CHAPTER 120

Rumors about the incident that occurred in Fury tribe's territory spread at an incredibly fast pace.

Even though the cities were not well connected due to General Winter, they could not help but remain highly sensitive to any news concerning Fury tribe.

Even if they had missed something, the envoys dispatched from Anthromorph subtly hinted at the matter.

As a result, the cities that had no choice but to align with Fury tribe began to stir with unrest.

Anthromorph posed them the question: "Wouldn't you like to have a 'discussion'?"

In the end.

After much deliberation, each city reached a conclusion.

They would gather for a meeting in Anthromorph.

"Huff, haa...!"

Vel stood in front of the mirror, taking a deep breath in and exhaling slowly.

Yet his heart, pounding like a hammer, showed no sign of calming down.

Prime Minister Norus approached with a warm smile, massaging his shoulders.

"Don't be too nervous. You are a king. And not just any king, but a tiger—the king of the mountains. Just show the dignified image of the child of a tiger. That is all you need to do."

"Still, it's not easy."

Vel knew all too well how significant each word he spoke at this meeting would be.

On a smaller scale, it would determine whether or not the authority of the Tiger King Family could be restored.

On a larger scale, this was a negotiation that would shape the future political landscape of the Black Snowfield.

More than that, Vel absolutely did not want to waste this opportunity that Elric had painstakingly created for him.

'What would Elric do in a moment like this?'

So, Vel thought of Elric, who was likely making a mess of Fury tribe's territory at that very moment.

To him, Elric had become a hero and idol, firmly rooted in his heart.

He wanted to be like him.

'If it were Elric... he would have smiled and taken control with ease. And if anyone tried to oppose him, he would have flipped them over. He would have made everything work in his favor.'

Vel repeated to himself over and over.

'So, become Elric. From Elric's perspective… From now on, I am Elric, I am Elric.'

After reciting this self-affirmation several times, he began to feel his mind gradually calm.

Prime Minister Norus, noticing the change in Vel's demeanor, smiled lightly and stepped back.

"Then, shall we proceed? Everyone is waiting."

"Alright."

As Vel started walking, Heize and Sean quietly followed behind him, raising their aura subtly. They did this to create an air of authority so that Vel, being young, wouldn't be disrespected during the negotiations—preventing any such misfortune before it could happen.

"His Majesty is entering."

As the royal guards flung the doors wide open, all eyes turned in their direction.

Twenty-one pairs of eyes in total.

These were the leaders of tribes and cities that had once supported Anthromorph and called themselves its vassals, but now had distanced themselves.

Their sharp gazes were fixed on the young Tiger King.

They scrutinized him, trying to gauge what they could gain from the negotiations, whether Anthromorph could truly rise again by defeating Fury, and how capable the young Tiger King really was.

They too carried the weight of their tribes' and cities' futures on their shoulders, so they had no choice but to be cautious.

For a brief moment, Vel's shoulders twitched involuntarily.

[Don't worry. We're here with you.]

Hearing Heize's voice, Vel steadied himself once more.

In that moment, his gaze changed.

'Hmm!'

'I thought he was just a child...'

'But it seems the Tiger King is still the Tiger King.'

'I heard he caused the Fury tribe a great deal of trouble by commanding humans. He's definitely no pushover. We shouldn't underestimate him just because he's young.'

The 21 leaders began to reassess Vel after seeing that shift in his expression.

And then.

Step!

Vel took his first step into the negotiation hall.

Just like Elric.

It was a bold, confident stride.

***

『At this point, it's not just a bad personality; it's downright vile.』

Mephistopheles shook his head as he watched Elric, who was trying to reap the benefits from the chaos.

Not only had Elric stirred up a mess, but he also had the impressive ability to cherry-pick only the things he wanted from it.

Whoosh, whoosh!

General Winter, having only recently been unsealed, wasn't showing as much power as one might have expected.

