I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

Her world, which seemed to have slipped from her grasp moments ago, had seemed to return.

Fortified even, by the presence of an unprecedented individual.

'Unprecedented?'

She wondered as she stared at the back of the boy who stood between her and certain death.

She had survived.

Even if it were by a thread… she had lived to see more– Days, weeks, years, it didn't matter.

What did, though…

'It's not over.'

The Beast was still alive, and if something wasn't done about it, she would have to kiss this world goodbye.

'I have too much to do to die now.'

Surviving alone had proven useless. She couldn't defeat it… even if the Earth was turned over.

It was simply far too powerful for her to deal with it alone.

Ban, though.

'Can he… would he survive? Can he defeat it?'

She could not find the words to question him.

Not when he had saved her at the brink.

'I should have died back then.'

The lightning had enveloped her.

It had surrounded every freeway for an escape.

Her mana had run out, and her wand was completely useless.

'And unfortunately, I'm not a Magic prodigy like some… few people I know.'

The Great Families were truly talented monsters.

Even the most unskilled from their Household would foster better than most skilled fighters from Noble Households… and generally, the Imperial Household.

She shook her head at the thought.

'While we may not be as talented in magic or swords… we are the chosen family.

The blessing of Mayura dwells within us…'

And oftentimes, royals like Meadow, who can read thoughts, exist.

Unpredictable abilities are tied to their family history.

Ban wasn't anyone special.

At least from her viewpoint.

'But Raph saw something different… and just now…'

The moment replayed.

The lightning sparks. The bolts that quaked the air. The charred floor and fiery touches of the freckles of lightning that had begun to dance on her skin.

The tingling sensation sent a shiver of dread down her spine.

A feeling that she didn't want to experience a second time.

She sighed. 'He had saved me at that dine minute…'

It would be stupid to think outrunning lightning was normal.

'Nothing about it was…'

And that left her puzzled.

Seconds passed as she pondered… but no matter the path… everything led down to Rome.

She intensified her stare. Watching and observing the Boy who stood like a wall in front of her.

A knight in shining armour.

'But he's far from becoming a Knight.'

Perhaps that could be fixed…

'Well, it wouldn't hurt to believe.'

What could she stand to lose?

A sigh escaped her lips as her intense gaze began to lose its tension.

She leaned forward unintentionally, and her thoughts split before she could even process them.

"Please…please Ban, kill that thing."

But a response never came.

Instead, a burst of movements followed.

Her head whipped up as the air around them hummed with a terrible wave of mana.

Her eyes flared open as she watched with loosened jaws.

'Did he hear me, though?!'

Ban had taken to the skies.

With a speed she couldn't follow.

'What?'

The boy swayed like the spring leaves and summoned a strange staff that exuded a white hue.

Her gaze shifted to the weapon, and a strange curiosity sparked within her as she took in its shape and length.

'Is that shaped like a moon?'

In a flash of light, the boy descended and the World proclaimed his fall with a thunderous quake of the earth.

Cracks of spiderweb spread like cancer across the forest floor, reaching her in seconds.

She jumped to her feet and leapt away.

Dodging an incoming crack that slid like a coiled serpent to a tree.

It struck and spread upwards.

Cracking and breaking the Terrestrial lifeforms like wax.

Meadow watched with evident surprise as the tree split in unequal halves, and began to tilt to the sides.

She turned to leave when her vision was blurred by a cloud of dust that rose into the air.

Bewildered and bamboozled by the sudden loss, she tripped and fell.

Exclaiming softly as she landed on the forest floor.

As she did so, her thoughts began to fall into order.

'What was that?' She screamed within as she scurried backwards away from a guttural roar. A brutal resistance from the Bear as the earth shuddered once more.

'What?!'

Her eyes widened at the sight before her.

In what seemed like waves and flashes.

Mana and energy collided.

A swirl of motions that were hardly followable with her eyes.

She could make out the silhouettes of the Beast and her guard. A scene so fluid, it felt staged.

The Beast cried out, its lightning beam erupting from the edge of the thicket of smoke.

But its target was never struck.

Not once.

Agility that made the nimblest of beasts seem like a circus monkey was being portrayed by Ban.

He swerved his way through the Beasts' incoming palm blows with relative ease, while dealing a wound of his own with the blade of his spear.

Each attack was premeditated. Taken into account and attacked securely.

And his style of fighting? Well, quite frankly, it stood odd to the Young princess who watched with a wry smile on her face.

Her thoughts landed with a realization that hit hard.

'Was the Beast toying with me?!'

Noticeably, the Diamond Bear was faster. Stronger.

Its strikes carried weight and were responsible for the constant sonic booms that diffused the air.

The earth had sunken from its initial baseline, and it had begun to spread with even more destruction.

Meadow did nothing but watch… but watch as she may, the fight was impossible to follow or comprehend.

