The Frost Temple stood carved into the heart of the glacier, ancient steps spiraling upward, every surface etched with runes that glowed a calm, cold blue. Unlike the wild chaos of the Frost Realm outside, this place felt old, dignified—like it remembered every winter that had ever passed.
As the group entered, the air shifted.
From the inner sanctum emerged the Ice Yokai Leader, tall and elegant, robes flowing like drifting snow, eyes sharp as frozen stars. The moment their gaze landed on Frostina, they froze.
"…Frostina?" the leader said slowly. "No—Blizzaria."
A murmur rippled through the lesser ice yokai lining the hall.
"You shed your true form," the leader continued, disbelief clear in their voice. "Why would you return to a lower state?"
Frostina didn't answer.
She simply stepped forward, calm and composed, eyes steady—not ashamed, not defensive. Just… resolved.
The Ice Yokai Leader studied her for a long moment. Then their gaze shifted to Nate, to the others, to the fragments of power faintly resonating from Frostina's core.
"…I see," they said at last. "So you chose your own winter."
Without another word, the leader turned and gestured toward the altar.
Two crystalline shards floated up from their pedestals—perfect, pristine pieces of the Glacial Clip, humming softly as if recognizing Frostina's presence.
No trials. No battle. No speeches.
Just acceptance.
The shards drifted down, settling gently into Frostina's hands. For a brief second, her fingers trembled—not from cold, but from emotion.
Nate walked up beside her and pulled out the fragments they'd already collected, laying them out one by one.
Four shards now gleamed together, their light synchronizing.
He whistled lightly.
"Ok… four down, one more to go." He glanced around the serene temple, then back at the battered Frost Guardian they'd jumped earlier in the day. "Gotta say—this one was the easiest."
Aaron folded his arms, nodding sagely. "Turns out not jumping the local government helps."
Serafall leaned closer to Nate, whispering dramatically, "So this means the last one is definitely the hardest, right?"
Nate deadpanned. "That's how quests work. If it wasn't, I'd be worried."
The Ice Yokai Leader spoke again, voice lower now.
"The final shard lies beyond the inner storm. It will not yield to strength alone."
Nate smiled faintly.
"Good. We've already tried violence."
Frostina looked down at the shards in her hands, then up at Nate.
"…Thank you."
He met her gaze and nodded. "Almost there."
Outside the temple, the wind began to howl—louder than before.
The Frost Realm itself was reacting.
One shard left.
Nate spoke in his mind. 'So, you're never gonna tell them about the Crank a Kai thing, are you?'
She said back in her head. 'They will never learn I return to this state, because I was sealed on the Crank A Kai for too long, never!'.
Nate let out a slow breath, keeping his face neutral so no one else would notice the pause.
'…Fair enough, he replied in his mind. That thing messed you up bad.'
Frostina's grip tightened slightly around the Glacial Clip shards. For just a moment, the calm ice around her cracked—just a hairline fracture—before settling again.
'Sealed. Frozen. Forgotten,' her voice echoed softly in his head. 'Blizzaria is perfection. Frostina is weakness. They would never accept that the Queen of Ice broke.'
Nate glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was standing tall, composed, elegant—exactly how the Ice Yokai expected her to be.
'You didn't break, he thought back. You survived.'
There was a pause. Longer this time.
'…You are strange, Frostina replied. Most would call this shame.'
Nate shrugged internally. Most people didn't get shoved into a cosmic gacha machine and forgotten for who-knows-how-long.
That earned him something rare.
A faint, mental laugh—soft as falling snow.
'When I become Blizzaria again, she said, quieter now, this secret stays between us.'
Nate nodded once. Deal.
Ahead of them, the winds beyond the temple gates began to twist violently, forming a towering wall of snow and ice. The Frost Realm's inner storm had awakened—guarding the final shard.
Serafall cracked her knuckles, eyes sparkling. "Ooooh~ boss area vibes!"
Kunou's tail flicked excitedly. "This one feels strong."
Nate stepped forward, hand resting on his sword, expression calm but focused.
"One shard left," he said aloud. "Let's finish this."
Behind him, Frostina looked at his back—steady, unafraid—and for the first time since her sealing, she felt something warmer than ice.
Hope.
The Frost Realm deepened as they moved forward.
Snow crunched softly beneath their feet, the air growing thinner, sharper—so cold it felt clean. The howling wind funneled toward a massive ice-carved cave ahead, its entrance glowing faintly with moonlit frost.
Nate narrowed his eyes. ''Yep. Dungeon final room energy.''
