episode_0138

138. Ice.

Still dark, but the time when the sun will soon peek out.

Johann was sleeping in a room prepared by the bandits.

Johann was not sleeping alone. Other warriors of the Black King Castle and Sarah were lying down.

At that moment, Sarah’s eyes flashed open.

“······.”

Sarah rolled her eyes wide open. Something moving quietly was visible in the dark. They were heading towards the door.

She had just woken up. Her judgment was clouded.

‘Who is it? Bandits? Black King Castle warrior?’

Honestly, she couldn’t tell. Just by looking at their backs, she couldn’t tell if they were bandits or Black King Castle warriors.

It could be someone going to the bathroom, or an attempt to enjoy a secret rendezvous.

However······

‘There are too many of them?’

She suddenly woke up completely. She immediately jumped up from her seat.

“Hey! Wait a minute!”

The bandits, who were about to turn the doorknob, looked back with puzzled expressions.

Sarah gained even more confidence from their expressions. If they had nothing to hide, there would be no reason to be surprised.

Sreung-

A clear sword sound rang out. At the same time, the heads of four or five people soared into the air.

The bandits still had blank faces. This was because their perception speed couldn’t keep up with Sarah’s swordsmanship.

Sarah diligently wielded her sword. Before she knew it, more than a dozen heads were floating in the air.

“······We’re caught! Run away!!”

Only then did the bandits come to their senses. They hurriedly ran out the door.

A great commotion arose. Even those with poor hearing would have to wake up in this situation.

“Wh-what is it!”

“The bandits are running away! Catch them!”

Sarah shouted, summarizing only the key points. These people had just woken up. Lengthy explanations would only be poison.

“Y-yes, I understand!”

Fortunately, the level of the warriors dispatched to Qinghai was very high. They were all seasoned veterans who had experienced enough hardships.

But it was too late. Some of the bandits succeeded in escaping.

“Tsk······!”

Sarah clicked her tongue. It was the limit of a swordsman; she was at a disadvantage when facing a large number of opponents.

What’s regrettable is regrettable, but she didn’t have an uncomfortable expression. She heard a familiar voice in her ear. It was comforting.

“Good work, Miss Sarah.”

Jjeojeojeojeok-

A sound like rapidly cooling water echoed.

Immediately afterwards, the bandits outside the door screamed. They were clearly panicking.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Sh-shit! Open it! Open it! Uwaaaa!”

The faces of the bandits who hadn’t been able to get out yet and were stuck near the door turned blue.

“Wh-what’s going on······.”

The bandits’ reactions were divided into two categories. The bandits who could see the situation outside felt despair. The bandits who couldn’t see outside because of the people in front of them felt fear.

They looked back with trembling eyes. There, a cunning sorcerer was holding up his hand.

The sorcerer said.

“Leave about three or four. So we can figure out the situation.”

“Yes!”

Seogeok- Puwhaak!

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire body of one bandit was cut in two.

That was the beginning. A flock of sheep trapped. And black wolves rushing into that group.

Early morning before the sun had risen. The wolves wielded their fangs and slaughtered the sheep.

***

“Huk, hukeok. S-save me! Please!”

The bandit trembled all over like an aspen tree and prostrated himself on the floor. Johann ignored him. Instead, he went outside to see how the other ships were doing.

“Negativity is scary.”

Hwareureuk, all the ships except the one Johann was on were engulfed in flames. Numerous holes had already been pierced. The sinking of the ships was a foregone conclusion.

Johann raised his finger and tapped the bandit’s forehead. A blue light flashed briefly.

Swish- Teolssuk!

‘If they had evenly distributed the mages, there wouldn’t have been this much damage.’

Unfortunately, all the mages of the Black King Castle were on the same ship as Johann.

In this situation, mages were more effective than swordsmen.

At that moment, Johann’s senses detected the operation of foreign magical power.

‘A magician.’

Johann spread his magical power widely. Soon, the magical power took a single form.

Shield.

Kwakkwakwakwang!!!

“Wh-what is it?”

“Keuheok! My ankle, my ankle!”

The ship shook violently. Johann looked at the distant riverbank. A dark crowd was visible.

‘Were they ambushing······?’

The mages of the White Path camp. The number seems to be slightly larger than this side.

Johann immediately shouted.

“It’s an ambush! Mages, deploy shields all at once!”

Even Johann alone cannot block the spells of so many mages. The support of his allies was desperately needed.

The surroundings flashed with colorful lights. Arrows and spells intercepted the ship.

