The Nightmare of the North
The reason Cheonroe was called the Nightmare of the North was something countless superhumans attributed to his countless achievements. He was the one who first instilled the emotion of fear into the northern warriors who charged forward without knowing terror. The hero who stood alone in a position that could never be yielded and held back an army of ten thousand from the Khan. And on top of that, the transcendent who ended the war by becoming lightning itself. All those results made it clear why Cheonroe was known as the Nightmare of the North.
However, there was at least one person for whom that name carried a completely different meaning. The owner of Winter Forest. To Elain Forest, Cheonroe was the Nightmare of the North for a much simpler reason. Whenever he stayed in the North—specifically in Winter Forest—there was never a single peaceful day.
For example…
“Like that.”
Elain’s already half-dead eyes turned forward. A massive explosion erupted on the hastily prepared training grounds outside the walls of Winter Forest.
Kwa-gwa-gwang—!
It was a spell cast at full power by a 6-Ring mage. Cheonroe had intercepted it mid-air, and the resulting blast sent smoke billowing in every direction. Within the black smoke that now covered the entire training ground, two 5-Ring martial artists—a fist fighter and a spearman—closed in to land their attacks on Cheonroe.
“Sloppy.”
Crackle.
Just before their fists and spear could strike his body, a sudden burst of lightning surged up and blocked every attack. Unlike ordinary blue lightning that struck downward, this pure white thunderbolt refused to let anything approach, as if declaring that no one was allowed near Cheonroe.
With their advance completely halted and the two superhumans thrown back, Cheonroe had already finished chanting his spell.
Kwaaaang!!
“Uwaaaaack!”
“Kuhuk!!!”
Since their full-powered strikes had been rendered useless, the two superhumans had no means left to block Cheonroe’s attack. He casually lifted the unconscious pair with telekinesis and hurled them toward the distant pile of other defeated superhumans.
Watching the growing mountain of people who had been knocked out and tossed aside—already well into the double digits—Elain pressed a hand to her forehead.
“These insane battle maniacs…”
The reason Cheonroe was a nightmare for Elain was simple. The superhumans of Winter Forest, upon hearing of his fame, would lose their minds and swarm him with duel requests. Most transcendent beings of his caliber wouldn’t bother with such trivial sparring, which only made them even more obsessed with fighting him.
The rumor that Cheonroe, unlike others, would at least grant one duel had spread throughout the entire North.
‘At least the vanguard has been completely wiped out, so there’s no problem there…’
Of course, no matter how much of a battle junkie they were, and no matter how crazy a mage Cheonroe might be, they still observed a minimum line. They would never request a duel or accept a fight while enemies were actively invading. They only challenged him once they confirmed the situation was safe.
And the moment Cheonroe had utterly annihilated the vanguard he had sent out to threaten the fortress, the superhumans must have realized their time had come.
“Is this all?”
Of course, that didn’t mean they could defeat him. Even after sweeping aside dozens of superhumans, he stood without a single scratch, without having taken even one step. It was like staring at an immovable wall.
A wall so tall and thick that its height and depth couldn’t even be measured glanced at the fallen superhumans who had failed to surpass it, then turned his head.
“I asked if that was everything.”
“……Haa.”
Elain let out a deep sigh at Cheonroe’s question. His gaze was clearly asking whether she herself would step forward. Once she received a look like that, there was no way she could refuse.
Step. Step.
Elain, who had been standing in an open area slightly away from the training ground, slowly walked forward. Living in Winter Forest meant it was an absolute rule to remain armed at all times. That rule applied even to the Margrave. No—in fact, as the one who had to set an example for everyone, she had to uphold it even more strictly.
Therefore, preparing for the duel and stepping onto the training ground didn’t take Elain much time at all.
“Ooh, it’s the Margrave.”
“I didn’t expect her to come out and duel herself.”
The superhumans who saw her personally entering the duel began to gather and whisper among themselves. Elain originally hated this kind of situation. Fighting in front of everyone was one of the things she absolutely wanted to avoid. And if the opponent was none other than Cheonroe, she wanted to avoid it even more.
However, she was still a superhuman. While she wasn’t as battle-crazed as the ones who had just been casually knocked down, she was still at the 6-Ring level. Stuck before the wall of the 7-Ring, she desperately needed an opportunity to move forward.
And the transcendent before her was a monster who had already surpassed that wall long ago. An opportunity to fight such a monster while keeping her life intact didn’t come often. So if she was going to fight, she had to give it everything she had.
“Don’t go around spreading rumors about this.”
After warning the superhumans who were sitting around to watch her and Cheonroe, Elain slowly pulled back the hood she was wearing. The moment she did, the gray ears that had been hidden underneath perked up with a twitch. The soft, furry animal ears, now freed from the hood, stood sharply upright as if wary of everything in the world.
