Chapter 336
Chapter 336
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 336
>Chapter Title: The Great Thaw
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kwaaaaaang—!
The deafening roar that erupted as the massive hand crushed the lizard shook the entire battlefield, drawing the eyes of everyone still there.
“What… is that…?”
“The lizard…”
Excluding those who had fled, there were scarcely any Emon left standing on the field. The power that Glacier Grip had reclaimed was devastating in itself, far beyond what Emon lacking the lizard’s aid could hope to resist.
Kwaaaaaang—!
The lizard plummeted straight into the snowfield.
Glacier Grip’s warriors hesitated for a moment.
Whether to rush over and check if it still lived.
The deliberation didn’t last long.
Whoooosh…
Two sorcerers emanating an eerie aura appeared on the snowfield.
Night Raven and Bron.
‘Hot…’
Snowman put it that way, describing his time alongside Jamad, who had reached the supreme realm.
It felt like his body had become a cold flame.
The surging power.
His aura visualized itself clearly, proclaiming his presence to all around.
Crunch…
Crunch…
Drawing closer to inspect, they found the lizard limp and slack. Its life force still flickered faintly, suggesting it had merely passed out from the shock.
[The raid battle against the Origin Fragment ‘Glacier Lizard’ has ended.]
[Lizard’s Authority: Frozen Blood loses its effect.]
[Sorcery Infusion loses its effect.]
…
‘Jamad, can you finish it off?’
Jamad shook his head.
—Not possible. Not yet.
Snowman had half-expected as much.
The lizard was special from birth.
A sorcerer might harm it, but fully erasing it was another matter. Even if possible, the sorcerer would have to bear the aftermath.
An Origin God was a curse incarnate.
Whoever slew it would inherit that curse.
Jamad said it was impossible for now. But that implied it would be possible someday.
“For now, restrain it.”
“Yeah.”
With the lizard unconscious, the power binding Jamad and Bron had vanished.
Crackle… crackle…
The lizard’s body petrified like a statue. On top of that, Bron’s water orb slipped into its mouth.
A double layer of restraints. Even if it awoke, it wouldn’t break free before they noticed.
Snowman felt bewildered by the power boiling within him. For a moment, it was as if he’d stepped into another dimension.
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Chase them! Kill them all!”
Not just here—the battles pitting tribesfolk against Emon seemed to have wrapped up as well.
The few remaining stragglers burrowed into the earth, fleeing every which way.
But where to?
Whigeltung was no merciful land that let the defeated keep living.
Crunch…
Crunch…
Whiiiiiish…
A blizzard began to whip up.
Night Raven hoisted the fallen lizard over his shoulder and returned to the tribesfolk to confirm Emon’s end.
As expected, nearly all the Emon lay dead.
“Hey, Bron.”
Skolla called out to Bron, drawing eyes.
Emon’s Grand General Zackcha, bound by the grand sorcerer, stared their way.
He spoke.
“Our god has fallen.”
To the Emon, the lizard was a god descended into the mortal realm. It had granted them intelligence and dreams of the future.
“What do you gain from slaying a god?”
Bron stroked his chin at Zackcha’s question.
“Hmm…”
“The peace or justice others cry out for?”
“Kh… I don’t care about that stuff. If I had to pick… yeah, freedom.”
Bron grinned as he answered.
“Freedom.”
Zackcha tilted his head.
“Is it worth that much? Enough to stake everything on it?”
“Stake everything?”
Bron corrected him.
“That *is* everything.”
“I see. I’ve learned one thing.”
Zackcha closed his eyes.
“That you’re fools.”
“Khkh…”
“And that we lost to fools, making us even greater fools.”
Zackcha stretched his neck long.
“Kill me. Next time, we won’t lose.”
What lay beyond death?
Bron nodded at Zackcha’s calm, composed attitude, as if planning for a rematch.
“Yeah, we don’t dodge fights that come to us.”
Whoooong—!
Skolla’s axe cleaved the air.
Kwajiiiiiiik—!
Someone’s blood painted the snowfield like ink.
The dripping blood stirred many emotions.
[Faction: Emon Leader ‘Grand General Zackcha’ has died.]
[Faction: No one steps up as Emon’s new leader.]
[Faction: Emon’s size rapidly diminishes in the short term.]
[Faction: Emon has lost the war against Faction: Glacier Grip.]
[Faction: Emon enters a decline phase. Without extraordinary events, they will face ruin.]
‘A lot of them, huh…’
[Faction: Emon has been annihilated.]
[Acquire additional rewards.]
…
Snowman glanced at the parade of war-related messages before looking away.
They could wait; everything would sort itself out eventually.
Crunch…
Crunch…
Glacier Grip gathered around Bron and Night Raven. Among them were Burtul and Origin God Madria.
—Bron!
“Madria.”
—…You really did it.
Erasing the lizard without penalty required Madria’s help.
Knowing her role, Madria fell silent.
Bron spoke to her.
“Time to decide, Madria.”
She stayed quiet a moment longer, then said,
—To End Mountain.
“…No regrets?”
—No. To End Mountain!
