Chapter 57: Ice Sovereign
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: Ice Sovereign
The summer breeze was gradually growing colder as dusk settled over the land.
[Buu— Buu—]
The balloon demon, Heinkel the Hoarder, drifted through the sky, blending seamlessly into the clouds.
He peered down at the magic circle etched into the earth of Ayla Forest. The silver-blue-haired man he had been tracking had just stepped inside.
Heinkel didn’t have the slightest interest in the child of light. The light element filled him with a primal disgust, the same way a human might recoil at the sight of a cockroach.
However, the silver-blue-haired man was different. He possessed a plain, unremarkable ice element, yet his indomitable will—the courage to risk his life against the Thunderbird—was truly admirable.
[Ah… bloody… nuisance…]
A battle to the death with that man belonged to Heinkel. That man’s life was his to take.
Since the man was a hindrance to the others, Heinkel would simply kill him. The justification was perfect. He would leave the child of light to the other demons; all Heinkel wanted was a bloody duel with that specific man.
[Kehehe… hehe… bloodbath… mine… his life… mine…!]
The face embedded in his bloated body contorted, a grotesque grin stretching across every inch of his features. Saliva dripped from his maw like a hound that had finally scented a choice treat.
[Finally… the time… has come…]
This puny balloon-like form was merely a vessel to preserve his strength. Now, his body was in peak condition.
Jiiiiik—!
Several parts of Heinkel’s balloon body ruptured, and a murky gas began to hiss from the cracks. As the air escaped and his form shrank, Heinkel transformed into a four-meter-tall humanoid.
Thick buffalo horns, previously hidden within his bloated mass, tore through his skin. He possessed a sturdy, muscular frame, though sagging folds of flesh drooped from his wrists, flanks, and ankles like heavy bulges of meat.
「Wind Generation (Wind Element, ★1)」
Whooooosh!
A dense gale swirled around him, lifting him into the air.
Heinkel began to rip away the sagging flesh. With a sound like wet parchment tearing, he gripped the severed meat in his hands as purple blood sprayed. The wounds healed instantly.
The torn flesh rotted and fused at an impossible speed, molding itself into a long spear. The sharp blade of the weapon caught the dying glint of the sun as it dipped below the horizon.
With sharp, well-defined features, Heinkel fixed his piercing gaze on the magic circle.
[Done.]
His voice rang out, solemn and heavy.
Boom!
He sliced through the air, hurtling toward the magic circle with the velocity of a bullet. An explosion of sound followed in his wake, leaving nothing but a violent gust of wind behind.
[I will face the Trial of Frost.]
His active skill, [Ears to Hear the Sound of Heaven], allowed him to intercept any sound he desired, regardless of distance. Using it, he recited the chant he had overheard from Isaac to bypass the seal.
Heinkel’s massive frame vanished into the magic circle engraved in Ayla Forest.
*
Inside the cavern of the Trial of Frost.
The blizzard that had been raging through the passage finally subsided. Behind the Frost Dragon, the path leading to the Frostscythe had transformed into an eerie corridor that seemed to descend into the abyss.
The man with the red eyes had overcome the trial. He had claimed the Frostscythe as his own.
[Welcome, Ice Sovereign…]
Frost Dragon Hilde closed her eyes, recalling the request the Ice Sovereign had made of her a thousand years ago.
“Can you suppress the Frostscythe until its new master appears?”
The Frost Dragon had happily accepted, wishing to play her part in the next generation that would reshape the world.
Finally, the potent cold of the Frostscythe, accumulated over eons, rested in the hands of a new master. There was no longer a need to suppress its mana to protect the islands and seas above.
It was a joyous occasion. For the first time in centuries, her heart fluttered with anticipation.
[…?]
Suddenly, Hilde sensed another presence at the entrance. Her reptilian eyes, glowing with a pale blue light, snapped toward the intruder.
It was Heinkel. The four-meter-tall, muscular demon strode across the icy floor on large, clawed feet, wielding his black spear. He radiated a dense, suffocating mana.
A dark green wind—a foul mixture of black and lime-green energy—swirled around his body and weapon. It was unmistakably the demonic mana of the abyss.
[Who are you?] the Frost Dragon asked, her voice laced with deep wariness.
[White Dragon. I want. Scales, I want. Meat, I want.]
Heinkel spoke in a flat, mechanical monotone. He lightly swung his mana-wrapped spear.
「Gale Fang (Wind Element, ★5)」 + 「Black Wind (Wind Element, ★5)」
= 「Black Wolf Fang (Wind Element)」
Kwakakakkakaa!
A storm erupted instantly. Like a pack of wolves lunging for the throat, the smoky, dark-green wind tore into the dragon’s icy mass with relentless precision.
The ice shattered, and the Frost Dragon was buffeted by the [Black Wolf Fang]. However, the attack only left a few shallow scratches on her pearly white scales.
