The ice sisters observed the advancing invaders with firm eyes, their expressions as cold as a glaring winter night. Their demeanor betrayed no sense of immediate urgency or worry, with both of them appearing as calm and concise as could be afforded in the present situation.

No one could tell what these two princesses were thinking, but it was awfully clear to their aggressors that they wouldn't go down without a fight.

Yves observed the two individuals on her side, particularly taking note of the thick ominous aura surrounding them.

She felt a bit choked and suffocated by an encroaching sense of fear creeping into her heart. This however didn't stop her from maintaining her cold and indifferent expression, particularly because she didn't want to appear nervous to her enemies.

She gaze the hall a quick glance, noting that most of the nobles and staff had been safely barricaded away by a huge ice column created by the joint efforts of her and her sister.

Aamiya was also behind the frost barricade, observing the upcoming battlefield with adept concentration.

Yves released a relieved sigh, before turning back to her enemies.

'This is going to be tricky without my rapier. Sigh... I should have brought it with me just in case.'

Adele lightly nudged Yves at her side, silently signaling her intention to take on the front two who seemed to be the most aggressive.

Yves gave her a curt nod, indicating that she understood.

She then wordlessly darted into an empty corridor at the side, her intention of containing the aftermath of the imminent battle quite evident.

Princess Adele revealed a rare look of pride at her sister's decisiveness, before switching back to her usual cold and apathetic expression as she readied herself for battle.

The moisture in the air was instantly chilled and solidified, causing the area around the princess to be transformed into her own personal ice domain.

Her previously blue court dress was now encased in a thin layer of crystal frost while her eyes swirled like a glacial torrent, instantly dropping the temperature in her immediate surroundings to a much lower degree.

Frozen swords and spears of numerous shapes and sizes took form all around her, with Princess Adele at their center becoming as domineering as an ice empress.

The two assailants in front of her instantly revealed battle-hungry and maniacal expressions while lunging at her, paying no attention to the cold seeping into their bones or the floating ice constructs above them.

Princess Adele looked down at them with chilling indifference while raising her right hand. She then caused it to descend with supreme authority, willing the levitating cold weapons to lunge at her assailants at breakneck speeds.

The two individuals were prepared for the attack, allowing them to be able to move out of the way in time before it impaled their bodies.

The weapons were pinned to the floor, before suddenly dissolving into clear blue water that took the form of another set of cold weapons in the air.

Seeing this the two assailants became much more excited, as they were now prepared to enjoy a rather thrilling fight.

...

In the adjacent corridor,

Yves ran for quite a bit before stopping at an intersection now covered by rock and debris, deciding that this was far enough from the main hall to serve as the grounds for her soon-to-be clash

Bright red flames still flared in this section of the villa but did nothing to impede or scar her, as she made sure to train her neutral but cold gaze on the two approaching figures while mentally preparing her best tactics for battle.

Her proficiency with the Frost Blessing of the Royal Family wasn't as high as her sister's, so she couldn't adopt an approach as direct and aggressive as hers.

While Princess Adele could utilize it in both close and long-range combat, Yves had mostly trained to make use of it in close contact situations, so her options weren't as diverse when compared to Adeles.

Yves' Royal Blessing acted in the sense that anything she came into contact with would achieve a freezing effect at will, meaning that 'touch' was a very essential factor whereas Princess Adele could achieve unrestricted freezing, eventually even extending to both things that could and could not be frozen.

The only restriction was to a cold domain around her axis but was essentially negligible as Princess Adele would become like a winter god in that radius. The 'area of effect' also moved in adjustment as she moved, making the restriction rather unnoticeable in most situations.

Yves took a deep breath, steeling her nerves.

She knew she essentially didn't need to defeat her opponents, as both she and her sister were aware that their immediate goal was to stall for more time.

She could tell that the two people before her were too much for her to take on alone, so she planned to draw the battle out for as long as was possible.

No matter how dire the battle became, her goal was to stay alive and contain them in this area until reinforcement arrived.

She then ripped apart the leg space of her dress and flung away her banquet shoes, granting herself some much-needed mobility for the battle to come.

She then closed her eyes, feeling for the beads of sweat that had formed on her body from the intense heat in the corridor.

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She willed their form and direction, utilizing the natural liquid to craft a rapier made of solid ice in her hands.

She also placed her hands on her dress, manipulating its soaked-in moisture to alter its structure and create an armor of thin frost all over her body.

This was the contact freezing of the Royal Families Blessing. It allowed them to freeze and manipulate the structure of any and everything, so long as it contained moisture that could be driven and controlled.

This was why Yves had run into the ablaze hallway, as the heat from the flames would give her a constant supply of moisture from their bodily liquids to use during the fight.

As long as she or her enemies emitted sweat, she would be able to maintain her cold weapons and armor for as long as was needed.

The two assailants lunged at her with fiery intensity, causing a fight to instantly break out between both parties.

...

The scar-faced leader of the invading group looked down upon the scene below, sighing at the sight of Princess Adele completely overwhelming his two subordinates.

He looked bored and a bit disappointed as he wholeheartedly watched the fight while not even sparing a single glance at the fear-ridden survivors in the corner.

'I didn't expect the Second Princess to attend such a minor event. As expected, her skills are unparalleled for her age. It is no wonder that she is expected to succeed the current Queen as the next Winter Matriarch.

'An opponent on her level is too much for them to go against without using their skills. In that case...'

The man's aura suddenly became grand and dignified, as he shouted with a voice that sent echoes throughout the villa.

"Hear me! I now permit the use of the Third Layer. Battle without restriction, and kill to your heart's content!"