* * *
The lizard didn’t wake for a long time.
They bound the restrained Origin God to a wolf’s back, and Glacier Grip set off.
Packing minimal rations, they headed for Whigeltung’s forgotten place: End Mountain.
Far from the ice citadel Gargaea’s snow mountains.
If anything, somewhat closer to the lizard’s own citadel.
Pandea’s coldest region: the northernmost land of Whigeltung.
And Whigeltung’s coldest spot: End Mountain.
Glacier Grip headed there.
Crunch… crunch…
“Haa… haa…”
“Hooo… hooo…”
Whiiiiiish…
The blizzard made it hard to see. The wind stung so fiercely it felt like one’s irises might freeze just looking ahead.
In such times, one bowed their head and walked.
The heel of the person ahead became the guidepost.
Leading as their eyes: Night Raven and Bron, as expected.
It was cold. Freezing. Yet no one complained.
Yeba and Ishii had stepped out to witness the end of this long war, and for the other trolls, these steps held special meaning.
This was a pilgrimage road, the march Glacier Grip had dreamed of for ages.
So each step needed savoring.
Idle talk wasted breath; harsh weather didn’t matter.
A procession linked like one long living organism.
They were Whigeltung’s living history.
After days of silent travel, Glacier Grip reached End Mountain.
Upon arrival, a commotion stirred.
“So, we wanna go!”
“You can’t. End Mountain’s peak is for the sacred only.”
“Uh… what’d he say? We. Go. Peak!”
“Did you understand me?”
“Thanks, worry! Fine! Good, peak!”
Not knowing Troll tongue, Yeba and Ishii cobbled awkward sentences from words learned in a short time.
Snowman approached and asked,
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, Snowman! Thought I’d die of frustration. We wanna go to the peak, but they all seem set on staying here…”
Now he saw: they wanted to join all the way up.
“It’ll be dangerous…”
“Dangerous? How much?”
“Dunno exactly, but really cold.”
Truth be told, this level of cold meant nothing to Snowman. A bone-chilling power, yet after achieving the Grand Circulation, his body brimmed with vitality like a steam locomotive.
A bit of that energy shared with them would make the cold trivial. But he was curious.
Why go all the way to the peak?
Ishii scratched his beard and said,
“Well… an instinctive pull, I guess?”
“…Instinctive pull?”
“Yeah, wanna see it.”
Whack!
Yeba shoved Ishii aside and declared,
“Frustrating! We wanna see how your war ends! Up close, yeah?”
“Even if dangerous?”
“Fine by dying! Nah, won’t die!”
“Why so badly…”
Yeba beamed.
“It’s natural to wonder how a story ends! Especially an epic saga like this.”
“…”
“I know it’s rude and absurd…”
“Fine.”
“Still… Huh? Really?”
“But I can’t promise to protect you, whatever happens.”
“No prob! Got Ishii!”
“What?! I trusted you?”
No one could ignore Night Raven—the war’s greatest contributor, who’d reached an unprecedented realm.
“Great! All good!”
Madria’s permission came too.
Snowman and Jamad, Bron and Madria, Yeba and Ishii.
Thus, these six alone headed for End Mountain’s peak.
Physical limits hit soon enough.
“Haaa… haaa…”
“Huff…”
Without Ishii’s holy power, even breathing grew arduous.
Still, Yeba and Ishii kept pace without complaint.
Snowman climbed without looking back.
Glacier Grip’s long war was truly nearing its end.
“Puhahaa!”
“We’ve arrived…”
“Cold… So cold.”
He’d climbed many mountains since coming to Pandea and thought himself seasoned, yet each brought fresh awe.
Especially recently: the mountains of the Little Heaven World where dragons dwelled. Comparing that thrill to this, neither felt superior.
Far below, Glacier Grip.
A bit farther, wild beasts traversing the snowfields.
‘It’s like…’
Whigeltung from here looked like life’s end.
Strugglers flailing to survive on barren land. And their awaiting finale.
Snowman turned to meet Bron’s eyes.
Zzaaaack—!
Crackle… crackle…
They released the lizard’s gag.
It was free, but hadn’t recovered its power.
Any thrashing would be swiftly quelled.
They—all including Yeba and Ishii—stood at the cliff’s edge.
The awakened lizard slowly raised its head, gazing at waterfall Origin God Madria, and said,
—…Madria, my origin and mother.
Ignoring the greeting, Madria replied coldly,
—Lizard, it’s over.
—You say it’s time to end this childish rebellion… But this isn’t the end of all things.
Bron and Night Raven silently listened. The lizard kept mocking Madria.
—We will become one again and reclaim our past power. We’ll freeze rivers, whip blizzards. And… place all beneath our feet once more.
Madria, eyes sad, said,
—Lizard, I am you. So you understand why we chose this place, End Mountain, as our destination.
—…Because it holds meaning for you.
Madria looked down the mountain.
—Yes, remember? Pushed back by other Origin Gods, chased to Whigeltung, I climbed this mountain with my children.
—…Sentimental.
