CHAPTER 111

At that moment, Elric unknowingly narrowed his eyes.

"…Did you just say earlier that even Tiger King Yul couldn't capture General Winter?"

Otto Han nodded, looking as if there was nothing wrong with that.

"That's right."

"And you also said that my grandfather failed, which is why he updated it."

"Indeed."

"But now you're telling me to capture that same General Winter?"

"Exactly."

"…Do you think that makes any sense?"

Forty years ago, Usdun Melvinger was at the peak of his career as the "Magus of Star."

Even then, he couldn't capture General Winter, so there was no conceivable way Elric could do it now.

In Elric's judgment, his current ability was only at the level of a high-level magus.

Of course, even that was an incredible level considering his age and how recently he had properly begun learning magic.

But he was nowhere near the level to face General Winter.

And yet…

For some reason… Otto Han's smiling face looked ominously mischievous.

"Hmm? Well, the hard work is your problem, not mine."

"…!"

Elric's face flushed red as he struggled to suppress the rage boiling up in his throat.

At that moment, Otto Han's smile grew even wider.

"You just cursed me in your head, didn't you?"

"I did not…!"

"Then good luck with the hard work."

And with those words,

Thud!

Elric's vision went black.

Damn it! This again! Just once, can't you send me somewhere in a normal way? No, more importantly, shouldn't you at least give me a hint on where I'm supposed to go next?!

Elric wanted to shout all of this, but the words lingered on his lips, only to dissolve into the air, unspoken.

***

Meanwhile, in the real world…

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Every time Herman and Barasen clashed, pieces of shattered marble flew into the air, and the scattered fragments of aura caused the flower statues hanging on the columns to fall one by one.

[No!]

[The temple is going to collapse!]

[If you're going to fight, do it outside!]

The gods of the Winter Flowers were panicking, stamping their feet in frustration as they watched the already decaying temple fall apart even further.

But what made them even more desperate was the fire that had crept dangerously close to the central temple.

If the temple was exposed to the flames, the other sleeping flower gods could be in serious danger.

They tried to contain the fire by unleashing divine power and summoning vines, but the more they tried, the more fiercely the flames roared.

[Camellia!]

[Camellia has to wake up!]

[But Camellia is still sleeping!]

[What do we do?]

[What should we do?]

Herman's heart was just as restless.

'White Night… old monster, what on earth are you doing? The situation has gotten this bad!'

Herman scowled, thinking of Augustine, who still hadn't responded, despite how dire the situation had become.

It was hard to believe that Augustine wasn't reacting, especially when his only disciple's life was at stake.

In fact, it had been the same during the Anthromorph Siege.

Unlike Elric, who was running tirelessly across the battlefield, Augustine simply observed, not even lifting a finger.

Even though he was known for being indifferent to things that didn't concern him, this was too extreme.

Wasn't this too indifferent to be simply testing Elric?

But based on how Augustine had always protected Elric in the past, it couldn't be that he was just neglecting him.

'What is he thinking?'

However, what was more urgent for Herman at that moment was dealing with the opponent in front of him and getting him out of the way.

'If only I had a bit more strength…!'

Barasen was not an opponent Herman could easily guarantee victory over.

In his prime, Herman could have decapitated him with a single strike, but he was still recovering and hadn't fully regained his strength.

Especially since Barasen's fighting style was unlike anything he had encountered before.

As he had noticed before, the beastmen fought in a way that was far more aggressive and instinctual than humans.

For Herman, who pursued a formal and disciplined sword style, this wild approach was difficult to adapt to.

'If only I could use the 'Hawk's Beak' here…'

Herman thought of the secret technique that had once brought him a great realization but had also caused his affliction of reflux disease.

It might be hard to use with his current body, but given his deep understanding of it, perhaps he could make it work somehow.

Just as Herman pondered how he could help Elric, who still hadn't woken from the arrangement...

'He's… smiling?'

Herman realized belatedly that Barasen wasn't panicking but was instead smiling coldly.

