hotmtlnovel Chapter 319: Winged Heavenly Being Subjugation (7)
Chapter 319: Winged Heavenly Being Subjugation (7)
Chapter 319: Winged Heavenly Being Subjugation (7)Boooom!!!
A flash filled the entire area, followed by an ear-splitting roar and a massive explosion.
Ice spikes covered the Icy Lake, and the ice masses violently erupted from its surface.
Concealing myself within the radiant glow, I darted toward Veronica, swinging my Frostscythe in a sweeping arc.
Whoosh!
Ssshhk!
Sensing my presence, Veronica leaped back.
I saw the Frostscythe in her grasp. No, to be exact, it was a scythe similar to mine but slightly different in shape.
It was most likely a replica based on memories of the past.
Swoosh!
Silvery trails followed my every move as I charged at Veronica.
Veronica defended against or dodged my attacks, using ice magic or unfolding the wings of [Ice Sovereign] to retreat swiftly.
Is the scythe too heavy for her to swing?
Given her body, which looked as frail as if only bones were left, it made sense.
As if we had agreed beforehand, we both deployed ice magic circles simultaneously.
Her magic circle unleashed a vast [Frostfire]. I countered with a [Frostfire] of my own.
Fwoooosh!!
Our destructive ice magic competed for hegemony, relentlessly crashing into each other.
In the midst of it, I used magic to speak into Veronica’s mind.
[Why were you positioned here as a gatekeeper?]
[...]
[You said you would follow the stars. What did that mean?]
[...]
[And what was the falsehood you wanted to cast aside?]
Boooom!!
[If I go beyond this door, will I know everything? The stars, the falsehoods!]
[...]
Booom!!
The only answer I received from Veronica was silence.
Her mind was already broken. She merely unleashed a series of graceful and dazzling ice magic attacks, aiming for my life.
Still, I wanted to help Veronica regain even a shred of her reason.
“Answer me!”
I shouted outright.
“The one who first sealed the Evil God was the monster within me, right?! That wasn’t recorded in history! But how did you know that?!”
The final boss, the Evil god Nephid, in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, was sealed in the abyss and later “resurrected”.
Why is such an expression used?
Even the Primordial Kings from the dawn of time only foretold the resurrection of the Evil God; they took no part in sealing it.
Who sealed the Evil God had remained unknown.
However, in Düpfendorf, Veronica left me a note when I came seeking the Cloak of the Radiant Wolf, allowing me to guess who sealed the Evil God.
The one who sealed the Evil God and the being I must not trust if I wish to survive.
“Ozma!!”
That being must be the first kin of the Star Fairy Stella, Ozma.
Booom!!
A series of ice magic colliding, erupting into a fierce cold blast.
Swoosh!
I broke through the swirling extreme cold, reaching Veronica.
As Veronica swung her Frostscythe with her ice magic, I swung mine, wrapped in absolute zero.
My target was not Veronica, but the scythe she held.
Clang!
Veronica’s Frostscythe was knocked away. The advantage of power leaned towards me.
Grasping her head, I forcefully headbutted her forehead.
Thud!!!
The dull sound of skulls cracking echoed.
Veronica staggered, and ignoring the blood dripping from my head, I grabbed her by the collar. No matter how much ice magic she poured out, I retaliated with my own.
I glared into Veronica’s lifeless eyes from up close and spoke, “You were waiting for me here, weren’t you? Why did you do it...?”
[...]
Veronica’s bloodless lips moved as if she had just realized something.
Her eyes finally focused on me.
[Star...]
At last, Veronica uttered a word.
Her voice cracked as if she hadn’t spoken for countless years.
[...Bey... ond... the... star...]
Beyond the star.
Is she answering my question? Or is this merely the last remnants of her obsession escaping her lips?
Whatever the case, it was clear that going beyond the gate would reveal the truth.
I blinked slowly.
Why?
Why did Veronica come here to become the gatekeeper?
She had told me to destroy her with peace in my heart, so she must have already known her fate.
“Veronica. Why are you... serving as the gatekeeper here?”
As I asked, Veronica’s eyes widened gradually.
Soon, I couldn’t help but be shocked.
