The longer the battle lasted, the more the odds slipped in favor of the frozen attackers. Their numbers seemed practically endless, and the more they fought, the more injuries were inflicted against the Hunters, slowly but surely whittling them down. Even Adeline, the usually-passive, supportive Hunter, was actively engaged in the conflict. Eventually Sam and her group, or what was left of it, rejoined Hatsu's defense squad - but the other three parties were yet to be seen. Still, despite the Hunters' increased numbers, the icy legion only seemed to grow more numerous in compensation, and the fight continued on, with no end in sight. With all of them so focused on their actions in an attempt to survive, nobody noticed the steadily rising quiver of Death's cocoon. Its periodic emissions of dark energy were growing more frequent, and before long, it peaked. The result was startling.<br/><br/>In a fraction of a moment, the cocoon burst, sending out hundreds of jet black tendrils in every direction. They passed by the Hunters completely, snaking around them and instead wrapping around the glacial warriors, who couldn't react anywhere near fast enough to avoid the onslaught. The second one was grabbed, the tendril would retract back toward the cocoon, creating a massive pile of struggling crystalline beasts. The snow around them ceased its movement; once all were piled together, no more creatures came, and everything was silent for what felt like an eternity before the crescendo came. It started near the base; a familiar, pitch black blade shoved through the torso of one, causing its legs to drop motionlessly to the ground. In the silence, even the noise of those legs landing in the snow was almost deafening. There wasn't much time to consider what was happening, though, as the blade quickly started moving again.<br/><br/>The tendrils of darkness dissipated and he jumped, his dual-ended scythe spinning rapidly and cleaving through everything it touched as he rose higher and higher. Chunks of frost flew in every direction as his foes fell in rapid succession, until they were nothing but motionless ice once more in only a few moments. Ayl fell back to the ground, flourishing his scythe and stabbing it into the snow beside him as he landed. Unlike before, in his true form as Death, he was now fully clothed; draped across his shoulders was a black, hoodless mantle, hooked together in the front with golden buttons and reaching far down his back like a scarf. Underneath that was a deep purple jacket and white undershirt, though the latter wasn't visible as he kept the coat buttoned up. He wore black, fingerless gloves, and on his legs were lengthy black pants, held in place by two silver belts, each one angled to form an X. On his feet were a pair of black combat boots, tied together with white lace and covered partially by the pants he wore.<br/><br/>His eyes scanned the surroundings slowly, silver crescent moon earrings glinting against the brilliant white landscape. His face grimaced as he caught sight of the dead Huntress, her body lifeless as her blood continued to stain the snow around her red. Rather than dwell on it, he turned back to the remaining Hunters with a sigh and an apologetic look. "Everyone else alright?" he asked, voice just as human as the day they all met him.