Elion's Tears
The sight of Frost steadily expanding his domain was more than Ifrit could bear.
If I allow this to continue, I will have no face left to show Lady Spia. It seems I must erase that wretch.
Spirits were never meant to declare dominion over Pangea. Nor were they permitted to wield such power without their contractor’s intent. Frost’s actions were therefore a clear violation. Should word of this reach Spia, the one who stood above all spirits would be left humiliated.
Ifrit’s long crimson hair blazed like living flame as he drew forth the full extent of his spiritual power. The Spirit Kings took on entirely different forms in battle than they did in their everyday states. Even Frost, while in Harmonia, had not worn that jagged, icy armor or sported such sharply pointed hair.
Since his opponent had declared that dialogue would not be permitted, Ifrit—who had never been one to shy away from a fight—had no choice but to unleash his true strength.
If you think you can stop me, then try.
He released a wave of heat so intense that the surrounding snow and ice began to melt instantly. The power rippling outward like a tide was, of course, a direct threat to Frost.
I shall assist.
Even the usually taciturn Noas made the appropriate judgment and moved to support Ifrit. The Earth Spirit King’s form changed as well. From a muscular giant of a man, his entire body transformed into solid stone, becoming a towering golem.
It’s been a while since things got this heated, Noas.
The fact that Noas—who always weighed right from wrong with meticulous care—had chosen to join him was as good as an endorsement of Ifrit’s methods. Without hesitation, Noas used the power of earth to trap Frost.
BOOM!
The ground hidden beneath pure white snow surged upward, crushing Frost’s body. Ifrit did not forget to pour every ounce of his flames toward the imprisoned foe. Trapped by the terrain and battered by fire, Frost could not exert his full strength.
Elion watched the scene with open contempt.
How can fellow spirits turn their power against one another like this?
To see Ifrit and Noas mercilessly attacking a being who had once been a Spirit King filled her with righteous fury.
Silian, who knew how close Elion and Frost had once been, could only look on with pity at the trapped Frost. She could not bring herself to act.
But the conflict only deepened because of Ifrit’s fiery temperament.
How much more harm do you intend to let him inflict upon the Spirit Realm? Cast aside your personal feelings!
What? Personal feelings? Ifrit, would you treat any spirit the same way if they ended up like this?
Ifrit, the very embodiment of ruthlessness, did not abandon his true nature for even a moment.
If it is for Lady Spia, then of course.
His cruel disposition left Elion speechless.
Then—
Crack.
The earth that had imprisoned Frost froze solid in an instant and split open like a door.
Quite the scorching flame you have there, Ifrit. I see it now. You were the same kind of wretch all along. Your reputation for trampling fellow spirits for the sake of your own amusement is well known. You are no different from him.
What did you say?
Frost and Ifrit had rarely interacted, for their natures were polar opposites. Strictly speaking, Ifrit held the superior position, yet the gap in power varied wildly depending on which Spirit King one faced. As one of the Four Great Spirit Kings, Ifrit commanded a vast number of lesser spirits and shared his power with them. Against a special Spirit King like Frost, he could never prevail.
In other words, Ifrit had never stood a chance against Frost from the very beginning.
From this moment on, I will ravage you—the one who dared invade my domain and even raise a hand against me.
Frost’s words were so lucid that one might wonder if he had regained his senses. The shock was not limited to Ifrit. Even Noas, who rarely showed emotion, and Silian, who had been watching from afar, were rendered speechless.
All except Elion.
Frost! Who did this to you?! Whatever happened in the Spirit Realm, we can fix it somehow! So please… come back to the you I once knew…!
Elion’s desperate cry did not reach Frost at all. His mind was now dominated by a single imperative: eliminate the intruders. As if to prove it, he altered the weather, summoning a blizzard that engulfed the entire area.
Whoooosh!
What powerful winds. Even so, to be rendered this helpless…
Not even Silian, the Wind Spirit King, could contend with the raging snowstorm. The only thing she could do was protect Elion’s contractor as best she could.
For whatever reason, the rage inside you has only made that power stronger.
Even as he faced a formidable opponent, Ifrit showed not the slightest hint of fear. His blazing form remained utterly unshaken.
Crack… crack…
Hmm. My body is beginning to freeze.
Noas, however, was different. He expressed his helplessness with a heavy groan. Letting out a faint moan, he could only watch as his own form slowly stiffened.
