Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss

Ren stood at the edge of the blizzard, his cloak snapping violently in the wind, eyes narrowed as he stared into the wall of white ahead.

"This one's different." He said at last, his voice barely audible over the shrieking wind.

Thorn and Lilith stood beside him, shielding their eyes as they peered into the blizzard.

"What do you mean, different?" Thorn asked.

Ren didn't take his eyes off the storm.

"The lava field burned. The jungle restricted free movement with the ferns constantly slapping against one's body. But neither had malice. The environment just wanted to slow us down."

"This…" He lifted his hand, letting the snow slam into his palm. A moment later, he pulled it back, blood dripping down the side. "This wants to kill us."

Lilith's eyes narrowed. "Hostile?"

Ren nodded grimly. "Razor winds. The kind that can slice you open before you even realize you've been cut. I can already feel the bloodlust inside this thing. It's hungry, fast, jagged, and violent. It's not just snow. It's weaponized wind."

Thorn hissed through his teeth, already pulling his hood lower. "Fantastic."

"And it gets worse." Ren added. "There are guardians inside this one too."

Lilith tensed. "What kind?"

"Insects." Ren said. "Big ones. Giant, armored things with forelegs like swords."

He could vaguely recall memories of them from when he'd played the game almost a decade ago.

The winds created passive damage, in which the longer you stayed in them, the more your health points dipped.

And then, the insects would attack within the blizzard, trying actively to kill the player character.

If the wind didn't kill you, the insects would.

This part of the game had been designed to be traversed with healing potions or abilities. It wasn't about defeating the insects. It was about surviving the ordeal.

"The insects in the blizzard are fast, and their legs can cut through stone. But…, he paused, "they're not as many as the orangutans were. In fact, it's possible for us to get through and meet just one. Not that I'll be counting on it happening."

"Silver lining, I guess." Thorn muttered.

Ren turned to face them both fully. "This ring's terrain is the steepest yet. We're heading uphill the entire way, which means no charging forward like we did with the lava and jungle rings. Speed's not the answer here. We'll need to be steady."

They were all quiet for a moment, the cold wind howling around them, spitting ice across their cloaks and armor.

Then Thorn broke the silence. "So what? We just walk in and hope we don't turn into frozen sushi?"

"No." Ren said. "I've got a plan."

He looked at his hands, flexing his fingers. "I can't hold off the blizzard from cutting us into ribbons. If we cluster together, I can shape my Push resonance around all of us. Constant output. Like a shield."

Lilith frowned. "Wouldn't that burn through your soul energy too quickly?"

"I've been replenishing from you." Ren said softly. "It'll hold. Remember, the closer you two are to me, the easier it'll be to maintain the barrier."

"Then I'll stay right by your side." Lilith said without hesitation.

"Same here." Thorn added. "But what about the bugs?"

Ren turned to Lilith. "That's where you come in. If anything gets close enough to break through the barrier, it's your job to stop them with your knives."

She smirked. "Good. I was starting to miss throwing knives into skulls."

Thorn grunted. "We get through this and I'm demanding a hot bath and a week of sleep."

Ren gave a tired smile. "Get through it first."

He stepped toward the storm, extending both hands. The air around them wavered, and a thin shimmer of pressure rippled outward like a bubble, forming a barely visible shell around the three of them.

The snow stopped hitting their faces.

"Let's move." Ren said.

And together, huddled close, they took their first steps into the howling death that was the final ring.

The sound of the wind increased, slamming into their ears. They almost staggered at the change. One minute, it was a full roar. And the next, it felt like a giant god was screaming into their ears.

"What the fuck." Thorn muttered.

"Stay close." Ren barked.

Their boots crunched softly against the frozen incline as they jogged, keeping up a steady rhythm.

The snow howled all around them, but none of it touched their skin.

Ren's Push resonance extended outward in a dome, keeping the cutting wind at bay.

It flickered like a translucent shell around them, shimmering faintly as it absorbed the fury of the storm.

Every gust that slammed into them was bent, broken, or scattered by the constant pressure of his resonance.

And before long, the storm noticed. The winds grew, and the volume of the howling seemed to increase.

The storm was determined to get to them, whether by tearing through the dome of resonance and ripping them to shreds, or using its loud howling wind to deafen and disorient them.

"Malice, huh?" Thorn stayed close. "I see what you mean.

Ren said nothing, focused on keeping the dome steady around them. It was exhausting work, but he kept his hands outstretched, his soul energy reserves burning little by little.

The others stayed close beside him, hoods drawn low, faces pinched against the cold despite the protection.

Time passed.

Minutes melted into hours as they moved uphill, jogging uphill, step by slow step.

The world beyond the bubble was a swirling mass of white and grey, shifting in violent spirals.

It was impossible to see more than a few feet in any direction. Only the slope beneath their feet told them they were moving in the right direction, up.

Before long, Lilith had a hand on Ren's shoulder, her Soul energy pouring into him constantly.

"Thanks." He muttered absentmindedly, focused purely on keeping them protected from certain death.

But the more they spent in the blizzard, the more the cold gnawed at them even through the heat of their efforts.

Ice clung to their cloaks, forming crusts along the edges, and their breaths came in ragged clouds, even inside the shield.

And then came the sound.

A screech, shrill and metallic, like grinding steel.

The guardians of the blizzard were not content to let them pass in peace.