Thud.

The sound was followed by a low, primal grunt, almost like the growl of a tiger.

"Yo, Haruto. Remember me?" Ayami's voice rang out, clear and confident. She stepped out from the shadows, her form shifting as she transformed into a sleek, powerful tiger.

Yuki-Onna, still weak from her injuries, turned and pointed toward Ayami behind Haruto. Haruto's eyes narrowed, and he turned quickly, his grip tightening into fists as he saw her.

"So it's you, after all this time..." he said, his voice filled with a mixture of recognition and anger. "Ayami."

Ayami, now fully in her tiger form, growled softly, her golden eyes glinting with purpose. "You gonna kill me? Then I must kill you, just like that," she replied, her voice muffled but filled with resolve.

The atmosphere thickened with tension as Haruto and Ayami faced off, the two of them locked in a deadly standoff.

The wind howled through the cold, desolate temple as the two opponents stood facing each other, locked in a tense silence. The air between them was thick with animosity, and the broken remains of their surroundings only served to amplify the weight of the moment.

Ayami's golden eyes gleamed from her tiger form, her body low to the ground, muscles coiled and ready to strike. Haruto stood a few feet away, his ice-covered figure radiating a chilling aura. His posture was aggressive, his eyes burning with determination and fury. The two were separated by only the faintest hint of distance, but the divide between them felt insurmountable.

Haruto's breath came out in icy clouds, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "So, you really think you can defeat me, Ayami?" he growled, his voice filled with bitter sarcasm. "I have the power of a god at my fingertips."

Ayami's body shifted, the ripples of fur shifting fluidly as she stood taller, taking on a more regal stance. Her claws scraped the stone floor with a slight rasp. "I've killed gods before," she replied in a low, dangerous growl. "You're nothing compared to them."

Without another word, Ayami lunged forward, her powerful form closing the gap between them in an instant. Haruto reacted quickly, his hands thrusting forward to summon a burst of ice from the ground. The frozen spikes shot up from the floor toward Ayami, but she was already moving, her body shifting and twisting with such speed that the ice barely grazed her fur.

With a swift swipe of her claws, Ayami slashed at Haruto, aiming for his chest. He barely managed to dodge, stepping back just in time to avoid the deadly swipe. The force of the strike sent ice shards flying in all directions, scattering across the temple floor like jagged glass.

Haruto gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, focusing his magic. In a split second, the temperature around them dropped dramatically, and the floor beneath their feet began to freeze. A wall of ice formed between them, the temperature plummeting as the battle intensified.

"You think you can escape me?" Haruto spat, his voice sharp with disdain. "You'll freeze just like everything else!"

But Ayami wasn't fazed. She swiped her tail, the motion causing the ice wall to shatter with a resounding crack. She charged forward again, this time transforming into a swift black panther. Her form was sleek and fast, her speed almost impossible to track.

Haruto's eyes widened as Ayami's panther form darted toward him, her claws extended to strike. He raised his hands, calling forth another ice barrier, but Ayami was already upon him. With a leap, she soared over the wall of ice, her body twisting mid-air, and landed behind him in a fluid motion.

Before Haruto could react, Ayami's claws found their mark, raking across his back. He let out a sharp, frustrated yell, spinning around and conjuring a spike of ice to impale her, but Ayami was already gone.

She was a blur of motion, her agile form darting from one side of the temple to the other, each strike she made narrowly missing its target. Her movements were unpredictable, her speed overwhelming. With each transformation, her form became more elusive, and Haruto's frustration grew as he struggled to land a hit.

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"You can't keep dodging forever!" Haruto roared, his body pulsating with power as he summoned a massive ice storm to fill the room. Snow and ice erupted from the ground, swirling around them like a blizzard. The wind howled, and the temperature dropped even further as Haruto threw his power into the attack.

Ayami was momentarily overwhelmed by the freezing cold, her panther form shivering in the intense storm. But instead of retreating, she used the storm to her advantage. With a low growl, she shifted again, this time into a nimble bobcat. Her smaller form allowed her to slip between the ice shards with ease, dodging each piece of magic Haruto sent her way.