Thus, every time the Blood Wolf King wielded his various supernatural abilities, General Winter's cold wave was overpowered, and the darkness shattered time and again.

Especially when the Blood Wolf King raised his six tails, igniting the "Fox Fire", which blazed so fiercely it seemed it could melt General Winter at any moment.

As the flames roared through the heart of the city of Fury tribe, they boasted an overwhelming intensity that was terrifying just to witness.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"The Blood Wolf King is furious!"

"R-Run away!"

"Escape the city! Hurry!"

With half the city already destroyed by a previous explosion, none of the beastmen of Fury thought the city would survive.

They knew better than anyone how terrifying the catastrophe would be once the Blood Wolf King's wrath was unleashed.

Under Neterre's leadership, the beastmen were left with no choice but to abandon the city in tears, fleeing as fast as they could.

The problem was that no matter where they went, there was no escaping the cold wave brought by General Winter.

"Heavenly god, why do you test us with such trials...!"

And so, as the beastmen of the Fury tribe sank into despair, one after another...

Screeeeech!

General Winter, frustrated and unable to handle the Blood Wolf King, could only let out a series of ear-piercing screams.

The intensity of the Fox Fire, which had engulfed the entire city, was just too overwhelming.

Moreover, the shattered ice fragments from the fight weren't being absorbed by the Blood Wolf King but were instead all being drawn into the ice crystal that Elric had suspended in the air.

General Winter found herself caught in a situation where she could neither advance nor retreat—driven to the brink of madness.

On the other hand, Elric was steadily "harvesting" General Winter, using the Blood Wolf King's power as a tool.

It was no wonder that Mephistopheles, watching the entire process unfold, had commented on Elric's detestable nature.

'While it's true that the best strategy is to destroy your enemies and take what you want without lifting a finger… tsk!'

Mephistopheles then shifted his gaze toward the God of Camellias.

『Don't you have anything to say?』

The God of Camellias merely shook her head.

She looked as if she had already given up.

But her watchful eyes suggested otherwise.

She was quickly assessing the situation in her own way.

'She may be getting beaten like a drum by the Blood Wolf King and having her power siphoned off by Elric… but that doesn't mean she's weakening.'

It was true that General Winter was currently being overpowered by the Blood Wolf King.

But that was only on the surface. As time passed, General Winter was beginning to fight back, little by little.

Not only was she regaining her strength, but through her natural ability to learn, she was devising countermeasures against the Blood Wolf King.

In addition to spreading snowflakes across Fury tribe to dampen the power of the Fox Fire, she was also maneuvering to waste the Blood Wolf King's energy.

From the beginning, General Winter was a being that possessed such immense mana that even Tiger King Yul couldn't do anything about her.

It would be unthinkable for General Winter to be defeated by someone like the Blood Wolf King.

The Blood Wolf King was well aware of this fact. He relentlessly pressed the attack on General Winter, but the God of Camellias judged that his advantage wouldn't last much longer.

If the Blood Wolf King truly had the upper hand as it appeared, he wouldn't have allowed Elric, who was openly scheming on the sidelines, to continue his antics unchecked.

[Melvinger! Melvingeeeer!]

At last, the Blood Wolf King roared into the sky. Bit by bit, General Winter's cold wave was beginning to push back the Fox Fire.

This was a sign that General Winter's mana reserves were finally shifting the balance.

[Do you think I'll just let you have your way!?]

The Blood Wolf King raised his tails even higher, gathering his spirit power to the maximum, enveloping his body. If overwhelming firepower wasn't enough, he was ready to charge headlong into battle himself.

After all, General Winter had a vast reservoir of mana, but her physical form wasn't particularly strong.

Boom!

Sure enough, when the Blood Wolf King's colossal body—larger than most fortresses—crashed into General Winter, the latter shattered instantly, sending shards of ice raining down below.

