༺ Subjugation of the Floating Island (6) ༻
[───────!]
The sound of woodwind instruments filled the heavens.
Above the Floating Island.
A white dragon straight out of myths, Frost Dragon-Hilde, soared and let out cold air, spreading her magnificent white wings as far as they could reach.
Around that white dragon, a widespread [Frostwind] swirled with fierce intensity.
I smashed the remainder of the black pillar with my fist and pulled out Dorothy, princess-carrying her in my arms.
It seemed like she didn’t even have the strength to keep her body stable, as she continued to exhale laborious breaths.
Her eyes were barely open, gazing at my face.
“Pres… ident…”
A dying voice.
I didn’t bother to reply. After seeing Dorothy in such a poor state, I didn’t want to force a conversation.
Instead, I revealed a smile to reassure her. That I had come here specifically for her.
This was the moment I had so longed for.
In every playthrough of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, I had only dreamed of this moment. After all, I wanted to rescue Dorothy at any cost.
To me, who was immersed in my preparations for the state exam, your radiant figure, determined to shine despite having nothing left, was incredible.
I hated the thought of you dying.
Let’s live on without making sacrifices, okay?
For your sake, I’ll deny the very reality of this scenario and crush this overgrown pile of dirt.
That was my oath. My resolve. From the very beginning, the only thing I could think of was saving Dorothy.
Using [Clairvoyance], I saw Ian’s party joining the subjugation team before escaping from the Floating IIsland.
As planned, Kaya had probably persuaded the subjugation team to flee as soon as they met by saying that the Black Monster had shown itself once again.
So, I had to do my part too. At the right moment, I activated [Hunter], destroying the surroundings and pouring out a frigid chill. As such, the subjugation team seemed to sense the danger and decided to escape.
The Black Monster was an unstoppable force. The perception that it was a dangerous Archwizard capable of using apocalyptic levels of magic was widespread.
If such a monster was deliberately challenging the Floating Island, it was only reasonable to escape before the fight escalated.
‘Also, when did Ian faint again…?’
Oh so surprisingly, Ian was being carried away by the subjugation team, already unconscious.
I speculated that he was hit on the head by the debris of the Emerald Palace that fell due to the impact of shooting [Apostle of Light] at Oz, the core of the Floating Island.
‘But now, there’s no need to worry about him.”
After all, Ian’s role here was done. I was grateful for what he had done up to this point.
When I raised my head, a huge sinkhole was visible. It was probably from the shock of the mana gas exploding out of the Floating Island.
Above it, my familiar, Hilde, was sweeping through the battlefield with [Frostwind].
[Frostwind] had the property of enhancing Hilde’s ice magic, as well as her owner’s. Simultaneously, it could be used as a blinding technique.
As I harbored hostility and confronted the Floating Island with my familiar, I was currently in a state where [Hunter] was activated.
Thanks to this, my body felt incredibly light, allowing me to effortlessly leap and land outside.
Whooooosh───.
[Frostwind] shone with the radiance of white jade, a much more vivid color than I had expected.
‘With this, I don’t need to disguise myself.’
I probably didn’t need to uncomfortably wear a mask to disguise myself. I could confidently rely on my full power.
Koong──.
While boasting her gigantic figure, the white dragon, Hilde, descended and lowered her head to me. Her descent alone caused highly dense cold mana and a storm of dust to scatter, making the ground tremble in her wake.
After placing the powerless and limp Dorothy on Hilde’s back, I used [Rock Generation] to keep her firmly in place.
I casted [Ice Barrier] and [Stone Barrier] around her to neutralize my own ice and rock magic, thus keeping her safe from any harm that may befall her.
Dorothy tried to say something, but her voice didn’t seem to come out properly.
The curse was still gradually devouring her life force and mana. She wouldn’t have any strength left to even speak.
“Just wait for me…”
It’s okay. Everything will be fine.
“…Until I break this thing apart.”
