Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 328: Shiver Ridge

The wind grew even colder as the group climbed higher into the mountains.

Snow whipped against their cloaks and hoods, each step crunching beneath thick boots.

The path narrowed dangerously, forcing them to walk single file along frozen ledges that sloped steeply downward into oblivion.

Dario led the way, his straw hat dusted with snow, hands behind his back like a man out for a casual stroll despite the deadly drop just meters to the side.

Thorn walked beside him when the trail widened again, glancing up at the craggy path ahead. "So where exactly are we headed now?"

Dario grinned, not breaking stride. "See that cliff face up ahead? Once we climb it, we’ll reach the edge of the Shiver Ridge."

"Shiver Ridge? Is that encouraging news?"

"Kinda. Depending on how you look at it." Dario said with a chuckle. "But it’s the best we’ve got. The Seventh Peak is almost impossible to reach from this side of the mountain range unless you go through the Ridge. Everything else is either frozen wasteland or dead-end drop. And worse? They’re all filled with monsters."

Thorn frowned. "And what’s... better about the Shiver Ridge?"

"It’s quiet." Dario replied. "And it just needs to stay that way."

Lilith, who had been walking just behind them, perked up. Her eyes narrowed. "Explain."

Dario sighed, his breath forming fog in the air. "There’s a monster that sleeps beneath the Ridge. No one knows its name. No one wants to find out."

"It burrows beneath the snow and rock, massive enough that even in sleep it shapes the land. It can control wind and ice, and it does so instinctively even as it sleeps."

Ren narrowed his eyes. "What kind of danger are we talking about?"

"If you make enough noise to disturb its dreams," Dario said, his voice dropping, "the wind will start to slice like blades. Then comes the storm. Then the avalanche."

"And if the monster actually wakes up... well, let’s just say no one who’s seen that has lived to tell the tale."

The group fell into uneasy silence.

"So," Dario added with a grin, trying to lighten the mood, "let’s try to be polite guests."

The path ended at a sheer cliff face.

Ren looked up. It rose nearly fifty feet, jagged but climbable with care. Icy outcroppings jutted from the wall like jagged teeth.

Dario hopped onto a narrow ledge and began ascending like he’d done it a hundred times. He probably had.

"Climb slow." He called back. "One at a time. No sudden movements."

They went up in pairs, with Dario guiding from above and Thorn spotting below.

Lilith and Ren climbed smoothly. Nero and Contessa moved with eerie grace, not disturbing a single pebble. It was as though the mountain chose not to notice them.

At the top, the wind changed.

It became sluggish.

The air was thin. The clouds hung heavy, casting a flat gray light over everything. It was disorienting.

They had arrived at the Shiver Ridge.

A long, narrow expanse stretched before them, a corridor of snow-covered rock, hemmed in by walls of frozen stone.

It was silent. Not just quiet, dead silent. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath. It was a silence that pressed on the ears, making every heartbeat feel like a drum.

Dario raised a hand and spoke in a whisper. "From here on out, no loud talking. Step light. No combat unless absolutely necessary. The Ridge listens."

Thorn nodded and whispered, "Got it."

They began their trek.

Each step sank into soft snow. The ground was uneven, and pitted in places.

Ren kept his eyes on Nero and Contessa, watching every movement.

The two stayed close, moving in synchrony, never out of step. Occasionally, one would gesture, and the other would respond without a word.

They made slow progress. Every breath felt like it could echo into catastrophe. Ren was hyper aware of every crunch of snow, every scuff of boot.

They were a third of the way across the ridge when the silence was broken.

A low rumble sounded, then a roar shattered the silence like glass.

From behind a jutting stone, a massive beast leapt into view. Its fur was golden, its mane rippling with elemental power. The Nemean Lion.

It roared again, the sound shaking the snow beneath their feet.

The mountain responded.

A blast of wind surged toward them, razor-sharp and laced with shards of ice. Snow exploded upward in a wave, a storm forming instantly in the beast’s wake.

Dario threw himself behind a boulder, pressing flat against the stone.

Contessa stepped forward, lifting both hands. In an instant, a wall of absolute light flared into existence around the group. Smooth, translucent, and blindingly bright. The wall pulsed once, absorbing the impact.

The storm struck.

Winds howled and ice screamed against the light. Ren ducked, shielding his face. Lilith braced herself against the force, arms crossed and aura flaring faintly. Thorn growled, gripping his cloak tight.

The pressure was immense. The storm battered them like a living thing.

And then, it passed.

The storm faded.

Contessa lowered her arms. The walls of light dissolved into sparkles that sank quietly into the snow.

"Fuck." Dario swore under his breath.

And before them, the Nemean Lion stood unharmed.

Ren’s heart pounded. He could see the beast drawing in breath for a second roar. It was going to do it again.

If it roared again, another storm would come. Maybe worse. Maybe enough to wake the thing below.

Nero moved.

He blurred forward, and darkness spread behind him like wings as he shot across the snow. His cloak flared, tendrils of shadow spiraling from it.

The lion turned, eyes blazing.

Nero struck first. A spear of void energy stabbed into the lion’s shoulder, forcing it back. The beast roared again, but not loud enough to trigger another storm.

It lunged.

Nero met it with silence.

Darkness wrapped around his fists as he drove them into the lion’s chest. They traded blows, claws tearing at shadows, void lashing out like tendrils.

The ground shook beneath their feet. Snow scattered in flurries.

Then Nero vanished.

He reappeared behind the lion, hand raised.

He slammed it down.

A wave of darkness engulfed the lion, crushing it into the snow. The beast howled, a long, furious cry, before its voice was cut off.

When the shadows receded, the Nemean Lion lay still.

Dead.

Silence returned.

The group stared, frozen in place.

Ren felt his jaw tighten.

He’d seen Nero fight before, when the two of them had arrived at Ur. But this was something else.

Now he understood.

They were powerful.

Very powerful.

More than they had anticipated.

Maybe too powerful.

If it came to a fight, Ren wasn’t sure they could win.

Not without casualties.

And maybe not at all.

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