CHAPTER 124

『Are you out of your mind? Spit it out right now!』

[What on earth are you doing?!]

Mephisto and the God of Camellias were both horrified by Elric's sudden actions. It was an utterly reckless move.

The ice crystal itself was an artifact imbued with extreme cold. Even on its own, it was dangerous—mishandling it could easily cost him his life.

And now, that ice crystal held General Winter.

The same General Winter that had brought eternal winter to the Black Snowfield for so long!

To swallow something so dangerous? Without any preparation?

It was only natural for the two to react this way.

If Elric had done this thinking it was some kind of elixir, they had to stop him immediately.

The demonic nature that General Winter harbored could consume Elric, potentially turning him into something Non-human, or at the very least, cause a mana overload that would leave him mindless.

And sure enough—

Rumble!

Crack!

A fierce cold wave surged around Elric as he ran. With every step he took, the ground turned to ice. Frost clung to his skin, and snow settled over his body.

And yet…

Elric was smiling.

As if he couldn't be happier.

Fwoosh!

The Seal of Brutal Cold shone brightly, and the Seal of Winter Wind began to transform. As the ice crystal was absorbed into his body, General Winter's immense mana was rapidly drawn into the two seals.

The Seal of Brutal Cold, which had already reached its complete form through careful preparation, now greedily absorbed General Winter's essence, ready to surpass its current limits.

Evolution.

It was attempting to evolve to a higher level.

But for a demon's seal, evolution wasn't merely a matter of increasing its rank.

It meant completely transforming the core potential of the seal's true name.

Naturally, such an evolution wasn't easy.

However…

The limits of the Seal of Brutal Cold were being supported by the Seal of Winter Wind.

As the Seal of Winter Wind absorbed the cold energy from General Winter at a tremendous pace, it continued to grow.

6-star, 7-star, 8-star…

Under normal circumstances, this would have taken significant time and realization, but with the fortune brought by General Winter, it rapidly reached its final form.

Crack!

When the Seal of Winter Wind finally completed its shape, both seals let out a harmonious sound.

A clear, crystalline resonance, like the sound of breaking ice.

But unlike the seals, Elric's body was being ravaged by the mana that ran rampant, tearing apart his mana pathways and damaging his body from within.

His body, now overloaded, began to turn pale, and his veins stood out, glowing blue beneath his skin.

Frost covered his face, eventually creeping over his eyes and blinding him.

Everything in his vision turned white.

And then…

His mind realm appeared.

Fwoosh!

There, General Winter was waiting.

She stood in the middle of a vast white snowfield, where a fierce cold wind blew, but she was no longer alone.

Right beside her, Otto Han was kneeling down to meet her at eye level.

"Will you come with me?"

General Winter nodded eagerly. The once ragdoll-like figure now had a far more expressive face.

Her eyes sparkled with admiration and joy, like a child gazing at her parents as she looked at Otto Han.

Seeing this, Otto Han chuckled softly.

"Did you think I was going to harm you? Is that why you're nodding like that?"

General Winter tilted her head to the side, as if to ask if that was really the case.

Her innocent expression made Otto Han sigh even more deeply.

"Such a kind child… Why did you have to endure such hardship? It almost makes me feel guilty."

It was Otto Han who, after the death of God of Camellias in a previous life, had transformed the flower garden into the Temple of Flowers.

He had realized that only the power of life, symbolized by flowers, could stop General Winter.

In fact, Otto Han had defeated her many times, but he had never been able to destroy her.

By that time, General Winter had become an abomination, completely fused with the harsh climate of the Black Snowfield. There was no way to permanently defeat such a being.

However, the Temple of Flowers could at least suppress her. The flowers contained the life force of spring, after all.

But over time, even that power waned, and as one by one, the gods of flowers fell asleep, a crisis loomed.

This was why Usdun Melvinger, a descendant, had come to the Black Snowfield to personally stop General Winter.

The Temple of Flowers alone was no longer enough.

But Melvinger couldn't keep intervening every time General Winter went rampant, so they changed their plan.

If they couldn't defeat or suppress her, they would steal her power.

That was why Otto Han had left behind preparations like the ones Elric now used.

If they could learn about frost from elsewhere and steal the cold wind from General Winter, maybe they could capture her within the ice crystal.

Elric had done far more than Otto Han or Usdun had expected.

The original plan had been for Elric to use the Seals of Brutal Cold and Winter Wind to disassemble General Winter and seal her essence within the ice crystal.

But instead, Elric had understood her—he saw what she desired and soothed her heart, effortlessly capturing her within the crystal.

Of course, he had used tricks like manipulating Blood Wolf King to his advantage, but…

Those methods had saved time and minimized harm, so they deserved praise.

