偽りのフレイヤ [Itsuwari no Freya / Prince Freya] #5

Volume 5 of Keiko Ishihara's Artificial Freya (published by Hakusensha under the LaLa imprint) draws the eye immediately with its striking cover pairing: a commanding red-haired warrior and a white-haired young figure gripping crossed blades between them, the tension between the two palpable yet somehow intimate. The bold diagonal of those swords cuts across the composition with real elegance, framed by the series' distinctive teal-and-gold title lettering. If you've been following this fantasy romance, this volume's cover signals the story is deepening in compelling ways.