Chapter 219: Alice Subjugation (15)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 219: Alice Subjugation (15)
Hwaaaaa!
Isaac exhaled a breath of frigid air.
Following a low-pitched chant, a multitude of pale blue magic circles began to manifest behind him, interlocking like the gears of a great machine. The circles continued to stack, climbing higher and higher into the void.
Finally, a single, gargantuan magic circle encompassed all the others, tracing a brilliant trajectory through the air.
“Ack!”
Alice let out a sharp cry. The invisible floor could no longer withstand the sheer pressure of Isaac’s mana and shattered.
Isaac and Alice began to plummet.
In that instant, Isaac reached out his left hand toward her. Alice flinched, his earlier words echoing in her mind.
—Still, don’t die.
Alice seized his hand, and Isaac pulled her into a firm embrace. The [Frost Barrier] shimmered into existence, enveloping them both. The massive magic circle followed Isaac’s descent like a loyal shadow.
Crackle!
Isaac unfurled three pairs of wings woven from the chill of the [Ice Sovereign]. He hovered in the air, glaring at the pitch-black giant.
Whooooo!
Above Isaac’s outstretched right hand, pale blue frost swirled and condensed, forming a colossal sun of ice. It was an overwhelming display of magic that dwarfed the caster, making him appear like a mere insect against its majestic radiance.
Alice’s eyes widened at the wondrous sight.
—And! Live beside me and atone. No matter how dangerous it gets, I’ll fend it off.
The 9-star ice spell, [Cocytus], fully manifested in Isaac’s right hand. Alice was witnessing world-ending magic—the kind she had only heard of in legends—for the first time in her life.
Meanwhile, the cluster of human heads gathered purplish mana in their maws, condensing the energy into high-density spheres. Simultaneously, the pitch-black giant deployed six massive dark magic circles around his body. Each circle spat out fierce, jagged orbs of darkness.
It was the power of the void, capable of annihilating even the soul.
Each sphere was larger than the entire continent encompassing the Zelver Empire. Their sheer size was a testament to the repeatedly compressed mana within—they were nothing short of walking calamities.
In response, the blazing ice sun in Isaac’s right hand emitted a blinding radiance. The world, once shrouded in pitch-black darkness, began to brighten.
Screech!
A massive iron gate groaned open in the distance, releasing a chill that embodied the absolute zero of the abyss. Inside the gate lurked a transcendental ice beast, a creature unbound by life or natural law.
When first summoned, it had been suppressed by the laws of the Nether, but here, no such restrictions existed. This place was merely an independent pocket of the Abyss, an eternal prison. Here, it could exert its full, unbridled power.
From within the gate, a black monster with several glowing red eyes gripped the edges of the portal and hauled its humongous body into view.
[Kaaaaaaaa!!!]
Isaac’s minion, the Primordial Beast of Ice, Daikan, let out a roar that shook the very foundations of the Abyss.
Alice’s eyes trembled. What kind of being does Isaac have as a minion? She could hardly believe such a creature existed, even as it stood before her.
The sheer mana emanating from Isaac and Daikan began to warp the fabric of space itself. The pitch-black giant let out an eerie laugh, shouting with pure joy at the spectacle.
[Excellent! Not even during my wanderings through the distant skies did I encounter an adversary like you!]
Inside the Abyss, the eons that had passed felt like a meaningless void when he looked back. He had been too strong. Thus, he had chosen to seal himself until the day the Evil God, Nephid, was resurrected, entrusting everything to Mephisto.
And upon awakening, he had met this human.
Since a time so distant it had been forgotten, the Abyss had longed to face an opponent strong enough to make even his immortal life feel threatened. Now, that wish had been granted.
How exhilarating it was to feel such excitement after countless millennia. How could he possibly contain this boiling fighting spirit?
[My name is Om!]
The Abyss demanded to know the name of the one who had brought him this thrill.
[What is thy name?]
Isaac answered in a calm, steady voice.
“Isaac.”
[Ice King, Isaac. At the end of this battle, that name shall be immortalized in my memory forever.]
Isaac, the 9-star ice spell [Cocytus], and the transcendental ice beast Daikan filled the nothingness of the Abyss with their absolute chill. Though the Abyss was an eternal prison, even that demon had limits as a living being. No one had ever surpassed those limits, which was why he had remained "Eternal."
To defeat the Abyss, one had to unleash a force that could overwhelm his power and distort the very laws of nature.
Kwaaaang!!!
The pitch-black giant and the columns of human heads simultaneously unleashed beams of purplish mana imbued with the power of the void.
“Me too… I’ll remember you.”
Isaac murmured as the Abyss’s attack filled his vision, leaving no room for escape. He swung his right hand, unleashing the ice sun, [Cocytus].
At the same moment, the Primordial Beast of Ice, Daikan, fired a blast of extremely cold mana from its maw.
At the moment of collision—
Isaac’s cold swallowed even the sound of the impact. Everything was drowned out as the pitch-black giant was enveloped in an immense light amidst the sudden stillness.
Feeling the extreme cold and the encroaching sensation of death, a satisfied smile spread across the giant’s lips. Having believed he would never die, he had poured every ounce of his strength into battling the Ice King and achieved a glorious defeat.
[What a wonderful death…!]
The Abyss vanished. The countless souls he had imprisoned were finally granted their freedom.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!!!!
The body of the Abyss, now riddled with holes, allowed cold sunlight to pour through the gaps. A thunderous roar echoed across the sky, accompanied by a grand icy explosion that swallowed the stars. The chilling cold spread gently through the air.
And then—
Against the backdrop of the dazzling explosion in the sky, a young man descended, cradling a woman with light gold hair in his arms.
Everyone witnessed the scene.