Haruto's frustration mounted as he saw his opponent continue to avoid his attacks. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, summoning even more ice, thick and sharp, to surround the temple. He pushed his magic to the limit, intent on overwhelming her with sheer force.

But Ayami was too fast. As the ice began to close in around her, she darted through it with speed and precision, her movements almost fluid. In a flash, she transformed once more, this time into a sleek cheetah, her body stretching to cover the distance in a matter of seconds.

Haruto's voice rang out sharply, cutting through the swirling ice storm that filled the temple. His eyes burned with a mix of anger and desperation as he summoned the full extent of his ice magic, sending waves of frost crashing through the room.

"Blue! Scatter!" he shouted, urgency lacing his every word.

Suddenly, a flash of blue light flickered through the icy mist, crackling with raw energy. Before Ayami could react, the temperature dropped further, and the air seemed to twist with magic. From the depths of the blizzard, a new figure emerged.

Haruto's form twisted again, his body morphing into a massive ice creature—an embodiment of his power, cold and unyielding. His eyes glowed with an eerie, icy light, and his body was encased in jagged armor of frozen ice, making him appear even more monstrous.

Now fully transformed, Haruto towered over Ayami, a chilling force of nature.

"Heh-He-Heahahah heh hahaha! This is my strongest form, Ayami! Not even your weak claws can get through!" Haruto yelled, his voice brimming with confidence as he towered over her, his ice creature form radiating an intense cold.

But before he could revel in his newfound power, a sudden, unexpected sound interrupted his taunt.

Bang!

A bullet tore through the air, finding its mark and piercing Haruto's head.

For a moment, everything stood still. The air grew colder as his form staggered, the glowing light in his eyes fading. Haruto's monstrous body wavered before collapsing to the ground, the ice magic dissipating as if it had never existed.

I poked my head out from the mirror world to see Ayami. "Ayami-san! You okay?"

"Hikaru... great job... yeah, come out from that mirror world, he's already dead," she replied.

I nodded and jumped out of the mirror, stepping into the real world. I held the Glock, still full of ammunition, and walked over to her. "So... is it finished?"

Ayami looked at the main temple, her gaze serious. "I need to talk with her first..."

Ayami and Hikaru made their way toward the main temple, the heavy silence of the aftermath hanging in the air. As they entered, they saw Yuki-Onna sitting in the center of the room, her pale fingers still pressed against the bullet wounds in her arm. Despite the blood, she appeared composed, her gaze distant, lost in thought.

Ayami approached her with a sly smirk, stepping closer to Yuki-Onna. "So, this is what happens when you mess with me, huh? Thought you could just send me to my death? You really got yourself in a bind now," she mocked, her tone dripping with arrogance.

Yuki-Onna's gaze met Ayami's, her expression calm despite the pain. "You think your victory means anything? You have magic, just like me," she said softly, her voice tinged with regret. "People like us are meant to oppose Enkidu. Those with magic should stand together."

Ayami scoffed, crossing her arms. "Magic? What magic? You've got nothing left. You gods are all just immortals now. Without magic, you're as powerless as the rest of us."

Yuki-Onna's eyes flickered with a mix of sadness and determination. "It's true... Enkidu has taken our magic from us, forbidden its use in this world. But that doesn't mean we have no power left. The gods... we are immortal. We may not be able to wield magic, but our existence endures. We still carry the burden of the world's balance, even if we can't use our full strength."

Ayami stepped closer, her golden eyes narrowing. "So you're telling me that all this time, you've just been stuck here, playing the role of the powerless, immortal god? Seems like a pretty sad existence."

Yuki-Onna's expression softened, almost wistful. "It's not about power, Ayami. It's about the world that has been shaped by the will of the gods... and the consequences of breaking that balance. We may no longer control magic, but we still have a purpose to fulfill."

Ayami's smirk faded slightly as she considered Yuki-Onna's words. "Purpose, huh?" she murmured, glancing over at Hikaru. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not going to sit around and wait for some higher purpose. I've got my own goals. And right now, they're about surviving... not playing god."

Yuki-Onna didn't respond immediately, her eyes distant as she thought about the future, about the fragile existence she now had. She had once been a force to be reckoned with, a goddess of ice. But now, without her magic, she was just another immortal being trapped by the rules of the world.

To Be Continue.