"Haa… Haa…! I barely… made it?"
Herman collapsed into place, gasping for breath.
Elric hurriedly approached and supported him.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm… fine. It's just a temporary exhaustion from using too much mana all at once."
Though Herman looked exhausted, somehow he seemed to be in good spirits.
How should I put it?
His face looked somewhat relieved.
"Although my stamina and physical condition aren't what they used to be, do you know what the upside is to having suffered from blockage disease and meeting you?"
"What is it?"
"I've taken one step closer to something I've long desired."
"…?"
Elric couldn't understand what Herman meant.
But Herman's eyes were shining more intensely than ever before.
Turning misfortune into opportunity.
That phrase was the first thing that flashed through his mind.
The treatment method Elric had taught him had made mana circulation far more efficient than before, minimizing the loss rate. Moreover, all the conversations they'd had left new spiritual stimulation, opening a new vision for him.
Because of that.
He had finally been able to complete the Beak of the Hawk that he had longed for.
'If I can acquire the remaining Wings, Talons, and Eyes here…!'
The first step is always the hardest, but the second one is easier.
And even the final destination.
'If that's the case, I might really be able to obtain the Fangs of the Lion.'
The Fangs of the Lion.
Surpassing the Hawk and reaching the true Lion—no, going beyond that—was the burning desire, the fervent wish, that he and his sworn brothers had longed for.
And just a moment ago.
Herman felt even more certain.
That Elric was the key person necessary for obtaining those Fangs of the Lion.
'I don't know what exactly happened inside during the past four days…!'
Herman could sense it clearly as he felt the sharp wind and cold aura radiating from Elric—he had overcome a new wall.
His skin… tingled.
Was it simply because of the frigid air Elric carried with him, or perhaps the latent power Elric unconsciously released, subtly provoking his own competitive spirit?
That, he couldn't know for sure right away.
But there was one thing he was certain of.
Elric had been growing stronger and would continue to do so.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Elric placed his hand on Herman's back and infused him with mana.
Herman flinched for a second. Usually, when different kinds of mana were infused in such a way, there was a risk of internal injury if not handled carefully.
But the mana Elric transferred flowed gently, like a warm spring breeze, circulating throughout Herman's body, chasing away fatigue and filling him with vitality.
It was a recovery method, utilizing the mana circulation technique from Magic Martial Arts.
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Thanks to you."
"The outside still seems chaotic, so if you'll excuse me for a moment."
As Herman nodded, Elric gave him a grateful glance, stood up, and headed toward the central temple.
[It's Elric!]
[Elric's back!]
[I want to go too!]
[Me too!]
[Let's go together!]
The gods of Winter Flowers hurriedly followed after him.
Particularly, the God of Daffodils was so overjoyed at Elric's return that they circled around him continuously without rest.
[The God of Camellias is here too!]
[Camellia, are you okay?]
[Are you alright?]
[Are you not sleepy anymore?]
The God of Camellias, still perched on Elric's shoulder, appeared visibly irritable, frowning deeply before shouting angrily.
[One at a time, please! You're all chattering so loudly I can't understand a single word!]
[Are you okay?]
[You're alright, right?]
[You're not hurt?]
[Camellia said to speak one at a time!]
[That's why I said something first!]
[No, I spoke first!]
[No! It was my turn to speak!]
The God of Camellias could only let out a deep sigh as she looked at the gods of Winter Flowers, who still showed no signs of change whatsoever.
Right. What could be expected from these young gods, who hadn't changed in over a thousand years?
They were just children, after all. As the more understanding and broad-minded one, it was up to Camellia to be patient and embrace them. What else could she do?
Perhaps this was the new mission given to Camellia, reborn as the God of Flowers after bidding farewell to Pharos and the Eight Colds.
Step.
Step.
While the God of Camellias was lost in such thoughts, Elric had already reached the end of the central temple's hallway and flung the doors wide open.
Tsutsu—
The Seal of Maleficence glowed faintly once again, casting an eerie shadow that squirmed. Like hyenas searching for a delicious meal, the shadow had already devoured Barasen's corpse and slowly moved outside to hunt for more prey.
Bam!
Beyond the opened doors, Elric could see a fierce battle still raging, with enemies locked in combat amidst the flames that roared violently.
Whoosh—
Elric activated both the Seal of Brutal Cold and the Seal of Winter Wind, shouting loudly:
"[Stop!]-!"
That one command was enough.
A fierce blizzard surged through the temple grounds.
Whirl!
Whistle!
A blast of cold wind swept through, ice shards falling in clusters as the flames were instantly snuffed out. The enemies, identified by the magic, found their vision obscured and their hands and feet frozen solid.
"Wh-What is this?!"
"W-What?! Lord Barasen was supposed to be in there… Gah!"
They had never imagined that Barasen could be defeated. Caught off guard, they were quickly overwhelmed by the counterattack from the Blue Hawks and Heize, collapsing one after another.
"R-Retreat!"
Finally, Fury's soldiers, realizing things had gone terribly wrong, attempted a hasty retreat.
But
"Entering is easy, but leaving? Not so much. [Surge]."
Elric had no intention of letting them go, lightly pressing his fingers against the air.
Ripples spread gently from his fingertips through the air, and the mana field warped intensely.
Rumble…!
At the same time, the ground trembled, and a massive ice wall shot up in front of the retreating beastmen, blocking their path to the temple's main gate.
"What the hell is this?!"
"Damn it!"