Dorothy’s two eyes widened slightly. It was hard to tell whether she was surprised by what I said or not. I couldn’t read her psychology so I decided to just move on.
My hair and the navy blue cloak fluttered because of [Frostwind]. In contrast, Dorothy seemed to be enclosed in a serene world within the protective barrier I had created.
It’s finally time.
I turned away from here and gazed at the fantasy world, ‘Land of Oz’.
Behind me, Hilde soared upward while carrying Dorothy.
After spreading her massive wings, she scattered white jade-colored frost mana like a gust of wind.
[───────!!]
The Floating Island vibrated as if an earthquake had occurred. From an unknown place, the eerie sound of woodwind instruments resonated with a scream, tormenting my eardrums.
It had sensed my mana and felt threatened. However, I paid it no mind.
After casually rotating my shoulder and stretching…
I flipped on my hood and bloomed ice mana on my right palm. Pale blue frost flowed and small ice crystals floated around.
With that, I quietly surveyed this world.
From now on, I’ll completely annihilate the Land of Oz.
❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ Chapter 2, 「Back Story – Wizard of Oz」.
In the actual fairy tale, Dorothy returned to her hometown after completing her adventure in the fantasy world and was held in her aunt’s embrace, thus fulfilling her very own happy ending.
However, in this world, Dorothy could only return to her hometown with the grim reality of despair.
Even so, she chose to stand up and shine.
She decided to show this fucked up world just how impressive of an existence she was with all her might.
And so, her final act was a noble sacrifice.
To defeat an enemy that no one in the academy could overcome, she threw away the last embers of her life with a face filled with laughter. As such, she met the conditions to activate [Last Light of a Dying Star] and brought down the Floating Island.
…But, how can I tolerate such a thing?
You said you wanted to live. That’s all the more reason why I can’t simply give up on you. And now, I am here. Just for you. I’m standing in this place, at this time… just for you. 「Ice Sovereign (Ice Element, ★9)」
My hair stood on end.
The saturation of my skin increased and the energy of the Ice Sovereign flowed quietly from the depths of my heart.
[Ice Sovereign]. Its effects were straightforward.
It maximized the power of the ice magic I used.
Unlike in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, I possessed a 9-star passive skill [Ice Sovereign], the legendary weapon Frostscythe, and commanded the mythical magic beast Frost Dragon-Hilde as my familiar.
Therefore, my full power easily surpassed the Floating Island’s Level 190.
However, I wouldn’t be able to maintain the [Ice Sovereign] state for long.
‘At best, 10 minutes or so.’
It wasn’t a precise estimate. It was just an instinctive judgment that I could maintain the [Ice Sovereign] state for roughly 10 minutes.
I brought out the Frostscythe stored within my body and firmly grasped it; a frigid chill gathered in my outstretched right hand, forming the shape of a large scythe with a dark blue glow.
An outpour of cold air.
As I lightly embedded the tip of Frostscythe into the ground, the pale blue mana turned into dozens of ripples before spreading out.
In an instant, the rigor of winter swept through the Floating Island.
Then, I upped the ante of my mana.
Wooooong──.
Hundreds of large magic circles were instantly generated in the sky.
And I extended the blade of Frotscythe slightly forward and calmly gave my command.
“Hilde, freeze it all.”
Hilde aggressively roared and poured out ice mana.
[Kaaaaaaaa────!!!]
Above Hilde’s head, a magnificent pale blue magic circle, brimming with a tremendous amount of mana, was conjured.
Without hesitation, the white dragon poured out a large-scale silver magic from the magic circle.
「Hell of the Crimson Lotus (Ice Element, ★8)」
A series of white streaks were engraved in the air.
In an instant, they grew in size, forming the shape of silver beams of light enveloped in frost.
Kwaaaaaaahhhhh──────!!!
A violent explosion dyed the landscape white.
Ice magic at a country-destroying level, [Hell of the Crimson Lotus]. With intensely cold air, it transformed the earth into an icy hell.
