Chapter 84

[One of his bloodlines is Frost. Be careful.]

[What about the other one?]

[I don't know. But it seems to be related to melee combat. His magic power level is top-tier, about midway between you two.]

Before the fight, Turan used wind magic to discreetly spread his voice and communicate with his comrades.

Of course, the only one among them who was not proficient in handling wind magic, Solif, had no choice but to just listen.

In that fleeting moment created during their conversation,

Renaud took advantage of it and swiftly swung his ice axe, sending a crescent-shaped streak of chilling light from its blade.

The target was Turan, who was standing in the middle of the three.

“Ugh!”

Turan immediately attempted to defend by creating an earthen wall, but to his surprise, the streak of light effortlessly sliced through the magically reinforced stone barrier and surged toward him.

At that moment, a green shield sprang forth from his body, blocking the attack and freezing over.

It was a self-defense magic artifact he had taken from a noble of House Varaha.

‘That was dangerous.’

Turan narrowed his eyes at the force transmitted through the shield.

Not only was the attack excessively powerful compared to the amount of magic power behind it, but it was also difficult to comprehend its magical principle.

Could it have something to do with the fusion of two bloodlines?

“Hup!”

At that moment, Solif let out a shout and overturned the ground, launching dozens of rock bullets forward.

Following up, Meisa conjured multiple spears of flame and hurled them, forcing Renaud to cease his assault and retreat while deflecting the attacks with his axe.

“What the- how is their strength…?”

Unlike his previously confident demeanor, for the first time, Renaud's face showed signs of distress.

When Turan's group had been subduing the wizards of House Nagin earlier, they had only displayed strength at the level of high-ranking nobles. But now, they were revealing their true prowess.

Of course, since they were deliberately not using their bloodline abilities, it could not be said that they were going all out.

While the two relentlessly attacked, Turan took out a light-absorbing cloth and used it to swallow the orbs of light that Renaud had created.

In an instant, the brightly illuminated campsite was engulfed in darkness, allowing the three to hide again and launch hidden weapons or freeze the blood from nearby corpses to fire as projectiles.

Clicking his tongue, Turan threw a long, thin needle-shaped weapon.

‘This still doesn’t feel right.’

The weapons they were using had belonged to a noble of House Zahar, Reto, who had been in Aravion. Naturally, since they had never properly trained in handling them, their efficiency was abysmal.

Had they not been trying to disguise themselves as assassins from House Zahar, there would have been no reason to use such weapons.

“Ugh…!”

However, Renaud was unable to deflect the unskilled throwing attacks as easily as before.

Due to the concealment ability, he could not determine where the projectiles were coming from.

Every time he tried to create light again, Turan used the magic artifact to extinguish it, and with the other two constantly attacking, he had no free hands to counter them.

“Arghhhh!”

Unable to endure it any longer, Renaud let out a furious roar, releasing a chilling wave of cold into the surroundings.

The air, which had only been mildly cool, instantly became so frigid that even breaths seemed to freeze. The knights of House Nagin, who were lying on the ground, trembled uncontrollably.

“R-Renaud, sir…”

“It’s too c-cold…”

With just a single shout, Renaud had drastically lowered the surrounding temperature. He then gestured, conjuring dozens of ice spikes and firing them in all directions in an attempt to locate his unseen enemies.

However, when those who can see their target fight against those who cannot, the result is inevitable.

As slashes and stabs continued to accumulate, Renaud’s body gradually became stained with blood.

‘Something’s off…’

While continuing to launch attacks, Turan lightly licked his finger and waved it through the air.

This region had quite a dry climate, yet Renaud was effortlessly condensing ice and using it as projectiles.

Even if he possessed the bloodline ability of the Rapids, which controlled water, in this kind of environment, he should not have been able to wield his power so effortlessly.

Moreover, despite continuously creating ice, there was not even a slight sense that the surrounding air was becoming drier.

At this rate, it did not seem like he was gathering moisture to freeze, it was as if he was outright creating ice from nothing.

Like a buffalo being hunted by a pack of wolves, Renaud resisted for about a minute.

Finally, by the time the knights could no longer endure and all froze to death, the cornered Renaud's eyes turned a bright, blood-red.

“Ugh…”

With a low groan, the flow of magic swirling inside his body began to surge violently.

Realizing he was up to something, Turan was about to break his concealment and shout a warning when Renaud stomped his foot forcefully.

“You bastards-!”

From his foot, a sheet of ice rapidly spread outward, covering a radius of over a hundred meters and turning the ground into a frozen expanse.

Magic that covered the ground in ice? What possible use could that have?

Was he trying to make it difficult for them to walk by making the surface slippery?

Just as that thought crossed their minds, Renaud’s body suddenly slid forward at an incredible speed.

It was so fast that one might think a giant had picked him up and thrown him.

His target was Solif, who had just revealed his position by throwing a hidden weapon.

“Die-!”

In the blink of an eye, Renaud reached Solif's location and, like a half-mad man, let out a wild shout as he swung his axe down onto the ground.

That seemingly meaningless action produced a truly terrifying result.