[…Big and hard.]
Heinkel exhausted his limited vocabulary to offer a short impression. She was sturdy, but that was all.
The Frost Dragon had spent millennia suppressing the Frostscythe’s mana while remaining dormant. As a result, she was currently in a severely weakened state. As the surrounding ice crumbled, Hilde was finally released from her vigil. She hadn't expected to be in such a pitiful condition when she finally stood on four legs again.
[You, stronger than me. But, you tired.]
[Kurururureu…]
Hilde bared her teeth, her animalistic instincts flaring.
Heinkel remained indifferent, settling into a battle stance. In the face of his greed, it mattered little whether his opponent was a mythological beast or a legend.
[Reason, not curious. Only meat and scales, I want.]
Heinkel lunged at the Frost Dragon, his spear wreathed in dark-green wind. The icy floor shattered under the force of his leap.
「Whirlwind (Wind Element, ★4)」 + 「Black Wind (Wind Element, ★5)」
= 「Thread of Death (Wind Element)」
Whoooooooooosh!
The destructive power of the spear, wrapped in the spiraling black currents of the [Thread of Death], was potent enough to pierce even a dragon’s scales. Hilde had no mana left to deploy a defensive spell. She was braced for a grievous wound.
However, Heinkel’s strike never reached her.
「Frostfire (Ice Element, ★4)」 + 「Black Ice (Ice Element, ★5)」
= 「Winter Hellfire (Ice Element)」
[…!!]
Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Frigid, dark-blue flames roared forth. The fierce momentum slammed into Heinkel, blowing him back. It was a direct hit.
He tumbled violently across the ice before regaining his balance. The frostbite spreading across his limbs healed rapidly as he forced his mana to circulate.
At that moment, an eerie sensation crawled up his spine.
Behind the Frost Dragon, a heavy, suffocating chill flowed out from the darkness. The corner of Heinkel’s mouth twitched.
Emerging from the passageway was the silver-blue-haired man he had been seeking.
The man held a dark blue scythe in his right hand. Like the personification of Death itself, he radiated a chilling aura of pure murderous intent.
“…”
Inside the palace-like cavern, pale blue mana illuminated his silhouette, the sharp blade of the scythe reflecting the ghostly light.
Hilde turned her head to look at him. He was dressed only in light robes, having discarded his heavy winter gear. Wizards were naturally unaffected by their own magic; the fact that he didn't feel the biting cold was proof that the Frostscythe’s power was now entirely his own.
The man lowered his gaze. A heavy, crushing mana pressed down on Heinkel, like the weight of the deep ocean.
Then, the man slowly raised his head. Cold, blood-red eyes locked onto the demon.
“…‘Heinkel the Hoarder,’ is it?”
[…!!]
He knows my name.
A chill that had nothing to do with the temperature ran down Heinkel’s spine.
[My name… how did you know…]
Heinkel possessed [Clairvoyance] to see across any distance and [Ears to Hear the Sound of Heaven] to listen to any secret. Yet, as he bore witness to the insurmountable power of the man before him, he realized the truth.
He had been drunk on his own power, never realizing he had been under this man’s thumb the entire time.
[Excellent…! Excellent! This is what I want…! A battle with you! A bloodbath!] Heinkel roared in excitement.
The man gave an indifferent response, looking at him as if he were a common insect. That cold demeanor only served to set Heinkel’s fighting spirit ablaze.
“Hilde.”
The man held out his left hand toward the Frost Dragon. His wrist glowed with an 8-star Familiar Contract Circle.
“Come to me.”
The command was emotionless. Isaac’s voice was strained as he focused entirely on acclimating to the Frostscythe’s lethal chill.
[…!]
Hilde’s eyes widened. That icy expression, that voice… it was the perfect image of the Ice Sovereign who had drifted through her dreams for a thousand years. The aura emanating from him was unmistakable—it was the ‘Authority of a Ruler.’
[Whew…]
The Frost Dragon let out a faint, melodic laugh.
[For a thousand years… I have waited for you, Ice Sovereign.]
I look forward to traveling the world with you once more.
Is this what it feels like for a dream to come true?
Her heart pounded. Hilde cast aside the sense of duty that had clung to her like a second skin and accepted Isaac as her new master.
Hwaaaaaaaaaaa!
The 8-star Familiar Contract Circle erupted in an intense, pale blue light. The same hue enveloped the dragon’s massive body.
Frost Dragon Hilde—the 8-star beast of myth and the symbol of the Northern Duchy of Whiteclark—now bore a pale blue familiar seal upon her forehead.
Swiiiiiiiiiiish!
The immense mana of her new master surged into her. Unlike a mere minion, a familiar shared a soul-deep bond. Since they shared the same element, Hilde could draw directly from Isaac’s reserves.
Isaac stepped forward, standing between Hilde and Heinkel. The Frostscythe glimmered with a lethal light.
