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chapter 138
Just as the clash between divine power and martial energy was about to occur, a snowstorm suddenly swept in.
Archem lifted his face, now pale and cold.
“What is the meaning of this, Captain? Isn’t this against our agreement?”
The legion of the dead he had summoned, consuming a considerable amount of magic, was freezing solid.
However—
Kwaddu-duck!!
The answer came in a different form.
Ice spikes erupted from the frozen ground beneath them.
Puh-puh-puh-puk!
Each ice spike pierced through the bodies of the undead.
Jjeojeojeojeok—
And frost rapidly spread from the wounds. Their joints froze, slowing their movements. In an instant, they were completely covered in ice.
Even those who had dodged the attack weren’t spared.
Wherever they stepped, ice spikes sprang up, impaling them all.
[Myth, ‘Burning Hands’ has been completely disabled!]
It took just a few breaths to neutralize the once-menacing legion.
“Shi Changyouuuuu!”
Archem’s face twisted like a demonic mask.
It was the first intense reaction he had shown since revealing himself.
At that moment—
Kwaddu-du-duck!
The frozen ground surged upward as Shi Changyou landed atop it.
Tuk!
His white suit somehow matched the icy terrain perfectly.
A stark contrast to Lee Hyun’s black combat uniform.
“Do you have something to say?”
A flat, monotone voice.
The faintly twisted corners of his mouth seemed to mock Archem.
“Why do you break your promises?”
“Promise?”
Shi Changyou tilted his head, pretending ignorance.
“You…!”
“Ah, hand over Lee Hyun’s new soldier,” he smirked, about to continue speaking when—
Kwa-rurururung!!
An ear-splitting thunder shook the battlefield.
The ice spikes that had frozen the undead crumbled under the intensity. The lightning derived from it was equally terrifying.
A vertical column of light shot up from the ground straight toward Shi Changyou.
It was Lee Hyun unleashing all his strength in a frenzy.
“This…”
Tak!
Shi Changyou leapt high into the sky.
The iceberg he had stood on instantly collapsed, melting away completely.
A scorching heat destroyed the winter chill—a violent heat shattering the cold.
But the lightning strikes didn’t stop there.
Flash! Flash! Flash!!
Kuru-ru-ru-rung—
Lee Hyun swung his axe wildly through the air.
His deeply set face showed no emotion whatsoever.
There was only one thought: to kill Shi Changyou here and now.
[The narrative of <Snow Queen> advises against losing your temper!]
[The narrative of <Snow Queen> warns that one must stay calm in situations like this, especially when the enemy is in front of you.]
I’ve never been angry.
[The narrative of <Snow Queen> asks what this shaken subconscious world is, then.]
Seriously. I’ve never been angry.
Lee Hyun’s eyes glowed intensely.
I actually enjoy this.
Flash!!
Lightning sparks danced around his eyes.
A multicolored, radiant gaze.
“Finally, I can end long-standing grudges.”
The Snow Queen finally realized Lee Hyun’s true intention.
He was pouring all his focus into a single determination. He remained completely calm about everything. Perhaps even colder than the realm of ice he ruled.
[The narrative of <Snow Queen> silently begins releasing sealed magic to replenish overheated circuits!]
Kwa-kwak-kwak-kwak—
Meanwhile, Shi Changyou moved through the air with incredible agility, stepping on ice staircases formed from frozen vapor as if flying.
Whiriririk!
[The fury of the Dookshini erupts!]
To trap him completely, an axe was thrown, followed by a chained weapon.
Charrurururuk—
“Not giving me any room to attack, huh? Haha, we met in Ulleungdo, but it’s been four years since we faced each other directly. Couldn’t you at least greet me?”
“……”
As expected, no answer came. He didn’t even consider it worth replying.
He pulled the chained weapon in his hand.
The chain, tracing a long arc in the sky, combined with Do-cheol’s teeth in midair.
Clack! Clack!
The fearsome teeth of a raging beast were born.
[Connected to the chain!]
[Do-cheol’s teeth now absorb all legacies, ‘Day Goblin Dance’, transforming into a sacred relic.]
At the same time, the Ginkgoa was brought out and rotated.
Blinding light scattered everywhere.
Weeeiiing!!
[All sacred relics resonate. ‘Title: Successor of ■■Dae■’ replaced by legacy.]
[Trait: Duel Flow fully activated!]
Hwaaaak!
Lee Hyun was now entering the ultimate reality as perceived through the demon’s senses.
Ginkgoa, Fire-Eye Metal, and the chained weapon—the three sacred relics of Jecheon Daeseong—resonated, elevating him to a higher plane.
The world was now filled with a nine-colored spectrum. All sorts of information were perceived, processed, and a new flow was calculated instantly.
The Duel Flow was completely opened after the Dookbrain awakening.
He had unleashed the maximum potential he could muster.
Paji-jjik! Paji-jjikk!!
The overheated magic circuits consumed energy at an equally rapid pace.
Charrururuk!!
Lee Hyun swung the chain violently to the side.
The intertwined azure and black-gold light ignited the chain, creating a hellfire.
[‘Sacred Relic: Flame of Fire Magic’ emits a blaze!]
[The narrative of <Forty> channels the breath of the dragon into the hellfire!]
The chain lashed like a whip, its attached axe sweeping everything in its path.
The malicious will of the Dookshin seemed ready to devour all existence.
Kwa-kwak-kwak-kwak—
Pababat!
Shi Changyou hung upside down in the air, moving forward relentlessly.
There was no room for leisure like before. A single mistake could engulf him in a magical storm, reducing him to ash.
Moreover, the spreading curses were terrifying.
[The mask of Golden Shinnahan bestows various curse inscriptions!]
