The flames on the angel's sword immediately spread on Clara's body, engulfing her with it.
As the angel stopped hugging Clara, she pulled her sword back and let the burning Visitor fall to the snow.
Clara had died. It was unknown if she died before the flames could spread throughout her body, or if she died while burning.
It was a quick, brutal, unfair battle.
The female angel stared at the burning corpse for a while, and turned around.
Suddenly, she turned around again. She stared up at the sky, though the sky couldn't be seen because of the blizzard.
Her golden eyes slightly squinted. She turned around once again.
With her beautiful, white wings, she flew towards the icy castle.
Then, she used her flames to completely melt the gigantic doors made of ice. Her feathered wings couldn't catch on fire.
She was met with the sight of multiple corpses.
Two of them were still standing.
The rest had died.
Juliana was kneeling on the floor with her umbrella plunged deeply on the floor. She was no longer breathing, and she was bloody all over.
Ashley was stuck on one of the icy pillars, her own umbrella piercing her stomach.
Rayman was laying on the icy floor, one of his eyes was shot, most likely by his own bullets.
Vincent was on the icy floor, just a charred corpse that was still on fire. He was completely unrecognizable now.
As for Sasha, she was sitting with her back on an icy pillar, bloody and deceased. Her face no longer had that once vibrant smile.
And of course, there were the two corpses that had died much earlier—Nick and Joseph.
The female angel, who was still floating in mid-air, cast her gaze on the ones who were still standing.
A man with brown hair, Donovan.
And a man with thick eyebrows, and a gray stubble beard, Johnny, the messenger.
Johnny was on one knee, closing the one remaining eye of Rayman with his right hand.
Meanwhile, Donovan was also on one knee, trying to catch his breath.
The angel looked over towards the King of Ice, the one who had summoned her.
The crowned zombified figure was nowhere to be seen, as well as the thick bearded figure with a book and a trumpet.
Only the intimidating king was standing there.
Then, she gracefully flew towards the king's side.
As the King of Ice raised their right hand, about to snap their fingers, they suddenly heard the angel say, "I can sense the presence of a certain someone…"
The king, Wilhelm Wraithson, snapped their fingers, and the angel slowly disappeared, turning into snow that fell on the floor.
Johnny stood up, and went to Donovan's side.
"Dean's hiding somewhere. Don't lose hope."
Upon hearing Johnny's words, he slightly calmed down.
Johnny continued, "I don't know what's taking them so long. Why aren't they sending help yet?" He was referring to the higher-ups.
Donovan couldn't help but ask, "Where's Miss Clara?"
Johnny sighed. "That angel took Clara outside to fight her alone. The angel came back, except for Clara."
Miss Clara was at Storm Rank, Category 1… If that angel was able to beat a Storm Rank, we have no chance.
Is this… the end?
Miss Clara…
Donovan slowly stood up.
Suddenly, Dean reappeared in front of Sasha's corpse. He slowly went down on one knee, and closed Sasha's eyes, his hands being stained with blood.
Even though she had slapped him earlier at the restaurant and bruised his ego, Sasha was still a comrade. And also, that slap made him realize some things about himself.
Dean hated that feeling of losing his comrades in battle. He's grown tired of it.
He slowly stood up, walking towards the two survivors.
Dean stood beside Donovan. Then, he and Donovan readied their umbrellas. As for Johnny, he put up a stance, his fists at the ready.
The King of Ice then slowly said, "Look around you… Do you still wish to fight?"
"I can let you walk away, and live to tell the tale…"
"But if you still… wish to fight me, then…"
Suddenly, snow started to fall from above.
It was snowing indoors!
Right after that, sunlight passed through the gigantic doorway, falling on the two Visitors and the messenger, as well as the unmoving corpses. Except for the King of Ice.
The King of Ice continued, "All of you will die here."
Donovan pointed his umbrella at the king, charging up his final Light Beam.
Johnny rushed like a wild bear, breaking the icy floor he ran on with each step.
The king took a step forward, raised their sword, and was about to bring it down on the rushing Johnny.
But Dean was faster.
He immediately appeared behind the enemy, and pointed the tip of his umbrella on the king's back.
He yelled loudly at that moment.
Time seemed to slow down at that moment.
And it did slow down. Everyone, including the king, was immediately stunned and confused by the slowing down of time.
Their movements were in slow motion!
Then, there was the sound of bells jingling.
At that moment, their surroundings seemed to warp wildly, the blue becoming more blue, and the sunlight becoming brighter.
Fog immediately filled everyone's visions. Except for the king.
As the fog cleared, everyone slowly opened their eyes.
There were no corpses, no blood, and no rubble.
Everyone was back at the start! They were back from the very beginning when the king reached the bottom of the stairs!
Even the ones who had died!
The feeling of despair, confusion, hope, dread, and all kinds of inexplicable feelings immediately hit everyone in a wild manner.
The King of Ice was staring at the floor, as though they were asleep…
Suddenly, at that very moment, the red-haired Michael appeared in front of the group.
The gigantic door was then opened by four figures from the outside. They were wearing suits, most likely other Visitors. Vi, Michael's assistant, was among them.
