CHAPTER 107

General Winter looked like a ragdoll stitched together with pitch-black patches.

It had the shape of a human, but its eyes, or where its eyes should be, were blurry and indistinct, and the aura it exuded was entirely malevolent.

Particularly terrifying was the cold wind and snowstorm swirling around it. Just standing near it made one feel as if they might freeze solid.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In that sense, the more one observed Tiger King Yul, who was directly confronting General Winter, the more incredible his power seemed.

"Damn it! Why is this thing so tough? It just won't break!"

Tiger King Yul shouted in frustration as he swung his fists and slashed with his claws, only to see nothing more than ice dust scatter while General Winter counterattacked with winds as fierce as whips.

The other fighters, who had emerged from the darkness to aid him, wanted desperately to help.

However, the chaotic blizzard whipped up by General Winter was so intense, and Tiger King Yul's range of movement was so wide, that trying to assist him could actually become a hindrance.

So, their options were limited.

In fact, they had their own battles to fight.

"What the hell is that?"

"They said strange things appeared along with the snow… it must be what they were talking about."

Amidst the swirling snow, various grotesque creatures began to emerge.

Each one resembled a human like General Winter, but they were ice monsters with no facial features except for their mouths.

Kiiaaahk!

Kreee!

Graaaah!

The monsters howled bizarrely as they rushed at the beastmen. The fighters realized these were the 'monsters in the snow' that the refugees had spoken of, and they focused on holding them off.

Crash! Boom!

It was like a scene out of an old painting.

"[Cut], and [Shred]!"

Elric poured all his mana into the Seal of the Winter Wind, sharpening the blade of the sharp wind.

The blade, now as sharp as a finely honed sword, repeatedly struck the ice monsters.

At first, the monsters merely flinched and were pushed back slightly, as they boasted incredibly durable bodies. But as the sharp wind repeatedly struck the same spot along the grain, their limbs began to fall off.

"Hah!"

"This... is magic?"

Elric, ignoring the sighs of the other fighters, dashed through the midst of the monsters and charged into the intense battle between Tiger King Yul and General Winter.

Body Strengthening Art.

Black Tiger Hunt – Gusto.

Boom!

Elric, following the guidance of his Mind's Eye, struck the condensed focal point of energy beneath General Winter's left leg.

As if struck by a mighty hammer, a fist-shaped indentation appeared on General Winter's leg, and cracks spread outward.

Body Strengthening Art.

Ferocious Tiger Rush – Impact.

Not stopping there, Elric spun his body counterclockwise, striking General Winter's torso with his left hand.

The five fingers tore through the cracks like a tiger's claws, deepening them even further.

With the Seal of the Winter Wind adding sharpness and the Seal of Maleficence intensifying the ferocity, the destructive power was immense.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

The cracks quickly spread across the entire thigh.

Thud!

Like a fierce beast landing after a high leap, Elric lightly landed on the snowy ground.

"You've incorporated the final chapter of the key techniques I taught you."

Tiger King Yul, standing nearby, looked at Elric with a face full of amusement.

Elric's lips curled into a smirk.

"If you learn something, you have to use it, right? Otherwise, what's the point?"

"Heh. Still, you shouldn't be able to mix them so easily. I've noticed before, but your moves seem to mimic the path my Body Strengthening Art should take."

Elric just smiled without responding.

No matter what he said, Tiger King Yul wouldn't believe him.

"You're definitely up to something. Anyway, I don't mind you joining in, but don't get in the way."

"I'll copy you as best I can."

"Do whatever you... want!"

Boom!

Tiger King Yul launched himself off the ground and charged at General Winter once more. Elric realized that Tiger King Yul was showing him 'real' Body Strengthening Art.

It was likely a challenge to fully utilize the key techniques he had first been taught.

Elric followed closely behind Tiger King Yul.

[The necessary conditions are gradually being met.]

[The fifth restriction is in the process of being lifted.]

As this happened, the tablet in his possession began to emit a chilling light.

***

"Body Strengthening Art originally doesn't have a fixed set of forms. It's because it pursues a fighting style that focuses solely on instinct and sensation. But that's something only fools would say! If you rely on that, unnecessary thoughts can sometimes interfere, causing your movements to lose their sharpness."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

While fiercely bombarding General Winter, Tiger King Yul began to lecture on Body Strengthening Art.

Elric was busy helping to deal with General Winter, trying to mimic Tiger King Yul's movements, and blending them into his own style, yet somehow, he found this moment incredibly enjoyable. 

The wind, which should have felt freezing, instead felt refreshing.

"If you establish a basic framework, then add countless variables to it, and execute the appropriate forms at the right moment... you can draw out more efficient and destructive power. The reason humans won against us beastmen is because they had such a well-established system!"

Elric felt himself getting drawn into everything Tiger King Yul did.

Then, a thought crossed his mind.

'Why is this person being so kind to me? Even though he calls me "brother," there's no reason for him to teach me this when we don't share the same bloodline.'

But surely, there must be a reason.

With that thought, Elric continued to stick with him.

The fabric of the world seemed to twist and wrap around him, forming strange shapes.

"So, the Body Strengthening Art I developed consists of five basic forms, supported by three advanced forms. When combined with the key techniques, the eight forms can be applied in various ways."

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

With each step Tiger King Yul took, the ground shook violently. The footsteps of a tiger on the hunt were heavy. General Winter, fully exposed in front of him, looked like nothing more than a precarious doll.