The fighters clenched their fists and desperately gathered all the mana they could, swinging to break through the icy wall blocking their way.
Crash!
Crack—
Some of the ice walls shattered, but most of them only ended up with cracks.
The problem was that Elric had made the walls so thick that, even when cracks appeared, they quickly sealed themselves due to the cold winds swirling around. Any attempt to break through the walls was rendered futile.
From the start, Elric hadn't tried to overexert himself in creating the ice walls.
Even if they broke, he could easily restore them by using the environment to his advantage.
Rapid recovery.
This was the fighting style he had mastered during his battle with General Winter.
It was a minor adjustment, but the difference in outcome was significant.
"Aaaargh!"
"Move! Move it, damn it!"
"[Pierce]."
With a cold sneer at the panicked foes, Elric summoned a barrage of ice arrows and sent them crashing down.
Each arrow was far thicker than a grown man's arm, with sharp tips.
Moreover, they were laced with ice poison at the ends.
Wherever they struck, limbs were severed, and frostbite rapidly spread from the wounds, filling the temple with the screams and wails of the victims.
"Wow! Our nephew-in-law's gotten terrifying, huh?"
"At this rate, even a few of us might get overwhelmed."
The Blue Hawks joked among themselves as they swiftly eliminated the beastmen.
Slash!
With the head of the last remaining member of the beastmen falling, the freezing storm that had engulfed the temple abruptly ceased.
"Ha! Impressive…"
Herman, catching his breath, slowly stepped out of the central temple and let out an exclamation of admiration as he took in the sight that stretched across the temple.
Not only had Elric wiped out the intruders, but the entire landscape had been transformed into a blanket of pure white.
A breathtaking view, one that cleared the mind just by looking at it.
[Wow, it's beautiful!]
[Snow! Look, snow!]
[It's so white! Wow!]
[It looks like a blank canvas!]
[Snowflakes! There are snowflakes too!]
The gods of Winter Flowers seemed to have completely forgotten the trouble caused by the intruders. They cheered excitedly, throwing their arms up in celebration at the sight of the snowy landscape.
Especially the God of Daffodils, whose eyes sparkled as they gazed at the snowflakes that had formed on the once-bare branches.
The crystals had settled beautifully in various places.
The scene was like a multitude of flowers blooming in full, something they hadn't seen at the temple of flowers for a long time, bringing great joy to the flower gods.
And
Those present couldn't help but feel a sense of peace and tranquility.
And then.
"..."
Elric locked eyes with Augustine, who had been quietly observing everything from the roof of the temple.
Augustine was smiling.
As if he were watching a beloved grandson.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a gentle and fragrant scent of flowers seemed to waft through the air from somewhere.
***
"I will infuse this with the scent of flowers."
After clearing away the bodies of the intruders and all traces of the flames, Elric gathered everyone, including the gods of Winter Flowers, and pulled out the Ice Crystal as Elric spoke.
"The scent of flowers?"
"What are you planning to do with that?"
Gility tilted his head in confusion, while Heize, who was already familiar with the Ice Crystal, asked a question.
However, the gods of Winter Flowers, including the God of Camellias, had already caught on to Elric's meaning.
[You're planning to awaken the other flower seeds in the same way you did with me, aren't you?]
The God of Camellias' eyes sparkled as they spoke, and the gods of Winter Flowers immediately cheered in unison.
[Wow, really? Is that true?]
[Does that mean we can meet all of them now?]
[Even Folia?]
[And Cyclamen?]
[Can we meet Dianthus too? Yes? Yes?]
[What about Peppermint?]
[We'll even get to see Lavender! Hooray!]
Their eyes shone with excitement at the thought of not only reuniting with the other Winter Flowers, but also possibly seeing the flowers of spring, summer, and autumn again.
If Elric could use the Ice Crystal to extract the cold energy from the dormant seeds, they could once again play with their friends, just like in the old days.
But
[No. That won't be possible.]
The God of Camellias shook her head firmly, and the Winter Flower gods all immediately wore expressions of disappointment.
[Why not?]
[Why can't we do it?]
[Because there's a limit to the vessel.]
[A limit?]
[What's a limit?]
[The amount of cold energy the Ice Crystal can hold is limited.]
A bitter smile spread across the God of Camellias' lips.
[And even if it worked, wouldn't they fall back asleep soon if General Winter isn't removed? So the most important thing is to defeat winter and bring spring.]
[Then how will you capture the scent of flowers?]
[Who are you going to wake up?]
"I will start by awakening all of the Winter Flowers."
This time, Elric answered directly.
The gods of Winter Flowers all turned their attention to him.
Elric held up the Ice Crystal.
"This contains the scent of Camellia."
But it wasn't just the camellia's scent. Along the way, it had absorbed the essence of cold winds and the chill of loneliness.
All of these were elements that had once composed the Queen, who had fallen asleep in the distant past within the garden.
"In the same way, if I can infuse the Ice Crystal with the scents of all of you Winter Flowers, and let it bloom into an Ice Flower…."
Elric's eyes were filled with determination.
"I believe that eventually, we can forcefully contain General Winter in here and call forth 'spring.'"
The plan was to gather all the elements scattered across the Black Snowfield when the queen had closed her eyes and bring them together into this one place. That would be the final piece needed to complete Winter. Elric called such a crystalized form an Ice Flower.
If they succeeded.
The forgotten Spring would naturally return.
Wherever the Ice Flower faded, the warm breeze of spring and the fragrance of spring blossoms would always follow.
[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]