'Why does this feel like the Attack on the Academy, once more?'

Back then too, she had been surrounded by powerhouses.

So much so that she had lost two of her bodyguards.

'On paper…'

The disparity of the situation landed.

'... I don't like this feeling I'm getting because of it.'

Back then, and now, one thing has proven true.

'I hate that I'm too weak to protect myself.'

But what could be done?

Royalties weren't made because they were powerful.

No, their Imperial bloodline stems from something more than just swords and magic.

The rest of the world had failed to accomplish it.

And that, ultimately, was the choice of a god… or in their case, the goddess.

Their word was absolute, and their rule had become such for many years.

Not out of power… but out of Heavenly meditation.

Take it simply as they, the Swanstorm were the Chosen ones.

'Well… I might have to do something about that.'

Weakness could be ignored when everyone around her was strong enough to protect themselves and her.

But now…

Her gaze hardened as she curled her fist tightly.

'Please Ban… end this.'

As if responding to her call, the young boy suddenly released a burst of mana.

"Master Skill!"

The trees seemed to bend to an invisible force that pulled them towards the source of the battle.

The air stiffened and a white void erupted throughout the atmosphere.

Meadow froze.

"Moon Slice."

His spear sliced through the air as a thunderous explosion occurred.

The air and trees shot back to the opposite side like it was rubber.

Bouncing back and forth from the aftermath.

A deafening cry escaped the Beast, and the dust immediately warped into oblivion.

Lifting the veil from her eyes.

What she witnessed was the Beast falling limply on the ground.

Fur and diamond exoskeleton shattered across the Battlefield from a barrage of attacks she had never seen.

Blood and pink flesh flooded out of its half–split body. From its half-broken diamond core on its head, down to its trunk.

And on top of it, was Ban.

His forehead was soaked with sweat, and his spear was hanging in his grasp. Covered in blood and innards that began to slide off with his heavy breathing.

His black hair waved with the wind, and his dark skin glistened under the hot rays of the sun.

His victory was apparent, and the effort evident.

Meadow watched with uncontrollable satisfaction.

Her gaze was sparkling with delight as it jumped from the boy to the bear.

Silence hung between them for what felt like a long time– but it came to an end, like all things.

Ban looked up from the dead creature and locked gaze with Meadow.

His face shifted into a small smile.

"Princess…" he muttered as he jumped down and approached her.

"I see you're fine."

As he reached the Princess, he released his spear which disappeared on command and stretched his arm forward.

Meadow glanced at it for a moment, arched her brows then turned back to him.

The young boy flinched. Nearly taking his hand back, but she grabbed it before such a thought could even settle in his mind.

"You're quite strong." She said silently as she looked away while he lifted her to her feet.

Ban chuckled while he scratched the back of his head.

"I'm nowhere near the level of the people that surround you, Princess."

Meadow kept silent.

And observed him for a little longer.

"I thought you were a level 50…" Her gaze shifted to the dead creature.

"Though, now I see what a Moon Knight does."

He smiled bitterly.

"Is that what you see?"

Meadow frowned.

'What?' Her thoughts began to fill in her head. 'Is that what we see? What does he mean?'

System users were hardly ever more powerful than Non-system users, but when they were, it was either because they were of a higher level, greater experience or a mind-blowing profession.

A Moon Knight was a type of Special class profession… ranked too, unlike a few others.

And just like all special professions, they possessed their own hax.

'Now that I think of it… How does he have a special profession?'

She wondered. And for a bit, she wanted to let her curiosity lead the conversation henceforth, but something perturbed her against it.

Ban's gaze had suddenly hardened.

And not the good kind from what she could read.

Her pupils dilated as it bounced back and forth.

"Wha– what is it?"

She asked.

Caution and curiosity play their own game with her expression.

Ban didn't reply at first. And that pricked her skin like it had a few moments ago.

'Oh, for goddess' sake! I hate this place! I hate it! I hate it!'

She screamed in her head as Ban turned slowly towards the forage of trees.

Ahead of them, beyond the destruction from the earlier fights and the trees unfortunate enough to fall, something caught his attention.

A long quiet followed, but his gaze only grew sharper.

"Come out."

Silence followed.

And for a moment, Meadow thought he was mistaken.

No, she hoped he was… but unfortunately, life had something different.

The grass was marched as footsteps– not one, or two, or five, but multiple– nearly twenty, echoed.

And from the trees, figures basked in black stepped out into the open.

Weapons readied and faces hidden behind white, snowy masks.

Meadow flinched in startlement, but her composure returned soon after.

Her body moved with a step and she now occupied the position in front of Ban.

Her gaze narrowed into slits as she glared at the people present.

'Thank the goddess they're not beasts…'

Her lips curled into a frown.

'Humans…'

And then she folded her arms.

'That, I can handle.'