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The day after we decided to retreat, we were making preparations to escape.

To minimize our breathing as much as possible, we used cloth soaked in hand warmers as makeshift masks. While taking every precaution against the cold, I used ‘Forge’ to move the air around us and raise the temperature.

The temperature was extremely low only at the bottom of the cave; once we reached the middle, we’d at least be able to breathe.

“Is everyone ready, nya?”
“Yeah!”
“I-I’m ready.”

I opened the front door and stepped outside, then quickly retrieved the door and exited the cave.

“…………Nya?”

I noticed something was off immediately.

“H-huh? It’s not that cold?”
“Is this Alice’s doing?”
“Wait.”

When we first arrived, the underground glacier was so cold it felt like our lungs were freezing, but now we don’t feel the cold much at all.

I’ve warmed up sufficiently inside the room, and my mind is clear—I don’t feel sleepy at all. While using alchemy to raise the surrounding temperature, I’ve also been careful to maintain the oxygen levels.

On top of that, the current cold feels like a snowfield on the surface… something I can endure as long as I’m properly bundled up.

I picked up the thermometer, and as soon as I checked it, a chill ran down my spine.

Since Earth’s culture and customs have seeped in here, I haven’t delved into it, but the Celsius scale used here follows the same measurement method as the one used on Earth.

So, even though the construction of Earth’s thermometers and those here differ, the meaning of the numbers they display remains the same.

“…Minus 273 degrees?”

The thermometer I’m using now is a sensor-type model made on Earth that was mixed in with the supply crates; it’s designed to measure down to minus 273 degrees.

Minus 273 degrees Celsius is what we call absolute zero on Earth. Since, by the laws of physics, temperatures lower than that are impossible, there’s no point in making the device display values below that.

“Wait a second.”

More than the reading itself, it’s impossible that we’re moving around without feeling much cold in such conditions.

If it’s that cold, going outside is no different from being flash-frozen. It far exceeds the limits of what alchemy can handle.

In a panic, I pull a plastic bottle of water from my pocket and toss it. The bottle landed a short distance away, making a hard thud.

It hadn’t even been three seconds since I threw it, yet it was completely frozen solid. So why are we able to move and breathe normally?

While I was reeling from this utterly baffling, abnormal situation, I noticed how eerily quiet it was.

I tore my gaze away from the plastic bottle lying on the ground and turned to look at Noche and the others right behind me.

Every one of them was staring intently at the glacier, their tails and ear fur standing on end.

Following their gaze to see what was going on, I saw a giant eye beneath the ice where everyone’s eyes were focused.

Reflecting the light of the lantern, the golden pupil was staring at us from beneath the thick glacial ice.

The moment I realized our eyes had met, I could feel the hair on my entire body standing on end.

“…Retreat quietly.”
“…………”

All three of them nodded vigorously without a word.

It’s a huge burden, but I can’t afford to complain. We backed away silently while I was raising the temperature around us.

Just judging by the size of its eyes—which were several meters across—it was a colossal creature. I really didn’t want to have to fight something like that in an environment like this.

“AAAAAAARGH!”
“Huh?”

It happened the very moment we started retreating.

A person fell from above. A middle-aged man wrapped in winter gear, wearing a bracelet with a red gemstone on his wrist… or rather, what had been a man—as it crashed into the glacier and shattered into pieces.

For a moment, I mistook it for a stone statue, but seeing the scattered fragments, I realized he had frozen solid the instant he hit the ground.

Overcome by fear and tension, Sufi let out a silent scream and hugged me tight.

A rumbling sound echoed, and the ground shook. Looking up toward where the man had fallen, I saw several white lights flickering high up on the cliff.

Simultaneously with a roar-like cry, ice exploded high above us.

“N-Noche!”
“G-get out of here! Retreat!”

Huge chunks of ice rained down, punching holes in the ice covering the glacier. As soon as Sufi hoisted me onto her back, everyone started running, dodging the falling ice.

“Salamander…!?”

Peering out through the hole was a four-legged, reptile-like creature with a flat face and a deep navy-blue body.

Just the head peeking out of the hole was dozens of meters long—it was practically a Kaijuu.

“What that, nya!?”
“It looks like the Lord of the Glacier.”
“I mean up, nya.”
“Up?”

I’d been tracking the falling ice by sound and watching the Lord of the Glacier’s movements, but when I looked up as instructed, I was speechless.

The face of an ice worm as big as a skyscraper was peering down from the ice.

Humans who had apparently been exploring, hidden among the falling ice blocks, turned into ice statues and shattered as they fell. It looked like they’d fallen while fleeing from that giant worm.

Or rather, is that the one that created the holes in the snowfield?

The situation: the ice worm above, the salamander below.

“…Whatever you do, don’t leave my side.”

If we get too far apart, I can’t adjust the air with my alchemy. As long as they stay within range, I’ll keep this up even if I pass out.

“The cliff! It’s blocked by ice, nya!”
“Just stay close for now.”

Absolute zero temperatures, along with ungodly monsters—even just one of them would be dangerous beyond measure—greeting us from above and below.

What in ever loving f̲u̲c̲k̲.

I mean, sure, we need to factor in unforeseen circumstances, but who could’ve predicted getting dragged into a Kaijuu war like this?!

As we end up running deeper into the glacier, I glance back over my shoulder.

Yikes, the Salamander’s firing densely compressed water at the Ice Worm, while the Ice Worm dodged it whilst firing shards of ice it chipped off its surroundings.

I was just joking, but this is really a Kaijuu war…

Luckily…luckily? The monsters aren’t even glancing at small prey like us; they’re just crashing into each other, making the ground rumble with every impact.

Plus, the three are fast on their feet; by running for our lives, we managed to put some distance between ourselves and the battle zone without suffering any serious injuries.

Trying to block out the screams reaching our ears, we kept moving through the underground glacier.