The Hunt (5)
The Hunt (5)
Zmei, who once contracted with the first emperor of the Aquila Empire that ruled the continent, protecting the empire for a thousand years.
He had countless titles.
Guardian Dragon, Strongest Dragon, Dragon Emperor, Guardian of Balance, etc.
But there was a title that truly represented Zmei's essence.
Ice Dragon Zmei.
This was an attribute granted to Zmei from the moment of his birth.
The northernmost part of the continent, where snow falls endlessly throughout the seasons.
Born on ice that hadn't melted for over ten thousand years, ice was like his own hands and feet.
Until the moment he died after an honorable fight with the great warrior Bogatyr thousands of years later, his essence was always ice.
Therefore, even though Zmei was just a lingering consciousness after his soul had departed, the moment he accepted the magic power of Niflheim from Nidhogg, he could wield that power like his own limbs.
No, perhaps even more freely than when he was alive, since he possessed the body of the dead.
And the 'Permafrost' used by Zmei's consciousness was a technique that vied for the strongest among the many ice-attribute skills he could use.
It wasn't just about controlling cold to freeze the opponent; it was a technique that interfered with the very concept of being frozen.
The world froze.
Koschei, who looked like he was about to pounce.
The Mafia, who were desperately fighting the undead.
The undead, who were attacking the Mafia.
Literally everything froze, and only silence lingered in the world.
In this frozen world, the only ones who could move freely were Zmei's consciousness, which used the technique, and I, who had forcibly blocked it by emitting massive magic power, along with the two I was protecting.
Zmei, who had frozen the world itself, regardless of friend or foe, looked down at the frozen Koschei with an arrogant gaze.
Perhaps it was because he had used a magic of a different caliber by drawing out all his available magic power, but I could feel Zmei's consciousness, which had used the technique, gradually weakening.
Perhaps the moment I cut off the magic power, even the consciousness that was barely being maintained would scatter and disappear.
I cast a separate protective spell on the two I was protecting and crossed the snow-white world to approach Zmei's consciousness.
-Have you come.
"Have you come, my ass."
-Ugh!!
I didn't like the way he was looking down at me arrogantly as if he were the best, having used my magic power without permission, so I smacked him in the back of the head.
If it weren't for me, he would have disappeared from overload before even using the technique. Do you know that?
Perhaps because his head was ringing, being an undead, Zmei's consciousness rubbed the spot where he was hit and said.
-I know that too. I only attempted it because you, a fellow dragon, were supplying me with magic power. Otherwise, I would have used a different method.
"That's something to brag about, you idiot."
As if that's an excuse.
He should have told me before using it.
And what was he going to do if allies got caught up in it?
After nagging Zmei's consciousness for a while, I approached Koschei, who was frozen solid and unable to move.
Seeing that the mark hadn't moved, he didn't seem to be dead, but he didn't show any signs of trying to escape either.
What should I call this?
-How is it.
"How is it, what. I can't understand unless you explain what technique you used."
-Ah, I see. It was such a famous technique back when I was alive.
"Famous? This?"
Why was a technique that ate up magic power like this famous?
-Yes. It was my finishing move, so it was quite famous. I even protected the empire a few times with this.
"So what's the effect."
-Permafrost. Within the range of this technique, any existence of a lower rank than me stops completely. Life activities, time, literally everything stops.
"No wonder it ate up so much damn magic power."
-It's a very effective technique against someone who calls themselves immortal.
I nodded at what Zmei's consciousness said with a grin on his bony face.
In a situation where I didn't know how many times Koschei could resurrect or how he resurrected, there couldn't be a better way to suppress him.
Except for the fact that allies got caught in it.
"You said it affects everything of a lower rank. Then is it effectively an instant-kill move?"
-No. Not necessarily.
"Why? Is there a way to break it?"
-Just once. I have a memory of it being broken by an existence of a lower rank than me when I was alive.
"Then isn't it dangerous to leave it like this?"
-No. It's fine. The existence who broke my Permafrost was the hero who killed me, Bogatyr. He was a monster with talent who grew even while fighting me. The way he broke the Permafrost was also by being trapped in the ice, gaining enlightenment in that state, and rising to an equal rank to me to escape.
"What kind of monster is that."
A human who grows while fighting.
As Zmei's consciousness said, he was an existence worthy of the name hero.
'Anyway, these heroes...'
Actually, it wasn't my first time seeing an existence like the hero Zmei's consciousness mentioned.
