A tall figure slowly materialized in the swirling snow. It was Cormac Volkov, one of Jasmine's most lethal hunter consorts.

Cormac twirled a poisoned dagger in his hand, looking at Kain with contempt. "I thought you'd be a popsicle by now, Cold-Blood."

Angel peeked out from behind Kain. She recognized him instantly. Jasmine had sent her lapdog to finish the job.

Cormac didn't waste time on words. He vanished, leaving behind a phantom image of a giant red fox. He lunged straight for Angel's throat, intending to end this quickly.

In his mind, killing the "defect" would be easy; the cold-blooded freak wasn't even worth worrying about.

But just as his claws were inches from Angel's face, a cold, hard hand clamped down on his wrist like a steel vice.

Cormac looked up in shock and met Kain's icy blue eyes. There was no warmth there, only the cold indifference one might have toward a dead object.

Kain squeezed. A sickening crack echoed through the air.

Cormac's wrist shattered, and his dagger dropped into the snow.

Cormac screamed in agony. He tried to channel his fire abilities to fight back, but he found his energy completely suppressed by a terrifying, freezing aura.

[System Prompt: Jörmungandr Geneline exhibits high-tier suppression over ordinary beast genelines. Target's energy output reduced by 80%. ]

Angel watched in awe. So this is the power of a legendary bloodline, she thought. His mere presence is enough to freeze the energy flow of a lower-tier warrior.

Kain snorted. He swung his leg, kicking Cormac in the chest with the force of a sledgehammer. Cormac flew backward, slamming into the cliff wall. He coughed up blood, his eyes wide with disbelief. How could a "defect" possess Tier 2 power?

He scrambled to his feet, terrified, trying to flee. But Kain was already there, his massive half-beast snake tail shooting out and wrapping around Cormac's body.

The constriction began. Cormac's ribs snapped one by one, the sound making the blood run cold.

Just as Kain was about to crush him completely, his body swayed violently. The silver scales on his face flickered erratically.

Angel noticed immediately. The system screamed: [Warning! Consort forcibly interrupted his post-awakening consolidation period! Severe energy backlash occurring! ]

Kain bit his lip, using the pain to stay conscious. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. His tail tightened with a final, brutal jerk.

Cormac's neck snapped with a loud crack. His body went limp.

Kain spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed.

Angel rushed forward, catching him in her arms. She pressed her hands to his chest, frantically pumping Fox-Fire into him to stabilize his chaotic energy.

But the backlash was too severe. The freezing energy inside him raged out of control, instantly freezing Angel's hands solid.

Kain weakly raised a hand, his fingers stiff and trembling, and brushed the tears from her face.

"Too cold..." he rasped, his voice barely a whisper against the howling wind. "Can't hold it back... I need... to sleep..."

He didn't explain the intricacies of a self-sealed hibernation; he didn't have the clarity for it. It was pure, desperate instinct. His body was shutting down to protect itself. Frost rapidly spread across his skin, sealing him in a thick layer of ice as he surrendered to the absolute cold, leaving her with no idea when-or if-he would ever wake up.

Angel held him tight, her tears falling onto his cold face. She nodded frantically, promising to wait for him.

Kain gave her one last, deep look, as if memorizing her face for eternity. Then, his eyes slowly closed. His heartbeat and breathing stopped completely.

[System Scan Confirmed: Target has entered Absolute Zero Hibernation. Vital signs undetectable. ]

Angel sat in the snow, holding Kain's ice-cold body. A storm of grief and rage churned in her chest.

She turned her head to look at Cormac's corpse. Her eyes grew cold and crazed, like a vengeful demon crawling out of hell.

She stood up. Using the system's Bio-Regenesis, she forcefully healed the frostbite on her hands. She dragged Kain's body into the deepest part of the cave and carefully arranged him.

She used rocks and ice to perfectly camouflage the entrance, ensuring no beast would find him.

Then, she walked over to Cormac's body. She grabbed him by the hair and began to drag the heavy corpse through the snow.

Facing the blizzard, Angel walked step by step toward the Embermane Clan, a long trail of blood marking her path. She was going to get justice.

It was noon. The central altar of the Embermane Clan was in the middle of a routine blessing ceremony. Jasmine stood at the front, basking in the attention.

Suddenly, a grating, scraping sound came from outside the heavy steel gates. The two guards stepped back in fear.

The gates were slowly pushed open. Angel, covered in snow, appeared like a ghost. In her right hand, she dragged a bloody, mangled corpse.

The body left a shocking red line on the pristine snow, stretching all the way to the edge of the sacred altar.

The crowd gasped in horror. No one could believe the exiled "defect" was still alive, let alone dragging a corpse.

Angel walked expressionlessly to the center of the altar. She swung her arm and threw Cormac's body at Jasmine's feet like a sack of trash.

Jasmine let out a theatrical scream, hiding behind Al Stein. But the extreme shock and panic in her eyes didn't escape Angel's notice.

Angel looked around coldly. "This is the assassin Jasmine sent to kill me and my consort," she announced loudly. "I demand the High Oracle deliver justice!"

The High Oracle frowned and walked down the steps. He used his staff to push the corpse's face to the side. People immediately recognized Cormac Volkov.

Whispers broke out. Cormac was Jasmine's personal guard; it was hard to deny the connection.

Jasmine immediately put on a tearful face. "I knew nothing about this!" she cried. "Cormac went missing days ago. He must have gone rogue!"

