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Ella’s expression within the ice was as serene as if she were merely asleep.

There was no warmth, no movement to be felt.

‘Could she be dead…?’

No, that couldn’t be. If that were the case, the door would have to be closed. However, since the power source, Ella, was alive, the gate to the underworld was still wide open, pouring out malevolent energy.

Enduring the raging storm, I cautiously approached the ice crystal.

“…El, la.”

Why did uttering those two syllables feel so awkward?

20 years. It had been such a long time since I had called that name.

I took a closer look at her figure trapped in ice.

‘Has she grown a bit?’

Her face had changed slightly compared to when we parted. It could only be about 3 or 4 years. She looked like she was of a similar age to the students around.

So, she had been frozen for over a decade.

In such a place, in such a state, all alone.

“…”

With trembling hands, I placed my palm against the ice.

It was cold. But it wasn’t ordinary ice. I could feel how incredibly solid it was with just a light touch. It seemed difficult to break with ordinary strength.

‘What should I do?’

Breaking it by force might be possible, but I had no intention of doing so. I was concerned that it might harm Ella inside.

Even if I managed to break the ice, this place was saturated with the underworld’s malevolence. I couldn’t stay here long either. My body was only surviving due to its resilience, but I could feel my extremities slowly hardening. A normal person would have died within moments.

No matter how much Ella was connected to the underworld gate, I didn’t think she would be unaffected by this malevolence.

Should I close the gate first? But how? Calling it a gate was merely for convenience; in reality, it was more like a fusion of dimensions. Could I cut it with Ezetus? If so, what exactly should I cut?

I even entertained the thought of lifting and moving the entire ice crystal that trapped her… But the floor was filled with ritual circles drawn in blood, and Ella was at the center of that.

I didn’t know what the ritual was for. And I obviously couldn’t predict what would happen if I removed Ella from there.

It would have been easier to just destroy it. With Ezetus’s power, I could cut through and obliterate anything.

But with everything uncertain, it was hard to act recklessly.

Thanks to the royal ring, I knew the coordinates of the treasure vault. So, coming to this place was always possible. I needed to make a cold-headed judgment.

Exhaling deeply, I organized my thoughts.

‘…For now, I can’t do anything.’

If only Lewelin, or at least Osnia, were here…

I bit my lip, suppressing my emotions.

“I’m sorry, Ella.”

After 20 years of searching, to finally find her and in this moment, I felt overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness that I had to leave.

“Just wait a little longer for me.”

Knowing where she was and having figured out how to come here was already a significant achievement.

I would definitely find a way and return.

Promising myself that, I reluctantly tore my gaze from Ella. I looked around the room, wondering if there were any clues I might have missed.

However, nothing special remained. Torn books and broken experimental flasks suggested that this had once been the workshop of the Undying Legion Commander, and the dried and frozen bloodstains hinted at horrific experiments having taken place here.

Yet, the workshop was mostly stripped as if swept away by an explosion. The only things left were Ella’s ice crystal and the dimension door wide open.

At that moment, I felt a piercing gaze from a faraway place.

“…!”

Instinctively, I raised my spear and turned my head toward where the gaze was coming from. Although I couldn’t see the figure, I clearly felt a presence looking this way. Beyond the dimension door, someone was definitely staring at me.

I squinted, concentrating my vision. Just far away, further still… After hundreds of kilometers, I finally spotted the owner of the gaze.

A skinny man donned in a black robe. As expected, it was the Undying Legion Commander.

Was the reason he had been invisible because he was in another dimension?

Behind the Undying Legion Commander surged countless restless spirits, flowing toward him like a river, ceaselessly being absorbed into his body even at this moment.

He opened his mouth, looking straight at me. Though I couldn’t hear his voice, I read his lips.

[So, there’s a bug invading my old workshop, huh? How did you get in? I have all the keys to this place… Ah, I see. One of the royal girls has come back to life, hasn’t she? Did you use her ring?]

I deliberately avoided looking at Ella and spoke in a low voice.

If he sensed any connection between me and Ella, he would surely try to use that against me.

“…Are you the one who’s been hiding in a place like this all along?”

[Hmm? Are you really able to hear my voice from this distance? Ah, you must be reading my lips. Unfortunately for you, that’s something I can’t do, so I didn’t hear what you just said. But since you’ve come all the way here, I have to at least greet you.]

Dense dark magic surged into the Undying Legion Commander’s hand.

Then a dark magic laser was shot. But faster than that, my body was already charging toward the Undying Legion Commander.

Spinning the spear, I struck the laser with its tip. Blocking an intangible magical attack with a spear was normally impossible, but with Ezetus’s unstoppable power, it became possible. After all, to cut something, you first have to touch it.

The trajectory of the laser bent at a right angle and crashed into one wall of the workshop. At that same moment, I leaped through the dimension door. The density of the malevolence thickened, and the energy of the underworld that rejected the living mercilessly constricted my body.

It was a moment to make a choice.

Soon, the spear tip of Ezetus pierced my heart.

“Ghaaaaaaa—!!!”

Feeling the pain and dark magic erupting from my heart, I enshrouded myself in a black armor.

Using the explosive power of the dark magic as momentum, I burst forth in an instant.

Boom!!

The ground that couldn’t withstand my leg’s strength shattered, and I shot forward even faster than an arrow. The scenery around me blurred as I sped by.

The distance from the Undying Legion Commander might be several hundred kilometers, but that was no problem. If I focused all my magic without considering the collateral damage, I could reach him in just a few minutes.

This was perfect. I would subdue him here and learn how to save Ella!

The Undying Legion Commander shook his head in disbelief.

[You madman… Challenging me in such an incomplete state is burdensome… Tsk, I wanted to gather more power over the next few days, but I have no choice. I’ll have to settle for this level.]

As he waved his hand, a dark door opened behind him. Whether it was his own power or using Ella’s strength, he opened a dimension door by himself.

However, the restless spirits that had been squirming together flowed through that dimension door and fled somewhere. The Undying Legion Commander also leaped toward that dimension door.

[You can’t hinder me now. Wait until I’m complete. Then I’ll deal with you properly!]

He was trying to flee!

The moment I confirmed that, I planted my feet into the ground and jumped up with all my power toward the sky. An immediate rise in my field of view made my surroundings much clearer.

I could see the mass of restless spirits filling the horizon and the figure of the Undying Legion Commander standing at the center of it.

Gripping the spear tightly, I pulled my arm back as far as I could. My muscles bulged as I channeled all my strength into throwing the spear forward.

A shockwave erupted, and the spear, flying faster than sound, sliced through the air toward the Undying Legion Commander.

[What…!]

Bam!!!

At the moment the spear hit, the ground around us collapsed as if an explosion had occurred, and dust billowed everywhere.

Only after the dust settled did I see the Undying Legion Commander, who had lost his left arm up to the shoulder.

His upper body, peeking out from his torn robe, resembled nothing but a skeleton.

[You, monstrous creature…! How did you manage to make me lose nearly two tenths of my amassed spirits in such a short time? It would’ve taken a whole day to absorb that amount! Damn it…!]

With his left arm lost, the Undying Legion Commander walked toward the dimension door.

I couldn’t let him escape. The moment I landed on the ground, I automatically recalled Ezetus and charged with all my might toward the dimension door.

The tremendous sound and shockwave accompanying my running stemmed not from dark magic but from exceeding the speed of sound. Just running alone was enough to destroy the ground around me, and the spirits rushing towards me were flung backward in shock.

As soon as the Undying Legion Commander entered the dimension door, it started to shrink quickly.

I threw myself through the opening just before the door closed completely.

Immediately, my vision dimmed into darkness.

 

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