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***
The Hidden Palace within Hidden Palace.
Misha had a strong intuition that her mission had reached its limit.
"Damn it... Why all of a sudden?"
Swoosh! Crackling-!
The absolute seal of the hidden palace, which had lasted for a thousand years, was breaking. The ice pillar that imprisoned Elona shattered, causing vibrations throughout the entire Hidden Palace.
Misha glared at Elona, cursing under her breath.
As if paint had spilled over an empty canvas.
Unexpectedly, memories of Elona surged into Misha's mind. Memories that had been almost 'forgotten' for a thousand years were rushing back, jumbled together.
It was because Elona's seal was broken. Elona's power of existence was pushing away the history manipulations imposed on her.
The scene of that day, when Temar was pushed to the brink of death, came back vividly, especially sharp in Misha's mind.
"Yes, because of you, Temar fell so far. Elona Zipfel, are you here to finish what you started? To once again bring an end to this world!"
A black spear formed in Misha's right hand. Her body trembled. It wasn't only just due to the exhaustion of maintaining the seal, but also out of fear.
She was afraid. Not only of the possibility of having to face Elona right now but also of the threat she could pose to the world after being freed.
'There's still hope. The seal seems to be restoring itself. Perhaps all the safety mechanisms applied to the seal are functioning.'
As the seal broke, new ice pillars were continuously forming, like stairs. Sharp and giant columns pierced towards Elona's body every moment.
However, most of them couldn't inflict any significant damage to her. Most pillars exploded before reaching her, unable to withstand the mana emanating from her, and even if they managed to touch her, they would dissipate like dust.
"The master and swords of Hidden Palace must be aware of this situation. We might be able to seal Elona if the swords of Hidden palace buy time and the master of Hidden palace uses a sealing spell...!'
Misha's task was to infuse shadow force into the partially destroyed seal.
So, she transformed into her true form and released her shadow force. In that moment, Misha found herself locking eyes with Elona, who was now awake and staring back at her.
With shining bright and kind eyes.
A person who could bring down mountains with a wave of her hand, and easily slaughter thousands with a simple magic spell, had unbelievably clear and pure eyes focused on Misha.
A chill ran down Misha's spine. She barely averted her gaze while pulling up her shadow force. The surroundings were already filled with black curtains, yet Elona seemed unperturbed as if she didn't feel any threat. It was Misha who felt overwhelmed.
"You are... the Black Dragon of Runcandel..."
Elona's voice sounded innocent; she was still bound by the cold energy of Hidden Palace, unable to move her body.
However, physical constraints posed no problem to her. Elona was capable of releasing tremendous mana without even moving a finger.
"Murakan...? Are you trying to stop me?"
[You must remain here, Elona Zipfel. I will safeguard the seal.]
"Your voice is different. Of course, if it were Murakan, he wouldn't be this weak. Your name is... Misha. You are Murakan's sister."
With each word Elona spoke, her surrounding mana intensified. Misha was crushed under the pressure, spilling blood.
"Something awakened me, called for me. It was very familiar... presence. So, I think I should go there. It feels like a call from my clan."
[I won't allow that.]
"How do you plan to stop me?"
There was no sarcasm in her words. Elona gazed at Misha purely out of curiosity.
It was the same expression and attitude that had brought countless strong individuals to despair a thousand years ago. With that same face, Elona had annihilated self-proclaimed heroes.
"I'm not in my best state because I've slept for so long. My mind is as opaque as white cloth... my body feels heavy and uncomfortable, as if covered in moss. How much time has actually passed? A hundred years? Two hundred years?"
Misha did not answer but exerted all her strength to resist the pressure. While the seal was being restored, it still couldn't harm Elona.
"As I examined the ancient mana remaining in this ice... it seems like an even longer time has passed."
[Arghhhh...!]
Boom!
An explosion erupted in Misha's chest, and shadow force burst out like blood. She couldn't properly control her energy due to the pressure exerted by Elona.
"I can't control my power properly right now. So please don't resist and step aside, I beg you."
Elona's magic was nothing short of authority.
She had never cast a spell or formed a magic circle. Yet, whenever Elona infused her mana, the surrounding space crumbled under its influence.
The ice pillars, which had already been reformed dozens of times, were now recovering noticeably slower, and the pristine white space seemed to vibrate with unease, as if it could be torn apart any moment.
[Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will seal you again… Aaahhh!]
"As I said, I can't control my power properly, Misha. After a thousand years, have you forgotten who I am?"