I cannot continue fighting that thing while trying to protect you. If I am extinguished here, I will simply return to the Spirit Realm. Go on ahead without me.
Noas actually felt relieved watching Ifrit show no mercy even to a comrade he had fought beside. After all, Noas was a loyal spirit who lived solely for Spia.
I am relieved. If it is you, you will not become a burden to Lady Spia.
With those final words, Noas’s entire body gradually turned to stone and vanished from Pangea.
“N-Noas!”
Silian felt a rising sense of crisis at the power of this special spirit she was encountering for the first time. She had a terrible premonition that if they did nothing, a catastrophic storm would descend upon Pangea. In the end, she had no choice but to persuade Elion.
Elion, if we don’t join the fight and drain Frost’s power, Pangea will fall into utter chaos.
She had gathered her courage to suggest they work together somehow. Yet contrary to expectation, Elion remained despondent.
But… how could I possibly attack Frost?
Leave the attacking to Ifrit. We only need to defend and support. If we don’t join him, even Ifrit will be helpless.
Elion could not tear her eyes away from Ifrit, who was clearly struggling to advance against the ever-strengthening blizzard.
It is regrettable that I cannot use my full power.
The medium he possessed was simply insufficient for him to display his complete strength. With that thought, Ifrit poured even more force into his contest of power against Frost. The heat that had only covered a small area began to swell dramatically, pushing back the blizzard. Cold and flame clashed in a fierce battle of strength.
Watching them, Silian made up her mind.
I don’t know anymore. I’m going to help Ifrit. If we keep going like this, things will spiral completely out of control.
Silian transformed from the appearance of a playful young girl into the very embodiment of wind—a typhoon given form. She now possessed enough power to control the incoming storm of cold, and with wings of wind sprouting from her back, she flew to Ifrit’s aid.
Whoooosh!
Fwoooosh!
She poured powerful gusts into Ifrit’s ever-expanding flames. Fire and wind together produced far greater strength. The flames, suddenly empowered, twisted into a massive vortex large enough to swallow the blizzard whole.
At that sight, Elion squeezed her eyes shut. She could only lament her own helplessness.
What am I supposed to do?
Watching Elion in such torment pained Dalo as well. He spoke to her gently.
“…Elion. I’m only human, so I don’t understand everything, but there’s a saying among us: time heals all wounds. I made this just in case. I had a feeling something like this might happen. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to use it.”
What Dalo took from his pouch was a fragment of cold he had crafted using the same principles as the medium once used to summon the Four Great Spirit Kings. By creating the other fragments, he had inferred the materials needed for this one.
“If it can be used to summon, then it should also be able to seal. And you can release it whenever you wish.”
Seeing both his words and the cold fragment, Elion’s heart wavered. In truth, she had been thinking the same thing—that she could not take Frost back to the Spirit Realm right now.
Thank you, my contractor.
Elion shifted into her combat form. Starting from her lower body, her appearance changed completely. Her entire form became composed of blue water, with droplets floating around her and her blue hair transforming into flowing streams. She looked like a vast ocean given human shape. She was the sea itself, and every river and stream in the world.
In her battle form, Elion split her power precisely in half, creating an avatar that advanced toward Frost.
E-Elion! No! If you do that—!
Silian tried to stop her, but Elion had already moved forward. There was nothing more she could do.
Was their friendship truly that passionate?
Ifrit watched Elion expend her own power to protect Frost and spoke as if he could not comprehend it.
Crack. Crack.
With every step closer to Frost, the water that formed her body froze, making movement increasingly difficult. Yet despite the freezing, she burned with determination and forced herself forward with the last of her strength.
Tap.
At last, Elion’s hand reached Frost. The moment her fingers touched his sharp, pointed hair, Frost froze. Seizing that opening, Elion stepped even closer and embraced him fully.
Elion, do you really think I will forgive you for this?
Frost had still not regained his senses. Tears streaming down her face, Elion swelled her body to enormous size, completely enveloping him.
Now!
Dalo, who had been protected at a distance, understood the command. Clutching the cold fragment with all his might, he sprinted toward Frost.
“R-Reach him!!”
Frost was slowly freezing Elion’s water. Dalo thrust his hand into her half-frozen body and pressed the cold fragment directly against Frost.
Ugh! Th-This is—!
The moment the cold fragment touched him, Frost began to lose his strength.
