Somewhere else.

The wind and snow howled like a wild beast, lashing straight into the fortress walls of a Rank A Lord’s territory. Here, the sky was always lead-gray, heavy sheets of cloud hanging low as if they wanted to crush the earth. Snow covered everything, branches, steps, even the towering stone walls were buried beneath it.

Yet the castle was still lit.

Not by fire, but by a pale blue radiance, like a night forest imprisoned in stone. From the tall window slits, glowing vines slid out, clinging to the frigid walls, half-buried under snow as if on the verge of freezing solid.

Lylia stood atop the watchtower, her white cloak pulled taut by the gale, her pale blond hair whipping wildly. Her eyes were sharp as blades, locked onto the distant curtain of snow.

Within it, dark shadows circled.

They were not birds. They were Harpies, a unit with the bodies of women but wings as huge as scythes.

Their legs were like those of enormous birds, their talons so long and terrifyingly sharp they looked like swords.

And at the center of the Harpy flock, there was a person.

A white-haired woman, her skin so pale she almost blended into the snow. She wore tight black attire, cold metal ornaments draping down her neck and chest like chains. Her face was beautiful yet emotionless, her eyes half-lidded, indifferent to everything.

Neline.

She stood inside a wooden basket carried through the air by four Harpies. The storm spun around her, but it could not touch her, as if an invisible wall shielded her body.

Rank A Harpies wheeled behind her in neat formation, like an army forged by ruthless discipline, each wearing a set of light armor.

In a world where even food was scarce, Harpies having armor to wear could already be considered exceptionally well-equipped.

Lylia saw Neline, clenched her teeth, her voice cold yet resolute. "Neline, you and I are old friends. Do you really want to stand against me?"

Neline looked down, her voice flat, as if reciting something meaningless. "Yes. In this world, do friends mean anything?"

"Why?" Lylia bit out each word. "We used to be best friends. You..."

"Because I need to survive." Neline said indifferently. Her voice was partially swallowed by the wind and snow, but it was still clear enough for Lylia to hear.

Lylia jolted at that, then pressed her lips together, truly feeling miserable inside.

She and Neline had been close, the kind of close friends who grew up together. After all, Lylia had never had many friends as a child, so to her, Neline had been the closest and most trustworthy one.

But now, the person she had trusted most wanted to destroy her. It was something she could hardly accept.

Neline blinked and replied slowly, "I need to prove to my family that... I am not useless."

"You’ve gone mad!" Lylia shouted. "Who would ever think a Rank A Lord is useless?"

Neline smiled bitterly and shook her head. "It’s still not enough. My brother, my half-brother, is Rank S. I can’t lose. Otherwise, everyone will only see my mother as a whore, a parasite clinging to the family."

Lylia laughed, her smile cold and edged with discomfort. "Neline, so that’s why you’re attacking me?"

Neline tilted her head, her expression still indifferent. "Yes. Everyone has already been eliminated by me. Only you and a few others remain. It doesn’t matter anymore. If you don’t want to die, then become my captive. You can rest assured, I won’t hurt you."

"Hahahaha..." Lylia laughed, her laughter filled with disappointment. "Neline, I never thought you would change this much."

"Everyone changes, Lylia." Neline said, her voice incredibly gentle, as if what was happening did not matter to her at all. "You’ve changed too, becoming stronger. I truly envy you, because your mother isn’t a third party."

"Neline! What you see isn’t always as wonderful as you think." Lylia frowned. "Everyone has their own suffering, me too, you too. Don’t think your pain is worse than everyone else’s, and then feel like the whole world owes you."

Neline said nothing more, her gaze fixed on Lylia.

No challenge, no hatred, only Neline’s icy stare, colder than the snow itself.

That calmness made a chill crawl up Lylia’s spine, because someone like that usually belonged to only one kind: someone used to watching blood spill.

Yes. Neline’s family was not an ordinary family. It was a family that rose through killing and battle. Lylia understood that well, but she had never imagined the one who would kill her one day would be Neline herself.

Lylia swept her hand.

In the courtyard, within the castle, earth and stone trembled. Vines burst from beneath the snow, twisting together into thorn walls, barbs sprouting like the fangs of a wild beast. On both sides of the gate, two black trees over five meters tall suddenly shuddered violently, growing arms and legs with puppet-like joints, gripping wooden swords and shields to guard the castle.

