Chapter 204 – Chapter 43: Storm
The legend of the elder dragons, who were said to have the same power as a god, was handed down in various places throughout the Demon World. The species with the longest historical record among the various species of the Demon World were the dark elves, but the elder dragons were even older than the dark elves.
The elder dragons had existed throughout the history of the Demon World. This meant there were many legends about them, especially from the Era of Struggle. The reason for this was very simple.
The Era of Struggle had been a horrible era in which all the species of the Demon World fought against each other, resulting in death and killing every day. In the days when the cruelties of war couldn’t be escaped, only the areas ruled by the elder dragons had escaped from the battles.
The absolute power of the elder dragons had not allowed any conflicts in their territory. There had been some groups foolish enough to challenge the elder dragons, but their fates had always been the same. Even among the dragons, who were called the best species, the elder dragons were special. They were dragons with the power of gods.
In the myths and legends, each of the elder dragons were given their own image.
Ainkel had the power of life and was the benevolent mother of Enger Plains. She gave peace to the people who entered her territory. In all the records, she had been painted as a saintess.
Enkidu was a tyrant with the power of destruction. However, ironically, due to his violence, Enkidu’s territory was more peaceful than the territory of any other elder dragon. Even the strongest species wouldn’t dare to boast in Enkidu’s territory. If Ainkel was a mother, then Enkidu was a father.
Recorder Torres was portrayed as an inquisitive scholar and Violent Kaltein a silent warrior. Although the Cruel Talia was portrayed as a youthful girl, she was considered ‘cruel’ for her ability to wipe out whole groups with a smile on her face.
Guardian Queian always appeared as a sage in the stories. He wasn’t benign like Ainkel nor was he cruel like Talia. Unlike Torres, Quiean often got involved because of his curiosity. However, he wasn’t as violent as Enkidu, nor could he stay silent like Kaltein.
The last appearance of the elder dragons had been around 1,000 years ago. Since then, no one had spotted the elder dragons in the Demon World.
&
The Great Enkidu had lived for thousands of years. He had been born after the first elder dragons had already been annihilated by the red dragon. From the time he had been born, he had known what his role was and who his enemies were.
The elder dragon had the same power as a god, but he was no longer the same as he had been in the past. He had changed exactly 1,000 years ago.
Enkidu thought as he lay down in lava.
The Four Riders of the Apocalypse and the elder dragons couldn’t intervene in the world in the same way as before. Moreover, both sides had just woken up from a very deep sleep.
However, the story was already continuing on without Enkidu’s intervention. The indirect conflicts were then repeated, and the Great Enkidu acknowledged that the flow of destiny was accelerating due to these conflicts.
The Great Enkidu was patient. He had a hunch about his role in this torrent of destiny and instinctively felt that the moment when he would need to perform his role was just around the corner.
Enkidu sighed, with a fragment of Ainkel’s broken soul remaining by his side.
&
A frigid cold…
The entire world seemed to be coated in white. A blizzard was in motion, and the wind was like a knife. The harsh cold caused their breaths to freeze. It had been fine after just crossing the limit line. The cold was worse, but the wind was at a fairly bearable level. A group of casios attacked them, but they weren’t a big threat.
However, hell started once a day passed after crossing the limit line.
In-gong was reminded of the documentaries he had watched of Mount Everest. They were obviously walking through the plains, but it was hard to breathe like they were in a high mountain area. The thick snow made it difficult to move, and the blowing winds couldn’t be blocked by their collars.
Silvan had tearfully given up the Black Flame Dragon. Of course, that didn’t mean it had been left behind at the limit line. A minimal number of people had been left to run the Black Flame Dragon, and it headed back to Enger Plains.
All of those present were wearing winter clothes made of casios leather. The previous big battle at Enger Plains meant it wasn’t difficult to produce clothes for 200 people. However, there was a limit to how much they could protect their bodies using the winter clothes and tools.
“Magic! Create a fire with magic! Do it!”
Amita cried out from their position on Carack’s back. Despite the winter clothing, Amita’s tail still flinched from the cold. Amita’s words weren’t for Carack but the children of the demon king at the front. Felicia, who was walking the closest to them, nodded, but she couldn’t look back.
“Can’t! Blow out, everything!”
Her lips didn’t move well because of the cold, so her pronunciation was weird. However, the meaning was understood. The wind and cold were so strong that it was hard to even use fire magic. Even if she did create a fire, it would blow out in a few seconds.
“Bell Fire! Bell Fire!”
Amita exclaimed as they buried their face in Carack’s back. Although their pronunciation was off, they seemed to be requesting for Hellfire. Felicia pretended not to hear it. She couldn’t waste her magic power beyond the limit line where anything could happen at any time.
“Hah…ha…”
Her footsteps were too heavy because of the snow. She was wearing large coloured goggles to protect her eyes from the light reflecting off the snow.
She felt like she was going to die. It was difficult to breathe, and she couldn’t see well because of the colours goggles. If there wasn’t a rope tied around her waist, then Felicia would’ve missed the person in front of her.
