Realizing that the dragon had used the last of its life force to protect them and get them out of that battlefield, Midir felt a wave of stifling grief in his chest. He staggered a few steps before finally slumping onto the cold stones beside him.
Recalling the thrilling duel with the dragon only a few hours ago, the fact that this respectable opponent had now turned into a cold corpse was a sudden transformation that left him deeply moved.
This was the first time Aila had witnessed the fall of a top-tier Saint Rank creature. Perhaps thinking of her family far away, the usually strong girl silently shed tears, bowing deeply to the dragon to express her most sincere respect and mourning.
“You haven't even answered my questions yet... To think you would save us... In the end, I don't even know your name.”
Sensing Aila's sorrow, Midir pulled himself together and took her hand to comfort her. He looked up somewhat dazedly at the dragon not far away, murmuring under his breath.
“What was that thing that attacked us at the very end? Aila, did you see it?” After calming his emotions, Midir took a deep breath, stood up, and patted Aila on the shoulder as he asked.
With a wave of his hand, he used the water elements from the underground river to envelop the dragon's remains. In this extreme cold, it took only a little effort to encase its mountain-like body in solid ice, creating an impromptu tomb for his respectable opponent.
Watching the frost gradually crawl over the dragon's body, Aila also quickly adjusted her mindset. After all, the current environment was still an unknown, and wallowing in grief would only lead them into a worse situation.
After a moment of careful recollection, Aila spoke slowly.
“I didn't see any enemies appearing on the glacier or in the air above it. If an ambush was possible under those conditions, it could only have come from the river beneath the ice. Also, while we were being carried away by the current, I felt like we passed several forks in the river. We probably managed to lose our pursuers then.”
“So you're saying the thing that attacked us has only been temporarily shaken off, and we could still be caught at any moment?” Midir looked around at the crystal walls glowing with blue light and then at the rushing river, feeling a bit troubled.
Their current situation was indeed tricky. Midir couldn't judge where the current had swept them. Although the space they were in was large enough, there were no visible exits on the walls.
Adding to that the unknown enemy who might catch up at any time, blindly entering the water again would be even more dangerous.
After a period of silence, neither of them could think of a suitable way to escape this awkward predicament. Midir could only take some food and a stove out of his storage space to prepare a meal, calling back Aila, who was searching every inch of the crystal-covered wall.
“Did you find anything after your sweep?” Midir asked with concern, handing her a bowl of steaming soup.
Aila took the soup bowl and took a small sip, a wave of warmth immediately spreading through her body. She shook her head, her face full of confusion.
“Nothing. But strangely, this wall seems to be one massive, seamless piece. I did a full lap and found not a single crack. Geologically speaking, this kind of terrain shouldn't exist.”
“If there's no other choice, I'll try to blast a hole in this wall in a bit. I don't know how thick it is, but fortunately, I have enough supplies. We won't have any problems in the short term.”
“I think it's better to be cautious. It would be bad if we caused a cave-in. If only Ronald were here; he always has some gadgets to deal with these kinds of problems.”
The two of them quickly finished their meal while chatting, continuing to consider how to leave this freezing, godforsaken place.
But just as they turned their attention back to the wall, a massive figure appeared silently in the rushing river behind them.
The river water rose in the silence, and a humanoid figure about three to four meters tall appeared on the surface. Even Aila didn't sense anything unusual; it was as if the figure was part of the water itself. It cast no shadow in the dim light as it stepped out from the riverbed.
The figure silently glanced at the two unsuspecting people, then turned its gaze to the fully frozen remains of the dragon. A flash of light seemed to pass through the two hollows that served as its eyes before it began walking toward the corpse.
It stepped toward the solid ice as silently as an invisible ghost, yet its body was composed of actual water. Just as it neared the remains, it accidentally stepped on a small stone chip, producing a sharp crack.
The crisp sound echoed through the cavern, which was otherwise filled only with the sound of flowing water. It was so out of place that the two people in the distance snapped their heads around, discovering the strange figure that had appeared out of nowhere.
“What! When did this thing appear? There wasn't a single sound! No change in scent either!” Aila said in disbelief. She immediately drew the hand crossbow from her waist, her finger tightening on the trigger as she aimed at the unknown creature.
“Is this... a being purely composed of water elements? No wonder the elemental detection didn't react. It seems this is the thing that attacked us earlier?” Midir narrowed his eyes, murmuring as he watched the strange creature. His magic power began to surge.
Facing their wariness, the tall humanoid made of water appeared exceptionally calm, as if it sensed no threat at all. It had already reached the dragon's remains and placed a hand on the ice Midir had reinforced with elements.
To Midir's shock, the creature's hand passed straight through the solid ice and rested on the dragon's scales.
“Not good! What is it trying to do? Stop it!” Aila was the first to react. With a pull of the trigger, several bright red bolts shot straight toward the figure.
However, the bolts imbued with Aila's fire battle qi were like matches thrown into a bucket of water. They produced only a few wisps of smoke upon hitting its body before falling silent. The strange being didn't even bother to turn its head.
Seeing this, Midir quickly summoned Starflame, enveloping it in the Flame of Destruction. The longsword transformed into a brilliant streak of fire as he hurled it at the water-shaped giant.
Sensing the sudden rise in heat behind it, the water-shaped giant reacted to them for the first time. Its head twisted a full one hundred and eighty degrees in an eerie, unpredictable manner. In the reflection of the flames, the two could see that its face was marked by three deep, dark hollows, a sight that made their skin crawl.
Midir had expected the blade wrapped in the Flame of Destruction to pierce straight through its body, or at the very least cause some damage.
Unexpectedly, a powerful torrent of water elements erupted from the creature's mouth-like hollow. This stream contained a power capable of freezing everything, and in an instant, it froze the invincible Flame of Destruction in mid-air.
This scene left Midir dumbfounded. Although Starflame was no longer being fueled by his magic after leaving his hand, this was the first time he had ever seen non-physical flames frozen in mid-air.
He quickly realized that what this water-shaped giant possessed was the ultimate power corresponding to the Flame of Destruction—Nirvana Ice, an extreme force capable of bringing all things to a standstill within the frost.
The fact that this water elemental being could use such extreme energy so effortlessly meant it was already far stronger than the vast majority of mages in the world. This was a height many could never hope to reach in their entire lives.
Rate on N.U.
