Chapter 302: Iron Fairy Subjugation (12)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 302: Iron Fairy Subjugation (12)
“Aaaaaah!!”
Ian Fairytale’s scream tore through the air as they rocketed upward at a terrifying speed.
The Frost Dragon, carrying Ian, pivoted sharply, banking toward the heavens.
Sssssss.
Isaac enveloped Ian in a [Frost Barrier], muffling the wind and silencing his frantic cries.
Isaac now ruled the sky. While the Frost Dragon was immune to the elements, any other human would have frozen solid and shattered into pieces at such a staggering altitude.
“It’s up to you now, Ian.”
Hilde must have already briefed Ian on his role.
Thanatos’ invincibility could only be broken by dispelling the [Veil of the Evil God]. To achieve that, Ian’s unique skill, [Expelled from Paradise], was an absolute necessity.
Once the veil was gone, Isaac would unleash overwhelming firepower to topple Thanatos’ gargantuan form and reveal its true essence.
[Gaaaaaahh!!]
Thanatos the Ruination roared at Isaac. Isaac narrowed his eyes and checked the demon’s status window.
*
[Thanatos the Ruination]
Lv: 2■■
Race: Demon
Elements: Dark, Annihilation
Danger: Extreme
*
In the world of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, Level 200 represented a combat power capable of annihilating the entire world. Anything beyond that was considered meaningless and left unassigned.
However, the closer a being came to a transcendental state, the more fragmented their status window appeared. The reason for the mosaic effect was unknown, but it likely signified that gauging their true power was a feat beyond mortal limits.
Thanatos the Ruination had reached that pinnacle. He was already on par with the Abyss itself.
“Jormungandr.”
“Kraken.”
“Salamander.”
“Pegasus.”
The Elemental Kings extended their wrists in unison.
The 8-star familiar contract circles on their wrists flared with light. Enormous beasts of every element emerged from the swirling storm.
The Lightning Sovereign’s 8-star lightning familiar, Jormungandr—a humongous serpent magic beast with sharp scales wreathed in crackling lightning.
The Water Sovereign’s 8-star water familiar, Kraken—a colossal, black-pearl-hued cephalopod wielding fierce water mana.
The Fire Sovereign’s 8-star fire familiar, Salamander—a gigantic lizard-like beast breathing terrifying, primordial flames.
The Wind Sovereign’s 8-star wind familiar, Pegasus—a black stallion with wings cloaked in shimmering light-green wind mana.
Beasts summoned from the legends and myths of another world…
Seeing the magic beasts, Isaac recalled the lore from ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. At first, he had thought it was just flavor text meant to entice players, but seeing them in the flesh felt unsettlingly real.
However, he needed to focus. Isaac shook off his stray thoughts.
“Deploy the barrier,” Jaul, the Lightning Sovereign, commanded.
The Elemental Kings took their positions. Alongside their familiars, they expanded their elemental barriers far and wide. The barriers soared into the sky, merging to form an immense, impenetrable wall.
The combined might of the Elemental Kings isolated Isaac and Thanatos the Ruination from the rest of the world.
That overwhelming spectacle was visible to everyone in Aldreque. The unimaginable scale of the magic left the onlookers paralyzed with awe.
[Gaaaahh!!]
Thanatos began gorging on the mana contained within the barrier, but the Elemental Kings continuously poured their own reserves into the structure to maintain its integrity.
Siren, the Water Sovereign, spoke through the strain, “As time goes on, this barrier will turn into a deadly trap.”
Thanatos was growing stronger by absorbing the barrier’s mana, after all.
“Water Sovereign, have you ever run out of mana in the past few centuries?”
The voice of the Wind Sovereign, Erin Campbell, resonated in Siren’s ears via communication magic.
“Of course not.”
“Then you’d better brace yourself today.”
“I can feel it too. For the first time in a long while… this is going to be a struggle!”
Even the Elemental Kings—archwizards who stood at the absolute apex of their respective elements—anticipated that blocking even a single stray shockwave from Isaac’s attack would drain their mana.
