Antarctica, Relic Treasury.
The white-haired, white-clothed girl with even white eyebrows picked up the intercom and said in a ghostly voice, "Relay my orders: clean up the battlefield and repair the jump technique at maximum speed."
Snow Maiden turned and strode toward the black building on the ice sheet, behind her a 50,000-ton displacement icebreaker frozen into a super ice block, with even the life force within preserved and stilled at this moment—equivalent to death unless the relic owner released the seal.
She felt a trace of unease. Could the entire Mercenary Alliance be satisfied with just sending cannon fodder to scout the way?
The fact they could be easily eliminated proved they were essentially scouts—where was the main force? Missiles or Holy Relics? Even nuclear strikes?
It had been many years since she'd felt this sense of urgency. How delightful.
Just as Snow Maiden was contemplating, two adjutants—a man and woman, Trident and Witch—walked out from the treasury's main gate. While she had been intercepting the shortsighted reconnaissance ship from the Mercenary Alliance, these two had been responsible for guarding the interior to prevent it from being a diversionary tactic. Besides them, four more Holy Relics were stationed at various corners of the treasury, ready for complete liberation at any moment, and could even go further through special means.
"How is it?"
"Report, Commander, the technique shows no signs of interference, so the enemy probably doesn't intend to cut off the treasury's escape route." The Witch, responsible for this area, made a professional assessment.
Trident cupped his chin. "My Coastal Defense Forces also show no abnormalities. We've even detected down to 1000 meters underwater in the deep sea, basically ruling out nuclear submarine involvement. Strange—with Bull's personality, he would never do useless work."
"So I suspect what comes next is the real point. Everyone prepare, especially when we receive news from headquarters about fully activating Scarecrow."
Before the words finished, a messenger ran over hurriedly—speak of the devil.
The three top figures of the Relic Treasury exchanged glances, revealing traces of unease. To launch cursed relics on such a large scale at this timing suggested the situation wasn't developing well.
Should they really activate Pandora's Box?
"Wait. Why is the alliance military emblem on your chest all black?" Snow Maiden pointed at the messenger's chest. The latter shook his head with a puzzled expression but immediately straightened and saluted.
"Report, Commander, I don't know either. It should be from falling down just now."
"Mm. Don't worry too much about it. I'm just fairly familiar with all the characteristics of everyone I regularly interact with. Our work is important—we must stay alert."
The group passed through the treasury's main gate, and at the same time a beam of light enveloped them. Only when no alarms sounded were they allowed through safely.
The light came from a reconnaissance relic in an unbound state that could still mobilize partial abilities, capable of detecting any malicious magical aura from Disaster Beasts or Holy Relics. Additionally, everyone underwent five strict inspections including disinfection, not even base Commander Snow Maiden was exempt.
Everything was normal.
The situation so far allowed her to lower her guard slightly.
The witch asked, "Commander, should we go to Scarecrow's area to prepare the activation ceremony?"
"No, that thing has been operating for quite a while already, and the risk of losing control keeps increasing. Any slight mishap and it'll go berserk. Just in case, let's first go to Holy Medicine's area to get a dose for everyone with Holy Relics. I don't want casualties because of those crazy superiors' nonsense..."
Suddenly Snow Maiden stared intently at the messenger, who had an expression of perking up his ears to eavesdrop. When his clumsy behavior was exposed, his first reaction was confusion rather than panic.
Too wrong. This time even the two adjutants became alert.
Both sides stared at each other under the treasury's massive internal dome, brows furrowed, silent as death. The surrounding guards who sensed the rapidly changing atmosphere had already raised their guns and aimed, their firing trajectories covering this entire area. Once they received orders from the Commanders, they would immediately shoot—after all, the treasury was full of strange occurrences, and cold rationality was the only survival rule.
Trident smiled and patted the messenger's shoulder. "Don't worry, just go through one more procedure with the reconnaissance team and cooperate well. You can take leave afterward."
"Yes, sir."
The messenger was escorted away by a squad, showing no other abnormalities from beginning to end.
Snow Maiden murmured, "Could I have misjudged? Are my nerves too tense?"
"Don't doubt yourself, Commander. You're our backbone. Thanks to your constant dedication, the treasury has remained safe. Think of it another way—no bad news is the best news."
The witch quickly offered comfort, making Snow Maiden's eyes brighten as she nodded. Indeed, though their Commander was powerful, she needed more coaxing.
