A Grand Knock on the Ice Queen's Door
Space manipulation techniques existed in dark magic as well, much like teleportation spells in magic or spirit arts, or the instantaneous movement of martial arts. For example, the computational domain once used by the dark mage Intel. It separated space and crossed over within another dimension, drastically shortening the distance from point A to point B. For high-ranking dark mages who wielded the Inner World, it was not a difficult feat. Therefore, there was no way Kain, who stood at the pinnacle of dark magic, could not do it.
“......”
The wingbeats of the skeletal monstrous bird forcibly warped the surrounding space. Along with the refraction of light came the distortion of time. Time linked to space stretched and contracted repeatedly, tearing through the layered dimensions beyond and forcing a passage. In terms of pure speed, it exceeded Mach. Atop that monstrous velocity that shattered even the sound barrier, Kain calmly let out a yawn.
“It’s a bit chilly.”
Had they finally entered the frozen tundra? It wasn’t the most appropriate thing to say while wearing a pure white short-sleeved shirt, yet the air did feel rather crisp. Good thing my ability isn’t fire. Cold was far preferable to heat. Had this been a blazing wasteland instead of a frozen tundra, Kain would have reconsidered making the trip to meet the Ice Queen.
Kiaaaaaak!
While he was briefly lost in thought, the monstrous bird let out a grotesque screech befitting its appearance, snapping him back to reality. Its flight speed gradually slowed. Wondering if they had arrived, he looked down at the ground, where a breathtaking sight unfolded before him.
“......”
A grand city frozen solid in blue ice. Within it, people stood like statues. A middle-aged woman chatting in front of a fruit stand. A couple walking arm-in-arm as if passing behind her. Brightly smiling children running in the opposite direction below them. The once most prosperous nation on the continent, preserved exactly as it had been in its prime. The scene was like a living diorama from a folk museum.
In other words, an indescribably mysterious and beautiful cemetery. That was the only way to describe it, and it was enough to render even Kain—who normally cared nothing for worldly affairs—silent for a moment as he gazed upon it.
The little one would have loved this.
If it affected him this much, he could only imagine Arina’s reaction. She likely would have lost herself completely, spending the entire day mesmerized by the city’s frozen landscape.
“......”
With that thought, he flew a little farther. What came into view next was a frozen citadel. Built atop a hill overlooking the entire city, it was the only place in the whole metropolis that still carried any trace of life.
She’s in there.
The Ice Queen—one of the absolute beings who held dominion over the continent. The moment he sensed her presence, he spotted a woman beyond the highest window of the citadel. A woman with pale sky-blue hair and eyes as transparent as ice.
Crack.
Had she noticed him as well? The instant their eyes met, an unbearably frigid cold wave engulfed the space around Kain. Pure white mana carried intangible cold energy that seized complete control of the entire area where he existed.
“Tsk.”
An unprovoked preemptive strike? She was doing something Tugwi would do without hesitation. Did she enjoy fighting as much as he did?
He considered it for a moment before realizing his assumption was wrong. No—it was even more absurd than that.
“Don’t tell me you still can’t control your own power?”
Such cases were not uncommon. Unlike other disciplines built systematically from the ground up, Ebon was a power that descended suddenly from above. It was common for those who awakened it to spend their lives in uncontrollable rampages, especially those who had manifested strong abilities from the very beginning. Of course, the Ellemental Kingdom had since developed Mana Restriction Cuffs, allowing even uncontrolled Ebon users to live relatively normal lives.
But there’s no way an item capable of restraining an absolute-level user exists in this world.
He was so dumbfounded he could barely speak. His preconceptions had been completely off the mark. Who could have imagined that one of the continent’s absolute beings couldn’t even properly control her own power? At the same time, he now understood why she had summoned him directly.
Greed must have frozen solid the moment he got close.
The guy was fairly strong even among superhumans, so he might have endured for a while, but he likely couldn’t have avoided becoming another ice statue down below. In short, there was no one else capable of holding a conversation with her. Realizing why the Ice Queen had no choice but to call him here, Kain frowned.
There was really no way to blame her for it. If I had to find fault, it would only be getting irritated that she’s been this incompetent at utilizing her Ebon all this time.
Her mana control was so poor it couldn’t even be compared to the little one’s. The downside of possessing extreme mana affinity. If he hadn’t been able to suppress the rampage when his own Ebon first awakened, would he have ended up the same way?
At that utterly pathetic sight, Kain clicked his tongue softly.
“Well, it’s still better this way.”
If she were like Tugwi or the Empress and had come at him with full intent to fight, he would have had to respond in kind. But since she was at least trying to restrain herself, it seemed he wouldn’t need to go all out. No matter how strong she was, she was probably only slightly more powerful than the boatman he had faced in the Underworld.
“Looks like a suitable bargaining chip has appeared as well.”
A deal could only be made when both sides had something the other wanted. To pull the Ice Queen in as an ally, he would need to give her what she desired. Until now the conditions had been unclear, but her need had finally revealed itself.
Kwaaaang!
The extreme cold completely halted the space’s function. Time itself stopped. Fixed mana heavily restricted Kain’s movements.
“Well, I’ll play along for a bit.”
