Alone, but unafraid, Snapper wandered the Paradise District in search of the young princess he sought to kill.
"Dammit! I knew I should've finished her off when I had the chance!" he grumbled to himself.
Snapper cursed under his breath, upset at himself for handing the responsibility over to Wolf, who he realized wasn't suited for such a task.
"Guess it's my fault in the end... I shouldn't have let a rookie do a killer's dirty work. Next time, I'll take matters into my own hands."
Killing a noble princess didn't seem like something worth doing at first, considering Mel still had several political ties and a royal background supporting her. However, Snapper–aware of this–planned to deal with such repercussions later on.
His intuition was telling him that she would be an annoying enemy in the future if left alone. To Snapper, the future was of most importance; nothing was going to stop him from taking her life.
A soft crunch resounded in the still air as Snapper took a step forward.
"So, it's just like May said, huh?"
Although Snapper was currently on the hunt for Mel, there was one thing that took priority over his hatred.
He surveyed the destruction before him: fallen trees, holes in the ground, a broken fountain, large stone pieces scattered everywhere that used to belong to a tall bird statue, and lastly…
"Amber…"
Beside a single tree–firm and unscathed–near the center of the park, stood a frozen statue of blue ice, the image resembling someone whom he failed to protect.
"Damn, you and May really went through something out here, huh?" He approached the frozen Amber who still held her arm out in front of her to forever wipe the tears of someone no longer present.
Snapper then paused just in front of her, taking a moment to admire the image as though she were a beautiful art piece at an exhibition.
"You know, you actually look kinda pretty all frozen like that. Maybe it's cuz I don't have to listen to you flapping your gums at me like usual."
Snapper stared at her for a few more seconds before sighing deeply.
"You're not even talking, but it's like I can still hear you telling me to stop wasting time…"
He gently placed his hand upon her cold head.
"After I help you out, I'm adding this to the list of favors you owe me." He smiled and withdrew his hand. "... See ya–"
Just as he was about to turn around, Snapper suddenly noticed a red stain on the hand he placed on Amber's head.
Snapper closely examined his fingers, and soon realized what it was.
Blood… and it's fresh too, he thought.
Snapper then looked down at the ground, noticing the same red stain present on some parts of the snow that covered the grass around him.
"This is… SHIT!"
Immediately after grasping the situation, Snapper turned his head to see the sharp edge of a tall blade descending upon him.
Luckily he was able to figure things out in time to evade the attack, rolling his body over to the side and gazing upward at his enemy.
"No!" he cried out, as the blade crashed against the ice statue, but fortunately no damage was done to it and instead the blade slightly recoiled back toward its wielder.
"Tch, to think that you'd be able to detect my presence so soon… I underestimated you." Mel calmly stepped back, sizing up the opponent in front of her.
She had to be extra careful to not make any rash decisions. The problems caused by her neck wound were already enough.
Fortunately, that attack she received from Snapper wasn't deep enough to completely cut through her jugular veins, otherwise she would have bled to death by now.
Or perhaps she would have absorbed the blood and prevented the bleeding using her card ability 'Blackening', however, she had reached its usage limit for the time being like many of her other abilities.
Snapper, relieved that Amber's statue was still standing despite the blow from Mel's sword, rose to his feet, his fists clenched.
"Showing yourself to me was a bad move, princess…"
"On the contrary," Mel replied with a smile, her free hand still covering her neck wound while her sword was pointed toward Snapper. "The ice hat's location is just up ahead, so it is absolutely adamant that I defeat you here and now."
"The ice hat…?" Snapper took a glance behind him, unable to see past a thick mist that obscured the opposite side of the park from view. "You're bluffing. If the ice hat was really just up ahead, you wouldn't risk telling me that."
"Wouldn't I? In case you've forgotten, I can't cross into its zone anymore since I claimed the previous one, and it just so happens to begin right where you're currently standing."
"... You're lying."
Mel began to chuckle. "Whether you choose to believe me or not won't matter anyway. I have informed my master of the ice hat's location. He will be here to collect it any moment now."
Snapper carefully observed her expression. It was practically impossible to know whether or not she was actually telling the truth, but it wouldn't be wise to stay here any longer and find out.
If Jude's really on his way, then that only means trouble… Shit! I have no choice then!
Snapper, quickly making his decision, decided to back away slowly while still facing Mel.
She then smiled at him cunningly.
"What the hell are you so happy about?" Snapper questioned. "You seem awfully smug for someone who's about to lose this round."
"Ah, yes, it is quite a shame," Mel replied, trying desperately to repress her joy. "Please, go on and claim what is rightfully yours. I will be here in the meantime, singing songs of woe at your triumph."
She attempted to shew him away, but Snapper remained, desperately trying to figure out what was making her so cheerful.
And then it dawned on him.
"You… you actually want me to claim the ice hat, don't you? That's why you're standing here beside Amber; you want her to come back so you can kill her yourself! You must've lied about telling Jude the location of the hat too…"
Snapper, having figured out Mel's plan, began to charge at her, realizing there was no longer anything stopping him from taking her down first.
However, Mel's expression hadn't changed one bit, as though she had expected Snapper to react this way.
"Master, I have located the ice hat," she said, while in telepathic communication with Jude. "It is in the park within the burial site… You will be here shortly, you say? Then I shall be elated upon your arrival…"
Snapper was again forced to a halt.
"YOU BITCH!"
"You can either trouble yourself with me, giving more time for my master to arrive, or you can utilize the head start that I have so graciously bestowed you… The decision is all yours."
Snapper glanced at Amber's frozen visage for a moment as if trying to imagine what she'd say to him. He didn't have to ponder for too long, having almost immediately heard her annoying screams.
"... You can stay here and wait for as long as you want, princess. Heck, you might as well pitch a tent while you're at it. But just keep one thing in mind… The second I retrieve that ice hat, I'm gonna hurry down here and kill you before you can even lay a finger on her."
A glint of malice burned within Snapper's eyes as he declared a vow of death upon the sworn enemy before him.
"Bold words… I hope for your sake you will be able to stay true to them. Otherwise, we shall both continue this feud while dancing around the flames of hell."
Without wanting to waste any more time with her, Snapper quickly distanced himself, steadily approaching the graveyard enshrouded in a deep and eerie mist.
"Tch, she's lucky my abilities are on a cooldown," Snapper quietly complained.
He desperately wanted to pull her into the zone using his 'Vortex Grab' ability, but despite it being a level four card, it only had two stars, so there was a relatively long cooldown between its usage.
"Dammit, I'm so gonna kill that bitch when this is all over…"