A horde of foxfolk warriors, fur blazing red and eyes glinting with cruel cunning, had completely surrounded the snow cat village.

They wielded weapons glowing with elemental light, exuding ferocious power.

"Final warning!"

A tall foxfolk commander with a flaming mark on his brow stepped forward and snarled, voice cold and sharp.

"Leave this snowfield and its crystal mines now—or today, your snow cat tribe becomes history!"

The snow cat chieftain stepped up, fur bristling, voice heavy with defiance."This sacred land is the ancestral home of our snow cat kind! The frost crystal veins are a blessing of the Wasteland itself—how dare you attempt to seize them!"

The foxfolk leader sneered. "The strong devour the weak. That is the iron law of the Sakend Universe! Do you have the strength to protect your so-called blessing?"

Boom!

A wave of blazing heat burst from him—his aura climbing in an instant to the level of a Starfield Lord!

The pressure rippled outward; snow cats stumbled back in terror.But one figure—Lilith—stood her ground.

Her skirt and silver hair fluttered gently, yet her stance was unmoved, solid as bedrock.

The star-forged power in her blood quietly countered the crushing force.

The foxfolk commander's eyes flicked toward her and froze.

Then his mouth curved into a greedy smirk.

"A human? How rare… and how delicious. I'll take you for a snack!"

With a blur, he lunged—crimson claws slashing straight for her.

"Stop!" the snow cat chief roared, hurling himself forward.

"Out of my way!"The commander backhanded him with one swipe. The massive impact sent the chieftain crashing into an ice wall.

The difference in power was overwhelming.Lilith's heart pounded. Fiona had warned her—the beings of this universe were terrifyingly strong.

But she didn't step back.She couldn't always rely on her father, nor betray Fiona's sacrifice.

At the instant those claws reached her—

Hum!

A power deep within her body—the guardian force Leo left behind—flared awake.

A faint yet immense phantom tortoise shell unfolded around her, radiating an ancient, sacred aura.

BOOM!!!

The foxfolk leader didn't even scream.

The moment his claws met that phantom, his body was flattened—annihilated, crushed to fine dust under the weight of a world.

The shockwave rippled skyward, shaking the heavens.

The air shimmered like a cracking mirror, ripples and fractures spreading across the void itself.

Every creature—foxfolk and snow cat alike—froze.

An Astral Lord-level powerhouse… gone in an instant.

What kind of power was that?

Even space itself couldn't endure it!

Lilith exhaled, patting her chest.

"Dad's Sacred Tortoise Shell—still the best insurance policy ever." The power would diminish each use, but at critical moments? Priceless.

A mischievous smile tugged at her lips.

She turned to the foxfolk still paralyzed by terror.

"So… who was it that said they'd make a snack out of me?"

She mimicked her father's usual gesture during council meetings—raising a hand, pressing gently forward.

The shell's lingering energy gathered in her palm.

BOOM!

Like a meteor striking earth.

A massive explosion engulfed the foxfolk formation.

Snow, rock, and fire shot skyward, leaving behind only a vast smoking crater.

When the dust settled, all that remained were a few tufts of scorched fur—proof they'd ever existed.

The surviving foxfolk broke instantly.

"Run! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

One shout triggered a stampede; they fled in panic, tumbling over each other in their rush to escape the cursed snowfield.

Lilith turned back toward the stunned snow cats, grinning.

"Ha… ha… ha…"

Her laugh was low, unreadable.

The cats huddled together, trembling and mewling in sheer fright.

Later, inside a warm ice hut—

"Lady Lilith, is this strength comfortable?" The chieftain—now diligently massaging her legs with his soft paws—spoke deferentially.

Beside him, smaller cats offered her berries glowing with pure mana essence.

"Mmm~ not bad, not bad." Lilith stretched lazily, a small smile playing on her lips. Being fussed over by cats wasn't the worst feeling in the world.

Then she tilted her head toward the chieftain.

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Ah—this humble one's original name is Snow Pawl Frostbreath—"

"Yeah, too complicated. I'll give you a better one." She waved a hand."From now on, your name is… Snowball."

"Wha—?"The chieft—no, Snowball—froze mid-purr.

"What? You don't like it?" Lilith's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I do! I do!" he yowled.

"It is my honor to bear a name bestowed by Lady Lilith! From this moment, I am Snowball!"Tears welled up in his bright blue eyes.

Snowball (internal): Why does karma hit so fast?!

After a brief rest, Lilith stood, stretching again.

The playfulness faded from her eyes, replaced by thought.Fiona was still unconscious.

Her father's whereabouts—unknown.

In this alien world, she needed footing, allies, a plan.

The first thought, naturally, was the dragons.Fiona was one of them—perhaps her kin could offer protection.

"Snowball," she said, "do you know where the dragon clans reside?"

At once, Snowball's fur puffed up like a white dandelion. His blue eyes went wide with horror.

"D-dragons?! Lady Lilith, why would you want them?!"

Lilith frowned. "What, did one of them beat you up before?"

Snowball shook his head frantically.

"No, no! But the dragons are among the absolute rulers of Sakend! A single adult dragon could wipe out our entire tribe a thousand times over! They're proud, arrogant, and treat lesser races like insects—they never listen to reason!"

Lilith's expression darkened.He didn't seem to be lying.

So seeking the dragons might be far more dangerous than she'd hoped.

Even the foxfolk saw humans as livestock—what would beings as proud as dragons do to her?

Wait for Father to find her?

No.

Absolutely not.

She clenched her fists.

This time, she would carve out her own mark—prove to her father and to everyone that Lilith Grey, even alone, could survive and rise in a foreign world.

"Then tell me this, Snowball," she said firmly. "Where is the nearest human settlement? How do I get there?"

"Eh?" Snowball blinked, utterly confused. "What do you mean, Lady Lilith?"

"I mean," she said slowly, "where do humans gather? Their cities. Their territory."

Snowball scratched his fluffy head, utterly baffled.

"Lady Lilith… there are no human settlements in the Sakend universe. Not anymore."

He lowered his voice. "In my entire life, I've seen pure humans fewer than I can count on one paw."

"What?!" Lilith's voice echoed through the icy walls.

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