In Laviosa Elegrance, Water Region
"..."
Blossom trembles as she arrives at the city; some of the citizens are brutally murdered, bleeding Corruption Essence instead of human blood
"No time to weep, Blossom. I'll take charge!"
Frost takes the lead and heads towards the battlefield
"R-Right!"
Blossom fortifies her wits once again and follows Frost
However, as she marches forward, Blossom recalls her mentor, Glace's words
6 years prior…
In Laviosa Elegrance, Water Region
"Now now, dear Blossom"
Glace patted on little Blossom's head as the latter sobs knowing that Glace will dive into the depths of Corruption Essence in search of her so-called 'Tranquility'
"Mom…don't leave me"
"Worry not, young one. I won't be gone for long. Besides, you've harnessed my teachings! If anything happens, you will be capable of doing it"
Their mother-daughter like bond made them inseparable
But Glace's sought for 'Tranquility' proved it otherwise
"When you're ready, you can join me and seek Tranquility together! Pinky promise?"
"O…Okay"
Their voices slowly fade away…
Present day…
In the North Part of Laviosa Elegrance, Water Region
"..."
Blossom, still regaining consciousness from the flashback, continuously fly forward whilst ignoring the Corruption creatures along the way
"*unintelligible*"
One of the creatures sneaks behind Blossom and attempts to backstab her
"WATCH OUT!"
Without any countermeasures, Frost charges towards Blossom and hugs her to withstand the attack for her
"Tch…"
Frost releases a burst of Ice energy, instantly freezing the creature before shattering it into pieces
After that, both of them land on the ground
"F-Frost, are you alright?!"
"I'm fine, but we have to deal with these guys"
As they lift their heads, many Corruption creatures stand before them with their blade-embedded hands
"Let's go, I'm up first!"
"Alright!"
In the South Part of Laviosa Elegrance, Water Region...
"Hmph"
Sharon, upon her arrival, instantly launches the Corruption creatures up in the air
At the same time, Daydrine witnesses the sheer power Sharon wields
"Daydrine, follow my lead, alright?"
"Okay!"
Blitzing the enemies up in the air with instantaneous speeds, Sharon and Daydrine eliminate the creatures one by one
In the meantime, Sharon notices the Ice energy Daydrine is using
"That Ice…is way more pristine in colour than the original one…"
Fwoosh
As Sharon contemplates, Daydrine eliminates the final creature, which is right beside Sharon, using her Ice-imbued, self-forged Polished Blade
"...Huh?"
"It's done, Sharon!"
Daydrine, now sociable and filled with passion, reports the current situation to Sharon
Above Laviosa Elegrance, Water Region
"This incident is region-wide…"
Kevin watches from above
"I might as well mimic the Extinction technique of Senoria to resolve this issue…"
He then charges up Light energy on his palms
"Pretty sure I can release this energy at most in this region as per my current condition…hm?"
Kevin looks at the city's north part before observing the area where Daydrine's unique Ice was first demonstrated
"Serevia is making her way to the city…"
"And that area's Corruption Essence returned, but…where is Senoria?"
...
In the North Part of Laviosa Elegrance, Water Region...
"Phew…I guess that's it, Blossom"
"Hm…"
Blossom approaches one of the creatures, which is on the verge of vanishment
"They…do not deserve this…"
"Hm?"
Frost checks on Blossom, who is in deep sorrow due to eliminating a life
"They were unwilling…"
"Blossom…"
He then approaches her closer to comfort her
"They may be unwilling, but for them, it was inevitable"
Gently holding Blossom's hand, he says
"And the inevitable will only continue if its source is not dealt with. Trust me, while you are eliminating lives, you're doing this for the better good"
Reaching out his other hand to hold Blossom's, he says with a confident expression
"After all of this, after we defeat Senoria, no lives will vanished in this way, I promise"
"..."
Sorrow, shy, relief, Blossom's emotions are conflicted, but she resolves it with a gentle smile and says
"Okay"
"Alright then"
Frost slowly lifts up Blossom before they continue to clear more enemies in the city
But just as they do…
"Hello there"
"?!"
An unknown person attempts to assassinate the duo from the right, but Frost reacts in time
CLANG
As Frost defends the attack, the attacker dashes backwards and the duo now has a clearer sight of the attacker
"This is our first meeting, I suppose?"
"..."
Both of them sees a figure that is rather more familiar for Raika and Kevin, Serevia
"!!"
Blossom is beyond speechless
What Sharon said was true, with the long hair and similar outfit style, Serevia does appear similar to Blossom's mentor, Glace
"It may be our first meeting, but I can tell that you're siding with the Corruption" Frost says
Blossom suddenly asks a question
"By any chance…do you happen to know someone whose name is Glace?"
"Glace? You mean the former owner of this body?"
"What…?!"
Now shocked beyond words, Blossom could not understand why her very own teacher betrayed the Light Branch
"Ah I see, so the woman named Glace meant special to you, right?"
"..."
"Hey, Blossom…"
"Then I'll make sure you won't remember her anymore!"
"!"
