Arfrotian floated silently before the vast, shifting expanse of icy spacetime distortions, his piercing blue eyes calmly analyzing the chaotic spectacle before him.

  The distortions twisted and wove through space like a living entity, shimmering with an eerie glow, concealing whatever lay beyond—the central place, the midlocation between the Ice Temple and the Ice Palace.

  Arfrotian crossed his arms, deep in thought.

  "Hmm, so, currently I have two options," he mused, his mind working like an unstoppable machine.

  "I either use brute force and break through this icy spacetime distortion, or I find the safe pathway through which the mortals could have used earlier to get inside this place......"

  His gaze sharpened. He was already confident that Eterna was sealed somewhere in Deep Ice within that location. That much was a given. But the real question was how to get there most efficiently.

  "Hmm, but say if I brute force through this icy spacetime distortion, let's say I somehow get past it and enter the place, then what?"

  Arfrotian questioned himself.

  "I may have to encounter quite the obstacles, not that it is a problem, but I don't want to waste time until I find Eterna............."

  His mind then shifted to the second option.

  "So I should look for the safe path instead… that should be more promising, even though it takes time, but.......... then how to distract?"

  Arfrotian tapped his fingers lightly against his forearm.

  "After all, if I just find the safe passageway and enter, there's no guarantee that those who may be guarding that place won't sense my presence and come over.......... then it will be troublesome and time-consuming to handle.............."

  The problem wasn't just about getting inside—it was about getting inside without unnecessary confrontations. He needed an approach that would divert attention away from him.

  "What should I do now?" he pondered.

  Then, suddenly, something clicked in his mind. A sharp gleam flickered through his eyes.

  "Hmm, should I create distractions? But how.............?"

  His gaze fell on the icy spacetime distortions swirling before him. A slow, knowing smirk stretched across his lips.

  "Well, it might be wild, but perhaps I can use these spacetime distortions themselves as a distraction, can't I?"

  Yes. It was almost poetic—using the very nature of the distortion to create a chaotic ripple effect, a disturbance that would force those inside to shift their attention to the unstable fabric of spacetime, while he slipped through unnoticed.

  "Hmm, I could plant timed explosions of Permafrost on different parts of these icy spacetime distortions and time their blast—

  some at the same time and some a little later—to distract whosoever might be guarding the place."

  His mind worked swiftly, piecing together the intricate layers of the plan.

  "Then I can slip away through the easy passageway while the focus is on these blasts across the icy spacetime distortions.........

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  they wouldn't sense someone just passing through the backway when there will be heavy fluctuations in the fabric of spacetime. That way, avoiding their gazes, I can sneak past through and enter the place......"

  His smirk widened.

  Arfrotian spread his divine sense across the surrounding area, his consciousness stretching like an unseen wave, scanning for any potential weak points or hidden pathways. Moments later, his eyes glowed faintly as he locked onto something.

  "A hidden passageway... right opposite this location. If my guess is correct, it should lead directly inside the central place."

  With that, he began executing his plan. He raised his hand, his aura pulsating with a chilling force as he commanded, "PERMAFROST."

  Instantly, an orb of absolute-zero ice crackled into existence in his palm, radiating a frozen mist that shimmered against the distortions. Carefully, he placed it near the shifting spacetime fabric, then repeated the process, forming twelve concentrated spheres of Permafrost in different positions.

  He observed his work.

  "Hmm, this much should be enough. Too much Permafrost may just instead start freezing the fabric of spacetime itself........ so looks like I should go over to the hidden passageway......."

  However, just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

  Something was bugging him.

  A nagging thought clawed at the back of his mind, something too significant to ignore. His expression turned pensive as he muttered,

  "Hmm..... but..... if the people who sealed Eterna inside, they would surely know..."

  Even if the chances were near impossible, it was foolish to assume the enemy wouldn't have anticipated a scenario like this. If someone tried to create a distraction at the front, wouldn't they have set up a countermeasure for anyone sneaking in through the back?

  "Surely, for safety measures, they would have laid traps even in the hidden passageway. If my guess is correct......."

  His eyes gleamed with sharp intuition.

  "A good counter indeed."

  He exhaled lightly, still smirking. It was a logical move on their part.

  The mortals who sealed Eterna surely weren't ignorant. Someone cunning would have ensured that only those mortals who had knowledge of the traps could enter freely—while anyone else attempting to sneak in would be caught instantly.

  "Well, while I may be anticipating it a lot, there sure are chances of traps even in the hidden passageway.........hmmmm..........now whatever shall I do?"

  Arfrotian tilted his head slightly, his voice ringing with amusement. This was getting interesting.

  He spread his divine sense once more, confirming his previous scan.

  "Hmm, but....... is there any other way to enter here?"

  Unfortunately, the results remained the same.

  "After using my divine sense, I have already sensed that there's only one passageway to the inside, and everywhere else it's mostly spatial distortions........."

  He pondered for a moment. If his prediction about the traps was correct, then wasting time dismantling them was not ideal. He needed a new approach.

  Then, suddenly, another thought struck him.

  "Hmm, but what if I go from the front itself, using the distractions as buffers?"

  A bold, risky, and unexpected move.

  "No one would normally expect someone to take such a risk. If I pass through the front after using Pandora to blast through the spacetime distortions.........."

  However, there was an inherent danger. If someone was guarding the inner area, he would immediately be noticed.

  Moreover, there was a chance that instead of reaching the inside, the dimension itself could shift due to the nature of spacetime distortions.

  But then, a knowing smirk returned to his lips.

  "Well, I don't think there's any possibility of the spacetime distortions leading to a different dimension if I use PANDORA to blast through."

  His eyes gleamed coldly.

  "After all, it can freeze singularities—so it will even freeze any disturbances of spatial spacetime distortions."

  Decision made.

  Arfrotian stepped forward toward the distortions, his aura shifting dangerously. He uttered a single word:

  "PANDORA."

  Immediately, the entire fabric of reality trembled.

  A violent red-icy aura whooshed out of him, warping the very essence of space and time. Yet, something was different this time.

  Arfrotian narrowed his eyes as he felt Pandora’s energy settling around him.

  "Huh? Pandora doesn't seem as wild or beastly, wanting to devour everything… It feels.. a little controlled unlike previously I used."

  A realization dawned upon him.

  "Could it be because of how I absorbed the Eternal Frostheart's icy energy and Pandora's icy energy in that dream world?"

  His smirk widened.

  "Probably that is the case then… Well, Eterna, my Queen—it's time the hide and seek comes to an end."

  With Pandora in full force, Arfrotian walked toward the distortions—ready to carve his way inside.