Such was the overwhelming pressure Isaac exuded.
“Incredible… what kind of absurd mana is this?” Siren laughed in sheer disbelief.
High above the wasteland.
Isaac, his three pairs of icy wings unfurled, faced Thanatos the Ruination, who leaned heavily on his staff.
Thanatos summoned his dark-green annihilation mana once more. The deathly power, capable of incinerating souls with a mere touch, gathered and swirled within the staff’s gem.
A dark-green magic circle etched itself into the air. Its composition was chaotic, yet uncannily precise.
Is this because of the fairies? My mana has recovered significantly.
Isaac could feel the mana coursing abundantly through his veins. He gently thrust the Frostscythe forward.
His soft murmur reverberated through the air.
It was a life full of hardship.
Hwaaah!!
Nothing remained by my side.
As his whispered incantation continued, an elaborate ice magic circle formed behind Isaac, its components clicking together like interlocking gears.
Nothing held meaning in my life.
A single, massive magic circle overlaid all the smaller ones, tracing a grand, celestial trajectory.
Solitude.
A brilliant, pale-blue glow spread, showcasing its majestic grandeur.
Only you remained by my side.
[Gwaaaah!!]
I never basked in the glory of countless victories.
Sensing the impending danger, Thanatos roared fiercely and unleashed the annihilation mana from his staff.
Neither fame nor fortune had meaning.
KABOOM!!!
It was only when the owl of dusk spread its wings did I realize.
The dark-green flame, aimed solely at Isaac, raged like a cataclysmic storm, brushing fiercely against the Elemental Kings’ barrier.
A world with only you…
The flames swallowed Isaac whole.
Is hell itself.
「Cocytus (Ice Element, ★9)」+「Cocytus (Ice Element, ★9)」+「Cocytus (Ice Element, ★9)」
Paaaah!!
An absolute chill exploded outward, effortlessly driving back the dark-green flames.
Annihilation ceased. The world was plunged into an eternal ice age from which it could never recover. Life lingered for a heartbeat before perishing, and the very air became dry, brittle, and dull.
Beyond the limits of absolute zero, the frigidity embraced all.
And amidst the desolation, Isaac stood alone, radiating a noble, terrifying light.
“Pathetic.”
His ridicule was laced with a weary sigh.
In that moment, Isaac had transcended the domain of an archwizard, conjuring three world-ending spells simultaneously.
“This can’t be…”
The Elemental Kings finally realized why Isaac hadn’t deployed a barrier himself.
Whooosh!!
Above him. To his lower right. To his lower left.
Three enormous icy suns emerged, each radiating a brilliant light. Their power seemed capable of freezing space and time themselves.
9-star ice spell, [Cocytus]. Triple formation.
Even a single world-ending spell demanded intricate calculations and a monstrous amount of mana. Isaac was conjuring three at once. He was clearly intent on focusing every ounce of his being into pure, unadulterated firepower.
The Fire Sovereign, Andersen, looked at Isaac with eyes full of awe. “This is my first time witnessing the Ice Sovereign’s power firsthand… It far exceeds human capabilities. Summoning primordial beasts, and now, world-ending magic…”
Extraordinary. To describe him with just one word felt inadequate. The boy was a walking calamity.
Within the barrier, the extreme cold had already transformed the battlefield into a frozen hell. The four Elemental Kings felt as if they were being crushed by the sheer weight of Isaac’s mana.
“Kugh…!”
The water barrier created by the Water Sovereign and Kraken was slowly freezing, losing its fluidity. Its master and familiar frantically increased the water flow to sustain it.
The water barrier was powerful enough that any creature entering it would be instantly crushed and torn apart. No one else in this world could construct such a defense.
Yet, if they let their guard down for even a moment… Isaac’s frost would devour the barrier and consume everything.
In Aldreque, Hans McGregor’s voice trembled with fear. “That’s… the Ice Sovereign…”
Despite Isaac’s title, Hans had regarded him merely as an exceptionally talented academy student. Public information only stated that “a new Ice Sovereign has appeared,” and Hans had underestimated him through his own narrow perspective.
