Fresh powder that falls on a calm day isn’t dense. This type of snowpack is prone to avalanches, but even a battle as fierce as the one moments ago hadn’t triggered one. For it to happen now was suspicious.

That was why Colin was certain Lady Rime had to be behind this.

He quickly pieced together the sequence of events in his mind.

’Lady Rime has already spent most of her Power on the winter disaster. Assuming that Gods must expend power to influence the physical world, she probably didn’t intend to use her Divine Power to create an avalanche at first.’

’For her, the most cost-effective solution would have been to have her followers deal with the problem.’

’After all, granting Power to her followers consumes far less energy than conjuring an avalanche from nothing.’

’So when the Skeletons first appeared, she must have thought the Orc Tribe and the Druid would be enough to handle it.’

’When that plan failed, she moved on to recruiting the so-called Cursed, Kase, calling on the former Totem Warrior to lead the Barbarian Tribe and the Orc Tribe against the Skeletons.’

’In her eyes, this recruitment was probably meant to be a so-called ’blessing.’’

’The end result? They killed her Druid instead.’

’The Frost Giant Skeleton she just sent was her final warning, an attempt to force Kase to submit and lead the Orc Tribe back to fight.’

’One failure after another finally exhausted the goddess’s patience, so she decided to just flip the table.’

’If it were me,’ Colin thought, ’I’d have flipped the table too.’

’Of course, the terrain might also be a factor.’

’After all, an avalanche couldn’t have been triggered back in that network of valleys.’

’This avalanche would devastate the Skeleton Legion and get rid of this group of troublesome mortals at the same time. For the goddess, it was a great way to kill two birds with one stone.’

For her, this was the perfect time to act.

Perhaps last night’s snowfall had been in preparation for this very moment.

But now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that...

Colin glanced behind him.

Behind them lay an endless, flat snowfield. There was nowhere to hide before the avalanche buried them.

Orelia and Ale ran over to him.

"What do we do now, Colin?" the Tiefling asked frantically, her horns catching the pale light off the snow with a nervous sheen.

Standing beside her, Ale remained as expressionless as ever.

"Any caves we can hide in?" Colin asked, looking at Kase.

"There’s no escaping this time. There’s nowhere to hide back there... We killed the goddess’s envoys one after another. She must be pissed beyond belief."

The Half-Orc stared out at the vast snowfield and murmured, "After a fight like that, we’ve definitely earned our place in the Divine Kingdom of the Gods. The only thing I’m happy about is that I get to die with all of you, my friends."

Colin looked ahead.

’The Ancestor Stone is next to the frozen river, and the Magic Items I have are... a [Dimension Bag], a [Climbing Rope], and [Weston’s Smoothness]. Besides those, there’s the sled over there, and the Frost Giant’s Axe.’

"It’s not time to just wait for death," Colin said. "I’ve been thinking about a situation like this ever since I saw the avalanche that White Dragon caused."

"What are you talking about?" Ale frowned. The other two also looked over in surprise.

"Orelia, get the sled dogs to pull the sled over here, to the edge of the broken ice. Kase, drag the Frost Giant’s Axe to the broken ice and put the sled on top of the axe head. Ale, use the [Climbing Rope] to tie the sled to the Ancestor Stone, then prepare the [Repair Technique]," Colin ordered methodically.

In the distance, the avalanche roared toward them.

The terrifying Skeleton Legion was no match for the torrent of snow. It was instantly routed and crushed!

Spurred on by the horrific sight, the group moved with incredible speed.

The sled was quickly pulled to the edge of the break in the ice. With a low growl, Kase’s muscles tensed as he heaved the sled onto the flat of the Frost Giant Battleaxe.

He now understood Colin’s plan and, on his own initiative, took out a few more ropes to lash the Giant Axe’s head and the sled firmly together.

Colin stretched out his hand, activating [Water Manipulation] to control the current beneath the frozen surface of the river.

The still-liquid water below rose at his call, coiling around the Frost Giant’s Giant Axe and the sled before freezing solid once more under the Spell’s control.

"You’re trying to... I see."

Having finished her task, Ale also extended a hand and began chanting a more elegant Mage’s Spell.

She too used [Water Manipulation], drawing out more water and synchronizing her Power with Colin’s.

The two Casters’ Magic Power intertwined around the sled and Battle Axe. Under their combined will, the ice was molded into the streamlined shape of a small boat with a perfectly curved prow.

’Why does a Warlock with a Golden Dragon bloodline know [Water Manipulation]?’ Colin pushed the odd question aside.

The avalanche was getting closer, nearly upon them.

A fine mist of snow sprayed their faces, and the air filled with the cold stench of death.

"Get in, Pepe," Colin said, pulling open the mouth of the [Dimension Bag].

Ale reminded him, "The bag doesn’t exchange air with the outside when it’s closed. If no one opens it for them, they’ll die quickly."

"We shouldn’t need that much time... one way or another," Colin said, taking a deep breath as he watched the towering wave approach.

The sled dogs quickly scrambled into the bag.

Kase, now understanding the plan, jumped in front of the sled. The others scrambled onto it, gripping the [Climbing Rope] for dear life.

The earth trembled. The air itself seemed to tear apart.

The terrifying avalanche was right on top of them!

In that instant, Kase roared, lifted the front of the sled, then spun around and leaped aboard.

An instant later, the avalanche slammed into the perfectly curved prow of their makeshift boat.

At that moment, they all felt the rope in their hands jolt violently.

A feeling of weightlessness washed over him. In the endless white mist, Colin struggled to open his eyes and look at Ale, praying she could still cast a Spell under these conditions.

The avalanche flung them toward the Ancestor Stone. The massive rock split the endless torrent of wind and snow, allowing only a fraction of it to wash over them.

But even with most of its power broken, the avalanche still had enough unimaginable force to lift the sled high into the air.

The ice they had formed under the sled was shattered by the immense force, but the Frost Giant’s Giant Axe, embedded deep within it, absorbed the rest of the fatal impact.

Ale chanted her Spell continuously, the brilliant light of Magic flashing over and over. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The elegant syllables of the Elf Language were imperceptible in the roaring gale, but the glow of Magic still flickered steadily at her fingertips.

The [Repair Technique] repeatedly repaired the cracking ice, reinforcing the precarious, ice-wrought hull again and again amidst the raging avalanche.

Under the circumstances, all Colin could do was hold on tight to the rope in his hands.

He felt as if he were floating on a cloud, or rather, riding a wild, stubborn stallion that bucked and leaped, trying to throw him into the endless white Abyss.

Colin felt snow surging at him from all directions. Even with his Helmet on, he could feel the dense spray of ice crystals peppering his face.