They stepped inside.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the wind snapped into a violent spiral, snow lifting from the ground as if pulled by an unseen tide. The cave walls shimmered with ancient runes, frozen so deeply into the ice they looked grown rather than carved.
Then—
Footsteps.
Slow. Deliberate.
From the heart of the cave emerged a man with waist-length silver hair flowing like liquid moonlight. Pointed ears pierced through the strands, golden slit-pupiled eyes gleaming with quiet authority. A purple crescent moon marked his forehead, magenta stripes traced his cheeks, wrists, and eyelids, and ornate white armor rested over a flowing kimono—elegant, ceremonial… yet unmistakably built for war.
Power rolled off him in calm, crushing waves.
Behind him, shadows shifted—just enough for everyone to glimpse the outline of something massive. A white dog's silhouette, eyes glowing red for a heartbeat before fading back into stillness.
The man stopped a few steps away and spoke, voice smooth as falling snow.
"Who dares enter my do—"
He paused.
Golden eyes swept over the group.
"…oh. You people?"
Nate lifted a hand casually and waved. "Hey, Tsukuyomi."
Serafall nearly tripped. Kunou's ears shot straight up. Even Kuroka froze mid-smirk.
Tsukuyomi blinked once, then gave a small, amused exhale. "Well, I'll be damned."
His gaze settled on Nate, sharp and assessing. "Hello, Yokai King-to-be."
'Why does everyone important already know my future title,' Nate sighed internally. 'Do I get a pamphlet for this?'
Tsukuyomi's eyes flicked briefly to Frostina—then to the shards she carried. The temperature in the cave dipped another degree.
"So," he said calmly, "you seek the final piece of the Glacial Clip."
Frostina stepped forward, chin raised. "It belongs to the Frost Court."
Tsukuyomi nodded. "It does. And I am its warden."
Serafall leaned closer to Nate and whispered, "Is… is that that Tsukuyomi?"
Nate whispered back, "Moon god, ice-adjacent authority, giant divine dog form. Yeah. That one."
Aaron stared up at Tsukuyomi, then at Nate. "…You just greet gods now?"
Nate shrugged. "Depends on the god."
Tsukuyomi's lips curved faintly. "Bold. Consistent. I see why prophecy favors you."
The moon mark on his forehead glowed softly, and the cave responded—ice rising behind him like a throne.
"Normally," Tsukuyomi continued, "this shard is earned through trial. Combat. Endurance. Worth."
He looked directly at Nate.
"But you," he said, eyes glinting with interest, "break the logic of worlds."
A pause.
"…So I propose a different test."
The shadows behind him stirred again, the massive canine presence pressing closer.
"Show me," Tsukuyomi said calmly, "not your strength—"
His eyes sharpened.
"But your will."
The final shard pulsed within the ice behind him, responding to Nate's presence.
Nate tightened his grip on his sword, frost and flame quietly blooming along the blade.
'Alright,' he thought. 'Moon god, ancient rules, final boss that isn't really a boss.'
He smiled.
"Fine," Nate said aloud. "Let's do this your way."
Nate looked at Tsukuyomi and nodded.
"Let's start."
A few minutes later—
Everyone stood in silence.
A very specific kind of silence.
Two stone tables of ice had risen from the cave floor. On them sat duel mats carved with moon sigils and frost patterns. A spectral deck hovered in front of each player, cards faintly glowing with divine light.
Nate slowly looked down at his hand.
Then up at Tsukuyomi.
Then back at the cards.
"…We're playing Yu-Gi-Oh."
Tsukuyomi calmly drew a card, his movements unhurried, dignified. "Correct."
Nate pinched the bridge of his nose. "Seriously? This is how you want me to prove my will?"
Tsukuyomi placed a card face-down with elegant finality.
"Hey," he said evenly, "it is exceedingly rare to find someone in the divine realms who both has the patience to play this game and can survive the rules explanation."
Serafall gasped. "He's right! Even Heaven banned it after three rule updates!"
Kunou stared at the cards. "Why do they have so many words?"
Kuroka squinted. "Nyaa… this card has more text than a grimware."
Aaron leaned over to Nate. "Son… blink twice if you need help."
Nate sighed. 'Of course. Final trial before a divine moon god. Card games.'
He straightened, eyes sharpening just a little.
"Fine," Nate said. "But we're playing properly."
Tsukuyomi's golden eyes gleamed. "Naturally."
The wind howled as Tsukuyomi drew.
"I summon White Lunar Guardian – Fenrir's Reflection in defense mode."
A spectral wolf made of moonlight and ice manifested behind him, howling silently.
Nate raised an eyebrow. "You're starting slow. Respectable."