Her mummified face, devoid of any vitality, cracked and splintered apart like an ice sculpture...
...From a barely formed smile.
Whoosh!
A sharp flash swept by, and an immense wave of mana spread outward.
One after another, the strange whistling of the wind could be heard from the sky.
I couldn’t afford to take my eyes off Veronica or let down my guard, so I activated [Clairvoyance] to check what had appeared in the sky.
What is that...?
A pale blue crescent, filled with countless magic circles, cast a dazzling light below the blood-colored clouds.
An ice crescent connected to Veronica by mana.
It was an ice magic I had never seen before, but it wasn’t difficult to realize that the mana consumed to create it surpassed that of [Cocytus].
Plop.
Plop.
Gradually, something rose above the surface of the icy lake.
Various creatures, naked and carrying heavy burdens.
All were shivering, frostbitten across their bodies from dwelling in the fierce cold.
Sounds of coughing, pleas for help, and sobbing rang out.
They all knelt, weeping uncontrollably as they gazed at the ice crescent.
It was a bizarre sight.
Only then did I understand the condition to be submerged in the Icy Lake.
Death... Only the dead can fall into the Icy Lake.
Because I was alive, I couldn’t fall into the Icy Lake.
Because I was alive, the Icy Lake expelled countless creatures to reject me.
The rock rod I had created in the elevator must have also been rejected by the Icy Lake because it was made with the mana of the living.
It was at that moment I realized that.
Thud!!
A tremendous force crashed just next to my face, and my body went flying like a ball.
What...?
I tumbled mercilessly across the icy lake.
I nearly lost consciousness. Fortunately, I was able to use [Ice Generation] to raise an ice block and stop my body from rolling further.
[Please... die!]
[Die...!]
[I want to live...!]
[Let me get out of here!]
[Give me that body...!]
The dead rushed at me in a frenzy. They were all weak. I could even sense the fear they held.
I immediately looked up. A barrage of ice magic was raining down on me.
[Gah!]
[Mom, mom...!]
[Save... me...!]
I extended the wings of [Ice Sovereign] and flew upwards, evading all of Veronica’s attacks, but dozens of the dead who were charging toward me were caught in the ice magic and turned to ashen dust.
The blood clouds, unable to withstand my mana, froze.
[Elemental Synergy]. The interaction where elemental magics combined to amplify their effects.
In the gaps between the components of the clouds, I expanded the area of ice, linking and continuing it.
The cloud made of the blood of others sublimated into a tremendously large mass of ice.
A shadow that filled the entire Icy Lake.
There is nowhere to escape.
I lowered my Frostscythe, ceasing to channel mana.
[The sky...]
The sky falls.
Kuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!
A deep, thunderous crash echoed throughout the heavens and earth.
The ice spell I had created on my own. It oppressed and consumed everything in the vicinity.
If I had to name it, this technique would be called [Heaven’s Collaspe].
Veronica looked up at the sky.
Realizing that unleashing [Cocytus] on me would be futile, she hurled the cold sun at the descending mass of ice.
Boooom!!
A massive explosion erupted, but the area only transformed into a new, hellish scene filled with fierce cold.
The falling ice sky remained unscathed.
An immeasurable weight and its consequent gravitational acceleration.
The intense cold mana building in concentration, and the towering mana density that formed the ice mass.
This... is something that even Veronica would find difficult to withstand.
Crack!
Boooom!!!
The immense, falling chunk of ice shattered the mysterious power, the ice crescent.
A scene of overwhelming power.
The way to avoid that immense pressure that suppressed everything without discrimination was simple.
Crackle.
I cast [Ice Barrier] around myself and Hilde, the Frost Dragon.
We were immune to the effects of my magic, but that massive ice chunk was created by freezing the blood clouds. We weren’t immune to its physical force.
Thus, if I cast [Ice Barrier], it would devour and nullify only the part of the ice it came into contact with. Even if the blood cloud splashed on me, it wouldn’t cause any harm.
Whoosh!!
Veronica transformed herself into an elemental form. A storm of icy wind hurtled toward me at great speed.
With no place to evade, I could feel her determination to take me down first.