Emperor Carlos, who had been observing Märchen Academy from nearby with the aid of an Imperial wizard. The students and staff who had evacuated, as well as Snow White and her escort knights. The Subjugation Force traversing the academy grounds. Saintess Bianca and her loyal follower, Sylon. The crowds gathered in the Academy Square.
Screech!
Boom!
The iron gate, which was already nearly closed, shut firmly with a resounding crash. Beyond the icy explosion stood that massive, seemingly endless iron gate.
The Emperor and the Elemental Kings recognized the Primordial Magic Beast residing beyond that portal. The others were filled with awe and terror, wondering what such a thing could be.
The only certainty was that the massive gate was the result of the power wielded by the silver-blue-haired youth falling from the sky.
As the gate faded into the sky like a mirage, the true night sky revealed itself once more. The ice beasts guarding the island let out a triumphant chorus of roars. The Düpfendorf army dropped to one knee in reverence.
[Behold.]
The commander of the Düpfendorf knights extended his frosted silver sword toward the heavens, addressing his men.
[The great one who has driven away the demon of the night sky and brought forth the light.]
Once known by the moniker of the Black Monster, he had been called the Nameless Hero. Now, he was reborn as the Ice Sovereign and the Ice Elemental King.
[He is our new King.]
The Ice Sovereign, Isaac. This was the moment of his return after defeating the Abyss.
“Isaac…?”
“Sir Isaac!!”
Luce’s astonished cry and Kaya’s joyous shout rang out.
Isaac noticed the massive crowd gathered in the Academy Square. He wanted to adjust his descent using the momentum of [Frostfire], but he couldn’t. His mana was completely spent after the battle with the Abyss.
“Alice, help us land in the square.”
“Okay…”
Alice, still in Isaac’s arms, was reeling from what had just happened, but she nodded with a look of profound relief. What an extraordinary man, she thought, a deep sense of admiration taking root in her heart.
Alice’s telekinesis gently guided them to a safe landing in the center of the Academy Square. Isaac and Alice touched down right next to Dorothy, Luce, and Kaya.
The Abyss disintegrated into gray dust, and remnants of pale blue mana fell like gentle snowflakes. The mana was so dense that even its fragments refused to disappear easily. The people in the square had never seen anything so beautiful—mana falling like snow.
Luce was speechless, her throat tight with emotion as she watched the man who had conquered the demon of the stars return to them. Kaya gazed at Isaac with sparkling eyes, tears of relief welling at the corners.
Dorothy’s eyes widened as Isaac came into view. A profound sense of peace washed over her, and her starlight mana finally began to stabilize.
“Huh…?”
The hallucination of someone pulling her hand vanished, the grip releasing at last. Dorothy used the power of [All in the World] to identify the multiple-eyed entity lurking within Isaac’s essence, realizing it was growling protectively.
Chararang…
The rampaging starlight mana calmed as if it had all been a dream. Dorothy realized that the unknown entity within Isaac had resolved the crisis.
How? And more importantly, why? She couldn't begin to fathom the reason.
The four Paladins who had been floating around Dorothy collapsed to the ground, gasping for air and clutching their throats.
“What on earth happened…?”
The four Elemental Kings, the Imperial Knights, the Thunderbird Galia, Headmistress Elena, the faculty, the Tower Master of Hegel, Aria… the strongest subjugation force in the Empire had arrived at the square just in time to witness the starlight mana subside.
The appearance of Isaac had caused the terrain-warping mana to vanish. Those who witnessed it could only conclude that Isaac had somehow suppressed Dorothy’s outburst with an unknown power.
“…”
Despite the crowd, a heavy, suffocating silence hung over the square.
Isaac looked at the faces of Dorothy, Luce, and Kaya, and his heart sank. They looked terrible. A sharp, tightening pain flared in his chest.
He gently set Alice down and surveyed the surroundings with eyes as cold as the arctic. The area was a wreck—structures warped by starlight, the ground scarred by multiple craters. The four Elemental Kings and the Imperial Knights were squared off against Dorothy, Luce, and Kaya.
Though he didn't know the full details, he could grasp the general picture. There must have been a reason for this standoff—Isaac understood that much.
But no matter how hard he tried… he couldn't suppress the rising tide of anger.
The powers of this world were trying to harm those he cared for?
“What… do you think you’re all doing?”
Isaac asked, his voice low as he tried to restrain his emotions.
Yet, his icy tone seemed to flash-freeze the entire square. On the outskirts of the island, the disaster-level ice beasts sensed their master’s fury and bared their teeth at the crowd.
By now, a portion of the Düpfendorf army had surrounded the square. The elite soldiers formed up behind Isaac, exuding a chilling, murderous aura. Though the soldiers' movements were unexpected, Isaac didn't stop them. He needed to demonstrate his authority here and now.
The Subjugation Force and the Imperial Knights swallowed hard. Isaac’s aura was pure hostility—a warning that if they crossed the line any further, there would be consequences.
The silver-blue-haired boy who had returned from slaying the demon of the sky… the Ice Sovereign. They realized they couldn't recklessly oppose him. A single flick of his finger could turn the entire academy into ruins.
Such was the vast disparity in power. The Subjugation Force and the Imperial Knights reached that conclusion with cold, trembling rationality.
As the silence stretched on, Isaac walked forward alone.
The Lightning King, the Lightning Sovereign, Jaul Dragoniac, watched Isaac with sharp, calculating eyes.
The Fire King, the Fire Sovereign, Andersen Versando, regarded Isaac with solemn respect.
The Water King, the Water Sovereign, Siren Silivian, smirked at him.
The Wind King, the Wind Sovereign, Erin Campbell, simply gazed at Isaac with a blank expression.
With Isaac at the center of it all, a thick, suffocating tension enveloped the Academy Square.