Instantly, the surroundings become pitch black before Frost and Blossom plunge downwards due to the heightened gravity
"WELCOME TO THE CONCEALED REALM!!"
...
In the Concealed Realm...
As they fall, Blossom creates a water platform underneath before Frost freezes it to create a platform for them to land on
With the platform withstanding the sheer force of gravity, Frost and Blossom manages to land smoothly on it
"..."
Frost checks his surroundings, only to notice that he's in a space where its interior expands infinitely
"What's wrong, Frost?"
"This place…expands endlessly within. Unless someone can destroy this space from the outside, we're trapped here forever"
"Never expected you out of all Rulers to realise my ability's nature"
"!"
Serevia slowly descends and lands on the frozen platform Frost and Blossom are on
"This is where I govern"
"You govern this place? So I guess everything here plays by your rules?"
"..."
Blossom remains silent but her gaze is somewhat fixed on Frost as the latter exchanges words with Serevia
"From the outside, Concealed Realm is merely a pitch black sphere that has an area of a football field"
"Won't you be worried if outside forces destroy your realm from the outside?"
"Why would I? Besides, this city is huge, no one would notice here right away. I have ample time to kill you two"
"Well then, I guess you'll have to try"
Frost activates his Imaginary Blade and points it towards Serevia
"Hah, I like your confidence!"
Serevia then imbues her hands with a unique type of Corruption energy, the Void
Shortly after, both of them instantly disappears into thin air
BOOM
Many shockwaves emerge throughout the Concealed Realm
However, Blossom's emotions conflict once again, making herself panic while standing on the frozen platform
"..."
BAM
After receiving an impact from Serevia, Frost controls his flight and sees the hesitating Blossom on the platform
"Huh…?"
But before he can comfort Blossom again, Serevia continues her assault on him, forcing him to retreat
"While she is my enemy now, I couldn't bear to hurt my own teacher…" Blossom thought
"Then you must embrace the cruel truth of this world, my dear"
"!!"
A voice echoes through Blossom and before she notices, she is already on an unknown, pure white space instead of pitch black
Then, a familiar figure appears before Blossom
"I have missed you, my dearest mentee"
"TEACHER!!"
Without any hesitation, Blossom charges towards Glace and hugs her tightly
"W-Where have you been? Why did you betray us???"
"Now now, my time is short, so hear me out"
Calmed down, Blossom stops hugging Glace and becomes attentive to her words
"You see…something went wrong during my expedition and I had to face the Corruption forces"
Glace continues her explanation
"My body was inhabited by a soul named 'Serevia', correct? Well, Serevia is only a mix of heavy Corruption Essence and Senoria's very own emotions. I was amazed by her trickery before I was taken over"
"Since her soul has inhabited my body for so long now, not even Thunder's soul-splitting ability can sever Serevia from my body"
Seeing Glace's carefree-like nature, Blossom curiously asks
"Things have become this serious, Teacher. Yet you're still calm?"
"Why not? It is the core nature for us Water users. Besides, I am weakening my host right now"
"Weakening…?"
...
In the Concealed Realm...
BAM
Frost lands a clear blade slash on Serevia
"GAHH!!"
"Huh?"
"You…FOOL, DON'T YOU TRY AND REACH OUT FOR HER!!"
Glace's soul attempts to reach out to Blossom, causing her to be weakened
But since all of these are unbeknownst to Frost…
He is utterly clueless
...
In the Unknown Plain White Dimension...
"But Blossom, you must hurry"
"!"
Glace's expression becomes serious yet confident
"I won't be holding on for long, and so does your friend out there"
"B…But I'm powerless against her…"
"What? You haven't even showcase your skills, dear"
Glace pats on Blossom's head, just like she did 6 years ago
"Before Serevia forcefully retrieves my soul, I have a question for you, Blossom"
"?"
"In your eyes, what is Tranquility?"
"..."
In the Concealed Realm...
Shortly after, Blossom regains her consciousness in the Concealed Realm
"Tranquility…"
Meanwhile in the fight between Frost and Serevia…
"Tch…"
"What's wrong? Giving up this easily?"
Frost had already suffered multiple injuries, with most of them being Corruption-heavy, rendering him weak
"Heh, you're the one to talk…"
However, just as Serevia is about to finish Frost…
Fwoosh
"!"
"!"
An azure dragon, formed by Water, travels towards Serevia before Serevia barely dodges it
Despite that, Serevia's left arm is already bleeding
"What in the…"
Frost smirks and looks at Blossom
Emitting a bluish glow and trembling the entirety of the Concealed Realm…
Blossom is now in an azure, transcendent form…
Tranquility
...
"Hah, looks like you've grown up a bit, Blossom!"
"Tch…"
Feeling annoyed, Serevia throws a blade to impale Frost in his chest, catching him off-guard in the meantime
Despite that, he doesn't panic. Instead, he creates an ice wall behind him to prevent himself from being launched further
"Heh"
His powers starts to wither away, yet he smiles as he is confident that Blossom will defeat Serevia in his place
Blossom, seeing Frost's condition, is shocked. However, her resolve in defeating Serevia remains unfazed
"What? You don't want to save your friend over there?"