I remembered seeing heroes who hunted dragons or grew while fighting in real-time a few times, or hearing about them from Ratatoskr.
What did Ratatoskr say back then?
Was it... an existence loved by fate?
Of course, that love was sometimes too excessive, leading them to die after all sorts of hardships and trials, so I wasn't particularly envious.
I scattered my thoughts about the heroes I had seen in the past and tapped the frozen Koschei.
"Then there's no chance this guy will ever be freed."
-Of course. This guy can never be a hero. A monster, maybe.
As he said, considering the actions Koschei had taken so far, he was closer to a villain or a monster from mythology than a hero.
Just in case, should I ask Yoo Da-eun later?
If it's her, she would definitely know about Koschei in detail.
"Anyway, this settles this matter too. Should I leave Koschei here like this? Or if I lift just Koschei and move him somewhere else, will the stopped state be maintained?"
-Permafrost isn't my finishing move for nothing. Even if you detach him and move him separately, the effect is maintained as is. Forever, until I or another Permafrost user releases it.
"Oh. But what are you going to do now? You've dealt with Koschei, who used your bones for experiments as he pleased."
-Even if it's a consciousness, what's the point of a dead person staying in this world for a long time other than creating attachments? As you know, when the magic power supply is cut off, I will disappear. I also intend to leave myself to the natural order.
Zmei, who had already accepted the fact that he was a consciousness of a dead being and that his existence as a consciousness was no longer possible without my magic power.
He didn't seem to have any attachments.
At that moment, Zmei, who had been looking at me as if I could cut off the magic power supply at any time, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
-Come to think of it, I haven't given a proper reward to you who helped me.
"What do you mean no reward. This is enough for me."
I held up the piece of Zmei's heart.
A piece of dragon's heart that I was eating for the first time in a while.
Although it was a piece and had flaws from being used quite a bit, I could grow a little with this.
However, even after seeing the heart piece, Zmei shook his head.
-That is merely a trophy you should naturally have to seize control.
"Then what will you give me. You don't have anything besides the body made of dragon bones."
-Ah, the bones used in this profane ritual? This is the same as the heart piece. Take it yourself when I disappear. And the reward I will give you is...
Zmei, who coolly handed over even his bones, drew out the remaining magic power and used a new magic.
Then, a part of his consciousness that could no longer hold on scattered and combined with the magic power to take a new form.
It was a book.
A book with mysterious patterns engraved on a blue cover.
Zmei, who had created a book saying he would give a reward, held it out to me.
-You seemed quite interested in the way I use ice. I have put all my know-how and magic into this book, so learn it if you want to.
He was watching that?
I took the book Zmei handed over, flipped through it quickly, and lightly read the beginning.
As he said, the know-how to use the ice attribute through magic power, from basics to advanced, and magic using it were written down.
-Oh my. I guess it's time to go.
His will, visible between the eye sockets of the Bone Dragon's skull, was getting weaker.
He could no longer maintain his consciousness.
"Thank you. I'll try to learn as much as I can."
-It is a book... containing my... whole life... try... if you can...
With those words, Zmei's consciousness fell completely silent.
He had scattered according to the natural order as he wished.
I checked the Bone Dragon's dragon bones pouring out and turned around.
Now, the only ones left in this place were me, Shin Su-ah, and Baek Yeon.
And the ice statues.
"This settles another matter."
"Sigh. I don't think I was of much help this time either."
"It was all just about warming up."
"It was the same for me this time. Who knew he would use such a technique by bringing in an ignorant amount of magic power."
The two of them seemed very disappointed, perhaps wanting to show their performance this time.
However, I also have something to say, as I didn't do much other than seizing control and supplying magic power.
Now that the only thing left was cleaning up, I left the association's call to Baek Yeon, and I cut off the magic power supply I was pouring into the heart piece.
Then, the souls that had been forcibly bound by Koschei flowed out from the undead trapped in the Permafrost and the pile of collapsed Bone Dragon bones.
Numerous souls gathered together and floated in the sky like golden mist.
-Ah, finally...
-Thank you for liberating us.
-Finally, I can leave...
"Wow..."
Shin Su-ah admiring the scene.
They thanked us, became fainter, and scattered and disappeared.
Did they go to the underworld like Niflheim, which Hel ruled?
I hope that place is warmer than Niflheim.
I prayed for their peace in my heart until they disappeared completely.