Part 2, Episode 147.
Alowin Rased.
Representative of the Nymph Queen.
The only one representing the vanished Nymph Queen, a man who effectively possesses the same authority and power as the Queen.
His mansion could be considered the safest place in this land of the nymphs.
Not only could neither the users nor the nymphs dare touch his mansion, but it was also the most heavily fortified place.
Saaa-
That is probably why.
The fact that it feels unreal, even while breathing in the terrible stench of blood and looking at the interior of the mansion turned into a sea of blood.
What’s going on?
The term “brain freeze” could not be more fitting.
My thought process froze at the situation that defied common sense, and I could only stare blankly.
A high ranker, known as the ranker above the rankers.
For Lephias, who reigned supreme among them, it was truly a perplexing matter.
As a disciple of the Blue Magic Tower Master, one of the Seven Great Masters, I could take pride in having experienced pretty much everything.
But this is the first time something like this has happened.
You killed an NPC? And in a wartime situation at that?
Everyone is dead. Everyone here.
… … Wait, are they all dead?
We cannot be certain since users turn to dust and fly away when they die, but given that they are not visible amidst this chaos, it is highly likely that they are dead.
The important thing is the NPCs…
They killed only the executives, without exception.
Then again, since everyone gathered here is a high-ranking official, that’s to be expected.
The only saving grace is that the body of the key figure, ‘Alloween Rased,’ is nowhere to be seen… Did he run away?
Then what happens to Nymph Village from now on?
What about the war with the Strongman of the Abyss?
I don’t know what’s going on.
Perhaps because something so illogical happened, my thoughts didn’t connect properly.
Above all, the most alien thing is… … .
Tsk. Fools… Is this what you call preparation? You focused solely on the disaster; it seems you didn’t give the slightest thought that I would attack. It has been too long since you experienced war.
It was that man standing high and mighty with his robe pulled over his head.
War? Preparation?
Could it be that preventing the disaster wasn’t the end of it?
It was a time when such a thought crossed my mind as I watched a man spouting incomprehensible words.
Crack.
The man in the robe took a step.
A spine-chilling sound assaulted my ears with every step.
Crack. Crack.
One step, one step.
He had killed so many people that every time he took a step, sticky blood dripped and made a gruesome sound.
I get goosebumps on my arms from an instinctive sense of revulsion.
The body glimpsed through the folds of the robe with every movement was stained dark red, as if soaked in blood, making it impossible to distinguish between flesh and bone.
‘… … Yamamoto is nowhere to be seen. Neither is Siana.’
Is he dead?
Or was it blown away somewhere?
Whatever the case, given that he staged such a scene in such a short time, that guy is not someone he can handle.
Must be known.
To the other teenage guilds staying here.
And to those in the elf village as well.
After quickly assessing the situation, Repias quietly opened the system window.
I decided it would be better to log out, as there was a high chance of getting caught if I walked out like this.
But that was the moment.
Saa-
“……!?”
The air is cold.
The feeling of my skin freezing cold, as if I had come to a grave at dawn.
Every single cell in my body was sounding a sensitive warning.
So the rat was hiding.
The moment a colorless and odorless voice was heard.
‘shit!’
Lephias hurriedly extended his finger without even turning his head.
I decided that I had to log out immediately, regardless of whether it was offense or defense.
However, the shadow of darkness rushing toward Lephias was faster than the speed at which he reached out his hand.
Scrape-!
The snake-shaped shadow, unable to withstand the speed, tore into a long, unrecognizable form and severed Lephias’s fingers.
Those apostles disappear if you reach out your hand.
Making the best judgment based on brief experience without even knowing what logging out was.
Hana Rephias was also a top-tier high-ranker. She had no intention of being easily defeated.
[Casting Legendary Skill ‘Blizzard’.]
[A large number of small ice meteorites fall from the sky for 10 seconds. If hit by a meteorite, you take heavy damage and suffer the ‘Freeze’ status effect.]
[Additional damage is applied when dealing Ice attribute damage to frozen enemies.]
The moment his hand was severed, he immediately prepared a counterattack.
Ice meteorites rained down like countless tips of icebergs falling from the sky. Even that man wouldn’t be able to avoid them all.
Bang! Crash!