The wasted mana from another dimension that flowed through the gap created cracks in the frozen space. Ice shattered like fragments. White ice powder resembling diamond dust sparkled and enveloped Kain’s surroundings. From within that glittering cloud, he slowly removed the glasses he had been wearing.
Hwaaaaak!
The name of the Death King Dark Heaven rose high into a sky as black as the abyss itself.
At the same time, the dead worshipped their king’s return and began moving their frozen bodies.
The dead could not refuse his commands. According to the First Divine Rule established by Kain, the time in the great city that had been frozen for over a decade began to flow once more.
“......”
Purple eyes shimmered. Beneath the black sky, countless ice statues advanced toward the citadel. Watching the King of the Dead lead his army of citizens in a march on the frozen castle, Rion Tyrfing widened her eyes.
If Kain had felt the frozen city was a spectacular sight, then for the Ice Queen, the true spectacle was the scene unfolding now. In an instant, hell itself had manifested in this world. Her heart raced with excitement as she gazed at the Death King, who stared back with the same arrogant expression he had worn upon first appearing.
This was self-defense triggered by an Ebon rampage. The corpses that had stood motionless like statues now began to move, and the Ice Queen clearly recognized them as a single hostile entity. Just as it had when Kain first appeared, her Ebon arbitrarily stimulated her trauma and went into overdrive, forcibly preventing the undead from entering the citadel.
The earth split apart. Thick walls of ice erupted from the fissure. The ice severed space itself, isolating the frozen castle into its own separate world. No one would be allowed to approach her.
“Hmph.”
Kain gave a bold snort at the display. At the same time, a wyvern skeleton soared high into the sky. The moment he rose into the air, the great city teeming with frozen undead sank deep into the ground with a heavy thud. The entire metropolis plunged into the abyss as if swallowed by a sinkhole.
Then, surging upward from below like lava, came a fountain of red blood. In an instant it covered the whole city, turning it into a lake of blood thick with its metallic scent. The corners of Kain’s mouth curled upward.
One might forget kindness, but a grudge was never forgotten—and it would always be repaid.
The lake of blood covering the frozen citadel churned. A single slime-like monstrous creature rose like a tidal wave, towering even higher than the castle itself.
“Don’t blame me for ruining your house’s view. You threw the first punch.”
Blood was the foundation of life and the source of vitality. It was the center of circulation that delivered nutrients and oxygen throughout the body while filtering out waste. This lifeform, created by gathering all of those elements, radiated a presence too overwhelming to be called a mere monster.
It used the Philosopher’s Stone—an all-purpose product formed by gathering and refining human life force, commonly known as lifespan—into its primary component to create a heart. Through the suction power it generated, it gave shape to blood that could not maintain form on its own. A monster that engulfed the world in endlessly flowing blood like lava: the King of Blood.
It was one of the four summons possessed by the Death King Dark Heaven, an entity equal to the King of Bones he had summoned when facing the boatman Charon in the Underworld. From atop it, Kain arrogantly surveyed the catastrophe he had unleashed and spoke.
“Go.”
At his command, the viscous blood monster charged toward the frozen citadel standing tall beyond the ice wall. That grand knock sent a massive impact rippling through the castle as though an earthquake had struck.
Crack.
Yet even after the monster’s blow, the citadel remained intact. Instead, it countered the creature’s power with an even stronger ultra-low temperature cold that covered the entire lake of blood surrounding it. The lake froze red. The King of Blood halted in the exact posture it had held while attacking the castle, its flowing form forcibly fixed in place.
Ice spears shot toward that frozen shape. Spears formed purely from cold energy without any physical matter pierced straight through the King of Blood, completely destroying its form.
The King of Blood shattered into fragments as if an avalanche had occurred. Despite the overwhelming presence it had displayed upon arrival, its exit was far too futile and easy. Yet Kain’s expression showed not the slightest change.
Just as frozen corpses are still corpses, frozen blood is still blood.
Liquid, solid, or gas—changing form did not alter its essence. And as long as that essence was the substance known as “blood” that governed life, the King of Blood faced no obstacle in manipulating the concept.
Kwa-duduk!
The ground surged upward. Blood rose like an iceberg. Watching the frozen citadel shake violently up and down like a small boat caught in a storm, Kain spoke.
“Now the games are over.”
Normally he wouldn’t have minded playing with her longer, but today he needed to return home before the little one got back.
With that thought, his eyes flashed with purple light.
I can see it.
Death did not exist only for living beings. Mountains, oceans, skies, earth—even planets and distant stars. Anything that would eventually meet its end possessed death. And Kain’s Ebon, the Evil Eye, could see that death and pull it forward at will according to his power.
Whoosh!
The death of the cold energy that Kain had confirmed. Spears of blood rising from the frozen lake of blood pierced it with perfect accuracy. The iron wall that had stood firmer than steel only moments ago crumbled as easily as tofu. The citadel, mercilessly impaled by spears made of blood, resembled a corpse mangled inside an iron maiden.
The once beautiful ice citadel now looked even more grotesquely mutilated than the King of Blood had after its collapse. With that magnificent knock, Kain leaped down from the skeletal wyvern toward the shattered castle, his face utterly expressionless.