A race born from the fusion and evolution of animal and human traits. The world called them beastmen. And the current Margrave of Forest was a beastman of the Green Wolf tribe, bearers of a particularly special wolf bloodline.
‘She’s planning to go all out.’
Elain had even removed the hood that used magic to hide her ears, fully revealing her true appearance. Normally, because of her complex about those wolf ears, she always wore a specially commissioned hood from a craftsman that completely covered her ears when poured over her head. Considering she only ever took it off when bathing, sleeping, or heading to war as the Margrave of Winter Forest, it was clear just how serious she was about this duel.
“…Perfect.”
The rank visible to the eye right now was 6-Ring. Late stage, at that. Like Arleia and Beatrice whom he had seen before coming here, she was blocked by the wall before advancing to the next rank. From a transcendent’s perspective, she was still just a superhuman who had yet to manifest her Image. But among those who had not yet reached transcendence, she was easily counted among the strongest.
And for someone like Cheonroe—for me, who was still not fully accustomed to lightning-based magic—she was the most suitable sparring partner.
“Here I come.”
After a brief exchange of glances, Elain moved first. Beastmen, especially the Green Wolf tribe that ran endlessly across green plains, employed a fast-paced combat style. Using physical abilities far superior to ordinary humans, they possessed superhuman speed and drew power from that speed.
That was why Elain’s movements began by circling around me, trying to disturb my vision. From the edge of the temporarily drawn circular training ground, her figure spun without end. As her speed gradually increased, I let out a dry chuckle while following her with my eyes.
Was she planning to keep spinning like that, waiting for the moment I lost track of her, then strike? Considering Elain’s speed, it was a strategy with plenty of potential for success. Even setting aside whether I could keep up with her speed, it was the most certain plan she could choose without any risk.
However.
“Did you forget that the space here is limited?”
Lightning-type unique magic. [Wave Thunder].
The lightning that had been swirling around the area suddenly rippled outward like a stone dropped into calm water. The wave of lightning that surged and spread through the air covered the entire makeshift training ground.
“What will you do now?”
Waves grow stronger the farther they travel from their origin. Just as a small ripple can become a massive tsunami. Of course, since the training ground wasn’t that large, the wave wouldn’t reach the level of a true tsunami. But it was certainly beyond what Elain could avoid relying on her speed.
There were likely only two choices she could make: either strike the lightning head-on or deflect it. Whichever she chose, the fact that the next turn in battle belonged to me would not change. Whether she blocked or redirected my attack, I simply had to prepare the next strike.
Oooooong.
Thinking that, I finished preparing the next spell. But then—
Crackle!
“Ugh…!”
I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at the sight of Elain charging straight through the wave of lightning. Unlike ordinary beastmen, the current Margrave of Forest was a being who relied more on reason than desire. Therefore, she would never recklessly throw her body forward by overestimating her physical durability.
She must have judged that she could endure the spell I had cast the moment she saw it, then charged forward while taking the hit. Watching her rush in while sacrificing one arm to the lightning, I let out a hollow laugh.
“Hah.”
It wasn’t that I was surprised by her actions. The dry laugh came from my own clumsy mindset. Of course there was no need to go that far in a simple duel, but this was the North. The strategy of giving flesh to take bone was one I had used more than anyone else. Yet now that I was on the receiving end of the very tactic I had always employed, I realized how dull my senses had become.
“So I need to relearn it.”
The way of Cheonroe, who had thrown away everything to win while staying alive.
With that thought, I manipulated my mana toward Elain as she charged at me. There had been only one vow I made to myself after I first started accepting duels from the superhumans here: I would not take a single step from the spot where I stood.
However, even though she could no longer use one arm, she had clearly closed in on me. The lightning-type defensive technique that had blocked the 5-Ring superhumans could not stop an attack delivered at her current speed. Therefore, I had no choice but to move.
“You’ve improved a lot.”
With respect for Elain, who had grown enough to make me break my own vow, I took one step back and wrapped my mana around myself. If the magic I had shown so far was the standard lightning magic used by Cheonroe, what I was about to unleash now could be called a secret technique imbued with Image. It would normally be difficult to perform, but since she had given me enlightenment, she too deserved an equal reward.
The best lightning that could be produced at my current level without manifesting an Image gathered in my hand.
Lightning-type unique magic. [Partial Lightning Transformation].
A hand that had not simply been wrapped in lightning, but had become lightning itself. Just by existing, it controlled the wild lightning rampaging in all directions. At the same time, I added one more spell.
[Manifestation: Slashing Thunder].
The lightning at my fingertips transformed into a sharp blade. I thrust it straight at the approaching Elain.
Kwa-gwa-gwang—!
The lightning that grazed her cheek exploded violently the next instant.