They continued walking and talking toward the treasury's center, no one noticing that the messenger's chest emblem had returned to its bright, shining state. Even he was puzzled when he noticed, feeling like he'd suddenly gotten ink on it that was then washed off.
Holy Medicine storage area.
Before the three was a square room covered by massive special glass, inside which sat a ceramic jar. Even through the Magic Crystal material shielding, they could feel the rich Knowledge Poison.
The witch couldn't help shivering. "Every time I retrieve it, I worry whether I'll trigger a loss of control. If only it weren't so troublesome."
"Currently, the only known person who can use multiple different relics without any cost is Hyacinth, and we don't know whether to credit her natural talent or magical characteristics. Don't count on such things." Trident shrugged in consolation. "Be careful and follow procedure—there won't be any Knowledge Poison leakage."
"Stop hiding. I know you've been watching."
Snow Maiden's sudden statement while staring at the glass put the other two on high alert as they looked around.
They were startled to discover a portrait of a girl with twin braids had condensed on the white wall behind her. The figure actually protruded from the surface in three-dimensional form, then laughed heartily. "Worthy of an ancient Holy Relic... no wait, you tricked me!"
Seeing Snow Maiden turn around in confusion, the girl in the painting suddenly realized the other party thought the infiltrator was in the glass direction. How embarrassing—she silently retreated back to flat form.
Both sides shared an awkward moment.
Trident's right hand shot out a water drop that instantly became a droplet exceeding the speed of sound, boring a clean hole through the special reinforced concrete wall.
Erina moved even faster, transforming into "pointillist style" and breaking apart cleverly to dodge the attack.
The next moment she became "cubist style," running along the flat wall, her target path clearly the Holy Medicine storage point.
Trident's pursuit continued, hundreds and thousands of thin water jets shooting out, even bending and colliding mid-air, but all were nimbly dodged. Instead, the building itself became riddled with holes, the powerful sniper shots making the cover groan under their force.
The witch covered her face and shouted, "Do you know how hard maintenance techniques are?"
"I'm already holding back!"
At this moment, the girl in the painting, Erina, had reached the glass wall but was impeded by Witch's materialized magical power.
"Better to endure short pain than long pain—let's all prepare." Before finishing, Snow Maiden's entire body surged with magical power. "I'll do my utmost to capture her."
The girl in the painting looked at the ceramic jar on the other side of the glass wall and gritted her silver teeth. The hope of Erina's awakening was right before her eyes yet unreachable, with that Witch's materialized magical power affecting the entire wall, making it difficult to break through.
No good—maintaining flat infiltration form only allowed dodging, severely weakening her. She had to bring out her full stance.
For you, I'll give it everything.
Erina stepped "out" from the wall with a cold expression, directly facing the snow-white girl whose aura was boiling and the other two powerful Holy Relics, plus the large number of troops arriving upon hearing the commotion.
By now she understood they had superior numbers. Though according to the mercenaries, the treasury would show vulnerabilities later, she wouldn't let any possibility slip by.
"Little girl, your target is the Holy Medicine, right? If you defeat me, you might have a chance."
"Couldn't be better—my setting isn't the type to avoid battle."
The two speaking strangely made the Witch sigh. Neither of you should look down on the other—you're both outwardly cold but actually lively at heart. But from another angle, once the fighting started, there would be absolutely no reservations...
Thud!
No one present noticed Snow Maiden's speed. The next moment she had grabbed Erina's slender neck and slammed her hard into the floor.
Instantly the entire facility shook and trembled, the enormous structure spanning 20 square kilometers. The floor they were on immediately collapsed and toppled, the reinforced concrete supposedly capable of easily blocking conventional firepower completely crumbling. This strike contained not just magical power but also brief freezing that made everything as brittle as glass, shattering at a touch—yet it still couldn't hide the ancient Holy Relic's fearsome basic attributes.
Everyone looked toward the sound to see the enemy's knitted sweater and brown plaid skirt in tatters, her white beret fallen, her head area completely empty.
"The Commander didn't control her strength again." Someone sighed regretfully.
Suddenly ripples spread from Erina's abdomen as dozens of hooks, forks, axes and halberds emerged, each carrying enormous magical power. Even Snow Maiden didn't dare meet them head-on and quickly retreated several steps.
"You're not dead?"
The headless girl in the painting couldn't answer. She took a steel pen from her collar—it actually grew a pair of small wings and became cartoon-style, constantly showing concern: "Be careful, the enemy is strong. You must protect yourself."
