Ether lightly caught the tightly condensed sphere of energy with one hand
without even blinking.
Whoosh…
The sphere was naturally absorbed into Ether. Since it was her own emitted
energy, it was easy to accept.
"Hoo."
Ether fell into quiet thought. But her gaze wasn't on her palm; it remained
fixed on the ice bridge that was starting to shatter in mid-air.
'Handling the ice element, and to this extent?'
There weren't many in the empire who reached the extreme level using just
one element. It was unexpected.
"You handle the ice element? I didn't know."
Not only deflecting, blocking, and extinguishing, but now even guiding the
direction.
"Your ice technique is impressive. I'll commend you."
It naturally reminded her of a certain man.
The man who made Ether who she was now.
…But it could never be him.
'He must still be in the village of Ruben.'
The place Ether would rush to as soon as the duel ended.
The 1st Princess recalled the contents of the letter. He said he was spending
his days in Ruben village without much to do. It was far too distant from
the imperial capital.
And another thing.
─A duel? Enough. I'm going straight to Ruben.
─Do it. I've called someone more interesting.
The words the Emperor had spoken when he suggested the duel to Ether.
Didn't that mean it wasn't Jaekiel?
[ Once. ]
The crystal ball at her feet printed the text.
The clarity of the text depended on the state of the one handling the crystal
ball, and now the text was quite faint. It meant he was very tired, even if he
pretended otherwise.
[ Your attack, only one left. ]
"Hmm."
There was no longer a smile on Ether's face.
She could easily acknowledge that her opponent was a formidable, skilled
person. But now there was a bigger problem.
"Toy, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?
I'll grant your request."
[ What's the good news? ]
"You are certainly skilled. I acknowledge that."
[ That's obvious news; what's the bad news? ]
"The bad news is that of all the elements you could master, you chose ice.
Do you know what it means to use ice techniques in front of me?"
Shrrrrick!
The energy Ether gathered started to make the surroundings vibrate. Even
the earth seemed to tremble in fear.
"You wouldn't know. There's no way you could, but it can't be helped. Just
think of it as bad luck. That's how things go in this world."
Ice technique.
The element handled by the man who made Ether who she was now.
Because of that influence, Ether didn't acknowledge any ice magicians
other than him. No, she didn't even want to.
[ So, what are you planning to do? ]
"All the ice magicians who faced me have died. All of them."
Clatter!
The pebbles on the ground began to rise.
"Don't worry. I'll keep my promise to see your face. If there's a body left,
that is."
Shwaaaak!
Ether shot a beam of light into the sky.
And after a while.
Paaaaaang!
It exploded into the shape of a giant cross and then started pouring down in
great numbers.
'Damn.'
Now, his mana was almost depleted.
Performing high-level magic and sustaining such battles for a long time
were entirely different matters. It depended on constitution and stamina, not
skill proficiency.
Whew.
Jaekiel took a deep breath to steady his mind.
And at the same time.
Swoooooosh!
A rain of beams of light began to pour from the sky. Each one, of course,
had tremendous power.
Calculations were done instantly.
As expected, it was impossible to defend directly in this state.
But even so, Jaekiel shook his head.
'Abandon reason.'
A magician generally advances through reason and intuition. But
sometimes, there would be a moment when you have to abandon everything
and rely solely on instinct.
That was right now.
He must surpass his limits and achieve his goal.
"…Make a decision and turn that decision into reality."
That self-suggestion was a kind of incantation.
Jaekiel quickly clapped his hands together.
Sizzle!
The extreme cold he brought up made his nerves incredibly sensitive. At the
same time, everything happening around him seemed to move very slowly.
In the seemingly frozen time, Jaekiel examined everything.
The number of falling beams of light was uncountable.
Even so.
He began to calculate each one.
Pabababababak!
Immediately, ice spikes rose from the ground.
As if not allowing any margin for error, each spike directly collided with
and blocked a beam of light.
But that wasn't the end.
"Heup…!"
The explosion created by the collision of ice spikes and beams of light.
Sizzle!
The explosion itself froze completely.
Its shape resembled a snowflake.
As the explosions from all directions began to freeze and be absorbed, the
snowflake's volume gradually increased. Soon, the ice flower covered the
sky, forming a barrier.
Swoosh!
The rain of beams continued to fall.
As if trying to drive the snowflake into the ground, an overwhelming
number of beams kept pouring down.
"…!"
The uncountable quantity. The burden on Jaekiel's body kept increasing.
But even so, new ice spikes continued to form and rise.
"…It's nothing."
Jaekiel muttered, swallowing blood.
This trial was nothing.
He had already lived enduring rains of beams. Living day by day after
realizing he had a terminal illness felt like being hit by a rain of arrows.
Setting a goal only to be blocked by the arrow of a terminal illness, trying
to do something only to be blocked by that arrow, blocked, and blocked…
So.
This was a bloom only a terminally ill person could achieve.
It was a bud that would bloom most beautifully at a certain moment.
Whooosh!
The fully bloomed snowflake soared upwards.
Jaekiel exhaled heavily, as if he had successfully defended against the final
blow.
But at that moment.
Crack! Craaack!
A strange sound was heard, and the snowflake cracked.
The cause was the beams already embedded in it. They started to rotate
madly, digging inwards.
"…Ether, you've grown well. Should I praise you?"