Crack! From the spot he struck, a massive array of ice spikes erupted in a fan shape, covering several dozen meters in front of him.

As if declaring that if they hid using concealment, he would simply obliterate the entire area.

“This crazy bastard!”

Horrified by the attack aimed at him, Solif activated the magic artifact he had taken from House Varaha at maximum power.

As a white sphere enveloped his body, the ice spikes crashed against it with a harsh grinding noise, shattering upon impact.

‘What kind of strength…!’

Solif’s eyes widened as he felt the pressure from beyond the barrier.

The magic artifact he carried was one of the finest defensive tools even in House Varaha, yet it was screaming as if it might break at any moment.

Turan had assessed that Renaud’s enhanced strength was only somewhere between his and Meisa’s. But judging by this alone, it felt like fighting someone with twice their magic power.

The luminous sphere around Solif’s body disrupted his concealment, allowing Renaud to see him.

His face twisted into an ecstatic grin.

“There you are!”

His bloodshot eyes, the frothing at his mouth, and his slack-jawed expression, one look was enough to tell he was far from sane.

The identity of his second bloodline, symbolized by the crossed axes, was clear, it was the Berserker bloodline, which granted immense physical power at the cost of reason.

Renaud leaped several dozen meters from where he stood and brought his axe down. With a thunderous crash, the white sphere cracked in multiple places.

If the sphere shattered and the fight turned into a melee, it was certain the battle would be over in five seconds. That was how overwhelming his physical abilities were.

“Damn it, help me!”

The moment the desperate Solif shouted for help, a rock came flying from the side and struck Renaud squarely on the head.

Turan, driven by urgency, had thrown it with all his strength, stunning Renaud for a few seconds.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m not dead… Ugh, but I think I got stabbed in a few places.”

As Solif grumbled and quickly used concealment to create distance, Meisa uprooted several massive conifer trees using telekinesis magic and slammed them down onto the barely conscious Renaud.

The fully berserk Berserker let out an enraged roar.

*

Ten minutes later, Turan’s group had managed to subdue Renaud, binding him with the chain magic artifact.

In the process, Solif had been impaled in the thigh by an ice spike, and Meisa had her arm broken by an axe strike.

Still, they had captured him.

The mission was a success.

Using what little magic power they had left, they crafted healing potions to treat their wounds. Then, the three of them dragged Renaud into the middle of a coniferous forest, a short distance away from the campsite, and threw him down.

“Whew, I really thought I was going to die. If he had been just a little stronger, I would’ve had to use my bloodline ability.”

“So, his true identity… It’s that, right?”

“Probably.”

Though they did not speak the god’s name, all three of them had a strong suspicion about the entity residing within Renaud.

The Preah God Tribe, The Wrath of Frost.

Among the nobles of the Frost Bloodline, including those of the Carmine Bloodline, he was considered an ancestor. He was one who could very well possess both the Frost Bloodline and the Berserker Bloodline at the same time.

‘Even so, why is he in House Nagin instead of House Carmine?’

There were several possible explanations.

Perhaps the influence of House Carmine had yet to reach this far, or

‘Maybe there’s already another god ruling over House Carmine.’

Had the entity possessing Renaud not mentioned the word "pact" just moments ago?

Considering that the term usually referred to agreements or treaties between major powers, one conclusion immediately came to mind.

The Preah God Tribe that remained in this land were not all on the same side.

‘Well, if they’re just powerful humans rather than true gods, I suppose that’s inevitable.’

Given that their wizard descendants constantly clashed and fought among themselves, it would be foolish to assume the gods were any different.

Lost in thought, Turan was abruptly pulled back to reality by Solif, who muttered as he looked at Renaud sprawled on the ground.

“Honestly, looking at him now, I feel strange. The fact that we actually caught that thing… It doesn’t feel entirely good. It’s… kind of something hollow, I guess? Not that it was easy, but still.”

He had deliberately referred to the entity as "that thing" rather than "god", suspecting that such beings might have the ability to sense something even through conversation.

Although the entity had only learned that they had spoken in the library and did not know Turan’s true identity or the exact content of their discussion, it was still best to avoid unnecessary risks.

Turan nodded in agreement with Solif’s sentiment.

“I get what you’re saying. To be honest, I felt the same way.”

After all, this was a member of the Preah God Tribe, the supposed ancestors of all wizards, the creators who had repelled other races and saved humanity.

Yet, three people had captured one.

It felt oddly disappointing.

Like finally meeting a revered idol, only to realize he was nothing more than a lucky drunkard.

Hearing their conversation, Meisa, who had been standing behind them, shook her head.

“I wouldn’t say it’s hollow. With this kind of body, he still fought against the three of us like this. I'm feeling frustrated because I can't even imagine how strong that person must be."

“…Yeah, that’s true.”

At the mention of Meisa’s father, Badal Aravion, all three of them fell silent for a moment.

The god inhabiting Renaud had managed to fight on equal footing with three top-tier nobles simply by merging two bloodline abilities within a high-ranking noble’s body.

So, what kind of monstrous power would a god possess if they took over the body of a Great House’s patriarch, fully integrating four bloodlines?