Misha looked around, struggling with pain, and for a few seconds, she lost consciousness.
The first thing that caught her eye was the significantly enlarged shape of the seal. It appeared to have been endowed with even greater power, but in fact, it was quite the opposite.
The enlarged ice pillar indicated a weakening of its binding force. If it continued to grow, it would explode and disappear completely.
And she saw the distorted space. Hidden Palace's swords were gathering within those spaces.
"Ms. Misha!"
"The seal...!"
Led by Ryu and Hiten, the Seven Swords of Hidden Palace entered the seal's area. As soon as they confirmed the situation, they immediately executed their special techniques.
"Release the Seven divine artifacts, proceed with the Grand Seal!"
Seven divine artifacts were items created by the divine power of Myriad Ice. They were specifically made to prepare for times like this.
The seven swordsmen surrounded Elona's ice pillar and each displayed their own unique techniques. Stone-like crystals rose into the air and in an instant, formed the Grand Seal.
"Oh... I remember now. The 2nd master of the Hidden Palace... Snow Witch used this method to seal me."
However, now neither the Snow Witch nor the Myriad Ice was present here. Even if they were, they couldn't stop me as they did back then.
As Elona continued her words, she drew in her mana once more. Mana formed giant whirlwinds throughout space, generating terrifying gravitational forces.
Unfortunately, one of the swordsmen, who had been standing next to one of the whirlwinds, had his arm torn off and fell to his knees. Thanks to the protective shield from the Divine Artifact he possessed, his life was spared.
"Ruil!"
"Don't try to save me, maintain the seal!"
As Misha and the Seven Swords of Hidden Palace struggled, Elona delved into her memories of the Grand Seal they had set up.
She thought about stopping the spatial jump ability of Snow toad. The Snow Witch might be dead, but there was likely another master of the Hidden Palace coming here soon.
Suddenly, like Mort's dimensional gate, white discs formed all around. Although Misha and the members of Hidden Palace couldn't comprehend, each of those discs was being used to obstruct teleportation.
Not only the snow garden, but also the teleportation in an area of about 50 km around Hidden Palace had been restricted.
As a result, while Elona concentrated on controlling dimensional travel, it seemed as though the Grand Seal of the Seven Swords of Hidden Palace was effectively suppressing her.
However, Elona was merely contemplating.
'How can I leave without killing them?'
Despite Hidden Palace being her archenemy, and even though Misha had once supported Runcandel along with Murakan.
For some reason, Elona didn't want to kill them. Maybe it was because she had just woken up and wanted to conserve her strength until she fully recovered.
Furthermore, there was a high possibility that someone who could be called a 'formidable foe' was waiting for her. Perhaps the voice that woke her up was hoping that she would confront them.
'Again, the days of battling on the battlefield must be waiting for me. Or... something different... a better life awaits me too.'
Elona felt her mind getting increasingly dizzy. It wasn't because she had used too much power. Even in her current state, far from her prime, she could have killed everyone present within a dozen seconds and left.
Yet, the mere thought of having to kill someone made her heart sad.
Crack-!
The last ice pillar was shattering. The Seven divine artifacts of Hidden Palace couldn't withstand the overload and were losing power one by one. The reason was that the central core, which was supposed to be Myriad Ice, hadn't reached this location.
As Elona cleared her complex thoughts, the thousand-year-old seal came to an end.
'I am Elona, Elona Zipfel. A person who fights for the clan. That's the only life given to me. The confusion must have been because I'm so far from my clan now.'
Floating in mid-air, Elona moved her staff lightly as if tapping the ground. Ping, mana waves rippled through the air.
With that simple action, Misha collapsed forward and lost consciousness once again, and the swordsmen of Hidden Palace screamed as they fell to the ground. As soon as her staff hit the air, the entire space condensed with mana. Misha and the Seven Swords of Hidden Palace couldn't withstand the pressure.
"Now, I don't see a good reason to kill you all. But if we meet again on the battlefield, I won't be able to spare you like I did today."
Looking down at the fallen individuals, Elona spoke. Since all the Seven divine artifacts had also fallen to the ground, there was nothing else that could restrain her.
Or more accurately, there was nothing that could restrain her from the moment she opened her eyes.
"... So, when that time comes, flee with all your might. If possible, run to a place where I cannot chase you."
Elona walked through the air and touched the walls of subspace. As her staff made contact, the walls tore open in a circle, revealing the sea of Hidden Palace.
With each step Elona took through the air, the sea below turned over, forming waves.
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