Eventually, the moment it was hit by a few meteorites.
Crack- crack-
Ice flowers bloomed in the air and instantly expanded their range to engulf the person wearing the robe.
[Signature trait ‘Full Bloom of Ice Flowers’ is activated.]
[When dealing damage to a target with ice-element attacks, ice flowers are formed.]
[The Ice Flower moves according to the caster’s will and can freeze or damage anything within the limits of the power they can handle.]
It was that ice flower that had even blocked a single blow from the Moon Shadow Sword.
As the creature was instantly crushed by a pile of ice, a massive ice spear formed above Lephias’s head.
[Casting Legendary Skill ‘Ice Spear Heavenly Fall’.]
[Drops an extreme ice spear from the sky to the ground, inflicting significant damage within a certain range.]
It was Ice Extreme Thousand Strikes, one of the Ice Mage’s strongest damage-dealing skills.
It boasted such an overwhelming presence that one wondered if it could even be called a spear, and it slammed violently into the pile of ice.
Swaaaak-!
It exuded an intimidating aura that seemed capable of shattering anything in an instant, but the tip of the spear failed to reach the pile of ice.
Crunch.
The darkness that surged over the pile of ice swallowed the window.
As if it had never existed from the beginning.
Instead of being stunned by the spear that had vanished so cleanly, Lephias continued with the next attack as planned.
[Casting Hero Skill ‘Ice Arrow’.]
[Casting Legendary Skill ‘Ice Age’.]
[Casting Hero Skill ‘Frost Burst’.]
… … .
Spreading out from Lephias, the ground freezes, and ice arrows and ice swords rain down from the sky.
And even ice explosions surging through the frozen ground.
Countless skills were flying around,
Whenever that happened, ice flowers fell from the ceiling like shooting stars due to the signature ability, inflicting fatal damage.
A scene that truly brings the word “bombing” to mind.
Rustle-
As the one wearing the robe reached out his hand, everything was cut and split in two.
Even Lephias’s upper body.
At that moment.
Lephias’s upper body, which was thought to have been severed, lost its vitality and fell as an ice statue.
[Casting Legendary Skill ‘Ice Capsule’.]
[Wraps your body in an ice capsule for 60 seconds. If you take a fatal blow, the capsule takes the fatal blow instead.]
It was the Ice Capsule, a top-tier survival skill that only a Freezing Mage could possess.
Lephias’s pupils trembled as he stepped back and gazed at his ice statue that had split in two.
‘… … If I hadn’t cast it just in case.’
It must have ended right there, with the body severed.
However, thanks to learning humility, he succeeded in blocking it, and now it was his turn.
Crack-!
The reason the ice capsule is called a top-tier survival tool is not simply because it provides extra lives.
[Legendary Skill ‘Ice Capsule’ has been successfully activated]
[Receive ‘Winter’s Blessing’ for 5 seconds.]
[While under the Blessing of Winter, mana cost and casting time for all Ice-attribute skills are removed.]
Just 5 seconds.
It is only 5 seconds, but the mana cost and casting time of all ice-element skills are removed.
In other words, it means that they can unleash a bombardment incomparable to what happened just moments ago.
And this was an effect that gave Lephias, who had the Ice Flower Bloom, a tremendous DPS (damage per second).
… …
It was because ice flowers fell and dealt additional damage every time a skill was used.
And the impact was tremendous.
Crack- crack!
Crunch! —!!
In an instant, the inside of the mansion is covered in ice, and a chill engulfs the entire body.
The terrible cold, which made even the caster Lephias tremble, and the intense vibrations felt through the feet touching the ground proved just how powerful the force was.
Most bosses were reduced to dust and shattered into pieces, but Lephias immediately prepared for the next challenge.
I didn’t think I would die from just this.
It’s just that one didn’t die. They probably won’t be able to move.
Touching the ice flower has a chance of causing frostbite.
And once you are frozen, the duration increases by 0.5 seconds each time you are hit by an ice flower, up to a maximum of 20 seconds.
For Bind, it is almost the best level ever.
If you took that much damage, even if you aim for the maximum time…
No, it’s better to assume high immunity. Anything less than that… let’s assume 10 seconds.
10 seconds is enough.