Then he felt a shiver down his spine. Once sharp, now dulled senses picked up on the faint, stealthy movement known as the "Cat's Step."

"You weren't alone!"

"Do you know why the lion is called the king of beasts? It's not only because it's strong, but because it leads a pride without ever acting recklessly."

At Barasen's words, Herman quickly gathered his mana fiercely.

Zzing!

The clear sound of his sword rang out.

At the same time, a blue aura spread from the tip of his sword, like a bird spreading its wings, sending blue feathers scattering in all directions.

Screeeeech!

The sword let out a cry, resembling that of a hawk, as it swept toward Barasen.

Hawk's Beak.

It was the moment Herman unleashed the secret technique he'd kept buried in his heart for so long, all in an effort to quickly get rid of the enemy before him.

Swish, swish, swish!

***

Meanwhile, a member of the Black Cat Tribe, Katarini, quietly slipped into the sealed chamber where Elric was, moving like a stealthy thief under the cover of darkness.

'Too easy, way too easy.'

With the other strike teams acting as bait, and Barasen pretending to be an assassin to distract the human warriors, they had skillfully isolated all potential threats.

Thanks to that, Katarini had easily made it right in front of Elric.

Being naturally stealthy and agile, the Black Cat Tribe was inherently suited to assassination, and Katarini was by far the most skilled fighter among them.

Even though Herman's senses had dulled, the fact that Katarini had successfully bypassed him and gotten this close to Elric was proof of her superior ability.

"Heh, heh, heh."

Elric sat quietly in meditation, seated in a lotus position. Resting on one of his shoulders was none other than the Queen of Winter Flowers, the God of Camellias—a being so rare that even the fiercest fighters of Fury would struggle to encounter her.

'I have no idea what they're doing, but it doesn't matter. If they die, it's all meaningless anyway, right?'

Katarini couldn't believe how easy it was. The thought kept repeating in her mind.

'Oh! That necklace is dazzlingly beautiful. The gems embedded in it look incredibly expensive too. I'll take it as a reward for my efforts.'

As expected of a Cat tribe member who loves shiny things, Katarini slowly pulled out a dagger from her bosom while drooling at the Magical Amulet.

The amulet, adorned with rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds in the shape of a swastika, gleamed so brightly that anyone who saw it would be mesmerized.

"Since you're giving me such a fine gift, I'll make sure it's painless. I'll send you off cleanly, so don't shed any tears out of gratitude once you're gone."

As Katarini's dagger neared Elric's throat...

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, the bright light surrounding the Magical Amulet vanished, as if it had been a lie. Surprised, she glanced in its direction.

Crack! Crackle!

"W-What…?!"

Katarini gasped in shock. Her dagger, along with her entire right arm, had been frozen solid from the blade to her shoulder!

Katarini desperately tried to shake off the ice, but a cold wind suddenly swirled around the sealed chamber. The ice poison quickly crept up to her jaw.

She couldn't speak. Her breath froze the moment it left her lips and fell to the ground in small, brittle pieces.

It had all happened in an instant.

Through her hazy vision, Katarini could only stare dumbly ahead.

Elric had opened his eyes, and he was looking at her with a cold smile.

"What do you think? You're screwed."

Ssssss!

The shadow around Elric spread across the floor like spilled ink.

"Didn't you just say something? Not to cry tears of gratitude when I send you off?"

Elric smirked.

"I'll return those words to you."

No…! Katarini wanted to say, but it was too late. The shadow had already climbed the walls, revealing monstrous fangs.

"Yu, you hungry? Eat."

With that, Yu's maw engulfed Katarini in one bite.

Crunch, crunch!

Each time Yu's mouth twitched, the horrifying sound of flesh and bones being crushed echoed through the chamber. A distant scream, possibly Katarini's, rang out, but it was cut off almost immediately.

Slurp.

A black tongue slid out from Yu's mouth, licking its lips.

Quite the taste.

"You're insane."

Heh heh heh! You're the one who gave me this, so who are you to talk?