At the same time, I aimed at the Land of Oz which was covered in a hazy mist, and launched giant masses of ice from hundreds of magic circles.
Kuoooooooo─────!!!
Kwangggg──────!!!!
Dozens of gigantic ice masses encasing rock flew toward the Floating Island as it let out white cold air. It was like a hail straight out of a frozen hell as it fell and reached incredible speeds.
Each chunk had the power to effortlessly destroy the entire grounds of Märchen Academy.
「Winter Shower」
Every time the comets of ice struck the Floating Island, the densely packed ice mana exploded and—.
A massive physical impact. The ground trembled and space twisted, as it was accompanied by a deafening roar that seemed to tear through eardrums.
Fragments of the Floating Island scattered through the air. As the hard shell that resembled ordinary ground broke apart. The squishy interior of the red body began to reveal itself.
Like a human, it seemed to be a living organism with various organs.
Countless sharp icicles repeatedly poured out with such momentum that they seemed to pierce the sky. Additionally, blizzards and storms fiercely swept through with [Frostwind].
Explosions repeated ceaselessly and the thunderous noise showed no signs of stopping.
At this moment, roars shook the heavens, and all hell broke loose.
“Eden, assist.”
I summoned the golem familiar, Eden.
As I infused rock mana to reinforce him, he rapidly grew and was enveloped in rock skin to become a giant.
[Guoooooo───!]
Eden struck a colossal fist of rock toward the Floating Island.
A violent sonic boom echoed and, as if a meteor had collided, immense air pressure had spread in all directions, creating a sandstorm.
Hilde unleashed her magic, Eden swung his fists in a barrage, and [Winter Shower] continued to rain down.
And in such a place, I listened to the painful cries, akin to the wailing of woodwind instruments, from the tormented Floating Island.
Slowly, I made my way across hell.
My chest boiled from within. My heart raced.
Was it because I had endured [Ice Sovereign] for several minutes? I felt out of place, almost as if I was stepping into another world.
A heavy yet captivating melody flowed in my mind and from somewhere deep in my body, a strange sensation wriggled.
If I took just a few more steps forward, it felt like I would awaken someth–
[───────!!]
As expected, the Floating Island didn’t passively endure my attacks.
The Floating Island’s earth magic transformed into beams of light and relentlessly struck in clusters.
The scale of each attack was immense. There was no point in evading.
I swiftly swung my arm laden with mana and raised towering walls of ice and rock from the ground.
Within the pale blue ice walls, light brown rock mana flowed; it was the elemental magic, [Fossilized Ice].
The densely concentrated elemental wall firmly took its place like a sturdy fortress and blocked the onslaught of the Floating Island’s beams of light.
Earth elemental attacks relentlessly poured out. This vast demon landmass howled in agony as they counterattacked incessantly.
However, this wasn’t a sign of the bastard’s defeat.
[HurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurtsHurts.]</b>
A multitude of faces suddenly emerged from the ground beneath my feet.
Their eyes were hollow with a vacant void instead of eyes. They expressed their agony as their lips moved rapidly.
“Shut u-!”
Kuuuuoooooooo───!!
Abruptly, the ground beneath me began to relentlessly surge towards the sky.
Crushed by the heavy pressure, I knelt on one knee and bowed my head.
There was nowhere to escape. The vast ground itself was rising after all.
Consecutively, from far above the sky, I could feel immense mana beyond the clouds.
I glanced briefly when suddenly, something descended towards me while in the midst of a torrent of flames.
It was an enormous meteorite.
Enveloped in earth mana, a golden mana extended like a tail behind the meteorite as it was enveloped in a deadly blaze.
I clenched my fist before striking the rising ground.
Kwannnggggg────!!
A sonic boom. My fist unleashed explosive power.
The surging ground shattered into pieces. The resulting shockwave pushed my hood away.
Amidst the fragments of the Floating Island that flew in all directions, my body floated in the air.
I turned my body towards the meteorite that was hurtling my way.