And now…

Otto Han, who had long considered General Winter an enemy, felt a twinge of guilt.

If he had approached her with understanding from the beginning, like Elric did, maybe she wouldn't have suffered so much.

So from now on, he vowed to take better care of her.

"Yes, let's go. You won't feel lonely anymore."

General Winter jumped with joy, and Otto Han couldn't help but laugh again at her cuteness.

Suddenly, she turned toward Elric and bowed deeply.

A gesture of gratitude.

She was so happy she wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

Otto Han gently patted her head and stood up, his eyes crinkling behind his glasses.

"Frost, Cold Wind, Snow… You've gathered them well. I thought it would take longer for you to figure out the last one since I didn't tell you, but you succeeded quicker than I expected."

"Then, will you give it to me now?"

"Give you what?"

"What else? Winter."

Otto Han chuckled mischievously.

"I never said you were ready yet, did I? Do you think it's that easy to claim a season? You need to train harder, meditate, and study to fully comprehend it."

"Even after all I've been through, you're still not going to give it to me?"

"Oh, don't say I won't give it to you. I'm saying you're not ready yet. When the time is right, you'll have it."

"After all that hard work, and you're going to act like nothing happened?"

"When have I ever done that?"

"You're the type to do that all the time, and that's the problem. Hey, General Winter, do you want to come over here? That guy's not nice."

Elric answered indifferently, smiling brightly at General Winter as if he were the good guy.

In that moment, General Winter paused, let go of Otto Han's hand, and dashed over to stand beside Elric.

"Hah!"

Otto Han laughed in disbelief.

"What are you planning to do with her?"

"We'll play together. Isn't that right?"

General Winter nodded eagerly.

"If you plan to take her, you'll need my permission first."

Elric, now acting as her self-proclaimed protector, confidently stepped forward.

Otto Han could only click his tongue in resignation.

"You've grown so arrogant that you don't even respect your ancestors anymore. How did our family fall to this?"

"Well, I could say the same about ancestors who do nothing but torment their descendants."

Elric smirked defiantly, his head tilted at an angle.

"So, are you giving it to me, or not?"

"You've put me in a situation where I can't refuse, and now you're demanding it? That's some audacity."

The truth was, even now, Elric's body was undergoing rapid changes. The immense mana and extreme cold from General Winter were ravaging his body.

In other words, Elric had burned his bridges.

If he didn't obtain the method to complete winter right here, right now, he'd be in serious trouble once he returned to the real world.

All of Otto Han's efforts to nurture Elric would be wasted, so he had no choice but to comply.

A bitter smile tugged at Otto Han's lips.

"I was half-joking before, but it's not good for you to take winter right away. It'd be better if you built a solid foundation first. I've prepared for that."

"I planned to, but the situation outside doesn't allow for that luxury."

"You're so shameless. As if that's not just an excuse."

Elric answered with a sly grin.

Otto Han clicked his tongue again.

"What happened to our family for such a rascal to be born?"

Elric refrained from pointing out that it was probably due to ancestors like Otto Han.

Instead, he waited for Otto Han's next words.

"Go ahead. I'll give you a chance. But after you're done outside, visit my private residence. I've gathered other materials there to complete winter."

"Thank you."

"Are you really thankful? Then…"

"…?"

"Since you're so grateful, you should pay for your cheekiness."

Elric instinctively tried to escape the mind realm, sensing danger.

Whack!

But once again, Otto Han's punch was faster.

***

「Consume the demons.」

「Swallow the demons.」

「Drink from the demon.」

「Absorb all of it and rise anew!」

The voice, echoing from a past instruction, resonated in Elric's ears.

Among the four jewels on his Magical Amulet, the diamond shone more brightly than ever before.

Its light was chillingly cold, sharp, and brilliant.

「And the power you gain will present you with a new path.」

「'Winter' will come to you in a fearsome and callous form.」

「So do not let yourself be consumed by it.」

Elric's mana core, which had remained dormant until now, began to stir. It pulsed like a beating heart, quickly absorbing the vast mana General Winter had released.

Elric's mana core was the combination of those from the Dragon and the Demon King, so no matter how much power General Winter held, it was insignificant by comparison.

As her mana passed through the core, it transformed into a new form, producing even more mana than before.

As his mana levels reached 20%, his overloaded body began to calm, and his damaged mana pathways healed rapidly.

His pale skin regained its color, and the frost and snow covering him evaporated, carried away by the wind.

And then—

Crackle!

The Seal of Brutal Cold and the Seal of Winter Wind merged into one, taking on an entirely new form.

The result of their evolution to a higher level.

Winter.

That was the name of the newly completed seal.

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