She even turned the tables, accusing Angel of colluding with wild men in the wasteland and murdering her former guard out of jealousy.

Angel scoffed. She stepped forward and kicked open Cormac's collar, revealing the bright red fox clan mark on his neck.

"If he was a rogue," Angel demanded, her voice ringing out, "why does his mate mark still point to Jasmine? Marks don't lie. He was following orders."

The entire square fell silent. The mate mark was irrefutable proof. As long as it existed, it proved he was acting under his Prime's command.

Jasmine's face went pale. She hadn't expected Angel to know the rules of the mate mark.

Just as Jasmine was backed into a corner, Al Stein stepped forward, pointing a shaking finger at Angel.

"She's lying!" Al shouted. "I saw Angel seducing Cormac before the exile! She wanted to run away with him!"

He spun a vile tale, claiming Angel had drugged Cormac and killed him in a dispute over loot. To sell the lie, Al pulled a silver hair clip from his pocket-a trinket Angel used to wear-and held it high. "I found this near his body! She lured him out!"

Jasmine's loyalists in the crowd immediately seized the opportunity. "Murderer! She's trying to frame our Prime!" a burly warrior shouted, intentionally stoking the flames. "Don't listen to the defect's lies!"

The crowd, already prejudiced and easily swayed by the planted evidence and the orchestrated voices, turned on Angel instantly. They hurled insults, and someone even threw a stone at her.

Angel dodged the stone. She looked at her former mate, the man who had sworn to protect her, and a mocking smile touched her lips.

"Selling your dignity for a new master?" she asked lightly. "Is that what men do now?"

The words hit Al's sore spot. His face turned red with rage. He lunged forward, intending to slap her.

Angel's eyes flashed. The system-enhanced reflexes kicked in. She sidestepped and slapped him hard across the face.

The sharp crack echoed across the altar. Al spun half around, blood dripping from his lip. He stared at her in disbelief.

Angel rubbed her stinging hand and stood tall, her aura so fierce that no one dared to approach.

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, the High Oracle slammed his staff down, releasing a wave of pressure that silenced the crowd.

He looked at Angel deeply. He could see the truth, but he had to protect the high-tier Prime's reputation.

He cleared his throat, preparing to deliver his verdict. Everyone held their breath, waiting for Angel's death sentence.

The High Oracle's voice echoed over the altar. He declared that while Cormac's mark remained, there was no proof Jasmine ordered the assassination.

He brushed it off as a personal grudge of Cormac's, completely clearing Jasmine of any wrongdoing.

The crowd murmured in agreement. Jasmine's warriors praised the elder's wisdom.

Angel listened to the absurd judgment in silence. She felt no anger, only a deep contempt for this rotten clan.

The High Oracle turned to Jasmine. He gave her a slap on the wrist-"failure to discipline her consort"-and sentenced her to three days of house arrest. It was basically a vacation.

Jasmine put on a grateful face, bowing her head. But she shot Angel a look of provocation and victory.

Then, the High Oracle's cold gaze locked onto Angel. He warned her that as an exile, she was forbidden from stepping foot in the clan again.

Since Cormac was dead and couldn't testify, the elder didn't execute her on the spot. Instead, he ordered the guards to throw her back into the wasteland.

Worse, he stripped her of the right to scavenge from the clan's dump. He was cutting off all her chances of survival.

Two guards grabbed her arms to drag her away.

Angel shook them off violently. She brushed the dust off her sleeves, her back straight. She didn't look like a loser.

She looked at the cold, mocking faces around her, memorizing every single one. She didn't utter a single word of threat, but her burning eyes swept slowly over Jasmine, Al, and the High Oracle on the platform, etching their smug expressions deep into her mind. This blood debt, she vowed silently, I will collect it all. A chilling, imperceptible smile touched the corners of her lips.

She turned her back on them and walked out of the gates, into the biting wind. She didn't look back.

The steel gates slammed shut behind her. This time, there was no despair in her heart, only an endless desire for revenge.

Meanwhile, inside the clan, Jasmine was escorted back to her warm, luxurious stone house. Her fake mask slipped off instantly.

She smashed an expensive bone china teacup against the wall, furious that Angel wasn't dead yet.

Al Stein approached carefully with hot tea, trying to soothe her. Jasmine backhanded him across the face, sending him sprawling.

"You useless idiot!" she shrieked. "You couldn't even frame her properly!"

She grabbed a whip from the wall and began furiously lashing Al's back, taking all her anger out on her former brother-in-law.

Al curled up on the floor, whimpering in pain, not daring to fight back. A flash of humiliation and regret flickered in his eyes.

The other consorts huddled in the corner, shivering in fear, reduced to mere slaves.

Back in the wasteland, Angel finally returned to the hidden cave. She carefully moved the rocks and slipped inside.

Seeing Kain still lying there, silent as an ice sculpture, she finally relaxed. She collapsed on the floor, exhausted.

The sky outside grew dark, and the temperature plummeted. Angel huddled next to Kain's massive body, trying to absorb what little warmth she could.

Her stomach growled in protest. The bear meat was almost gone. The survival crisis was back.

She checked the system panel. Because Kain was in deep hibernation, she couldn't harvest genetic energy. Her progress had stalled.

[System Warning: Host will face severe energy depletion if high-calorie food is not consumed within three days. ]

Angel looked at the unconscious Kain. She knew she couldn't just sit here and wait to die. She had to survive on her own.