[Activates Transcendence Trait ‘The Last Ice Mage’.]
[Activates only when standing alone and noble before an enemy; the next Ice-element skill cast gathers surrounding chill to deliver a strike that transcends one’s limits.]
[All stats are reduced by 50% for 2 hours after activation, and a 24-hour cooldown applies.]
A single attack that boasts immense power in exchange for requiring a long casting time.
Because it took just over 10 seconds to cast the strongest damage-dealing skill that the current Repias possessed.
Even the forgotten king could have been captured if this had existed.
The boss who delivered a tremendous shock to Lephias at the time.
Of course, since their specs are different now compared to then, they would win easily, but Lephias was certain.
Even by the standards of that time, having this ability alone would have been more than enough to catch it.
It was a technique that boasted tremendous power.
To the point where it could truly be called a desperate struggle.
—-!
A cold so intense that the biting chill from just moments ago feels like a joke swirls around Lephias.
It was then that the energy, which had been scattering wildly, began to gather in one place.
It felt less like things were coming together smoothly and more like somehow pulling together things that were running wild on their own.
A sight like an uncontrollable blizzard being sucked into a single point.
Kwaaaah-
In the process, parts of the mansion’s interior were broken, overturned, and shook violently.
I can feel it.
Even though only half have gathered so far, there is an energy that no human body dares to resist.
You’re saying the Ice Mage is weak at one hit?
I admit it.
However, the pinnacle of any field is different.
Just as Annihilation, the Empress, and the Sword Saint overcame their weaknesses.
He, who had never once lost the title of the strongest ice mage since the release of God of Savior, has also finally overcome his weakness.
By this point, I had gained confidence.
“It’s actually for the best. There can’t be any variables ahead of a raid against a powerful being of the Abyss. I don’t know who you are, but… I’d better settle this here.”
It was when Lephias, having said that, was gathering his strength even more fiercely.
Over 7 seconds, 8 seconds.
And as the 9-second mark approached, the technique was slowly coming together.
-Hoho… … .
A man’s voice flowed out from beyond the vision obscured by the cold rising from the chill.
It contained neither fear nor anger.
All that can be felt is a faint interest contained within the indifference.
I was watching out of curiosity about the Apostles’ level… …that seems a bit dangerous. There is no need to go out of your way to engage them right before the main event.
“……!”
Sensing that something was wrong, Lephias hurriedly tried to unleash his energy.
Since they hadn’t fully gathered yet, they would scatter in all directions, but his intuition was screaming that he had to do it, even if it meant doing so.
However, that will ultimately failed to reach its destination.
The moment I heard the monotonous cutting sound echoing in my ears, the energy I had been painstakingly gathering scattered and vanished in vain like a mirage.
And following that was a single line of message reflected on the gray screen.
[He has passed away.]
[A death penalty is applied.]
Death message.
Lephias let out a sigh.
‘ah…….’
I couldn’t even see what killed him.
All that could be heard was the sound of cutting.
From the beginning, he could have killed himself at any time.
To think the gap would be this big.
This is just like what I felt during the time of the Forgotten King…
… … No, it was a wall on a whole different level than back then.
I felt like I had grown so much, but experiencing this feeling again made me feel incredibly empty.
However, Lephias did not even have the opportunity to fully feel that sense of loss.
Ding!
[A sudden event occurs in the Continental Quest due to the appearance of the Invader Leader!]
[The sudden event ‘Intruder Raid’ occurs.]
[The leader of the invaders is leading his forces.]
[Resist their attacks before the sky-swallowing eye ‘Rag Behemoth’ awakens.]
[If occupied, you will lose ownership of the land to invaders.]
‘……what?’
Because an incomprehensible message came to mind.
And at that moment when Lephias could not hide his bewilderment.
The robed man slowly raised his head as he watched the traces of Lephias scattering into dust.
The time has come.
As he reached out his hand while looking at the ceiling of the mansion, which had a hole in it from the aftermath of the battle, a sphere of darkness shot high and soon caused a silent explosion.
Then, as if that had become a signal.
The invaders hiding throughout the continent all raised their heads in unison to look at the sky.
-It is the beginning of the end, Elanis.
Leader of the intruders.
It was the moment he led his forces and declared war.
