"Let's see the situation first. Open the camera surveillance in the East Gate."

"Yes Chief." The control room operators swiftly responded to Chief Inspector Collin's command. One of them tapped a few commands into the holographic console, and the main screen flickered to life, displaying a series of live feeds from various cameras positioned around the East Gate.

The Main feed focused on the Monolith and surrounding area, showing the situation in real time.

Back at the Monolith, Noah's heart pounded on his chest as he noticed that something was wrong.

"Adel, Something was wro—"

He turned his head at Adel to Ask him what was wrong, but he already moved away, holding a small cube in his hands.

Boom!!

Just after he turned his head, a large explosion resounded behind him.

Turning his head, he saw dust rising in the air. And within the cluster of dust was a woman, standing atop a large sword made of Ice.

The woman stood confidently, revealing her figure clearly. Standing atop a large, icy sword, her silver hair flows gently in the breeze. Her piercing blue eyes locked onto Noah.

"How dare a Descendant of Cain step foot in the sacred city of Babylon," the silver haired woman spat, and said with a sneer. "Now tell me, What kind of Cain do you are? Are you the Cain of Sorrow? Maybe Shame or Disgust?"

"Wait, I think there's a misunderstanding or something, I'm not a Cain." Noah brought both his arms in front of him and tried to clear the misunderstanding.

"No! I don't care about that anymore. You're a Cain, maybe you're close with Hate. I will never forget what that guy did to me." The mere mention of the Cain of Hate brought an intense hatred towards the woman's face.

Noah couldn't imagine what atrocities did the Cain of Hate did to her that made her hate him.

Meanwhile, Adel pinched the small cube in his hands. The cube disintegrated into the dust before transforming into a transparent dome that trapped anyone inside it.

"I'm not really a Cain." Just as Noah tried to explain himself again, the silver haired woman moved. She raised her hand up in the air, and a trace of cold air appeared in the air..

"Bullshit!"

Noah tried to appease the woman's anger. However, it's no use. The silver haired woman clenched her hand into fist and swung it down. Countless shards of ice formed around her and rained down toward Noah like a hail storm.

Noah's instincts kicked in, and he stepped back, attempting to dodge the shards. But his retreat was abruptly halted when his back collided with the transparent dome that had formed around them.

"What's this!?" Noah exclaimed, his eyes widening as he realized there's no way out.

The silver haired woman's icy onslaught continued, the shards relentlessly targeting him. Noah summoned his Ego sword, Soteria and used it to block the incoming shards.

"How heavy!? She's as strong as the Fallen in the city, maybe stronger." Noah grunted.

With every swing of his sword, he parried an incoming shard of ice. Sparks flew in all directions with each parry, avoiding a lethal damage but the power behind the shard made his back constantly hit the transparent dome.

Noah's arm and back ached from the repeated impact. Sweat dripped down his face, mixing with the dust and ice fragments that filled the air.

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"Fuck it!!!" He gritted his teeth and said with an outburst. With a burst of strength, he swung his sword horizontally, making a wide arc that deflects multiple shards at once.

'I need to be in the Offensive.' He thought.

Seizing the brief moment of respite, he swung his sword diagonally, from the upper right to lower left of his body.

[Sword of Beginning]

A flash of light came from his sword, as his sword strike that obliterated anything in its path was shot towards her.

"It's no use. Cease your futile resistance."

The silver haired women reacted quickly, she grabbed the great sword made of ice stabbed in the ground, before smashing it in front of her.

Countless massive spikes of ice erupted from the ground in front of her that protect her from the sword strike, and also aiming to impale Noah.

The sword strike collided with the massive spikes of ice. The impact sent shockwaves throughout the dome, causing the dome to tremble.

Not long after the collision, the massive spikes of ice broke down first, disappearing in a puff of cold air.

As if something removed it from existence.

The sword strike continued to move relentlessly toward her.

The silver haired woman gripped her great sword made of ice tightly. With a swift motion, she raised it in front of her, forming a shield that will protect her against the sword strike.

Clang!!!

The sword strike and great sword collided, the impact sent another shockwaves throughout the dome.

The great sword seems to be capable of fully blocking the sword strike, but it didn't even last a second before the sword strike cut through it like butter.

"I-imposible!" Seeing the great sword break down easily, the woman's eyes widened in disbelief.

Just when she thought the sword strike would cut through her, the sword hit her like a passing breeze.

"......"

Silence ensued within the dome.

