episode_0177

As if to prove the seasons they had walked through, the children had each embraced growth. Like the protagonists of a story, they had made consistent progress. The pilot overcame his long-held fear, and the fox reached for the stars. The Drunkerd overcame her trauma, and the Little Prince reclaimed his Rose. Each taking a step toward the next.

-I must be… even more outstanding.

-Enough to reclaim what I’ve lost.

The vain girl was no different. No, perhaps she was more impatient than others. Because the time given to her was not abundant. She always resolved to become stronger.

-Is this… ‘Nature Transformation’?

The girl worked hard every day. Her clear limitations. To break through the wall that suddenly blocked her, Emilia clung even more to magic. What she delved into, in particular, was precisely the field known as [Nature Transformation]. A stage commonly referred to as the pinnacle of elemental magic.

-It was also a part my father mastered.

-Thanks to it, he earned the epithet ‘Continent’s Greatest Ice Mage’.

-Honestly, I’m not confident, but…

The achievements of her predecessor. The vain girl silently followed those honorable footsteps. Of course, there was never an easy path in that journey. Because she stumbled and despaired time and again. Perhaps it was only natural.

-I can’t grasp it at all.

-Everything is so unclear, like walking through a foggy dawn…

-Is this truly a realm I’m allowed to reach?

Ice form transformation. Breaking away from simply designated attributes to cultivate an entirely different dimension. This concept was also a lifelong challenge for mages. Because it was a realm that ordinary talent couldn’t reach, not even after a lifetime, or even after death. Emilia, too, repeated her long struggles.

-What on earth is it?

-To master a sense… even the explanation is vague.

-There aren’t any special textbooks either.

-If my father were alive, I could have asked him directly…

The girl repeated her failures. Formulas that went wrong every time. Her notebook grew thicker and thicker, and spilled ink stained the desk. As she repeatedly faced despair, the villainess was consumed by gloom. Naturally, she ended up reminiscing about her predecessor.

-I, what am I, exactly…?

Frost clung to her fingertips like a stain. The girl lay on the ice, dwelling only on her helpless moments. Just as even her persistence was about to turn into resignation.

-Do you need power?

-I believe I can help you.

Suddenly. A spark of inspiration flashed through Emilia’s mind. It was a memory, nothing else. A recollection of a certain day.

-Don’t be flustered.

-As long as I’m here… you, Young Lady, will not be pushed back.

-You just need to take my hand.

The monster she encountered in the abandoned laboratory. A memory of the moment she dealt with it, with Yuda’s help.

-It’ll only be for a very short moment, but I’ll show you a new world.

-It’s a temporary power.

The villainess, as if enchanted, took his hand. And, she bisected the monster that was immeasurably stronger than herself. Without the slightest hesitation. Beautifully and cleanly. She remembered that rapturous omnipotence. It was a world beyond any realm, shown to her by the serpent.

‘Perhaps.’ Could that be a clue? The shadow clinging to the ice. The shadow that had dyed the girl’s mana black and brilliantly white. Based on that clue, Emilia immediately embarked on new research.

-Like then… freely, unconstrained by mana.

-As if melting into the darkness.

She retraced that fleeting sensation. It wasn’t particularly difficult. Because with the memory of that time, even a single fluttering snowflake was vivid. Having found her direction, the villainess poured all her strength into it. After repeated failures, the girl finally perfected it.

“I told you.” Nature Transformation. Mana with the attributes of [Ice] and [Darkness] intertwined. The villainess stood with noble steps.

Whoosh—. Her hair fluttering calmly. Was it due to the deep shadow? Her hair, which should have been blue, was tinged with a murky light. Such decadence added an eerie chill to winter. Her lips parted slightly.

“I came to reclaim that name.” A brilliant light flashed in her blue pupils. The atmosphere flipped in an instant. Normally, it would have been impossible. Because the wall of talent didn’t allow the girl to covet that realm. However, a connection that was close to coincidence—now a fated encounter—brought about her miracle. Emilia opened her eyes with a shimmering sense of omnipotence. The world was as calm as a dawn filled with light.

‘It’s quiet.’ The preceding sensation. And her own ceaseless efforts to recreate it. Her characteristic stubbornness had finally borne fruit. A shadow spread in the vain girl’s breath.

“Haa…” The villainess looked down at her hands. About her arm and the snowflakes, completely dyed in jet black. At first glance, it resembled a snowfield laid out under a night view. Between the creeping gusts of wind, the air twisted like a mirage. The atmosphere was completely different.

‘Is this a success?’ Black Winter. Emilia’s ice magic was entirely steeped in night. The transcended attribute encompassed the other side of the dimension. Fine frost swirled around her.