"Not yet"
"Not yet? Does he not mean anything to you?"
"He…has a special place in my heart. But with you here, our sought for peace will never come true"
"...Acting tough"
Her taunt did not work on Blossom. Instead, it kind of backfires her
BAM
"WHAT?!"
Without noticing Blossom, who appears instantly behind her, Serevia is bashed away violently
"YOU…!"
Being unable to utter her words completely, Serevia is again bashed away 78 times throughout the interior of Concealed Realm within a second
"SCUMBAG!!"
Serevia controls her flight before Blossom appears before her
"Come at me…"
Blossom uses hand gestures to taunt Serevia, angering the latter
"WHY YOU!!"
Serevia unleashes her Corrupted Blade and attempts to slash Blossom at a blinding speed, with each slashes leaving afterimages of the blade
"Hmph"
Despite Serevia's efforts, Blossom instinctively dodges all her slashes and counterattacks Serevia
At this point, Serevia is at her wit's end
"DAMN YOU!!"
As a last ditch effort, Serevia heavily amplifies the gravity inside the Concealed Realm such as it rivals that of a black hole's gravity
"?"
"HAVE FUN DOWN THERE"
Blossom is pulled downwards violently
Her maximum travelling speed rivals 1.5 times the speed of light, but even that doesn't save her from being pulled down
"HAHAHA, NOW I WIN!!!"
Blossom can't do anything, but she notices Frost, initially impaled, is now flying and approaching closer towards her
"Blossom! Summon a large pool of water below you!"
"How large??"
"Doesn't matter! This space is infinite!"
"Okay!"
Immediately, Blossom calls upon a continent-sized water pool; she knew that using her Water-based Azure Dragon will only deform the dragon due to the intense gravity
Afterwards, Frost unleashes a stream of Ice energy, freezing the water pool to create a platform, before princess lifting Blossom to land smoothly on the platform
"T-Thanks…" Blossom says as her face becomes red
"Don't mention it"
Frost then gently releases Blossom
"You're…different than before, Frost. What happened? And why weren't you affected by the intense gravity?"
Blossom asks as she notices a white glow surrounding Frost
"This…is the Everflow state. A form I've created through harnessing Everflowing Ice, an evolved version of normal Ice"
"Ah…"
"This new type of Ice is way more rigid than the original. Plus, it only follows my command, which explains this!"
Frost points at the platform
"Oh?"
Despite the intense gravity unleashed by Serevia, the platform created by Frost and Blossom is not dragged down at all
Henceforth, the platform and anything or anyone on it, are immune to the gravity
"Now then, we'll end this, together!"
"Yeah!"
...
"Hehe"
Serevia smirks as she thought she finally defeats two Rulers at the same time
"Hello there!"
"?!"
Before Serevia could realise, Blossom, with her Tranquility state and Azure Dragon, and Frost, in his Everflow state, stand before her
"I-Impossible…"
Serevia is consumed by fear; she didn't expect the two Rulers could be that strong
"And now you're the one trembling, it really is a turn of events, huh"
"S…Shut up!!"
Serevia couldn't do anything at that point and hence, Frost's patience is running out
"Blossom, we'll settle this quick"
Fwoosh
Serevia couldn't react and Frost already appears behind her
"Off you go!"
Frost kicks Serevia from the back and Blossom unleashes the Azure Dragon from Serevia's front
Their combo stunned Serevia and before she knew it, the Azure Dragon went through her body, dealt a fatal damage to her before fading away
"UWAHH!!"
Serevia spills a lot of blood. At the same time, Blossom's Tranquility and Frost's Everflow both deactivate due to energy exhaustion
Despite that, Blossom starts to sense Glace's faint presence
"NOOOOO!!"
Truly using her last ditch effort, Serevia commands the Concealed Realm to self-destruct
The Concealed Realm trembles violently, and Blossom is consumed by panic
"Crap!"
Frost, without any hesitation, teleports near Blossom and hugs her in an attempt to use his own body to absorb all the damage
And just like that…
KABOOM
The Concealed Realm is destroyed, leaving a crater on the north side of Laviosa Elegrance
In the South Side of Laviosa Elegrance, Water Region...
Followed by the explosion, Corruption creatures vanish into thin air, leaving Sharon and Daydrine puzzled
"Huh?"
"Let's go check there out, Sharon"
Daydrine says as she points towards the north side of the city
In the North Side of Laviosa Elegrance, Water Region...
Minutes later, Sharon and Daydrine arrive at the crater
"Huh…well that's a romantic moment"
"Jeez, never knew my brother had a girlfriend"
Both of them says as they notice the unconscious Frost and Blossom, who are still hugging each other
"Hm? Who's that over there?"
Daydrine points at another unconscious body, with long blue hair and azure outfit
"It can't be…"
…
Senoria, observing from interstellar space, releases a long sigh after the battle ends
"You're reckless as ever, Serevia. But even then, I still consider you as my little sister…"
Holding back her tears, she leaves
"Farewell, sister. May we meet again in the next life"