Due to the thick winter clothing she wore, Felicia wriggled and lost her footing. Normally, she would’ve screamed, but it didn’t emerge this time. The good news was that Felicia didn’t fall because there was a hand supporting her waist.
“Are you okay?”
It was In-gong, who often looked back while walking. Unlike the others, his pronunciation was fine, and he didn’t seem tired at all. Felicia leaned against In-gong’s firm arm clad in a thick winter coat.
“P-Pleasant. Isn’t Shutra cold?”
“Yes.”
In-gong said, laughing awkwardly. In fact, In-gong didn’t feel any cold right now. His was a body which didn’t feel the cold, heat, or any poisons.
‘Indeed, Protagonist Body.’
However, if In-gong said that he didn’t feel the cold, then he didn’t know what resentment would be poured towards him.
“Shutra, sustain…”
Caitlin said with admiration from where she was walking, not far from Felicia. Her stamina was high, but her words couldn’t help being affected by the cold.
Felicia took a few breaths and tried to leave In-gong’s arms to walk, but it wasn’t easy. She had already lost strength in her legs. In-gong supported Felicia’s waist and asked,
“Do you want a ride?”
Normally, Felicia would’ve refused, but not this time. She nodded instantly. However, just as In-gong was about to raise Felicia to his back… There was a banging sound from the side. When he turned his head, he saw a red light which acted as a signal in the snow.
“I’ll be back!”
In-gong left Felicia to Caitlin and activated Wind Style. He glided over the snow as he heard a loud roar.
“Yeti!”
The yeti, which looked like giant gorillas with white fur, were attacking the rear of the party. There were only a few yetis attacking 200 people, but the party’s combat power had fallen greatly due to the frigid conditions. It was a situation where the number of victims could be unimaginable.
“Kuooh!”
However, he didn’t need to worry. By the time In-gong arrived, Vandal was already attacking the last of the yetis. In-gong quickly used White Eagle and Black Eagle to help and asked Vandal,
“Vandal, are you okay?”
“I’m okay, though I moved a little wildly due to the cold.”
Vandal smiled after smashing the yetis in a flash. In-gong sighed with relief and placed the bodies of the yetis in his inventory. The peeled off fat could be used for a fire and the meat could be eaten, so the corpses would be useful somewhere.
“Be careful not to sweat.”
In-gong wondered if it was possible to sweat in this cold weather, but the sweat would be impossible to stop once it started.
After half a day, the party decided to seek refuge from the cold in a large cave where frost giants resided. Thanks to the help of the Giant King’s Sword, they were able to establish a friendly relationship without any bloodshed.
As soon as they entered the cave, Felicia and Anastasia used magic and spirits to block the entrance of the cave. Although small air holes were present, it was enough to stop the cold. Amita sang in front of a large fire ignited with the help of the last flame. The divine power in the green flame could be felt by In-gong’s divinity.
As the air in the cave warmed up, the environment became more tolerable. Moreover, the 200 people had to stick close to each other, so the heat could be felt.
‘I’m glad I found this cave.’
In-gong sighed with relief as he closed his mini-map. In this cold weather, he wouldn’t have been able to relax if they needed to sleep in tents out in the cold.
“Hah…huh… Prince, is the area beyond the limit line always like this? I suddenly feel a great respect for the barbarians.”
Carack asked after catching his breath. As In-gong took out food from his inventory, he agreed,
“I guess.”
It was why the western and eastern barbarians always attacked the limit line. However, Anastasia shook her head as she heard their conversation.
“It isn’t always like this beyond the limit line. The east and west is more livable than this. And… this frigid zone won’t last long.”
“Is that just your wish?”
Anastasia stayed silent at Carack’s question. However, it really was the case. Everybody’s moods darkened. If this cold persisted, they would be wiped out before even reaching Shutenberg.
However, fortunately, there was still some hope.
“Don’t worry too much. Princess’ words are correct.”
“Indara?”
It was Indara, who was the head of the sura warriors and served as a guide. He reassured them with a confident expression.
“In around three or four days, the cold will weaken. But… the attack of the creatures will intensify from that point forward.”
“I would rather fight.”
Carack answered, and everyone laughed in agreement.
“The Demon World is really good.”
Someone muttered suddenly, and In-gong agreed. Compared to beyond the limit line, the Demon World was really decent. There were some cases of wastelands like Evian, but the vast majority of the Demon World were areas with livable temperatures and land where crops could be grown. After tasting the terrible environment beyond the limit line, everyone nodded while Indara shrugged.
“It is a legend but originally the Demon World was a very difficult land to live in. It was similar to beyond the limit line.”
“What are you talking about? There was a legend like that?”
Felicia, who sounded like a dying chicken, asked with curiosity. Anastasia laughed at Felicia but instantly sat down next to her and used recovery magic. Indara took a deep breath before turning to In-gong and asking,
“Your Highness, do you know the legend of the Red Dragon?”