Kwadeudeuk!
The beams that shattered the snowflake barrier began to spin immensely
and plunge down vertically.
If even one of those touched his body, it would be fatal. The numerous
rotations of the beam would pierce through his entire body.
His remaining mana was almost depleted.
'But.'
There was no other way.
He was already spitting blood, barely holding on with his mental strength,
but there was no other way.
He could do it. Because he had to survive.
Dominon Gorge, filled with fog.
Hooooooo…
An immense chill wrapped around Jaekiel's body and then began to spread
in all directions.
Jaekiel, who had drawn out the extreme chill of his body, began to melt it
all into the fog. Much of it quickly turned blue, and some even froze and
fell.
Just as the falling beams were about to touch his head.
"Seal."
What Jaekiel uttered was just one word.
Shrrrriiiiick!
All the fog in the area froze simultaneously. And all the beams passing
through the fog were caught.
Kwadeuk! Kwak! Kwaak…
The beams tried to fall while rotating, but it was impossible. They couldn't
penetrate the entirely frozen fog.
However, there was no time to hesitate.
"Hoo!"
Jaekiel stepped on the frozen fog as if they were platforms and jumped
madly.
Since it was impossible to hold the rotating beams forever, ultimately,
escaping Dominon Gorge was the only way to survive.
After reaching the highest point in the air.
Charrlrk!
He spread ice in the air like a wave. The ice sloped down towards the
opposite gorge, resembling a very wide and steep ice slide.
Jaekiel put his foot on it and entrusted his body to it.
Saaaaaaaak!
Jaekiel was more skilled at moving on ice than on the ground. He lowered
his body slightly and gained speed as he moved towards his opponent.
Saaaaaaaak!
Ten seconds.
He escaped the rain of beams.
Saaaaaaaak!
Twenty seconds.
He began to see the opposite Cullinan Gorge.
Saaaaaaaak!
Twenty five seconds.
Finally, they saw each other.
Ether narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched Jaekiel carefully, then
widened her eyes four times as much.
"It's been a while, Ether."
Now he had no mana left at all, but it didn't matter.
Jaekiel kicked off the ice and rushed towards Ether.
Rrriip!
The sound of something tearing.
Jaekiel's form quickly brushed past the still stunned Ether.
Thump!
Then Jaekiel landed.
"…"
The two stood tall. Back to back.
As if time had stopped, they caught their breath for a moment.
"Haa… haa…"
"Ha…?"
The panting breaths that seemed about to collapse and the bewildered
breaths crossed. A delicate situation.
Jaekiel threw something behind him so it would fall at Ether's feet.
It was the armband that had been on Ether's shoulder.
"I won this duel."
"…"
"But."
Jaekiel staggered.
"…I didn't know this wasn't a one-on-one duel."
Thump!
Jaekiel finally fell.
"Teacher…"
Ether mumbled blankly.
"Teacher, my opponent… was you…?"
The 1st Princess quickly turned to check Jaekiel's condition. And she
couldn't help but be shocked.
"…!"
Because Jaekiel's body was full of arrows.
"Wh-What is this…?"
The woman's gaze turned to her scouts.
She saw the scouts trembling with bows in hand, staring at the 1st Princess.
Ether's expression crumpled beyond description.
"You damn scoundrels… How dare you?!"
The Scouting Team Leader quickly opened his mouth.
"Your Highness, we meant well…!"
"Does that give you a reason to interfere in my duel?!"
"W-we, we prioritize Your Highness's safety. Regardless of the duel, the
opponent was rushing at you with terrifying momentum…!"
"Scoundrels, damn scoundrels!"
The Princess approached and grabbed the Scouting Team Leader's head.
"Your Highness, Your Highness! Argh, aaaargh!"
With a pop, his head burst.
Ether seemed even angrier, not less. Her hair kept rising into the air from
the immense energy she was emitting.
The fact that the scouts interfered meant that the 1st Princess seemed
threatened enough for them to feel the need to intervene.
In other words, they considered Jaekiel stronger at that moment.
'In other words, I lost in skill as well… '
A rule violation. The one-on-one duel rule was broken.
Skills and rules. She lost in all aspects. It was a devastating defeat, losing
both the elixir and her honor at once.
However.
But what truly made Ether grit her teeth.
"Teacher…!"
Was the fact that her opponent was none other than her teacher.
The man she respected the most.
The man she liked the most.
…It was Jaekiel.
It was definitely him, and it made her body tremble.
'Why on earth?'
He definitely said he was in Ruben village, and the Emperor also mentioned
that the opponent wasn't Jaekiel…!
'Did the Emperor deceive me?'
For what purpose?
"Lami."
"Yes, yes!"
The only one in the scouting team not holding a bow stepped forward. He
was the fastest runner.
"Move him to the infirmary. Use all the medicine without considering its
value. He must be saved."
"At once!"
"If anything happens to this man, I will turn the entire Imperial Palace into
ruins. No, that's not all."
Ether's teeth ground ominously.
"…I will challenge the Emperor."
"…"
Before even discussing success, who would dare to speak of regicide?
Sweat poured down the body of the one receiving the order.
"I will depart immediately."
"No, no. I should take care of him myself."
Ether, feeling uneasy, stopped the scout and picked up Jaekiel herself.
"Move!"
Ether kicked the ground.
Her lips were trembling.