If others witnessed this scene, I would appear infinitesimally small and feeble compared to the size of the meteorite the Floating Island had thrown.
However, in my [Ice Sovereign] state, I could easily block a meteorite of that magnitude with my magic.
After releasing [Fossilized Ice] that was set up around me…
I generated the 6-star ice elemental magic, [Frost Wave], and stretched my arm toward the meteorite.
At that moment.
[Nihihi.]
A child-like giggle.
The formidable mana I had felt from the Floating Island just moments ago, now erupted with a terrifying intensity, spreading through the sky like ripples in a pond.
Sensing such mana, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
‘What is this…?’
My two eyes trembled.
As I turned my head downward, many heads filled the ground, as they stared at me with those eyeless, pitch-black, and hollow eyes.
With grotesquely contorted expressions, they looked up at me and…
[Nihihihihihihihihihihihihihi!!]
[Nihihihihihihihihihihihihihi!!]
[Nihihihihihihihihihihihihihi!!]
[Nihihihihihihihihihihihihihi!!]
[Nihihihihihihihihihihihihihi!!]
[Nihihihihihihihihihihihihihi!!]
They started to mock me with their laughter.
Almost as if to say, ‘You were fooled, right?’
Hwahhhhhhh───.
The Floating Island’s body was stained with the color of red wine. Even the heads emerging from the ground were dyed in such a color.
The ground cracked and split open in various places.
Earth mana took the form of lava, erupting intermittently from the fissure. Its heat even overwhelmed [Frostwind].
Amidst the continuous eruption of lava and the mass of black smoke billowing up…
Demons made of black volcanic rock with blood flowing like lava emerged in a steady stream.
“Don’t fuck with me…”
I couldn’t close my agape jaw.
[Geuheheheheheheheh───.]
Beyond the Floating Island, from every direction…
Colossal beings emerged from the sea as if to trap me.
Beyond the [Frostwind] that devoured the lava, misty currents surrounded the gigantic demons and seawater cascaded down like a waterfall.
In their bodies made of black rock, lava flowed between the cracks where the rocks were joined.
With their heads resembling tigers and their bear-like bodies, they were incredibly massive.
These humongous one-eyed giants only looked towards me, as they revealed twisted smiles.
Each one of them was a minion of the Floating Island.
[Kalida the Freakish] Lv: 185
Race: Demon
Elements: Dark, Earth
Danger: Extreme
Psychology: [Wants to smack you down with its palm.]
Each entity was stronger than Hilde.
In all my time spent on ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, I had never seen such a sight.
In other words, this was a form of the Floating Island that I had been unaware of.
“…”
Only then did I realize.
Dorothy sacrificed her life using [Last Light of a Dying Star] to overwhelm the Floating Island.
Because of that, the Floating Island was defeated without a chance to release its true form.
Dorothy could only judge that nobody was able to defeat the Floating Island because she possessed the power of [All in The World], which could penetrate the essence of everything.
[Cavallion the Earthshaker] Lv: 200
Race: Demon
Elements: Dark, Earth
Danger: Extreme
Psychology: [Wants to toy with you before tearing you limb from limb..]
In human terms, the Floating Island was an existence that had reached the level of an Archwizard.
It knew how to control the maximum amount of its mana, thus the bastard could hide its full power to appear like it was only level 190.
When I turned my gaze, I saw Hilde pouring out ice magic towards the Floating Island.
On her back, I could see Dorothy, who looked at me with eyes full of worry, even amidst her difficulty to move.
The vast reddish-brown magic circle generated beneath the Floating Island was preparing to erase the island where Märchen Academy was located without a single trace.
As the true identity of the Floating Island was revealed, the speed at which the magic circle was conjured became even faster.
At best, I had a few tens of seconds before a magic circle that would turn this surrounding area into a field of destruction was completed.
That’s right. This bastard had been playing with humans all along.
As it revealed itself as a threatening existence to the whole world, it enjoyed watching humans rush towards it to stop it.
Now, there was not much time left.
There was nowhere to escape.