Seeing this, the silver haired woman couldn't help but smirk while Noah panicked. "What happened!? Why it didn't damage her?"

The silver haired woman freezes both of her hands, sharpening them like a blade, and rushes toward Noah.

Using her bladed right hand, she aimed a slash at Noah's neck from his left. Noah reacted quickly, raising his sword to deflect the attack. The clash of ice and steel sent sparks flying, the impact resonating through the air.

The woman's attacks were quick and sharp. She pivoted on her heel, bringing her left hand around in a sweeping arc aimed at Noah's midsection. He sidestepped just in time, his sword parrying the icy blade with a resounding clash. Each movement was precise, every strike delivered with deadly intent.

Noah's mind raced as he defended against her onslaught. He countered with a quick thrust, aiming for her shoulder. But as if she knows where the sword will hit, she dodged it effortlessly.

She retaliated with a flurry of slashes, forcing Noah to step back, his sword working overtime to block each strike.

The woman also tried to attack Noah from behind by making a small needle made of ice. But as if he had eyes in the back of his head, he managed to dodge those effortlessly.

"You're strong," Noah admitted, gritting his teeth as he parried another blow.

"And you're weak," she replied, her smirk widening. "But let's see how long you can keep up."

She lunged forward, her right blade aimed at his neck. Noah ducked, feeling the icy chill as her blade passed just above him. He spun, using the momentum to deliver a powerful slash aimed at her midsection. She blocked it with her left blade, the force of the impact causing her to slide back a few feet.

Noah pressed his advantage, launching a series of rapid strikes. His sword was a blur, each swing aimed to find a gap in her defense. The woman matched him blow for blow, her icy blades clashing with his sword in a dazzling display of skill and speed.

However, as the fight went on, Noah felt his energy weakening, fatigue consuming him. He knew he had to end this quickly.

Holding the sword in front of him, he focused, summoning the last of his strength. His focus reached an entirely new level, so intense that he didn't notice his sword beginning to glow faintly with a hazy white aura.

Seeing the change, the silver haired woman braced herself and also decided to end the fight.

[Frost-Time state]

She muttered under her breath, then her eyes changed. Her circular pupil changed into a slit that resembles a dragon eye.

After that, the world changed in front of her. The world moved slowly as if someone froze the time.

Within the slowed world, she moved with fluid grace, as if unshackled by the bound that shackled the world. The air around her grew colder, frost forming on the ground as she advanced toward Noah, her icy blades were ready.

The woman lunged forward, her icy blades aiming for his chest. In the slowed world, she moved like a phantom, her attacks swift and deadly. Noah reacted instinctively, his sword glowing brighter with each movement. He parried her strikes, each clash sending out ripples of energy that distorted the air around them.

Noah’s hazy white aura grew stronger, enveloping his sword in an ethereal glow. He felt a strange, surging energy within him, alleviating the fatigue a little bit.

With renewed energy, he focused on her movements, finding the rhythm in her attacks.

In a split second, he saw an opening.

[Cut]

Summoning all his remaining strength, he swung his sword in a wide arc, aiming to break through her defense. The blade, now shining brilliantly with the hazy white light, cut through the air with a resonant hum.

The silver haired woman saw the attack coming in her slowed world, but the power behind Noah's strike was overwhelming. She raised her icy blades to block, but the force of his blow shattered them, sending shards of ice flying in all directions.

The impact threw her back, her feet skidding across the frost-covered ground. She landed in a crouch, breathing steadily as if it was nothing, her dragon-slit eyes still fixed on Noah.

Suddenly, blood started dripping from her hand. The blow earlier actually managed to injure her.

Seeing this, Noah who was standing tall despite his exhaustion, pointed his sword at her. The hazy white aura around it pulsed with a steady rhythm. "This ends now." He declared.

Just when Noah thought he won now, he heard something he didn't expect.

"I should end this farce now," the silver-haired woman declared.

In an instant, she moved, faster than before, faster than Noah could react. His senses screamed danger as he tried to anticipate her next move. But she was already behind him with icy blades in her hands.

Before he could even turn around, blood gushed out from different parts of his body, as cuts suddenly appeared in his body.

Noah, who couldn't handle the excruciating pain, fell in his knees.

Just when he fell in his knees, his blood begins to freeze. The frozen blood transformed into flower bud that strangle his body, curling around him like a flower of death.

The buds blossomed into dark, crimson, icy flowers that resemble his blood.

Seeing this, Noah thought the flowers will end his life. Instead, they stopped the bleeding and numbed the pain, only restraining him.