Far from Nero's location, another hunter had been making remarkable progress.
Khione moved through a forest covered in frost.
Unlike Nero, who relied on concealment and precise strikes, she made no attempt to hide her presence completely.
She didn't need to.
The temperature around her had dropped so drastically that the surrounding vegetation was covered in a thin layer of ice. Frost spread across the roots, coated the rocks, and gathered along the edges of the leaves.
The air itself had become cold enough to make every breath visible.
Khione walked through the frozen forest with her usual composed expression.
Her white hair moved gently behind her, and her frosty blue eyes remained fixed on the path ahead.
A faint crystalline aura surrounded her body.
It was beautiful.
And merciless.
