Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 789  Chapter 182.5 - Let's have a talk

"Do whatever you like with them. I have no intention of 'becoming someone's people.'" 
The statement landed like a crack of thunder, the finality in my voice cutting through the chill in the air. Seraphina's smirk evaporated entirely, replaced by a sharp narrowing of her eyes. Her fingers stilled against the table, and for a moment, the room seemed to hold its breath. 
Then, the frost returned. 
The air grew colder, sharper, biting at the edges of my senses. The faint shimmer of frost that had lingered on the table earlier now spread outward, creeping toward me like icy tendrils. Seraphina's aura surged, suffusing the space with an oppressive chill that carried the unmistakable weight of her intent. 
"You're bold," she said, her voice low, dangerous, each word cutting through the cold like shards of ice. "But don't mistake boldness for invincibility, Astron." 
Her frosty aura grew heavier, the temperature in the room plummeting further as a thin layer of frost began to form along the edge of the table. The sharp bite of her mana pressed against me, seeking to unsettle, to force a reaction. 
I met her gaze without flinching, my expression calm as the frost licked at my skin. The air burned with cold, each breath a sharp reminder of the pressure she was exerting. But I held firm, letting her aura wash over me without yielding an inch. 
The time I had spent training over the break… It hadn't been in vain. 
The memory of those days to surface briefly—the grueling hours spent honing my mana control, the countless drills in hostile environments, the deliberate effort to push my limits, to strengthen my resistance against forces like this. The weight of her frost was formidable, but it wasn't unfamiliar. It was something I'd prepared for. 
I held her gaze, letting the frost bite at my skin, then finally, I broke the silence, my voice cutting through the cold like a blade. "If this is how you search