‘……It’s unstable, though.’ Perhaps it was because it was a realm achieved through perverse means? Its purity was terribly lacking. Compared to her predecessor’s footsteps, the replication rate was barely 40% at best. Even that was immature, so controlling its intensity was not easy. However.

‘It’s enough.’ It was enough to overcome the apostate in front of her. The girl lightly flicked her finger.

Clang—! Fragments ricocheted from her fingertips. Her uncle’s sneak attack was blocked with remarkable ease. The shattered magic scattered into pieces.

‘My body feels light.’ It was as if she were fluttering in the wind. Like a banner hung on a spear, the black fluttered nobly.

“Ugh, cough!” “Uncle.” “How could you… how could you possibly master Nature Transformation…!” “Were you merely this caliber of person?”

Thud—! Her clenched fist struck the man’s guard squarely. The recoil sent her uncle’s body flying backward. He was pushed back a long distance, his eyes still filled with shock. He never imagined that his niece would cross into that realm. Emilia pointed her finger.

“I have many grievances I want to ask you about, but…” “How dare you… you foolish brat!” “I won’t drag this out.” It wasn’t out of mercy. Because maintaining this form was also a strain for her. The world she forcibly coveted sought to push her away. It felt as if her consciousness would snap at any moment. Therefore, she intended to end the match in a single blow.

“Oh, bitter winter.” A low chant murmured. Subsequently, pitch-black snowflakes brushed past the branches. What descended upon the corridor was dawn, or perhaps winter. A dense chill pressed down on the atmosphere.

-Emilia Style Ice Magic Secret Technique- ‘Frost Spear’ The girl gave her all. Mana converging into a single point. Originally, this technique was a method of unleashing ten thousand ice spears. Through her research and growth over time, it had become a completely different technique. In front of her, only a single spear of frost remained.

Swoosh—. Ice compressing smoothly. The ten thousand spears that were previously dispersed now gathered into a single point. Furthermore, the deep shadow solidified the convergence within the snowflakes. The power, suppressed to its limit, caused a shimmering mirage. It was a beautiful sight.

“……Now, please let us go.” A blue moon floated in the night. Its radiance showed not the slightest tremor.

***

“Now, please let us go.” A chillingly resonant voice. Deron could not remain composed. An unexpected situation, and a predicament at the edge of a cliff. He clenched his fist, his blue eyes trembling.

‘Damn it…!’ No way. To think that his inferior niece had overcome his wall. The nobly fluttering snowflakes were beautiful. Cold sweat streamed down his spine.

-Deron, please understand.

-That I am always on your side.

The past flashed through his ears. His idiotic older brother. The girl’s shimmering figure resembled a phantom from days past. Deron bit his teeth together, pushing aside the chilling premonition. He forced himself to shake off the pressure on his shoulders.

‘That is dangerous.’ His brain rotated rapidly. He assessed the current situation. After confirming the magic being cast, he immediately moved to counter it. Because Deron knew the weakness of that technique.

‘Frost Spear… requires time to cast.’ Roughly a 3-second interval. If so, now, when she was most vulnerable, was his chance. He would sever that loathsome neck in one swift strike. Putting those calculations aside, Deron violently kicked off the ground. His launched body appeared before the girl in an instant.

Thwack—! “Die!” He swung his honed sword blade. A flash of light in a split second. Just as their gazes met for a brief moment.

“Heh.” “……?” Emilia’s lips suddenly curled upward. Her eyes curved, as if she had caught him. Something was wrong. An alarm rang in his senses.

Slide—. Her blue eyes were fixed beyond Deron’s shoulder. It was a subtle glance, but he didn’t miss it. Soon, the girl’s lips parted. As if sending a signal to someone.

“Now, Ruthka!” A single cry reached his ears. Ruthka. A name he had not considered at all. That sudden incongruity pierced Deron’s mind. All of the girl’s reactions, her smile, and the awkwardness of her gaze that had been compiled until now. The accumulated data instantly yielded an answer.

‘Diversion…!’

Whoosh—! Deron changed the trajectory of his sword and deployed a defensive stance to the rear. Quick judgment, and a flawless defense. It was a perfect response. However.

“……?” There was no one where he looked back. Only the jet-black night, as if mocking him, lay spread out. Deron realized.

“You fell for it, apostate.” That he had been tricked. He belatedly rolled his eyes, but Emilia had already finished her casting. Her clearly shining eyes pierced Deron’s heart. The aimed spear tip shimmered enchantingly. The reaper of winter declared.

“We’ve been swayed enough.” The one who lost his pride. Regarding the end that stepped on his threshold.

“This is the end.” The next moment. A flash of light brilliantly dyed his vision. The shimmering mirage shattered the starlight. And.

“……Cough.” After the light receded. A large hole was pierced through Deron’s abdomen. With his arms and legs completely frozen.