Chapter 111: Subjugation of the Floating Island (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: Subjugation of the Floating Island (7)
A black sky.
The heavens were engraved with countless moon-like spheres, each radiating an alien violet glow. These moons seemed to possess their own gravity, as unidentifiable auroras twisted and turned to avoid them.
Hilde, and Dorothy perched upon her back, looked around with astonished expressions. Kalida the Freakish and the minions swarming the Floating Island scrutinized this new world with looks of utter bewilderment.
Beneath the Floating Island, stretching beyond the horizon, was a web of white land that fanned out like a net. A sweet scent, reminiscent of a nepenthes, wafted from beneath the cliffs where the carcasses of grotesque creatures were piled high toward the sky.
Kwaaaaaaah───────────!!!
At the center of the Floating Island, I continuously gathered and fused my mana before unleashing a violent explosion of ice.
A brilliant radiance filled the landscape. The blast of pale blue mana shattered the Floating Island’s surface, flash-freezing the minions in a frigid chill. A mass of ice, shaped like a towering spire, stretched toward the empty sky.
One after another, I began to unleash a bombardment of ice and rock spells onto this needlessly vast demonic landmass.
「Absolute Zero」
Dozens of [Winter Shower].
「Meteor Shower」+「Golden Meteor」
「Frost Wave」
[Abyssal Glacier] froze and completely neutralized the Floating Island’s counterattacks.
「Frost Explosion」+「Frost Explosion」+「Frost Explosion」
This was the perfect spot to level up rapidly: the edge of the Nether.
Various grotesque creatures, devoid of fear or reason and driven only by combat instinct, flew at me with murderous intent. However, they were all swallowed by the magic I unleashed.
Blood poured from my mouth. Abusing the power of [Ice Sovereign] was taking a heavy toll on my body. I wouldn’t be able to endure much longer.
It had already been well over ten minutes.
The side effects of [Ice Sovereign] kicked in. Pain, like being pricked by a thousand thorns, radiated through every corner of my body. Intense agony, as if my organs were bursting, overwhelmed me.
Even so, I couldn’t stop. If I stopped now, I wouldn’t be able to move again.
My rationality was numbed.
I simply roared like a beast, swinging my fists and pouring mana into Cavallion the Earthshaker.
Yet, in the midst of the chaos, I recalled the conversation I had with Dorothy while we danced.
—“President, there’s something I wanna try.”
[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 88!]
—“Well, I heard that Regel’s Croissants are really famous. Let’s go and eat some together.”
[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 89!]
Just like some cliché narrative, I have always considered myself the protagonist of my own life.
However, in reality, my life was always tainted with an unchanging shade of gray.
Even in this hellish realm filled with massive explosions and freezing air, the only sight reflected in my mind's eye was a single, cramped room.
If one looked around that room, it was filled with "You Can Do It" self-help books and complicated legal jargon written on Post-it notes stuck to the walls. Beneath them, thick law books were stacked higher than my own height.
It certainly hadn't been a radiant life.
—“Oh, and did you know? Lake Frey in the Astrea Duchy is supposed to be really pretty. I saw it in a book. Let’s go see that, too.”
[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 90!]
—“They say the moss forest inside the Vantus Woods in Medelnook is super pretty, too.”
[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 91!]
That’s why the way you commanded your own life was truly amazing to me.
Even when you harbored a heart on the very edge of collapse, you lived resiliently in this world with that innocent smile.
You have no idea how much healing I received just by witnessing that side of you, Dorothy.
So this time, I thought I’d paint a world full of possibilities for you. Just for you.
—“So that’s why…”
[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 92!]
In my chest, a dull thud echoed in my ears, as if a massive iron door was being pounded again and again. Above the empty field of my consciousness, I felt the presence of an iron door, sealed tight with heavy chains.
I didn’t know what it was, but one thing was certain.
The presence sealed behind that iron door was my true power.
Just one step. I only needed to take one more step.
I strained my eyes, ignoring my increasingly numb body. I paid no mind to the red blood cascading from my eyes and mouth. Although I faltered, my determination moved me steadily toward the iron door emanating an immense, frigid pressure.
—“I’m hoping you’ll still continue meeting with this Big Sis like this even after I graduate, President.”
The sound of rattling chains filled the air.
Finally, my hand touched the chains enveloping the iron door.
And I forcefully tore them away.
“…Haa.”
A long sigh escaped me.
The pale blue chill of [Ice Sovereign] emanating from my body took the form of massive wings. The gentle ice mana flowing from my mouth extended like streams of frost-fire, flickering like will-o’-wisps.
At long last, I felt as though I had properly stepped into the pinnacle of the ice element.
Now, just by standing here, the entire area froze solid.
[Keuhahahhahahahak───!!]
Kalida the Freakish deployed a magic circle toward me and vomited out its magic. A scorching shockwave ripped through the ground as an inescapable wave of lava surged toward me.
“…”
How uninteresting.
I casually extended my arm toward the wave of lava, condensing my ice mana before releasing it.
Kwaaaaaaaah━━━━━━━━━━!!!
「Frost Explosion」
A powerful explosion of ice pushed back the lava, freezing a fifth of the Floating Island in an instant. A colossal chunk of ice extended violently, freezing Kalida the Freakish mid-attack, trapping it alongside its own lava.
I realized it then.
At this moment, my frigid aura could freeze everything in existence.
[────────!!!]
The Floating Island seemed to sense its impending doom, emitting a sound like a mournful woodwind instrument.
High in the sky…
An iron door larger than the Floating Island itself appeared silently, as if drawn onto the canvas of the heavens. The intense chill emanating from it was my own. Intuitively, I knew that I was the one who had summoned it.