Hwik- Johann turned his head. Johann’s ship was in good condition, at least. The people on the other ships were jumping into the river one by one.

‘Tsk, they can’t hold out without mages.’

It was the best choice, at least. A strategy to minimize damage by dispersing the personnel.

‘But that’s not enough. Ships are absolutely necessary. At the very least, we need to preserve the personnel intact until we reach the riverbank.’

Johann burst into a hollow laugh. It seems he won’t be able to get up for a while.

Uuuung······

Johann’s magnificent magical power wriggled. The mages who had been blocking the attacks next to him widened their eyes.

‘What······ What is that amount of magical power!’

‘What is he trying to do?’

Along with astonishment, they were expectant. A great spell from a magician who was on a different dimension from them. They would surely gain no small amount of enlightenment.

Seuaaa-

Something hazy was being created from Johann’s hands. It was scattering a pale coldness.

The size was not that large. At most, about the size of a person’s face.

Before long, two ice crystals existed leisurely on his hands.

The mages were horrified. To compress that enormous magical power into such a small essence!

“Haaaa······.”

A hazy breath puffed out of Johann’s mouth. Hwik, Johann threw the ice crystals into the river. Because he threw them with quite a bit of force, they flew quite far.

Plop-!

A pure white coldness replaced the afterimage of the objects. The ice crystals fell in the middle of the Black King Castle warriors and slowly sank.

The location of the two ice crystals was quite coincidental. One in front of the Black King, and one in front of the Black God.

The Black King murmured with a bewildered face.

“What is this······.”

A total of three ships were flooded, excluding Johann’s ship.

‘One will be abandoned.’

Perfect victory leads to catastrophic defeat. Johann willingly wanted a tattered victory.

Johann’s two hands were brought together, then burst outwards, hwaak-.

Kwajijik-!!

At the same time, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the smooth body of the ice crystal.

A mage is someone who projects their mental image onto reality. An image came to Johann’s mind.

A magnificent and elegant sailing ship with beautiful lines that he had seen at a museum as a child.

Frozen Sailboat.

Kkwareureung!

Soon, with a sound like thunder, the seed of ice bloomed into an elaborate flower.

“Master! What on earth are you doing!”

The Black King and the Black God were flustered by the torrent of magical power felt from the bottom.

Jjeojeojeojeok-!

Immediately afterwards, something with a wide area floated to the surface of the water.

Naturally, the Black King and the Black God were on top of it. Some warriors also accidentally boarded.

The Black King and the Black God shouted cheerfully.

“Heo! Amazing! Master!”

“Ooooooh!”

The sudden appearance of the ice sailboat. Soon, a large spray of water covered the river. The enemies’ vision was temporarily obscured.

The mages of the White Path camp, who were watching the spectacle from afar, doubted their eyes.

“I-insane! What is that!”

“Hey! Mages! Do something!”

It was an incomprehensible sight. The White Path warriors naturally urged the mages. Something unusual was happening.

“Heueu, heueok.”

Johann breathed roughly and took out the Blood Fox Brush from his chest.

“Huuup!”

Johann rapidly inhaled air and held his breath. His right arm was swung like a windmill.

At the same time, a violent wind began to blow in the area. The movement of the currents changed almost simultaneously.

Johann shouted.

“Some block the attacks, the rest assist with the spells!”

Double Casting.

Simultaneously operating a wind spell using the fan as a medium, and a water current spell manipulating the river water.

Jureureuk, bright red blood flowed from Johann’s nostrils.

His brain is hot. At the same time, it hurts as if it is being torn to pieces. It feels like putting lava and brain in a blender and pressing the power button.

“Heuaaaaaaa!”

“Protect the Master!”

Other warriors and mages screamed. The attacks towards Johann intensified. They gritted their teeth and defended Johann.

If Johann dies here, everything will turn to ashes. Everyone in this place knew that fact.

Puwhaaaaak!

A total of three ships cut through the water and rushed towards the riverbank.

Before they knew it, the number of people on the ice ship had increased. Warriors who were floating in the river here and there had joined with difficulty.

Pushing the ship with wind, and accelerating that movement with the accelerated current.

“Coming, coming, coming!”

“Block it! Block it somehow!”

“Damn it!”

Pajijijijik-!

Brilliant lightning flashed from a mage’s hand. The mage felt fear.

‘What was shown back then wasn’t his full power? This, this is impossible!’

If he dies this time, it’s over. There will be no new opportunity like last time.

He felt despair. And the entity that caused the despair had already arrived at him.

Despair chanted.

Rough Waves.

Puwhaaaaak!

A huge wave and the ships covered them.