Chapter 212: Alice Subjugation (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 212: Alice Subjugation (8)
A blast of frigid air tore through the clouds of dark mana, dispersing the gloom.
Sensing the impending danger, Alice retreated. Her newly emerged crimson wings flapped violently as she took a defensive stance.
In the sky, a man and a woman faced each other across the vast expanse. Below them, a massive hole had been punched through the cloud layer, revealing the chaos beneath.
Six pale blue magic circles manifested around Isaac, wreathed in frost. From their depths, wings imbued with the aura of the [Ice Sovereign] unfurled, forming three pairs of crystalline wings upon his back.
A gentle yet profound coldness flowed from him like a melody. This was the aura of the [Ice Sovereign], the ultimate mastery over the element of ice.
Whoooooo.
The temperature plummeted. The pale blue mana locked onto the demon possessing Alice’s body.
From Alice’s throat, a chorus of laughter erupted in a cacophony of voices. Yet, her face remained as frozen and expressionless as a ventriloquist's doll.
Across her outstretched arms, multiple mouths tore open, cackling maniacally. One of them moved its thick, distorted lips to speak.
[ The respectable Nameless Hero. ]
A woman’s voice resonated hoarsely. Isaac knew that voice well. It wasn't Alice’s.
Mephisto the Contractor spoke through Alice’s stolen body, maintaining a mockery of human formalities.
[ It is an honor to meet you like this. My name is Mephisto. Pardon my rudeness for not greeting you in my true form. ]
“…”
[ Oh my, you don’t seem to understand your predicament, do you? ]
More mouths continued to sprout along her grotesque arms. Mephisto’s various mouths uttered words separately, while other lips twitched, chuckled, or muttered nonsensical gibberish to themselves.
[ I made a pact with the Queen of Hearts. She agreed to surrender her body if she failed to fulfill the contract. ]
“And now that body is…?”
[ It’s completely mine now! ]
The multitude of lips abruptly ceased their laughter.
[ Surely you don’t feel pity for the Queen of Hearts, do you? Did you actually hope to save her? ]
Suddenly, more than a dozen lips stretched into a synchronized, sly grin.
[ That’s too bad, then… The Queen of Hearts is no more. ]
Alice’s body was now a vessel overrun by the personality fragments and dark mana of Mephisto the Contractor.
[ She is as good as dead! The only way to force me out of this body is to lay it to rest. ]
That meant death.
Yes, death was the only solution. If the resurrection of the Evil God failed, nothing else could save Alice. She would be nothing more than a hollow shell, stripped of her power and used as fuel for the coming disaster.
Isaac opened his mouth briefly, then closed it. That was his only reaction.
[ Oh, Nameless Hero, do not lament! A world burdened by an inferior race will only ever be an inferior world. The sacrifice of the Queen of Hearts will be excellent fertilizer for the new world Lord Nephid is creating. How noble is that…! ]
“There won’t be any such thing.”
Isaac didn't bother entertaining Mephisto’s hoarse, third-rate convictions.
“Because I am going to eradicate you.”
Like squashing cockroaches. That’s all demons are.
Mephisto tilted Alice’s head, scrutinizing Isaac.
[ It’s a shame you don’t understand. But you know… ]
The silver-blue-haired human was undoubtedly the strongest of mankind. The thought of eliminating such an opponent sent a thrill of excitement through Mephisto.
[ You’re going to die here anyway, aren’t you? ]
Below, demons roared as they advanced toward the island where Märchen Academy was located. Isaac looked down at the island and the sea, his eyes blinking slowly.
Mephisto wasn’t just any common demon. He was capable of sensing the disparity in power, which meant…
“…You seem quite sure of yourself.”
Isaac was confident in his own calculations. The certainty of his predictions, the current state of the battlefield, and every variable he had considered converged in his mind at once.
An outrageous idea flashed through his thoughts. He coldly refined it.
Perhaps… there might be a way to save Alice. It’s worth a shot.
“You…”
Isaac pulled back the hood of his robe, glaring at Mephisto with eyes as bitter as a primordial ice age.
Alice Carroll and her followers hadn't sought the world’s destruction out of greed or malice. They were victims of coercion. In the end, the true culprit was the entity standing before him—the demon who had exploited Alice and now sought to desecrate her death by massacring everyone at Märchen Academy.
“I will find you, and I will kill you.”
He would hunt down the demon's true body and make it crave the release of death. He would inflict such agony that it would scream until its soul shattered, dying a death more terrible than anything it could imagine.
I will make Mephisto pay for playing with human lives.
[ Go ahead and try. ]
Mephisto’s numerous lips taunted him.
Gwaaaaah!!
A black dragon, wreathed in crimson flames, soared up to guard Mephisto’s back. It let out a deafening roar at Isaac. It was the Nightmare Dragon Jabberwock, its power surged by Mephisto’s dark mana.
Meanwhile, the Phantom Cat Cheshire, suddenly empowered, intercepted Dorothy. She was unable to pursue the dragon, forced to defend against the cat’s mindless, mana-fueled barrage.
At that moment, Isaac drew a dagger. The white blade emitted a brilliant silver light.
As the steel left the sheath, Mephisto’s eyes caught sight of the three magic circles engraved upon it.
The Ice Sovereign’s Authority. The Dagger of Oath and the Dagger of Pacts. It was the Blade of Frost Flowers.
Isaac sliced his palm, letting his crimson blood soak the blade.