Elric tried to imprint every movement into his mind.

Though it wasn't fully perfected yet, as he watched Tiger King Yul's Body Strengthening Art gradually take shape, Elric's own movements became increasingly sharper and more precise.

From the five basic forms: Ferocious Tiger Rush, Tiger Slash, Black Tiger Hunt, White Tiger Frenzy Fang, and Demon Tiger Thousand Realms...

To the three advanced forms that had slowly started to take shape while he worked with Tiger King Yul.

In the moment when the key techniques were mixed together, Elric could feel the three seals he had unleashed intertwining and extending in all directions.

Ice cascaded down, carried by the wind, with shadows overlapping it. Just as the once chaotic Body Strengthening Art was gradually unified into a coherent flow, so too was the magic of the seals beginning to converge.

"The last three key techniques I'm about to show you will be the essential core for establishing your own Body Strengthening Art."

Elric found himself unconsciously mirroring Tiger King Yul's stance.

"Think of it this way: the five basic forms are the footsteps of the wild beast. The three advanced forms are the claws of the predator, and the key techniques…."

Assimilation.

By this point, the two were practically one.

"...are the fangs of the king of beasts."

-Search.

"Sink deep and deeper still. Once a predator sinks its fangs in, it never lets go."

-Wild.

"Rip and tear apart everything in your way, so that your prey can never rise again. If you don't sever their life completely, there won't be a second chance for you."

-Disaster.

"Become a disaster to your opponent. Show such an overwhelming difference in power that no one can ever think of harming you, or even dare to try."

With each word Tiger King Yul spoke, General Winter's limbs shattered, and its body broke apart, sending ice shards flying in every direction.

In this very moment, Tiger King Yul was nothing short of a king dominating the battlefield.

And Elric, fully immersed in Tiger King Yul's presence, was in a similar state of transcendence.

Just as he had once opened the horizon of the unconscious to acquire his Mind's Eye,

This time, as his consciousness expanded, the so-called "sixth sense" that existed beyond the five senses opened wide.

The world created by the fusion of the Mind's Eye and the sixth sense was chaotic yet exhilarating.

In that world, the magic of the seals blended seamlessly.

He could feel the cold, harsh cruelty of the brutal cold.

[T/L: Changing the name of seal "Cruelty" to "brutal cold."]

He could see the lonely and desolate sight of Winter Wind.

And he could freely unleash the impatient and ferocious nature of Maleficence.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

As the ice fragments, torn apart with Tiger King Yul's help, scattered, they were filled with the past burden that had accumulated ever since General Winter had severed itself from the God of Camellias.

Without any rational thought or reason, the figure was forced to wander the world like a drifting ghost.

During that time, countless thoughts and memories accumulated from all it had seen and heard, but they were blurred, as if distorted by noise, making it hard to discern their exact form.

Crack! Crack!

The shadow moved vigorously, chewing through those fragments, continuously reinforcing the Seal of the Winter Wind. Finally, when it reached the fifth star...

Boom!

Elric was able to create a large hole in General Winter's chest.

Sssss-

Of course, the wound on General Winter quickly healed as the swirling snow adhered to it, filling the gap almost immediately.

But even that was enough to satisfy Elric greatly.

"How do you feel?"

"It's... fun."

And it was true.

The mana core was pouring out mana so intensely that the mana pathways were almost overheating.

But the cold demonic energy drawn from General Winter cooled the mana pathways, clearing his mind.

"Haha! Laughing on the edge of death, are you? As expected, you're not normal at all."

"And yet, Chieftain, you're laughing too?"

"Didn't I tell you? I was never normal to begin with."

Tiger King Yul grinned confidently, his smile ferocious.

Through his Mind's Eye and sixth sense, Elric could now see something in him that had been invisible before.

It was as if something otherworldly was surrounding him.

That must be… the Halo, the radiant circle that only those who have accumulated countless deeds, reaching and surpassing the limits of what humans can achieve, possess.

So, Elric understood.

In this very moment, he had overcome one of the walls that had been blocking him.

If he were to gauge his current level, he was likely at the very peak of the sixth circle, or perhaps just beginning the seventh circle.

In this recent arrangement, the reason he had progressed so much was largely due to Tiger King Yul's help, so he wanted to ask:

"Why are you helping me?"

"Who knows?"

Tiger King Yul smirked before replying.

"Maybe because we're of the same kind?"

"…I don't think that's quite it."

"Why? Do you have a problem with that?"

Elric quickly ducked as he saw a fist flicker in front of his face.

"Hehehe! How could a petty person like me even think of comparing myself to the great Tiger King Yul? That's why I asked."

"Isn't that right?"

"Yes, exactly."

"When I acknowledge someone as a 'brother,' I trust them to the end, even if they're hiding something. Does a brother need a reason to help another brother?"

Elric felt a strange sensation.

"…Brother."

He did have family, but he wasn't sure if he could extend such unconditional trust to someone not bound by blood.

Especially considering how much he had doubted Tiger King Yul initially.

'Is this the difference in caliber?'

But

At the same time, he could somewhat understand.

Hadn't he himself said he would go to such lengths for his friend, the God of Camellias?

Perhaps he was starting to grasp what Tiger King Yul meant by 'being of the same kind.'

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Elric rotated the three seals with all his might. The blizzard spiraled outward in a vortex.

It was time to clash again.

And then…

.

.

.

[All restrictions have been lifted.]

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