Behind him, Hilde began refining her mana. As a familiar, her magic was now an extension of Isaac’s will. Her spells would devour his enemies while leaving him untouched.
A swirling vortex of frost enveloped the cavern. Hilde’s unique skill, [Frostwind], activated. It amplified her master’s ice magic while flash-freezing their enemies. It was a blizzard designed for absolute domination.
[Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!]
Hilde’s roar shook the very foundations of the cave.
The [Frostwind] raged, turning Heinkel’s vision into a wall of white. Through the gaps in the storm, he could see the man’s blood-red eyes and the dragon’s pale blue gaze fixed upon him.
[This man, I want! White dragon, I want…! I WANT!!]
Heinkel’s face distorted into a manic grin. He poured out his mana to counter the [Frostwind], his own unique element stirring.
「Zephyr (Wind Element, ★4)」 + 「Serpentine Venom (Poison Element, ★5)」
= 「Toxic Zephyr (Wind + Poison Element)」
Whooooooooosh!
Venomous violet winds clashed with the [Frostwind], seeking to corrode Isaac’s flesh. It was a potent toxin that brought certain death to any living thing that breathed it.
Isaac simply lifted the Frostscythe and slammed the butt of the weapon into the ground.
「Ice Sovereign's Majesty (Ice Element, ★7)」
Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
A pulse of light blue energy rippled outward. [Ice Sovereign’s Majesty] was a skill that repelled all magic directed at the user. While it only worked on magic within Isaac’s elemental affinity, his power now dwarfed Heinkel’s.
The peak of the ice element—the overwhelming authority of the Ice Sovereign—erupted from Isaac.
Heinkel felt a surge of heat in his chest. Excitement! Exhilaration! How long had it been since he found an enemy that made his heart race like this?
[Kahahahaha! As expected, I want this man! I want—!!]
Kuuung!
Heinkel forced his mana to thaw his frozen limbs and lunged at Isaac with ferocious speed. He thrust his spear, wreathed in the [Thread of Death], straight for Isaac’s heart.
Just before the tip could connect, Isaac’s calm voice cut through the air.
“You’re… easier than I thought.”
Isaac looked down at him.
In the game Magic Knight of Märchen, Heinkel the Hoarder made his first appearance in the second semester of the first year. He was a wild card, a demon who acted on his own whims regardless of the Evil God’s orders. In the game, his power was terrifying and unpredictable.
But to the current Isaac, who wielded the absolute chill of the Frostscythe, Heinkel was nothing more than a helpless insect.
Isaac pointed the blade of the Frostscythe at the demon. A magic circle for [Frost Explosion] manifested instantly.
The moment Heinkel’s spear was about to strike, the magic of the Frostscythe swallowed him whole.
「Flash Freeze (Ice Element, ★7)」
Chaaraaak!
In the blink of an eye, Heinkel’s body turned to solid ice. The passive skill [Flash Freeze] instantly encased anything that came within range of the Frostscythe.
Then, a chain of mana explosions erupted from the magic circle.
「Frost Explosion (Ice Element, ★5)」
Kwaaaaaaaaaaa!
It was a relentless, brutal onslaught. The concussive cold shattered Heinkel’s frozen organs. The ice expanded ferociously, encasing his mangled remains like a macabre museum piece. His body, trapped within the crystal mass, shattered into a thousand fragments along with the ice.
Suuuuuurrrrrruuuu—
The massive block of ice created by [Frost Explosion] dissolved into pale blue powder, scattering into the air.
The demon was dead. Silver mana bled from the remains, swirling into the air. Heinkel the Hoarder crumbled into gray ash and vanished.
The concentrated aura flowed toward Isaac like a cloud of smoke. For a fleeting second, his right eye turned silver before bleeding back into red. Heinkel’s unique magic, [Clairvoyance], was now etched into Isaac’s soul.
“…”
Isaac instinctively willed the Frostscythe to retract. It dissolved into blue mist and was absorbed back into his body. It felt as though a new reservoir had been carved into his being, allowing him to summon the weapon at will.
He turned to Hilde.
The dragon closed her eyes, tucked her front legs, and lowered her head. With tears shimmering in her eyes, she bowed to her new master.
[Ice Sovereign.]
Her voice was thick with emotion.
[I thank fate for allowing me to meet you again…]
Whooooooosh—
Suddenly, Hilde dissolved into pale blue mana and was forcibly unsummoned. In her final moments of physical form, she let out a confused, “W-what just happened?”
As she vanished, the cavern suddenly felt cavernous and empty.
Isaac stood there, cold sweat trickling down his face. Maintaining Hilde’s summon required a staggering amount of mana. The moment his unique trait [Hunter] deactivated, his mana reserves plummeted toward zero. Sensing the crisis, he had cut the connection immediately.
“Oh my…”
After Isaac’s undignified gasp, the cave fell into a heavy, frozen silence.