—Hilde, how do I use this?
—It’s simple. Just coat the blade with your blood and recite the command. The words are…
The Frost Dragon, Hilde, had instructed him well.
Isaac mouthed the command to activate the Ritual Circle, the Summoning Circle, and the Contract Circle engraved on the Blade of Frost Flowers.
"Serve me, Düpfendorf."
The three magic circles resonated with the phrase and the blood of the [Ice Sovereign], erupting in a pale blue radiance.
[…!]
Mephisto’s expression soured within Alice’s body.
Even though this body was stolen and its death wouldn't harm his true self, Mephisto felt a deep, instinctive aversion. The ritual Isaac was performing invoked an overwhelming, primal fear.
Something catastrophic was about to happen.
Whoooong.
An enormous magic circle traced its path in the air beneath Isaac. An immense ocean of mana surged from him, spreading like a tidal wave, stirring fierce winds and churning the sea below.
A blizzard began to rage.
A pure white radiance expelled the crimson mana that stained the sky, creating a [White Night]. This was the unique skill of the Frostscythe, [Divine Authority - White Night]. A sudden, killing chill swept through the heavens.
[ What…?! ]
Sensing the impending crisis, Mephisto retreated into the flames of the Nightmare Dragon Jabberwock to ward off the cold. He swung the Vorpal Sword repeatedly, sending dozens of arcs of sword energy toward Isaac. Simultaneously, the Nightmare Dragon spewed torrents of crimson hellfire.
"Hilde."
Accompanied by a fierce [Frostwind], the 6-star ice spell [Frost Wave] surged forward, neutralizing the attacks from Mephisto and the dragon.
Behind Isaac, pearly white mana coalesced, taking the form of a colossal white dragon. Isaac poured his ice mana into the construct, solidifying its power. Finally, a formidable ice familiar, radiating a chilling cold and scattering beautiful white sparks, manifested.
The mythical beast said to have been wielded by the first Ice Sovereign—the Frost Dragon, Hilde.
The white dragon unfurled her majestic wings behind Isaac. Below them, the bitter sea froze solid in an instant.
Some of the demon army marching toward the island were frozen mid-stride, swept away by the flash-frozen waves. Most managed to survive through sheer mana, but the momentum was broken.
Hwaaaaa!!
The massive magic circle beneath Isaac’s feet poured a brilliant radiance toward the ground. Isaac closed his eyes.
[ Your Majesty. ]
In the realm of his mind, Isaac stepped into a mystical ice labyrinth. An ice beast, draped in what appeared to be a regal cloak, bowed deeply in respect.
The Frost Spirit, Merphil—the master of this labyrinth and a nation-destroying calamity.
[ Greetings to the new King of Düpfendorf, even if I greet you in this unworthy form. ]
The Frost Spirit spoke on behalf of the entire realm.
[ Lead us. ]
Kuuuuuuu!!
Isaac snapped his eyes open and glared at Mephisto.
Pale blue mana saturated the atmosphere. The energy took shape in the air and across the frozen sea. Ice beasts and the descendants of the frost tribes were summoned forth.
A massive ghost beast with a terrifying aura, the Frost Spirit Merphil, revealed its ethereal body and spread wings of jagged ice.
A white bear the size of a mountain range, clad in glacial armor—the Glacial Bear Barbatoma—roared at the heavens.
A giant dark blue crocodile from the abyss, the Icebound Crocodile Tugaros, displayed its massive bulk, exhaling a freezing mist of fury.
Each of these beasts was an embodiment of natural disaster. Yet, for centuries, they had sworn to serve only one lineage. Chaos turned to order, and calamity was forged into military might.
"Eden."
Kyuuuu!!
Dense ice and rock mana merged upon the frozen sea. A golem of terrifying proportions slowly rose to its feet, clutching a giant stone greatsword.
The rock golem familiar, Eden - The Breaker, now infused with the Sovereign's ice mana. He glowed with a pale blue light alongside the other nation-destroying beasts.
On the sea of ice, these beings—each a disaster in their own right—roared in unison, acknowledging the majesty of the man above.
The newly summoned forces included a knightly order in platinum armor, a horde of monstrous warriors wreathed in frost, and a legion of frost mages. They knelt on the ice, bowing their heads in perfect unison.
They saluted the new Ice Sovereign, who looked down upon the world with three pairs of wings outspread.
The army of the Ice Kingdom, Düpfendorf.
This was the moment they had waited for.
“Is that… the Nameless Hero…?”
The faculty, students, and Imperial Knights of Märchen Academy stood frozen, bearing witness to the spectacle. High in the sky, the figure of the Nameless Hero was a silhouette against the blinding light, but many could guess his identity.
“Senior Isaac…?”
In the shelter, Snow White stared in stunned silence at the unbelievable sight. Dorothy and Kaya glanced toward the sky at the almost divine figure of Isaac, their expressions masks of shock even as they continued their own battles.
“Isaac…?”
Luce, soaring on her Thunderbird, caught a clear view of him with her exceptional vision. Her eyes widened, fixed on the figure in the sky.
"I command you."
The Ice Sovereign, Isaac, leveled his Frostscythe toward Mephisto. The power within the Blade of Frost Flowers transmitted his will to the Düpfendorf Army.
"Eradicate the demons."
His cold, cynical voice fell like a death sentence.
Across the sea of ice, the Düpfendorf Army let out a world-shaking roar as they collided with Mephisto’s demonic horde.