"Puff, puff, puff!"
Climbing out from beneath the snow, Sakuya spat out the dust that had found its way into her mouth.
"What the hell is going on?"
Looking up, she saw that the entire island was now covered by an enormous layer of ice.
"Oh my god… an iceberg fell down?"
Sakuya's face went blank with shock.
The whole island seemed to have been buried beneath the massive ice formation. If not for the smoke rising from the crater in the distance, one might have thought even the volcano had been affected.
Her chaotic thoughts gradually settled as she took in the scene before her, piecing together the situation.
"This is Shinomiya's doing again, isn't it?"
"No, it's not Shinomiya—it's her maid."
Sonoko, who had also just crawled out of the snow, shook her head slightly.
"Chika, Shinomiya, and her maid all went to another dimension."
"This kind of iceberg suddenly crashing down can only mean something went wrong over there. It's probably because her maid couldn't handle Shinomiya's outburst in that other dimension."
Sakuya nodded in understanding.
"That sounds about right."
"Spatial abilities are convenient, but there's definitely a limit to how much they can withstand."
The Door-Door Fruit was indeed a unique ability, but even something that special must have its limits.
At the very least, they now knew that such a limit did, in fact, exist.
"It's good that we figured this out now. At least I won't make the same mistake in the future."
"..."
Yet, as she looked at the massive iceberg covering the entire island, Aizawa Sakuya couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Then, it suddenly hit her.
"Wait! Nagi and Maria are still on the island!"
Her eyes widened in realization. She had been so caught up in analyzing the situation that she had completely forgotten about them.
"And Ran and Ren!"
Isumi, who had remained silent up until now, didn't seem concerned in the slightest.
"Don't worry."
Her voice was as calm and gentle as ever, effortlessly soothing the nerves of those around her.
"Amamiya-sama won't just sit back and do nothing in a situation like this."
"Besides, Miss Maria's shield can handle this kind of scenario. Nagi will be fine."
"All we need to do is wait here."
Isumi's steady and reassuring tone had an immediate effect, easing Sakuya and Sonoko's anxiety.
Indeed, the situation was urgent.
But the people they knew wouldn't just sit there and wait for death.
They had to have made some kind of preparation for an emergency like this.
At worst, it would just be a little troublesome to deal with.
And sure enough…
---
Beneath the iceberg, in a dim and suffocating space, Maria was desperately holding up a shelter using rock-elemental energy.
"Haa… haa…"
Sweat dripped down her face as she continuously squeezed out every last bit of her elemental power.
All she could do now was hold on for just a little longer.
She knew that Amamiya would definitely come.
"Maria…"
The space was nearly pitch black, but Nagi could imagine just how exhausted Maria must be right now.
Then, all of a sudden—
A burst of fire flared to life in the darkness, illuminating Maria and Nagi's faces.
A new figure had appeared in the confined space.
He immediately took in Maria's condition and, without hesitation, reached out grabbing Maria with one hand and Nagi with the other.
In an instant, they vanished in a flash of fire.
The space, now devoid of elemental support, collapsed the very next moment.
---
Above the iceberg, flames erupted as three figures emerged safely.
"Phew…"
After bringing Nagi and Maria out of danger, Ren let out a slow breath.
He was relieved that he had come to check on them first.
If he had arrived even half a minute later, they wouldn't have lasted.
Ren silently thanked his intuition.
"Mmm…"
A faint whimper pulled him back to reality.
Gently stabilizing Maria's exhausted body in his arms, he let her lean against him.
Using the Soul Assurer's power, he first soothed her emotions, then infused her with a small amount of spiritual energy, helping to restore her depleted elemental power.
As the spirituality entered her, Maria's Vision began to glow faintly once more.
Little by little, the elemental energy inside her started circulating again, gradually revitalizing her body.
"Haa~"
Maria's breathing steadied, her complexion regaining some color.
When she finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Ren's face—closer than expected.
She let out a sigh of relief.
"Looks like I held out long enough."
"Yeah."
Ren gave a small nod.
"You did well. How does it feel to push your Vision to the absolute limit?"
Maria recalled the sensation from earlier, and her face immediately twisted with discomfort.
"Horrible."
"It's like trying to squeeze out the last drop of water from a completely dry sponge, except the sponge itself feels like it's going to tear apart."
"Yeah, that's how it is for any power when you push it too far."
Ren chuckled, well aware of that sensation himself.
Seeing him smile, Maria couldn't help but smile back.
Then, her gaze shifted toward the frozen landscape around them.
"Miss Shinomiya really overdid it this time."
Ren, however, didn't think so.
"Well, I did tell her to release her power freely."
"Part of it was to test the limits of Hayasaka's other-dimensional space."
"And part of it was to let Shinomiya fully unleash her strength, so that she herself could understand the boundaries of her current abilities."
That said, he did feel a bit guilty about one thing.
"I probably should've reminded her to aim at the sea instead of the island."
"If this had happened near the water, the damage would have been much more contained."
After a brief moment of rest, Ren turned to Nagi, who had also calmed down.
"Sanzenin, you okay?"
"I'm fine… Maria was the one holding everything together."
Her voice was quiet, her lips pressed together tightly.
Ren could sense her frustration.
Smiling, he reached out and gently placed a hand on her head.
"Miss Maria is safe now, so don't blame yourself for feeling powerless."
"Just get stronger in the future."
"...Yeah."
Reaching up, Nagi wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, feeling just a little bit better.
(To be continued.)
***
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