The title of Elemental King signified absolute mastery over an element. It carried the weight of the world. Hans realized this truth clearly through the scene before him and the bone-chilling mana prickling his skin.
The prominent figures gathered for the Academy Clash and the students felt the same. Engraved in their eyes was the image of Isaac, the Ice Sovereign, and the giant iron gate, filling them with a spine-chilling reverence.
“Now, it’s our turn,” Isaac declared coldly.
As the enormous magic circle he created began to glow, Thanatos let out a desperate roar.
[Gaaaah!!]
Thanatos remembered the [Veil of the Evil God] cast upon him. As long as that power existed, he was safe.
Yet, what was this sensation?
An unfamiliar emotion, long abandoned in some distant, dark place, surged like a wave, engulfing the demon. Eventually, Thanatos realized the nature of that feeling.
Fear.
For the first time in its existence, Thanatos experienced fear—all because of a single ice wizard.
[Kuuuugh!!]
Thanatos shattered his staff, clutching the embedded mana stone with both hands. Without unleashing his full power, he couldn’t hope to survive. Such a monstrous wizard would undoubtedly find a way to bring him down. Thanatos wasn’t naive enough to wage a war of attrition against the boundless Ice King.
Whoosh!!
Rumble!!
He channeled his annihilation mana into the stone at full capacity, his glowing dark-green eyes locked onto Isaac. Annihilation mana surged through his body like a raging wildfire.
Transcendental mana condensed in Thanatos’ right hand as he gripped the stone, distorting the very space around him. Ripples radiated outward. The air trembled; the ground shook and fissured.
Isaac shrugged one shoulder and spoke calmly, “Yes. Come at me with everything you have.”
At that moment, a white magic circle appeared beneath the iron gate in the sky. Sensing Divine Power, Thanatos looked up and saw the sigil engraved directly above him.
The magic circle of light emitted a blinding white flash.
Hwaaa!!
An otherworldly force swept over the area. A storm and a spiraling torrent of silvery-white Divine Power descended.
KABOOM!!!
[Gaaaaah!!!]
The intense descent of Divine Power enveloped Thanatos’ massive body.
8-star light spell, [Expelled from Paradise].
From atop the soaring Frost Dragon, Ian stood tall, his Luminous Sword poised. The blade glowed with traces of Divine Power like a steady, holy flame.
The single casting of [Expelled from Paradise] brought a sudden, crushing wave of fatigue over him.
“Huff, huff….”
His breathing grew ragged. In an instant, all his Divine Power and physical strength were depleted.
“I’ll leave the rest to you, Isaac…”
Ian gazed at the unseen ground below, gave a weak thumbs-up, and then collapsed limply onto Hilde’s back. He fainted on the spot, his hand still frozen in that final gesture of trust.
“Is he the Child of Light?”
“I see. So that was the plan.”
The Fire Sovereign Andersen admired the boy’s resolve, while the Wind Sovereign Erin Campbell finally understood the strategy.
The [Veil of the Evil God] that shrouded Thanatos was lifted. His invincibility was undone.
For Ian, lifting the veil was the absolute limit of his power. For Isaac, it was the only opening he needed.
As the light of [Expelled from Paradise] subsided, traces of Divine Power rose like smoke from Thanatos’ body. Until the [Veil of the Evil God] could regenerate, Thanatos was mortal. He could be hurt. He could be killed.
Whoooosh!!!
The sky dominated by Isaac was filled with razor-sharp cold mana. The icy air penetrated deep into Thanatos’s core.
[Grrrrrr!]
Thanatos acted quickly. His mission from the Evil God dictated that he should bring down Ian, the Child of Light. But now, there was someone far more dangerous standing in his path.
He had to confront the Ice King.
Thanatos let out an enraged roar, focusing every bit of his malice on Isaac.
“Come out, Daikan.”
At Isaac’s command, the massive iron gate in the sky creaked open.
The time for the final blow had arrived.