Tsukuyomi folded his arms. "A duel is not won by haste. It is won by resolve."
Nate smirked. "Good. Because I hate stall decks."
He drew.
"I summon Blazion, Flame of Unyielding Will."
Fire and frost erupted together, Blazion landing on the field with a roar that shook the cave walls.
Fumika blinked. "Why does his card look stronger than reality?"
Tsukuyomi nodded approvingly. "Interesting. Your deck reflects your soul."
'Of course it does,' Nate thought. 'Why wouldn't it.'
Nate placed a card down. "I set one card and end my turn."
Tsukuyomi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You do not overextend," he observed. "Nor do you hesitate."
Nate shrugged. "I've got a lot of worlds riding on me. You learn when to hold back."
The moon mark on Tsukuyomi's forehead glowed brighter.
"My turn."
The duel escalated—not with explosions, but with pressure. Every move carried weight, every card an expression of belief.
Tsukuyomi played patiently, methodically. Nate adapted, countered, refused to break.
Minutes passed.
Then—
Tsukuyomi drew his final card.
He stared at it for a long moment.
"…So," he said softly, "this is how it ends."
He placed the card face-up.
"Eclipse of the Eternal Moon."
The cave darkened as moonlight and shadow clashed.
Nate didn't flinch.
He drew.
Looked at his card.
And smiled.
'Yeah. This fits.'
"I activate Unbroken Path," Nate said calmly. "Negate your field effect, and when you try to overwrite me with fate…"
He placed the card down.
"…I keep going anyway."
Silence.
Then Tsukuyomi laughed—low, genuine, approving.
"Magnificent."
The cards dissolved into light. The ice throne cracked and faded.
The final shard of the Glacial Clip floated forward, settling gently into Frostina's hands.
Tsukuyomi bowed his head slightly.
"You did not win by power," he said. "You won by persistence. By choosing to continue when complexity itself tried to crush you."
He looked Nate in the eyes.
"That," Tsukuyomi said, "is will."
Nate rubbed the back of his neck. "So… no rematch?"
Tsukuyomi smirked. "Never again. The banlist alone is terrifying."
And for the first time since entering the Frost Realm—
The wind stopped.
Nate grinned, completely unfazed.
"So, weekend Yu-Gi-Oh match?"
Tsukuyomi regarded him for a moment, golden slit-pupiled eyes calm, ancient… and faintly amused.
"I am only free on Sunday," he said. "Do not forget."
Nate snapped his fingers. "Sunday it is. I'll bring snacks."
Serafall leaned in instantly. "I call being the commentator!"
Tsukuyomi visibly hesitated for half a second. "…I may reconsider my availability."
Fumika stepped forward then, holding up her Yo-kai Pendant with both hands, her tone respectful but hopeful.
"Sir Tsukuyomi, can you please finish the blessings on this?"
The moon god's gaze shifted to the pendants. The air subtly changed—cooler, heavier, like the night sky pressing closer.
"I will," Tsukuyomi said evenly. "One day, Seer."
Fumika bowed deeply. "Thank you."
Nate tilted his head. 'That wasn't a no.'
Frostina hugged the completed Glacial Clip to her chest, smiling softly. 'We did it…'
Kunou tugged Nate's sleeve. "Uncle Nate, is he a dog?"
Tsukuyomi's ears twitched.
Nate answered instantly. "Very big one."
Tsukuyomi sighed. "I am standing right here."
Kuroka giggled. "Nyaa~ big moon doggo."
Aaron crossed his arms, chuckling. "So this is just normal for you now, huh?"
Nate looked around at the frost cave, divine moon god, legendary artifact, harem, Yo-kai, and a future card game appointment with a god.
"…Yeah," Nate said. "Pretty much."
Tsukuyomi stepped back, moonlight already folding around him.
"Yokai King to be," he said, voice echoing softly, "when the night calls, answer it. The path ahead will not always be this… amusing."
Nate met his gaze, serious now.
"I know."
A pause.
Then Tsukuyomi added, "Also—bring your own deck next time. Divine cards are expensive."
And with that, he vanished into moonlight.
The cave brightened. The Frost Realm settled.
Serafall clapped her hands. "Well! That was productive!"
Nate exhaled slowly. 'I just befriended a moon god through card games.'
He glanced at Frostina. "Alright. Artifact secured. Let's go home before something else mythical asks me to play Monopoly."
The group laughed, turning back toward the exit—
unaware that far away, in the shadows of the supernatural world…
The real villains were finally starting to pay attention.
To be continued
Hope people like this Ch and give me power stones and enjoy