Each lightning bolt carried deadly curses; merely brushing against them could cause fatal injuries.
“So you’re trying to kill me, leaving no openings at all?”
Shi Changyou laughed heartily.
The silent anger of an old friend, the hostility of an enemy—it all thrilled him.
After long years of boredom in exile, this was a welcome stimulus.
Swaaaak!
This time, several chains erupted from the sky, in completely different directions from Lee Hyun’s swings.
“Not bending space… using the void instead? Haha. You’ve got some equipment I haven’t seen before. Or maybe you’ve been hiding it all along?”
But the chains didn’t hit Shi Changyou.
The space beneath him warped, bending the trajectory.
Spatial distortion—like his control over elemental attributes, a skill awakened as a disciple of the Jade Emperor.
Shi Changyou could freely move within the domain he declared his own.
Same with elemental manipulation.
“How far does this range extend?”
Parts-ssu—
Shi Changyou waved his hand through the air.
Hundreds of ice arrows formed and rained down.
Pyu-pyu-pyu-pyut!
Kwaddu-duck!!
Lee Hyun pulled the chain inward. The azure and black-gold lightning clashed in a chaotic battle.
All hundreds of ice arrows Shi Changyou had formed shattered.
Puh-puh-puh-pung—
Kuru-ru-ru……!!
[The narrative of <Snow Queen> shouts for calm!]
[The Frost Mantle limits the sacred relic’s function to cool the overheated magic circuits.]
Pa-ang! Pa-ang!
Each ring of light generated by Lee Hyun spread endlessly in all directions. There was no place in the base now unseen.
Whirling ice dust, lightning sparks leaping above it.
Lee Hyun’s golden eyes glimmered as he gazed down—no longer the Lee Hyun of Shi Changyou’s memories from four years ago.
Not Jet either.
Something transformed, evolved.
“Hahaha! You really are no joke. Hard to even start talking to you like this. Is this… typical you?”
Shi Changyou drew a red gem from his inventory.
The Essence of Immortality.
A crystalized energy squeezed from a dead god named Woo-Yungwang.
“If I hadn’t grabbed this beforehand, it would’ve been bad.”
Shi Changyou held the gem in his mouth.
Not swallowing—it was too immense for a mortal to digest.
But he could use it.
The Jade Emperor’s authority reached everywhere.
[Myth, ‘Master of All Things’ attempts to wield the fractured divine power through ‘Authority: Elemental Control’!]
“Being pushed around like this is boring, isn’t it?”
His eyes curved in a sly smile.
Archem Bahodan frowned.
“…Cheongrae. All from that faction, and not a single one pleases me. Even in death, they look like unbelievers falling into the Abyssal Swamp.”
The Abyssal Swamp—a netherworld ruled by the Great Goddess. A hell where unbelievers and heretics fell.
Lee Hyun and Shi Changyou weren’t the only ones destined to fall there.
Several other unbelievers from Cheongrae came to mind.
Some famous on the recent Near Eastern front, others who had stepped on the top of Babel Tower.
Some had converted to the church, became priests, and recently new cardinals.
‘Na Yebin… also from Cheongrae. Same cohort as those two unbelievers.’
How could such individuals all emerge from a small eastern peninsula, from one unit?
Hence, not a single organization, even those the world calls the ‘Axis of Evil’, ignored studying Cheongrae’s system.
‘Likely intelligence agencies of major powers, transnational organizations too.’
“At least harvesting one of them is fortunate, I suppose.”
Archem watched Han Cheol-woo, who was now breaking ice and thawing his body.
Though defeated by Lee Hyun’s elemental hierarchy, he wasn’t someone to be dismissed.
“…For now, there seems no opening for me. I’ll have to wait for an opportunity.”
The conflict with Shi Changyou had been interrupted by Lee Hyun’s sudden entry.
He considered intervening but found no room in such a deadly clash.
If lucky, one of the two might be converted into a loyal disciple. Possibly both.
[Myth, ‘Burning Hands’ gradually regains control over ‘Earth’s Will’.]
Ddd-dduk-
Control over Han Cheol-woo and the undead legion returned to their side.
‘I don’t know what that slippery Shi Changyou is planning. For now, hide with them.’
At that moment—
[Myth, ‘Master of All Things’ forcibly seizes control over ‘Earth’s Will’!]
“…!?”
A message suddenly appeared in his retina.
Before Archem could react—
Puh-eo-eok!!
“Gahk!”
Han Cheol-woo shot forward, stabbing Archem in the chest with the edge of his hand.
Archem’s limbs stiffened.
He tried to squeeze out his magic circuits, but a deadly chill spread through his body first.
A curse of extreme cold.
Gahk… crack.
Archem trembled, covered in frost.
Excruciating, soul-tearing pain.
He couldn’t speak.
Han Cheol-woo whispered near his ear:
“Is this enough to hurt you? Lee Hyun endured this for four years.”
“…!!”
It was Shi Changyou’s voice.
Then—
Parts-ts-ts-
Han Cheol-woo began to transform.
Chi vanished, replaced by frigid energy. His body clad in solid ice armor.
Like a medieval knight, helmet included.
Archem realized Shi Changyou’s plan:
‘No way! He’s been planning this all along…? This entire base…!!’
He wanted to scream.
People called them fanatics, but what Shi Changyou intended was far crazier.
Yet, seeing the gleaming eyes under the helmet, Archem knew his horror was futile.
Those eyes were already soaked in madness.
And then—
Puh-geok!
Wa-jang-chang-chang!
Archem’s body shattered like broken glass.
Complete death, impossible to resurrect.
And…
Parts-ts-ts!!
The legion of the dead under Archem began transforming like Han Cheol-woo.
The deceased Archem too became an ice knight.
Flash!!