Theoretically, even if all of them had the magic power of Great House leaders, they still might not be able to guarantee victory.

The mere thought of it was enough to shake their confidence, so Turan shook his head and changed the topic.

“Well, for now, we need to extract as much information as we can. And while we’re at it, we should figure out those suspicious spells he was using.”

“Oh, you mean the light attacks? That was really weird. I thought it was just cold energy, but it had a physical presence, and whatever it hit ended up frozen.”

“Yeah, and just the way he used ice magic seemed off. It didn’t feel like normal magic at all.”

At Solif’s remark, Turan explained what he had observed earlier, the ice magic did not seem to use any moisture at all.

Hearing that, Meisa added,

“Oh, right. While we were restraining him, I noticed something. The ice he created disappeared without leaving any water behind. It was as if it had been an illusion.”

“So then… it wasn’t illusionary ice, but what? Summoned ice?”

“That’s what we need to figure out.”

At Turan’s words, Solif groaned.

Though his face was hidden behind the mask, it was not difficult to imagine that he wore a grim expression underneath.

“Is it time for that again?”

“If you don’t want to watch, you can keep watch like last time. My partner is probably getting bored being alone anyway.”

“I’m fine. I should start getting used to this.”

As he exchanged light banter with the disgusted Solif, Turan discreetly focused on Meisa.

Her expression was obscured by the mask, but he could feel the turmoil roiling inside her.

[Will you be okay?]

[It doesn’t matter. That body ultimately belongs to that filthy woman’s child. He's not really my brother.]

When he secretly conveyed his words through wind magic, Meisa responded curtly and then fell silent.

Without further hesitation, Turan poured a small amount of healing potion into Renaud’s mouth and splashed a large droplet of water onto him.

“Ugh…”

With great difficulty, Renaud’s eyes fluttered open. Upon seeing those surrounding him, his eyes widened in alarm.

Three masked figures clad in torn mantles, looking as though they had just been through battle.

Their appearance made it blatantly obvious that they were not upstanding individuals, and in his shock, he instinctively tried to draw upon his magic power, only to find that he felt nothing.

“W-Where am I? What is this? Who are you people?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Or maybe he’s just pretending not to?”

At Meisa’s question, Turan sniffed the air lightly before shaking his head, dismissing the theory.

There was a distinct scent of confusion emanating from Renaud’s body.

It was clear that the god had not fully taken over Renaud’s body, but instead possessed him only when needed.

Judging by the fact that Renaud did not even recognize them, it seemed that his consciousness was partially suppressed even in normal circumstances.

“I think it really is hiding inside him. Hey, you know there’s something inside you, right? Bring it out. If you don’t, we’ll start torturing you.”

“W-What? I have no idea what you’re talking abo-”

Renaud shook his head frantically in denial, but Turan did not miss the fleeting emotion that crossed his face.

A look that practically screamed, I’ve been caught.

‘So, Renaud knows there’s something inside him? Good. This is a perfect chance to find out how the host coexists with it.’

Turan removed Renaud’s shoes and held a long needle to the tip of his toe.

Realizing what was about to happen, Renaud’s face went deathly pale.

“I have no personal grudge against you, so I’ll give you one last chance before the torture starts. Call out the one inside you.”

Turan had only just met the real Renaud, but it was already clear that he was not the most strong-willed person.

As expected, there was no need to actually torture him, he broke down in fear and started shouting desperately.

“A-Ah…! Ymir! Ymir! Save me! Please!”

Ymir, was that the name of the god known as the Wrath of Frost?

However, contrary to expectations, the god residing within Renaud’s body ignored his desperate plea and showed no response.

Even though his host’s life was hanging by a thread.

‘I had my suspicions… Does the soul not perish even if the host dies?’

Turan had ensured that their true identities remained completely hidden, not just during the battle, but even afterward, because he had considered this possibility.

If they killed him and his soul simply returned to its original dwelling, they would have gained nothing while exposing their own information.

Regardless, at this rate, threatening and torturing Renaud would likely yield no valuable information.

So, while crouching in front of him, Turan lowered his voice and recited the words he had prepared in advance.

“Ymir, I have come to deliver the will of Otas.”

Otas.

It was a name of a Preah God Tribe member mentioned in the diary Turan had once come across.

Turan believed that Otas was highly likely to be the ancestor of House Zahar, the Night Hunter.

After all, what the diary's owner desperately needed at the time was precisely House Zahar's tracking ability.

In other words, he was now pretending to be a messenger acting under the orders of Zahar’s god.

‘If I mention the name outright, he’ll at least reveal himself.’

With this, it would be even harder for anyone to suspect that the culprit behind this was just some wandering noble named Turan.

There was no way a mere nobody would know the true name of the Night Hunter.

As expected, Renaud’s frightened expression suddenly shifted, as if someone else had taken over his body.

What was curious, however, was that the emotion displayed was not anger or fear, but something closer to pure shock.

The Preah God Tribe member, Ymir, who had taken over Renaud’s body, let out a shrill exclamation.

“Otas? That damn otaku bastard is still alive?! How?! Where the hell has he been hiding for thousands of years?!”