E-Elion, what have you done?! What have you…!
See you next time.
Frost’s power was completely absorbed into the cold fragment. The blizzard vanished, and the Icicle Tree melted away into nothing.
Once the situation had been resolved, the three remaining Spirit Kings stood in silence for a long time. The one who finally broke the seemingly endless quiet was Ifrit.
I now have even greater reason to grow stronger. To serve Lady Spia, I will need power that surpasses even a special Spirit King.
Though he had not technically been defeated, Ifrit felt an inexplicable sense of powerlessness. He could not stop imagining what would have happened had the cold fragment not existed—they all would have been forcibly returned to the Spirit Realm.
Watching him, Elion returned to her original form with tears in her eyes and spoke.
Ifrit! You have made a grave mistake this time!
It was a warning. Though the situation had been unavoidable and had indeed been for Spia’s sake, the merciless way he had attacked a fellow spirit was utterly repulsive.
The one who made a mistake was not me, but you. I did nothing wrong. To think you would choose to seal that wretch instead of erasing him.
Ifrit continued to bring up the fact that they had not destroyed Frost. Elion could not help but flare up in response.
What? How far do you intend to fall?! That is a decision for Lady Spia to make!
The situation had grown explosive, emotions running at their peak. But the feared clash never came.
It was because of Silian’s words.
Enough. I’m exhausted. I’m shocked that something like this has happened. I’m returning to Lady Spia.
None of the Spirit Kings present could deny those words. The right course of action now was to return to Spia and report what had occurred. Had Noas still been there, he would have said so first.
Elion also realized that continuing to waste her emotions would accomplish nothing. She turned to Dalo.
Dalo, you must bury the cold fragment somewhere in this forest. Once Lady Spia has made her decision, I will return.
“Where should I put it?”
Somewhere I cannot find it… would be best.
If Spia decided on immediate destruction, she did not want to be the one forced to carry it out. Dalo seemed to understand her heart and nodded.
Trusting him with the task, she summoned one more object and handed it over.
Place this cup somewhere only you can entrust it to. It will serve as the key drawn to the cold fragment.
“Understood. You’re going back now?”
At Dalo’s question, Elion nodded. Seeing her disappear with such a sorrowful expression, Dalo felt his heart grow heavy.
Before long, the other Spirit Kings vanished as well. The summoning fragments that had brought them had already been destroyed in the aftermath of the battle.
“The weather’s cleared up.”
As if it had no sense of timing, the moment Frost disappeared, the warmth of spring returned. Gentle sunlight filtered through the tree branches.
“Where am I supposed to hide these?”
Having suddenly been saddled with both the cold fragment and Elion’s cup, Dalo could only worry. After thinking for a long time, he finally decided he had to go somewhere—anywhere—and was about to take a step when—
Shwoong.
The air tore open, and a man stepped out.
An unidentified man appeared before Dalo’s eyes.
“I felt a powerful spiritual energy and came to see, but it seems they’ve already returned. You must be a spirit mage, yes? If you can, summon the spirits again.”
The man had golden hair that reached his waist, flawless skin, and striking red eyes. His overbearing tone and casual use of informal speech toward a stranger naturally provoked discomfort.
When that displeasure showed on Dalo’s face, the man spoke again.
“Ah, I was late with my introduction. I am the Gold Dragon, Palamus.”
Dalo could not help but be stunned. A dragon—the very creatures he had only read about in books. And not just any dragon, but the Gold Dragon Palamus, known as the progenitor of mana itself.
“A-A dragon? What brings you here…?”
“Did I not just say? I came to see the spirits.”
Though the man emitted no detectable power, the way he had torn through space and his natural arrogance left no doubt that he was indeed a dragon. Realizing this, Dalo felt as if his mind was about to collapse. His head was already pounding from everything that had happened today, and now this new information made him want to sigh.
“…Unfortunately, I cannot show you the spirit I contracted with right now.”
No matter that the other party was a dragon, this was something he simply could not do—especially not when it involved disregarding Elion.
“Is that so? Then I shall wait. Until you summon the spirit.”
A dragon’s sense of time flowed differently from a human’s. The same was true for Elion. There was no telling how long it would take for her to calm down, or how long Spia would need to reach a decision.
Every moment felt suffocating. On the verge of losing his mind, Dalo spoke.
“I am only human, after all.”
Those words carried every possible meaning.