I be back.

"Aahhhh!" Juha roars in agony, falling to his knees as he clutches his groin, trying to stop the bleeding.

"F#cking gay, you think I'd let you even touch my body?"

"Swing," I commanded, kicking him in the armor and sending him flying toward his soldiers.

"Commander Juha!"

"He attacked first! Capture him!" one of the soldiers shouted.

The soldiers immediately marched towards me, weapons in hand.

"Huh, idiots," I muttered, watching their futile attempt to behead me.

"Haaa!" One soldier swung his spear, but to his surprise, I caught the blade with my bare hand and shattered it into pieces.

"What!" He stood there, stunned, his mouth agape. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened—until he realized there was a hole in his chest. He looked down at my hand, holding his still-beating heart, before collapsing to the ground.

"Huh, prophetic!" I looked at the heart in my hand, then squeezed it and tossed it back at the lifeless body. The human soldiers stood frozen, sweat beading on their faces.

"This has just begun. Don't try to run away," I warned, unleashing my ice power. A chilling cold swept through the air, sending shivers down their spines. The soldiers stepped back in fear, dropping their weapons before they turned and fled.

"I told you not to run away, didn't I?" I said, disappearing from sight. One by one, I slaughtered the soldiers in a relentless massacre. The bloodshed was reflected in Rani's eyes as she watched me kill her people, yet she did nothing—simply witnessing the carnage.

Juha slowly opened his trembling eyes, an unimaginable pain radiating from between his legs. He realized he had been castrated.

"F#ck... that motherf#cker ruined my life. I need to get help—from the humans or the Dark Order," Juha muttered, forcing himself to stand on shaking legs. He tried to flee, but the agony of losing his manhood made each step excruciating.

"Where do you think you're going?"

A familiar voice stopped him in his tracks. He slowly turned around, fear etched clearly on his face.

"Stay away from me, you lowly human. Do you even realize what will happen if you kill the ruler of the Human Kingdom?"

"Ruler? Hahaha, you're not a ruler. You're just a spoiled brat who uses money and power to gain superiority over others," I said as I froze his body in place, ensuring he couldn't escape.

"Aahhh! This is so cold—release me!" he cried out.

"Not happening. This is the power of the Ice Dragon. Once your body thaws, it will be useless. Take your time—I'll be back before it melts," I replied, watching as his body turned purple. Ignoring his pleas, I turned and walked towards Rani.

"I'm going to kill that Wyrm. Once he's gone, your mother will return to life, and you'll regain your original appearance." I gently caressed Rani's face and was about to leave when she stopped me.

"Wait, Emperor, did you say you could bring my mother back to life?" Rani held onto me tightly, preventing me from flying away. She looked into my eyes, a mix of despair and hope reflected in her gaze.

"You saw those people I summoned while fighting the humans, right? I can bring your mother back and restore your body."

As Rani looked at me, she seemed to recall the moment in the human camp when I summoned a thousand unfamiliar beings from the Ice Realm.

She was hesitant, but a small spark of hope ignited in her heart at the thought of living with her mother again.

"I'm leaving now. Hide somewhere until I return," I said before departing, leaving Rani behind. I glanced back one last time and saw the worry etched on her face.

"System... will she return to her Haman form once I kill the Wyrm?"

(Host, she cannot return to her Haman self, her body has transformed beyond the healing. Even killing the Wyrm she would remain the same.)

I fell silent, listening to the voice inside my head. I had promised to bring her back, but that no longer seemed possible. Yet, I couldn't accept her living in such a state.

"Then I have no choice but to create a clone... after killing her," I murmured as I traveled toward the hole that the Wyrm had created for our battle. I gazed into the abyss without fear, and another voice echoed in my mind.

[Once you go down you won't be able to come back, make your heart and soul ready for the battle or your death is inevitable]

"Instead of giving me advice, why don't you vow to always help me?"

[Remember the past, you should live now]

"Without the past, there is no future."

[Hahaha. you have become very good at talking, you really do have changed a lot since waking up from the illusion world]

Frosty chuckled, clearly enjoying our little chat. As she spoke, a single image flashed in my mind, and I wondered why I had become so good at talking.

"Yes, I seem to have become better at it. I think it's because he helped me not to give up, to believe in a hopeful future."

[How? What are you talking about? How helped you?]

"Enough, I need to go now!" I cut off Frosty's voice and ventured into the deep hole. Instantly, the entrance sealed behind me, preventing anyone from entering or escaping. I used fire to light up my surroundings. The walls were wet and too steep to climb; they could cause serious injury to anyone who tried.

"Good thing I can fly. There's no way anyone could climb or slide down these walls."

After descending deeper for several minutes, I realized I might have ventured farther than any other living being had. Finally, I reached a vast, dark space. It was pitch black, and I couldn't spot the Wyrm, but the freshly made hole suggested that he had passed through here recently.

"Where are you? I can't see him; it's too dark," I muttered, creating a huge fireball to light up the space. Even then, it remained empty, with only giant rocks and holes in view.

"He's not here!"

[No he is here, I can sense him!]

Frosty's voice echoed in my head. I soared forward, keeping my guard up, alert to even the slightest movement.

"Huh, what is that?" I spotted two glowing orbs in the distance. Curiously, I stared at them, my body unconsciously beginning to walk toward the glowing lights.

[Wait don't look at them—]

(Warning! Host has fallen under Wyrm's hypnosis, initiating defensive protocol!)

Suddenly, a jolt of electricity surged through my body, snapping me back to reality.