Immediately his voice sounded out, the assailants battling against Princess Adele revealed joyous and unhinged expressions, as a deep red ominous aura burst out of their bodies, bringing with it an explosion of strength and fury.

The fight which was previously balanced and in Princess Adele's favor had now been toppled on its head!

...

Elias was currently darting through the smoke-filled corridors like a swift eel, anticipating and dodging the direction of the incoming steel knives with vast precision and foresight.

The maniacally perverse lady was soon on his heels, not giving Elias any chance to dodge or go on the offensive as she released attack after attack without any regard for defense.

This put Elias in a pinch, as her overwhelming intensity prevented him from taking the initiative in the fight. All he could do was dodge and remain on the move, praying to the Benevolent Mother that she would eventually run out of throwing knives which she soon did.

Her flurry of attacks came to a sudden pause, allowing Elias to gain a bit of respite from the overly intense altercation.

He looked back to see her smiling at him like a crazy hyena as she extended her hand into her vermilion robe, pulling out a set of blood-stained sickle-shaped blades before advancing to pounce on him once again.

Elias could do nothing but avoid her while continuously darting through the corridors, as he didn't have a weapon on him that he could even use to go on the offensive.

His face mind was plagued with worry, manifesting on his face as urgency which caused the crazed girl to smile more menacingly and increase the boldness of her attacks.

Elias was like a fish caught in a well, as he could do nothing but watch his area of movement diminish under the persistent but clinical waves of attacks launched at him by his assailant.

This made him realize just how intense actual combat was, as friendly sparing and sword practice couldn't hold a candle to the danger that came from being under the threat of a blade.

His emotions began to palpitate faster, as he now found himself standing close to a broken down wall, right back where the fight had previously started.

The vermilion-robed lady looked at him like she was looking at a dish ready to be served, seemingly amused and satisfied.

"Well, would you look at that? We are right back to where we started. I guess we are fated to end this cat-and-mouse chase at the point where you and your friend said your goodbyes. Fate isn't kind to you, is she?"

'Heh... I was a bit bothered by that weird crescent moon symbol on his forehead, but it seemed I was worried for nothing.

'Maybe it's the product of an arcane spell that aids him in maneuvering, which would explain how he was always able to dodge my attacks at the right time. It was a nice trick, but I guess this is his limit.'

She then suddenly flung out one of her blades, one which traveled through the length of the corridor and pinned Elias to the wall.

The blade moved with such high speeds that Elias could only helplessly watch his abdomen being pierced by its curved tip, completely unable to react.

Bright crimson liquid flowed out of the obvious wound, dying his white silk shirt in a prominent shade of red. The force of the collision with the wall caused Elias's mouth to also spurt out blood, continuously feeling the aftermath of the impact on his bones and joints even after being pinned to the wall.

The girl let out a satisfied smirk, before strolling towards Elias casually.

"Thank you for playing with me, you seriously lasted longer than I expected. I almost don't want to kill you, but unfortunately I don't have a choice."

Elias kept his head low, seemingly unconscious as blood kept seeping out of his wound.

"Not that it's an option now anyway. In a few minutes, you'll probably bleed to De—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Elias abruptly raised his head, revealing an amused smile behind all the pain which caused her to be taken aback.

However before she could even contemplate the meaning behind his unusual smile, she found her joints suddenly turn stiff, as she seemed to be restricted from moving in some way.

She felt like an insect trapped in a web of silk spider webs, unexpectedly finding it impossible to even take a step further.

Elias abruptly clenched his right hand, suddenly causing her to be pulled up and pinned in the air.

Numerous misty black silk threads slowly became visible, stretching throughout the entire corridor for as far as the eye could see.

It looked like they had stepped into a giant spider cave!

Elias let out a painful yelp as he yanked the sickle blade away from his abdomen, before placing his left hand on the injury while maintaining his control of the threads.

A soft green flowery light suddenly flowed out of his hand into his injury, as he felt his abdomen overcome by a soft and warm feeling.

By the time he pulled off his hand, his injury had vanished without leaving even a single scar. It was like it had never happened.

The girl suspended in the air expressed shock at the scene, before laughing maniacally.

"Hahaha... I see. So it was a trap set up since the very beginning."

Elias looked up at her with a neutral expression, his eyes a bit tired.

"Mmm, it was."

She expressed her curiosity, not the least bit perturbed.

"But you actually looked despaired and desperate during the chase, emotions don't lie."

Elias simply shrugged. "That is true. I was indeed afraid, but my portrayal of it was purposely exaggerated to make you let down your guard and focus on the chase, preventing you from paying attention to the changes in your surroundings."

He then pointed to his head

"Battles aren't only fought physically, but also mentally. Likewise, a commander isn't only judged by his number of successful fights, but also by the diversity of his battlefield tactics and situation control.

"I won because I controlled the entire battlefield, while you lost by only focusing on the battle itself. It's that simple."

The robed assailant was stunned, before breaking out into yet another fit of laughter.

"Hahahaha... Well done, very well done. You are so fun, so fun that I can't wait to get my hands on you. Stabbing into your flesh and draining your blood would feel so fulfilling after this."

The perverse expression on her face caused Elias to recoil in disgust, as he then tightened her binds which caused her to shout out in pain.

The materialized form of ether tightening itself around her body brought about an intense wave of anguish, one which made her eyes roll back and her consciousness almost give out.

Elias was about to think of what to do with her when a sudden shout echoed within the villa, bringing with it an ominous sign of trepidation that settled over his heart.

"Hear me! I now permit the use of the Third Layer. Battle without restriction, and kill to your heart's content!"