If she gets too close, I’ll lose. I won’t let her approach.
I stretched my arm toward her.
Crash!!
I pushed Veronica back with an intense cold. It was the 6-star ice spell [Frost Wave].
That much was manageable. I, too, used ice magic to block the attack or counterattack.
“It’s over. You can’t reach me.”
Whoosh!
Veronica stopped advancing toward me. She seemed to realize it was already too late.
In the shadow cast by the falling sky, we extended our wings of [Ice Sovereign] and silently gazed at each other, both glowing with a dignified brilliance.
For some reason, her face seemed to reveal a myriad of emotions.
“...Be at peace.”
At last, the massive ice chunk bypassed Hilde and me, protected by the [Ice Barrier], and swept over Veronica.
And soon, it engulfed the entire area.
Boooooom!!!!!
The overwhelming impact descended, and a deafening roar echoed as if to tear my eardrums apart.
The massive ice chunk crumbled, and the Icy Lake spouted upward through the cracks like a geyser.
Ssshhh.
I defrosted the ice mass.
The massive ice chunk turned into a pale blue powder and scattered beautifully.
There was no trace of Veronica Aslius’ form.
Only a singularly beautiful, ashen powder was drifting away from one spot.
[Veronica...]
Hilde’s sorrowful emotions resonated with me.
I descended to the spot where Veronica had perished and retracted my three pairs of cold wings.
I calmly reflected in silence and made my way toward the massive gate.
I still didn’t know the exact reason why Veronica had been there.
The truth would be revealed beyond the gate.
“Hilde, take a rest for now.”
[Master?]
“I’m nearly out of mana.”
[...Understood.]
I finished the brief conversation with Hilde and reverse-summoned her.
My remaining mana was nearly depleted. I was in poor condition due to the significant damage I had sustained in my battle against Veronica.
My vision wavered. I felt dizzy. The relief of the battle being over made me feel as if I might pass out at any moment.
I had to endure. Soon, I would be able to see Dorothy.
“...Huh?”
I sensed numerous presences behind me.
I turned my head back. The many monsters and the dead of the Icy Lake were staring at me silently.
When I read their emotions, I sensed reverence. It seemed they had been watching the battle between Veronica and me from beneath the lake.
And they felt envy toward me for being able to cross beyond the gate.
“...”
There was nothing I could say.
I simply moved forward.
Hoooom!
The massive gate began to swing open to either side, and light poured through the gap.
I turned my head forward to face the light.
Creak.
The doors opened wide.
I squinted my eyes and stepped into the radiance without hesitation.
As I passed through the light, I felt a warm sensation in my chest despite the intense cold. For a moment, it almost felt like I had arrived in heaven.
As I quickened my pace, the light gradually dimmed, and I heard the sound of the door closing.
Soon, a new landscape appeared in my blurred vision.
This place was still hell.
“This is beyond the gate...”
A scene as if day and night were split dramatically in half.
The place where I stood was bright, and in the distance lied the scenery of a starry sky and a lake reflecting said beautiful sky.
In the distance, I saw a black sphere floating in the sky. It held many stars and galaxies within, as if reflecting the universe like a mirror.
I felt a familiar mana. It was Dorothy’s.
“Haah, haah...”
I trudged forward, dragging my exhausted body as I caught my breath.
In the silence, even with my blurry vision, the distant, sublime Icy Lake overwhelmed me.
I advanced.
With each step, the chilling air of the Icy Lake gnawed at my resolve.
Ignoring the pain of broken bones and the wailing of twisted muscles, I kept moving forward.
No matter how much I staggered, I kept steady.
...I’m here.
I stopped at the boundary between light and darkness.
The sphere floating in the sky noticed me and opened its many eyes.
Soon, the sphere cracked like clay, revealing a woman who had been curled up asleep inside.
A being that embodied the beautiful starry sky.
I see you.
Upon noticing me, she slowly opened her eyes and raised her body.
A cosmic halo adorned with countless eyes settled behind her. All those eyes gazed at me.
My heart felt as if it would collapse. My eyes moistened with overwhelming emotion.
But I managed to smile and said.
“It’s been a while, Dorothy.”
I’m here.