—Recall their faces then. Sandrok looked soul-drained from the grueling path. Durani, sad herself, busied consoling others. Juto…
Long-dead ones.
No, dead ages ago.
—I don’t know them. I don’t memorize livestock names. Madria, that’s how we’re born. Born rulers. Those inferiors: born as livestock.
—…You really think that?
—…
The lizard paused, then answered,
—Madria, it’s just history repeating. We always make the same choice. Accept—
—No.
Madria turned away, then said,
—The children who walked a crooked path without doubt… how admirable.
She was waterfall Origin God and glacier Origin God.
Merging with the lizard again would grant past transcendent power.
—So I too must make a choice worthy of your courage.
Snowman sensed something off in Madria’s words. Inference led to the scene about to unfold.
‘No way…’
Madria called to Bron.
—Bron, prepare. I need you and that child’s help.
Bron, face stiff, replied,
“Kh… khkhkh… kahahaha! Madria, you okay? You’re trembling—not like you.”
—Of course I am… Sending back the part of me I barely reclaimed.
Bron nodded with a smile.
That grin melted Madria’s unease.
“Fear’s fine. I’m right here.”
Rough and crude, yet precious for it.
Madria closed her eyes and replied.
—Yes, you’re here. …So I’m not alone.
The lizard realized her decision.
—Madria, don’t tell me…
Madria glanced at Bron and Night Raven, seated facing each other, then told the lizard,
—Lizard, my power and soul.
—No… What are you doing?
—I send you back where you belong.
—No… no… Then… without me, you’ll… live forever as half!
—…Half is fine. Repeating mistakes is for immature lives.
Madria smiled.
—I want to become not me, but us. We all fought hard.
The lizard asked,
—…Not afraid?
—Afraid. Of me without you. But these small beings taught me courage is needed to move forward.
Even as a fragment, the lizard was an Origin God.
Madria, like its mother.
—…I accept my end. Madria, I wish at this path’s end lies what you desire.
Fwoooosh…
The lizard’s body began to scatter.
The immense power dispersing adorned End Mountain’s peak.
Now, right now.
Bron and Night Raven extended hands toward each other.
The two grand sorcerers who’d achieved Grand Circulation spun their prayer wheels furiously.
Whoooooooosh…
[Glacier Lizard dissipates.]
[Waterfall Madria declines.]
…
Rumble… rumble…
The mountain range, the earth, the sky—all changed.
“No… way…”
“This is…”
Before Yeba and Ishii unfolded a sight beyond imagination.
The lizard’s power reshaped much.
[Glacier Lizard’s remaining power belongs to Whigeltung.]
[Snowman achieves transformation through great deed.]
[Great and small changes occur in the Eternal World.]
[Whigeltung’s terrain changes.]
[Whigeltung welcomes the stirrings of life.]
[Whigeltung’s frozen land thaws.]
[Whigeltung’s eternal snows melt.]
[Whigeltung’s rivers flow to the sea.]
[Wild beasts that fled Whigeltung’s extreme cold return seeking prey.]
[Whigeltung’s soil becomes fertile.]
[Hidden resource veins in Whigeltung are revealed.]
[Disaster: Blizzard no longer forms in Whigeltung.]
[Secret Labyrinth ‘Ruin Slumbering in the Glacier’ opens.]
[Secret Labyrinth ‘Peculiar Stranded in Snow Mountains’ opens.]
[Faction: Northern Federation tenses at events in Whigeltung.]
[Those worried about Glacier Grip’s influence over Whigeltung emerge.]
[Whigeltung’s terrain shift draws surrounding factions’ attention.]
[Northern weather warms slightly.]
[Faction: Glacier Grip enters an unprecedented golden age.]
[All players may now select adventure ‘Stirring of All Things’ from bases.]
[All players may now select adventure ‘Madria’s Choice’ from bases.]
[Acquire large amount of adventurer points.]
[End curse of corrupted Origin God Lizard.]
[Acquire additional rewards.]
…
Everything in Whigeltung changed.
The land, rivers, sky.
Few would believe this had been called a land of death until moments ago.
“Haa… haa…”
Rumble… rumble…
That wasn’t all.
Massive arms rose, wrapping from End Mountain’s base to peak.
Like embracing the mountain tight.
Madria smiled.
“A gift.”
Hands textured like earth and vast oceans.
Night Raven and Bron chuckled, stepping near the cliff.
The upended Whigeltung lay in full view.
“…Haha.”
“Well worth coming back from the dead.”
All cycles.
From life to death.
And from death to life.
Snowman caught his breath on a page of history.
“…It’s over.”
Bron laughed at Snowman’s words.
“Puhuhu… No.”
Whigeltung’s long winter passed, spring arrived.
“It’s the beginning.”
[Whigeltung enters new history: Era of Great Prosperity.]
[Successfully complete historic adventure.]
[Acquire small amount of Era Force of unknown use.]
[Acquire additional rewards.]
[Achieve first feat ‘Melting the Ice’.]
[Acquire first title 「Thawbringer」.]
[Great Expedition intermediate settlement occurs.]
[Acquire ‘Erroneous Natural Sediment’.]
…