As the massive ice fragments, much larger than those Elric had been absorbing until now, were drawn into the ice crystal one by one, General Winter began to reform in midair, preparing to freeze the Blood Wolf King's tails one after another.

The Fox Fire diminished, and the Blood Wolf King's feet froze solid, leaving him immobile.

The sorrowful howls of the Blood Wolf King mixed with the shrieking cries of General Winter, further devastating an already crumbling city.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Rumble, rumble—

And then.

Elric, while moving between the fighters, steadily accumulated all the demonic energy he had purified through the ice crystal into the Seal of the Winter Wind.

Swoosh—

'What is he planning?'

While the God of Camellias wondered in confusion, Elric, still acting from the perspective of a third party, strategically assisted the weaker side.

"[Sweep away],[Sweep away]."

Whenever the Blood Wolf King seemed to be pushed back, Elric would assist him; and when General Winter appeared to weaken, Elric would help her instead—gradually sapping the strength of both sides.

As long as the mana core remained intact, Elric could draw on an almost limitless supply of mana, so long as he didn't overheat his mana pathways by overextending his magic.

Moreover,

"This kind of raid is fun, isn't it?"

"A beastman halfway to becoming a monster—when will we get another chance to take down something like this?"

Even Herman, along with the Blue Hawks, joined in, launching fierce attacks, tilting the battle heavily in Elric's favor.

In the end.

The Blood Wolf King, with his strength finally depleted, was the first to fall, dropping to one knee on the ground.

Thud!

The earth trembled violently.

[No… this can't be…!]

As the Blood Wolf King panted heavily, lowering his head slightly, Elric wasted no time and activated his magic.

"[Cut ]."

It was the 'Razor-Sharp Cold Wind,' a 7th-circle ice magic crafted by compressing wind to its limits through the Seal of the Winter Wind, then mixing it with cold air.

Slash, slash, slash!

Like a boomerang, the slicing wind swiftly severed the Blood Wolf King's tails, one after another.

Through his Mind's Eye, Elric had already discerned that the Blood Wolf King's tails were the source of his spirit power, and now he aimed his attacks there.

In the end, two of the Blood Wolf King's tails were severed, falling to the ground. The remaining tails dangled precariously, as if they were about to fall off any moment.

Roar!

[Melvinger, Melvinger…!]

The Blood Wolf King poured his rage onto Elric, the mastermind behind this entire ordeal, but his primary opponent, General Winter, had no sympathy for the Blood Wolf King's plight.

To General Winter, whose mind was now consumed by her remaining thoughts, her anger toward the Blood Wolf King—who had burned her numerous times—was far more potent.

Crack!

In the end, more than half of the Blood Wolf King's body, including his remaining tails, was engulfed in frost. Even his head was 40% covered in frost as he exhaled ragged breaths, sending plumes of white vapor into the air.

[I won't let you… you… this won't be the end!]

The Blood Wolf King's voice was thick with anger, but it gradually slowed, and his words trailed off into silence.

Elric landed on top of the Blood Wolf King's head and slammed his palm down on the crown of his head.

Ice Shatter.

As soon as the signature skill of the Ice Mountain King activated, cracks spread all over the frozen head of the Blood Wolf King.

Crack, crack, crack…!

With a final explosion of ice dust, his head shattered into pieces, falling to the ground in fragments. Elric's shadow spread out and completely consumed the shattered remains of the Blood Wolf King's head.

Crunch!

Crunch!

'He said this wouldn't be the end?'

Though the Blood Wolf King's last words left a lingering unease in Elric, he quickly dismissed them as inconsequential, leaping off the collapsing body of the Blood Wolf King and landing in front of General Winter.

Thud!

Screech!

General Winter was still seething with anger toward Elric, barely able to conceal her hostility. However, with the ice crystal still spinning right beside Elric, General Winter couldn't recklessly attack him.

"How was the game of hide-and-seek? You wanted to play it, didn't you?"

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