The Seal of Maleficence laughed as it slowly sank back into the shadows, which then returned to Elric.

"This thing gets more vicious every time I use it."

Elric muttered while looking at the Seal of Maleficence.

After coming out of the arrangement, Yu's spiritual form had become much sharper. It wasn't just the Seal of Brutal Cold and the Seal of Winter Wind that had grown stronger within the arrangement—the Seal of Maleficence had made significant progress as well.

Of course, Elric had no intention of relying solely on the seal magic.

『Winter Wind, huh.』

Beside him, Mephistopheles clicked his tongue with a dissatisfied expression.

『Ice and now cold wind… If you add snow and clouds, it'll be full-on 'winter.' Hah! It's quite the skill, gathering such scraps and turning them into something this powerful.』

[T/L: Changing "Snow Mountain King" to "Ice Mountain King."]

'As always, this guy… no, this demon has never once said anything positive about the seals I obtain, has he?' Elric thought as he looked at Mephistopheles with an irritated expression.

Mephistopheles, arms crossed, snorted dismissively.

『What? You got a problem with me?』

Just as Elric was about to respond, the God of Camellias suddenly rose between the two.

[Problem? Of course I have one. Your breath smells so foul it reeks like a sewer. Could you kindly step aside?]

『Sewer? How dare—!』

[The stench is so bad I can't even understand what you're saying. Please brush your teeth.]

While Mephistopheles flared up in anger, stomping around in frustration, Elric sighed. 

He realized there was no point getting involved between the two, as it would only give him a headache, so he ran his hand through his hair and stood up.

'Snow... is that it?'

Amid Mephistopheles' casual remarks, Elric had grasped what Otto Han hadn't told him about the remaining element of "winter."

And he understood what it signified.

'Ice Crystal.'

Elric's eyes sparkled with realization.

'When I absorbed the cold that froze the God of Camellias, the ice crystal transformed into something similar to snowflakes.'

Of course, this was only a hypothesis.

But Elric couldn't believe that Otto Han or his grandfather would ever give him a task he couldn't complete.

He believed the answer lay within the arrangement.

'If I can awaken the other seeds in the same way… and if I can trap General Winter…'

And if all that resulted in the creation of snow.

The moment his thoughts reached that point, Elric wasted no time. He threw open the door to the sealed chamber and stepped out.

Outside, he was met with a powerful surge of energy.

Whoooosh!

Standing there with his neck half-severed, blood gushing out in spurts, was Barasen, the sand lion.

His once-majestic mane, which had adorned him so proudly, was now soaked in blood, and his entire body was covered in countless small wounds, making him look gruesome. One of his arms had already been severed and lay discarded on the ground.

In front of him stood Herman, radiating a menacing aura.

Crackle, crackle!

The power Herman had unleashed was so immense that fragments of aura sparked up from the ground near his feet like embers.

"You... are you... the strongest... among humans?" Barasen gasped, barely able to hold himself upright. He knew full well that there was no chance of survival for him.

But he wanted to ask, just once. How strong was the human standing before him?

He was a lion—the king of beasts.

It didn't make sense for him to be defeated so easily by a human, a species he had always considered inferior.

Yet…

Herman merely scoffed.

"Foolish words. Among those who wield the sword, there are seven who could rival me, and there's one who could cut me down with a single strike. If you include magicians, priests, and black magic users, there are at least dozens more who surpass me."

After the Great Demon War, the Empire's power hadn't diminished; in fact, it had surged to new heights, leading humanity into an unprecedented golden age.

Other nations on the continent, feeling threatened by the Empire's rise, had also begun amassing military power, plunging the world into a long-standing "Warring States period ."

"Why... are humans... like this...!"

Barasen was too stunned to continue speaking. The realization was too shocking.

The wound on his neck tore open even further, and his head fell to the ground.

Thud…

Barasen's face was twisted in agony and despair, reflecting the shattering of his once-unshakable belief that their great Blood Wolf King would soon wipe out the humans on the other side of the great wall. The bitter sorrow of that broken faith was all that remained.

[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]