If I didn’t quickly annihilate this massive landmass…
Everyone would die.
Everything would come to an end.
Just because I wished to save Dorothy.
In order for this world to reach a happy ending, it seems as if fate itself was forcing me to accept the noble sacrifice of one female student.
Sacrifice.
Why was such a fucked up sacrifice so important to this world?
“…Ha… Fuck.”
With such thoughts, I spit out a curse.
How can I accept such a proposition, such a scenario, when I was here?
I will save Dorothy, I will prevent a bad ending. I will, no matter what.
…[Frozen Soul] was honestly relentless in that whenever I was on the verge of forgetting about it, the effect returned and my mind calmed down.
I turned my head upwards again.
Underneath the falling meteorites.
As I plummeted from high above the sky, I blinked my eyes sharply.
Babump.
An unknown pressure tightly squeezed my heart. Something within me was urging me to wield the ice mana even more firmly.
Almost as if it was telling me to wield my power, [Ice Sovereign], completely.
When I maintained the [Ice Sovereign] state, I felt a sensation as if I was stepping into a new realm with each passing minute.
Deep within my body, I heard a booming sound, as if someone was incessantly knocking on a giant iron door.
I didn’t know why this was happening.
However, at this moment, anything that could lend me strength would be welcome with open arms.
Firepower that could blast the Floating Island out of existence. That was all I needed.
But… Unfortunately, I still didn’t have enough power to open that door. I had not reached that level yet.
‘If so…’
I had to open it, even if I had to force it open.
If I looked back at my previous experiences, this situation filled with despair was honestly no different from any other crisis I had gone through.
Life never flowed according to my intentions.
Even while knowing the scenario of this world, my plans still tended to go entirely haywire and tangled.
It was nothing new. It was just something I had to persistently overcome.
Along with the falling meteorites, a horde of ‘Kalida the Freaksih’ were extending lava-enveloped arms towards me, who was still in the air.
Just moving their fists or arms created tremendous air pressure.
The reddish-brown magic circle continued to be conjured above the Floating Island and lava pillars stretched towards me with terrifying force.
Although the Floating Island targeted me, attacking from all sides…
–At that moment, I held an item in my arms.
A shabby worn-out key.
[Key to Mysteries] A key imbued with mysterious magic. It is used to open the doors to a certain underground area. It can be used anywhere.
Rank: Tier 1
[※Caution: Numerous deadly threats will target you upon use.]
I could go to the Netherworld if I used this key.
The effective range included everything in direct contact with me.
I recalled when Ian used the ‘Key to Mysteries’ in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, the demonic creature hit by the light elemental power he emitted was also transported to the Netherworld.
The demonic creature, after stepping into the Netherworld, melted away in order to teach the player the dangers of such a world.
In other words, the effective range included everything in contact with my magic. Moreover, since my familiar was a manifestation of my power, it would also follow along.
Since everything that went to the Netherworld with the power of this key also followed when returning, if I failed to defeat the Floating Island in the Netherworld…
‘I would die as well.’
Even so, I had to try whatever I could.
I created dozens of pale blue magic circles around me. I casted the powerful 6-star magic, [Frost Wave], thus pouring out intense cold air.
Chararararak─────!!
The cold produced from my mana rushed out with tremendous force, as it froze meteorites, clouds, and even the fists of Kalida the Freakish.
Although I couldn’t completely break the momentum of the lava, this should be enough.
The cold air generated by [Frost Wave], along with the Hilde’s [Frostwind] swept through like a hurricane.
Just like how it worked in many games, if you got to have a phase 2….
“This time, it’s my turn.”
Let’s go to my phase 2 as well.
I extended the ‘Key to Mysteries’ into the air.
When I harbored the intention to turn the key, something clicked. An unseen door emitted an alien light, locking the key in place.
Without hesitation, I turned the key.
Guooooooooo━━━━━━━━━━━━.
From somewhere, a massive mouth not of this world appeared and swallowed everything.