At the same time, an ink bottle with wings flew up, circling Erina's body as if very sad.
"Don't worry, we'll save you immediately."
Ink poured down, irrigating the girl in the painting's neck, then the pen sketched and drew at lightning speed. In the blink of an eye she stood up again, clearly completely restored.
This incredible scene left the garrison troops dumbfounded. Even the experienced Holy Relics were full of confusion. Strange—was this summoning magic? Didn't seem like it. Elemental magic? Even less likely. What kind of creature could recover after being beheaded, and that wound cross-section showed no flesh and blood.
"Thank you all. This battle will be difficult—please accompany me to your final moment."
Erina caressed the pen and ink bottle, making them settle on her shoulders. The next moment, sketched lines covered her entire body, transforming into black and white Regalia. Looking closely, it was slightly uncoordinated but indeed like a Magical Girl.
At this moment her aura was vigorous, not inferior to any Holy Relic. Many soldiers immediately fainted unconscious, and cracks rapidly spread with the girl as center.
"Not bad."
Snow Maiden coldly praised, her kimono beginning to curl and form light armor covering her body's vital points. Honestly, this was her first time fighting a Magical Girl—better sail carefully for ten thousand years.
Seeing both sides' auras intersecting, Witch reminded while sweating profusely, "Please control your strength, definitely be gentle..."
Before she finished, both figures collided and tore out thunderous force.
The Relic Treasury's strongest still displayed such overwhelming power, too fast to capture. Ice spikes, ice swords and frost filled their vision, unavoidable in the narrow space as they struck the invader directly. She showed no mercy, trying to minimize impact range for a quick victory, using fighting techniques primarily and relic output secondarily, their coordination divine as they firmly suppressed the Magical Girl.
Crack! Another sword severed her tendons, but this minor damage didn't affect Erina's movements at all. She still dodged the oncoming frost breath like nothing happened.
She felt nothing—no pain, no fatigue, no need for healing. Only large-scale limb damage was worth repairing. Thanks to this, even while at a disadvantage, she could stubbornly hold on.
"If this drags on, it won't work. There are others surrounding us, and there's the Holy Medicine."
"You're getting slower."
A moment's distraction let Snow Maiden close in and push out a palm, but the expected freezing didn't happen. Somehow the opponent was now covered in fire—black fire. Her body was no longer covered in white frost but peeling layer by layer, the boiling heat making the floor red-hot while bullets fired from afar melted away.
Not only that, the black flames rapidly spread and climbed every wall, heading straight for where the relics were stored.
Splash splash—fire extinguishing sounds came as Trident easily eliminated the black flames and snapped her fingers. The hall filled with water vapor to prevent burning, her scheme failing.
That wasn't all—the water vapor was poised and ready to launch a deadly strike at any moment, while the Witch nearby summoned countless runic chains that danced through the air.
"Though you're a painting, you possess corresponding properties. Magic truly is miraculous."
Facing Snow Maiden's murmuring, Erina couldn't help getting angry. "Acting like you're experiencing new abilities with fresh curiosity—you're completely at ease?"
She said coldly, "During our earlier exchange, I discovered your Regalia has very poor defensive power, lacks physical enhancement, and you can't even fly. There's basically no difference at all, right? It's completely different from the Magical Girl intelligence I received. You're not one of them at all—just a child crudely imitating what she sees. What you long to become simply cannot be realized through brushstrokes."
"So what?"
"I was always worried you'd conjure a dragon or paint meteors falling... so I was quite wary. But I was wrong—you actually have no imagination. You have no heart."
Hearing this, Erina was struck as if by lightning, fine sweat covering her forehead, her teeth chattering speechlessly.
During this time, besides gathering information about curing malignant infections, she had also tried learning to paint and submit works like Erina did, but she would freeze up when picking up the brush, unable to draw anything except copying.
Everything reminded her of one thing: I am not human.
Erina's eyes reddened as she gritted her teeth, her aura continuously falling, even the colorful layers maintaining her existence dimming.
Snow Maiden cupped her hands at her left chest, that patch of skin becoming transparent to reflect a non-beating heart covered in frost, rising with deadly magical power. Seeing this, the garrison troops were greatly alarmed—everyone understood she was getting serious, and the entire treasury or even hundreds of kilometers around could be affected.
"Monster, stay behind. You shall become a new treasure in my collection."