But the snow was too cold.

The two treants had only stood still for a moment before a thin layer of snow coated them, and even their joints began to freeze.

Unlike the plant troops Lylia created, Neline’s troops—although they were Harpies—did not seem to be affected by this terrifying cold at all.

"Why?" Lylia asked, confused. "Don’t your Harpies feel cold?"

Neline snorted disdainfully and said lightly, "This... it’s fine to tell you. In reality, Harpies often live on snowy mountains, enduring temperatures as low as minus forty degrees Celsius every day."

"For my troops, this mere minus twenty degrees is nothing more than a cool breeze."

Lylia startled, feeling utterly stifled inside, as if even the weather itself was siding with Neline.

Although Lylia’s troops were plants—their potential was enormous, their growth was fast, and they didn’t require much in resources—what Lylia’s troops needed was stable climate conditions.

Yes. That was the one thing plant troops needed most. They might mature easily, consume little, and even possess superior strength and combat ability—but they were far too dependent on the weather.

However... by sheer coincidence, the Harpy troop type had become the natural nemesis of plant troops.

This freezing weather suited Harpies perfectly, yet it was a nightmare for plant troops.

On top of that, Harpies could attack from the air, while plants could not fly.

Which meant... this was almost a one-sided battle.

Neline raised a finger.

The Harpy flock immediately shifted formation, plunging down like a rain of swords. Their talons sank into the thorn walls, ripping apart the vines that had only just finished knotting together. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The shriek of wings slicing through the air rang out; the resulting vortex became invisible blades, shearing off tender branches in an instant.

Seeing this, Lylia jolted. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "Cove Pea Legion, attack. Pine-Leaf Legion, shield them!"

Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!

At that moment, the snow covering the ground suddenly parted. Green bark-made gun barrels emerged, and then—

Tak! Tak! Tak!

Countless cove peas shot out at an astonishing speed, fast enough to rival bullets. Even more shocking, each pea carried a magical sigil, glowing with green light.

Neline wasn’t afraid at all. She simply extended her hand and tapped the air.

A magic circle appeared, radiating a gloomy brown light, bearing the symbol of two wings that represented the Harpy troop type.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Just as the pea-bullets were about to hit the Harpies, an invisible wall stopped them. The shrill clang of impact rang out, and then they fell to the ground.

"What?!" Lylia’s eyes widened in disbelief. "That is... what kind of magic is that?"

Neline looked at Lylia and said softly, "Lylia, surrender. I don’t want to kill my best friend either. As long as you agree to become my subordinate, we can still remain friends."

"I promise you, I won’t demand anything excessive. Rule this region together with me. I... want to kill my brother."

"You..." Lylia clenched her teeth, feeling miserable to the extreme. If the weather weren’t this harsh, she would still have a forty percent chance of winning.

But the harsh weather, combined with her natural enemy... she didn’t know what to do.

Whoosh!

Right then, a Harpy suddenly flapped its wings and fired a feather straight at Lylia. Then—

Thud!

"AGH!!" Lylia screamed in pain as the feather buried itself into her right bicep, fresh blood gushing out. The pain twisted her beautiful face, but she still grit her teeth and refused to surrender.

Neline sighed, shook her head, and said, "Why endure this? Do you really think I would harm you?"

"Huh!" Lylia clutched her wound and said contemptuously, "You even want to kill your own family. How could I possibly trust you?"

"They?" Neline said indifferently. "They were never my family. They’re monsters—filthy, disgusting pigs. What I’m doing... is simply purging that filth from this world."

"So what?" Lylia ground out. "If you can betray your family, then you can betray me too. Neline, I was wrong to trust you."

Neline sighed. A trace of sorrow and disappointment flickered in her eyes, but in the next instant, that gaze became resolute, brimming with killing intent and ruthlessness.

She said, "Lylia, do you truly want to die?"

Lylia clenched her teeth. "I won’t die."

"You think I’ll let you go?" Neline’s voice turned colder.

"No!" Lylia shook her head and laughed. "Because I believe... he will save me."

"He?" Neline frowned and glanced at a Harpy in flight. That Harpy shook its head, making Neline even more puzzled.

"Stop pretending, Lylia." Neline frowned. "Within five miles, there isn’t a single Lord, monster, or even a living creature. Who will save you?"

"It’s me!"