Michael used his extraordinary speed to transport everyone outside the castle. Dean, who was an Assassin, was too dumbfounded to properly react to Michael's actions. Hence, he was carried by Michael outside.
The king did not move from their spot whatsoever, merely staring at the floor.
Donovan fell on both knees, struggling to catch his breath. Clara, Sasha, and the others that had previously died were filled with utter confusion. Some were not moving from their spot at all.
This was because when they died, it was only darkness that they could see. They were conscious in that dark, lonely space. They remembered how they died, how painful it was, and were confused why they were there in that dark space.
Only when they felt their surroundings warping did they suddenly wake up standing inside the icy castle, devoid of any blood, destruction, and corpses.
Sasha immediately went to hug Ashley, as well as Juliana. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and Ashley was crying as well.
As for Juliana, she silently hugged Sasha back. Clara patted Sasha on the back, and so, Sasha went to hug Clara as well.
As Sasha cried while hugging her, Clara couldn't hold back and let a few tears fall. She hugged Sasha back.
Rayman put a hand on his right eye, where he was shot. Upon realizing that he was okay, he let out a sigh of relief.
Vincent laid down on the snow, making a snow angel. When he fired a Blazing Arrow at the thick-bearded enemy with the trumpet and the book, it redirected back to him, and he couldn't dodge in time. Vincent died from his own spell.
Nick sat up on the snow, sighing. Joseph was drawing something on the snow with his umbrella. They were both disappointed that, as Fighter-types, they had died so quickly.
Dean watched the crying Sasha with a straight face. But inside, he was definitely smiling.
Suddenly, they heard Michael's voice, "You're all safe now. The mission is a success, we'll handle it from here."
Hope and relief filled everyone on the inside.
Johnny, the messenger, decided to ask, "What just happened? What did Tiero tell you that he did not tell me?"
"Why am I out of the loop? Why are we back from the very beginning of the fight?"
Michael shook his head.
"Tiero and the others also have no idea what just happened."
"He sent me and a few more Visitors to save you all. And when I arrived, you were all just standing there with your eyes closed. Not even a second after that, your eyes suddenly opened."
"Also, communication was cut off at some point, so Tiero and the others couldn't see what was happening on the live recording."
"They said that it was at the moment that the… 'King of Ice' reached the bottom of the stairs and everything was suddenly cut off…"
"...Tiero thinks that the moment the 'King of Ice' reached the bottom of the stairs, all of you, including the enemy, fell asleep suddenly."
"We don't know what exactly happened, why you all just fell asleep suddenly."
"It wasn't that you guys were 'back from the very beginning,' it's that you guys just fell asleep and didn't move from your spot at all."
Michael paused, and continued, "Could it be… that you were all in a dream?"
Everyone immediately fell silent after hearing Michael's words.
If what he was saying was true, then everything that happened "earlier" was just a dream! The deaths, the destruction, the fight, everything, was all a dream!
They didn't fight the King of Ice in the first place!
But… the pain felt so real… When that angel stabbed me, it was really painful… Clara was lost in thought.
Donovan stepped up, and asked the ones who had died, "When you guys died, what was it like? Since… well, since we think it was all a dream, how was it, dying in a dream?"
"All I saw was darkness. I was in this dark space, like an endless abyss…" said Vincent.
"Yes, it was like that for me as well," said Sasha.
I see… So since it was a dream, when they died, they didn't exactly go into the afterlife… Assuming that an 'afterlife' does exist…
Or what if that was the afterlife?
Also… when me, Dean, and Mr. Johnny were about to face off against the King of Ice, there was snow falling indoors, and sunlight…
Sunlight… There's no sunlight in Tosla!
Donovan rushed back towards the icy castle.
Johnny immediately shouted, "Donovan! What are you—"
"Just gonna check on something!" replied Donovan.
Upon arriving at the gigantic doorway, Donovan's eyes landed on the King of Ice.
They were not moving. Their head was lowered down, staring at the icy floor.
I knew it! The king is still asleep…
Why haven't they woken up?
Inside the "dream," Wilhelm Wraithson's dream.
He was confused as to why the three humans suddenly vanished.
The sunlight shining through the gigantic doorway started to become brighter.
Then, at that moment, the king felt the surroundings become "hot."
The ice was starting to melt. The castle was slowly melting.
The interior of the castle had already mostly melted. A flaming spear was suddenly thrown down from above, landing on the center of the throne room.
At the moment of impact between the spear and the ground, flames spread out everywhere, engulfing the King of Ice with flames.
Then, the sunlight shining through the doorway "lowered" down, and Wilhelm saw a fiery figure enter the castle. Sunlight emitted out of the fiery figure.
The sunlight from earlier came from this figure. After all, there was no sunlight in Tosla.
The flaming spear disappeared.
The King of Ice was completely unscathed by the flames.
The figure's flames disappeared, revealing their body.
Orange hair with a bit of red, and magnificent armor with a red cape. The figure was a man with golden, fiery eyes.
Some of his strands of orange hair were on fire. On his waist was an intimidating sword.
And on his face was a kind and gentle smile.
The man looked at Wilhelm, and spoke in a gentle, soft voice, "Hello, Brother."