I lifted my head and gazed cynically at the iron door.
Koooooo────.
The door swung open, and a radiant, pale blue light poured out. With that alone, an immense cold swept through the world. The absolute zero emanating from that being could bring about an ice age by its mere presence.
One after another, countless magic circles unfolded in the air. These circles shot out chains, entwining the being inside the iron door.
It wasn't my magic, nor was it the magic of the Floating Island.
It was the Providence of the Nether.
Even Providence itself stepped in to stop the being I had brought forth.
Within the iron door, a colossal arm, entwined in the chains of Providence, reached out and gripped the door frame. Each time it moved, a dull boom echoed and a dark blue aura burst forth.
Soon after, a black monster leaped from the iron door. With its crimson eyes flashing, the being roared fiercely at the Floating Island.
[Daikan - Primordial Beast of Ice]
Lv: ■■■
Race: Magic Beast
Elements: Ice
Danger: ■
Psychology: [■■■■■■]
Magic Beast of Ice - Daikan the Primordial.
An otherworldly magic beast that could exist anywhere, transcending even death. And the power that had lain dormant within me.
It was my minion.
I extended my right arm forward. Lowering my index finger, I pointed down at the Floating Island.
"Destroy it all."
As I issued the command in a dry voice, a dark blue magic circle, large enough to engulf the entire Floating Island, traced a trajectory toward the target.
Daikan roared. It was a cry so loud it shook both Heaven and Earth. With that single sound, the world was completely transformed into a glacial wasteland.
An astronomical amount of mana swirled. Daikan’s cold mana twinkled like a clear flash…
And then it turned into a majestic beam of blue light that engulfed the entire area.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━.
A ferociously unrelenting cold descended. It painted the entire landscape in the color of its mana. The relentless dark blue frost showed no signs of abating, stretching endlessly beyond the horizon.
There was no sound. Even time itself seemed to freeze for a moment.
Amidst the explosion of dazzlingly bright cold mana… I quietly closed my eyes.
Reflected in my vision was the image of Dorothy, smiling brightly even while sacrificing her own life.
There were things in this world that one could not face with a sane mind. Perhaps, for Dorothy, the desolate landscape of her hometown was one of those things. Therefore, struggling to dilute her painful memories, she managed to smile bravely, ensuring the color of her life did not fade even in her final moments.
The Key of Mysteries was about to disappear. In order to return, I turned the key in the air.
[Level Up!! Your level has───.]
■
[Master, I am comi—!]
Upon returning to the mortal world, they found themselves high above the clouds.
Hilde was unsummoned before she could even finish her sentence, and the protective barrier cast on Dorothy was completely dispelled. The golem familiar, Eden, had already been unsummoned by Isaac back in the Nether.
Isaac began to fall toward the sea, unconscious.
“…!”
Dorothy, who had started to plummet after Hilde disappeared, felt the sensation of mana returning to her body. She was recovering; there was no doubt about it.
The painful sensations that had plagued her were gone. She spread her hands and realized that the black spots covering her body had completely vanished.
She resolved to wield her mana, no matter the cost. Her voice cried out.
“President!”
Dorothy swirled inside the dense fog, made even thicker by Isaac’s chilling aura, before pouring out starlight mana.
Chararararang────!!
A wall of starlight mana wrapped around them. Within it, Dorothy manipulated gravity to slow both her and Isaac’s descent.
Then, she grabbed Isaac’s hand.
She pulled him close.
She embraced him.
Dorothy was in a daze. She couldn't comprehend what had happened; her mind was unable to keep up with the reality of their survival.
“…Senior.”
By then, Isaac had regained his senses. Or perhaps he had never lost them in the first place.
When his voice rang in her ears, Dorothy flinched in surprise and gently eased him from her embrace. The two of them locked eyes for a long moment.
“Let’s go back.”
Isaac smiled brightly, his face looking as innocent as a puppy's. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had ruthlessly annihilated the Floating Island mere moments ago.
Because she hadn't finished processing everything, Dorothy couldn't even think of responding with a smile of her own.
“President…”
She only looked at him with a gaze full of worry.
“Ah, but can you move me secretly? I can’t seem to budge now that the tension has released…”
“…”
How nonchalant of him.
Dorothy couldn't help but chuckle before bursting into laughter. Suddenly, memories of the times spent in the corner of the Butterfly Garden flashed through her mind.
On spring days when flowers bloomed beautifully, she remembered their meaningless chatter.
On summer days when the leaves turned a vibrant green, she remembered staying near Isaac while he trained his ice magic, just to spend time with him.
On autumn days when red leaves fell, she remembered giving him advice on his rock magic or playfully teasing him.
On winter days when the leaves had fallen and only branches remained, she remembered placing Isaac—who had overworked himself to the point of fainting—on her lap to let him rest.
Dorothy realized it then.
The seasons would come and go, and after a while, spring would always return.
And on that spring day, this man would still be by her side.
“…Senior?”
Dorothy felt a strange sense of certainty about that future. For some reason, tears welled up in her eyes.
Laughter flowed from her lips as Dorothy let out a bright smile, like a flower in full bloom.
“Nihihi, just leave it to this Big Sis!”
The dazzling sunlight illuminated Dorothy’s tears. Holding Isaac’s hands tightly, she let out a joyful laugh that sounded pure and bright.
In this moment, the value and meaning of the life Dorothy had known had completely changed.
❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ 「Act 6, The Floating Island」.
The curtain was falling.
[Dorothy Heartnova]
Psychology: [Feels that you are very precious to her.]