withstand the strain on their sanity.

  "DIE!" Sieg clenched his teeth and rushed the witch, swinging Cryostalgia in a horizontal arc — Permafrost Slash #3.

  Pain shot through his temples and mind as the permafrost surged forward, cutting through the air like frozen lightning and striking the witch directly.

  The ice shattered with a deafening crack, and the witch perished along with it. Sieg staggered back, his vision swirling intensely, and a pounding ache radiating through his skull. His grip on Cryostalgia trembled as the sanity strain assaulted at his posture.

  But the witch was dead.

  Sieg tried to calm down for a moment, the pain in his head remained. He couldn't form a proper thought, couldn't even utter a word. It was a variant of pain that you just had to submit to and endure, taking the consequences as they came.

  Despite his struggle, he looked ahead at the massive iron gate. Slowly, he stumbled toward it, hoping there would be a moment's rest once he was inside.

  "Come on! Why won't you open?! Did I miss something?!" He fumbled with the heavy metal door, hid mind nearly shattered.

  Despite the fog clouding his thoughts, he tried every angle to pry it open with Cryostalgia, but the door wouldn't budge. He even considered unleashing another Permafrost Slash, but that would surely compromise what little sanity he had left.

  Then Sieg heard marching behind him, the stone knights were pouring in, and their relentless steps shaking the snow beneath his feet.

  He tried desperately to open the iron gate, pushing harder and harder until his muscles ached, nothing worked.

  His panic was intensifying.

  "Damn it!"

  Some stone knights were already closing in, Sieg had no choice but to fight outside the iron gate.

  Pain piled through him as a stone fist connected to his shoulder. He grunted, only to take another blow to the ribs.

  Visible blood seeped from the blunt force, mixing with snow and sweat.

  He bit back a scream, gritting his teeth as he swung Cryostalgia desperately, trying to fend off the unending wave.

  It was a fight to stay alive…

  The massive iron gate still stood, a barrier between him and the unknown inside, with no clear answer on how to enter it, to save him from the impossible swarm.

  Sieg's arms were on fire, with his breaths came ragged, blood staining the snow, yet he pressed on, the endless tide of stone knights will bury him alive if he faltered even for a second.

  Sieg's back pressed against the massive iron door, one knee digging into the snow, with his Cryostalgia clutched tightly for support.

  Ahead, a colossal stone knight loomed over him, its shadow swallowing the narrow corridor.

  "This is it… it's over," he thought, bracing himself.

  "I should finally call him…"

  Then—

  The iron doors groaned and swung open with a deafening screech. A blinding light erupted from within. Before Sieg could react, a massive fireball shot out, streaking across the snow-covered battlefield like a comet of molten fury.

  The inferno struck the advancing knights with no mercy. Stone cracked and shattered under the intense heat, snow hissing and melting where it met the searing flames.

  Those directly in its path were obliterated in a wave of red and smoke.

  The massive knight frozen mid-step, as if caught in the blast, toppled back, crushed beneath the fury of the inferno.

  Sieg sank to his other knee, with his battered chest heaving, he silently watched the scorched battlefield.

  This was the second [Spell-Art] he had ever witnessed. Then the doorway opened behind him — whatever awaited inside had just saved him in the most violent, spectacular way imaginable.

  Chapter End.