Ayami swiftly led the way, holding the mirror steady as we silently moved through the distorted mirror world. I followed closely, gripping the gun tightly, adrenaline surging through me. We circled around, positioning ourselves behind Haruto in the real world.

"Alright, we're right behind him now," Ayami whispered, her golden eyes locked on the mirror. "Take the shot."

I steadied my aim, lining up the sight directly at Haruto's back. My finger tightened on the trigger.

But before I could fire, Haruto suddenly froze.

His head turned slightly, as if sensing something.

"Tch… he noticed," Ayami muttered.

Without hesitation, Haruto raised both hands, and in an instant, sharp shards of ice swirled around him, forming a thick, jagged sphere—an impenetrable ice barrier. The cold energy radiating from it distorted the air, and the snow around him hardened into solid frost.

"Damn it!" I growled. "He's trapped himself in that thing!"

Ayami narrowed her eyes. "He's not stupid. He knows we're here, even if he doesn't understand how."

"So what now? That thing looks bulletproof!"

Ayami's expression darkened as she began thinking. While she focused, my eyes caught something in the mirror. In the real world, near the main temple, there was a figure—a girl standing eerily still. I glanced at the temple in the mirror world, empty and quiet, then back at the mirror, confirming what I saw.

"Ayami, move the mirror to the temple. I want to see who that girl is."

"A girl?" Ayami shifted the mirror's angle, focusing on the temple.

There, standing in the real world, was a woman cloaked in frost. Her pale skin shimmered like ice, her long white hair flowing in the wind.

Ayami's eyes narrowed. "That's Yuki-onna—the goddess who gave Haruto his power."

My grip on the gun tightened. "So she's the reason he's this powerful..."

Ayami's gaze hardened. "And if she's here, this just got a lot more dangerous."

"Should I shoot her?" I asked, tightening my grip on the gun.

"Can you?" Ayami smirked, glancing at me with a raised brow.

Without answering, I dropped the bag to the ground and pulled out a heavier weapon—an M16. I aimed it through the mirror, locking my sights on Yuki-onna.

"I hope I don't miss..." I muttered under my breath.

The deafening roar of the M16 shattered the stillness of the mirror world as I squeezed the trigger.

BANG! BANG! BRRRRR!

Bullets tore through the mirror's surface, seamlessly crossing into the real world. In the reflection, I watched the rounds streak toward Yuki-onna.

At first, she didn't even move. Then, with a flick of her wrist, jagged ice shot up, forming a barrier in front of her.

But not fast enough.

"Ah!" Yuki-onna flinched as a few bullets shattered the edge of the ice, narrowly missing her.

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From inside his icy sphere, Haruto's head snapped toward her. The momentary distraction caused a crack to flicker across his shield.

"Yuki-onna! Get inside! There's a maniac trying to kill me!" Haruto shouted, panic creeping into his voice.

Ayami leaned closer to the mirror, eyes sharp. "Looks like we've rattled them. Keep shooting."

"Does Yuki-onna have power?" I asked, keeping my aim steady on her.

Ayami shook her head, her eyes sharp. "She doesn't, remember? Gods can't use magic because of Enkidu."

"Right..." I muttered, narrowing my eyes. "Then that ice wall was Haruto's doing."

"Exactly. Now shoot."

Without hesitation, I tightened my grip on the M16 and pulled the trigger.

BANG! BANG! BRRRRR!

The bullets ripped through the mirror, tearing toward Yuki-onna.

One, two, three bullets struck Yuki-onna's delicate arms.

"Agh..." she whimpered, clutching her bleeding wounds. Panic flickered in her icy eyes as she staggered backward, retreating inside the temple for cover.

At that moment, a sharp crack echoed through the air.

The ice sphere around Haruto shattered into shards, spraying frost into the wind. He stepped forward, his breath steaming in the cold, his entire body now partially encased in jagged ice. Glacial spikes jutted from his shoulders, and one side of his face was consumed by frozen crystal, creeping like veins under his skin.

"You bastard!" Haruto roared, his voice echoing with rage. "How dare you hurt Yuki-onna!"

His form radiated raw, volatile power. Ice crept and coiled around his arms, forming deadly, bladed gauntlets. His once-calm demeanor was gone—replaced by a monstrous fury.

"Ayami," I muttered, tightening my grip on the rifle, "he's... changing."

Ayami's eyes narrowed. "Now you've pissed him off. Be ready."

"Heh, what can he do?" I scoffed, a cocky grin spreading across my face. "He's in the real world, and we're in the mirror world... he can't even see us. He's powerless."

Ayami didn't share my confidence. Her golden eyes stayed locked on Haruto, sharp and calculating.

"Don't get cocky," she said flatly. "People like him are the most dangerous when they're cornered."

Before I could reply, Haruto suddenly raised his hand and slammed it into the ground.

THUD!

The ground cracked beneath him, and jagged spikes of ice shot upward.

At first, I thought the ice was harmless to us, stuck in the real world. But then—

CRACK!

One of the ice spikes pierced through the mirror, jutting out into the mirror world.

"Wha—?!" Ayami's eyes widened in shock. The ice had crossed dimensions, shattering the boundary between worlds.

"Ayami-san! Destroy the mirror!" I shouted in panic.

Without hesitation, Ayami smashed the mirror with a sharp kick.

CRASH!

The glass shattered, and the ice spike split in half, crumbling harmlessly to the ground.

Back in the real world, Haruto stared at the jagged remains of his ice spike, confusion flickering in his eyes.

"...The top of the ice is gone?" he muttered, glancing around warily. "Where did it go?"

His confusion didn't last. Gritting his teeth, Haruto turned and sprinted toward the main temple.

Haruto's breath came in ragged clouds as he sprinted through the snow, the cold biting at his skin. His mind was racing, barely able to process what had just happened.

That ice… it vanished.

His magic had never behaved like that before. For his ice to simply disappear mid-formation—it was unnatural.

But he didn't have time to dwell on it.

"Yuki-Onna!" he called out, his voice sharp and urgent as he burst through the temple doors.

Inside, the air was even colder, the temperature plummeting as frost clung to the ancient walls. Yuki-Onna was seated on the floor, her pale fingers pressed against the bullet wounds in her arm. The pain had cracked the ice beneath her, spreading an intricate web of frozen lines across the floor.

Haruto's eyes widened at the sight.

"My lady!" he rushed to her side, kneeling beside her. "Hold on, let me fix this." He gently placed his hand over her wound, using his magic to try and freeze the blood and force the bullet out.

"Who are they..." Yuki-Onna murmured, her voice weak and strained from the pain.

Haruto's eyes narrowed as he focused on her injuries, his hand glowing with a faint blue light as he continued to remove the bullets and heal her with his magic. "Don't worry, I'll find out who they are," he said, his tone firm but his mind racing.

He paused, carefully working the last bullet out of her arm and sealing the wound with ice, his magic regenerating her tissue. His gaze darkened as he looked around the empty temple.

"They must be invisible," he muttered to himself, looking around, frustration mounting. "I didn't even see anything form the attack..."

Yuki-Onna's voice was barely a whisper. "They are... they are invisible. We can't see them, but they can see us."

Haruto clenched his fists, anger rising. "So they've been hiding this whole time... making us think we were alone." His eyes glinted with cold determination as he stood, ready to confront whoever was watching them.

Just then, a soft but distinct sound echoed from behind them—the unmistakable thud of something hitting the temple floor.

To Be Continue.