Chiiiiiik─!
In an instant, the mansion was enveloped in steam.
The heat of the Sun Elixir that hadn’t been neutralized yet clashed head-on with Ezekiel’s chill. It was, indeed, a fierce struggle of power.
‘At least it’s just steam. Calm down, the fighters outside won’t notice it.’
The only witnesses were Ether and Ezekiel, along with the messenger. The warriors shouldn’t find out.
Kwaaaang─! Bang─!
Now, the explosion sounds were quite close.
This meant the front lines had been pushed back. Naturally, there was no more dangerous means than self-destruction for warriors engaged in close combat.
Ezekiel checked the outside’s atmosphere through a crack in the window. He carefully observed the fighters’ expressions.
Indeed, everyone’s composure had diminished. They would find it hard to move with concerns for the 1st Princess.
‘I must not let that suspicion turn into certainty.’
The 1st Princess, the foundation of the warriors, is shaken? If that happens, the tide of the battle would quickly tilt towards defeat.
Moreover, there was another huge problem.
How many would throw their lives away to earn the title of ‘The Strongest’? The moment the 1st Princess’s weakness became known, challengers would swarm in without end.
More confusion? That absolutely could not happen.
Ezekiel had to make it work.
The messenger blinked in disbelief and asked.
“Inspector! This…!”
Not only that, Ether also seemed quite surprised.
“Teacher, I warned you that I’m in danger.”
“You both are incredibly vital personnel. The current circumstances in the Demon Realm are no joke, if something happens to either of you…!”
Given the situation, the messenger’s shout was urgent.
Had there ever been a moment so desperate? It was rare, but it was already too late to back down. The heat of the Sun Elixir wouldn’t let go of Ezekiel’s hand.
Suddenly, Ether spoke up.
“Teacher.”
“Yeah.”
Ezekiel answered calmly. The heat of the Sun Elixir was tremendous, but he tried to suppress his discomfort.
“You said your life is less important than mine. Do you truly believe that?”
Ether’s question was sharp. Ezekiel was human after all; how could he not have the desire to live?
However, Ezekiel did not change his conclusion.
“…Yeah.”
There was nothing he hated more than his own death, but seeing Ether die with his own two eyes would only lead him to regret his remaining life.
That was even worse.
“…”
Ether blinked silently for a moment. She seemed moved by Ezekiel’s sincerity, and perhaps also shocked.
After a while, Ether spoke.
“The heat of the Sun Elixir is unimaginably hot. It’s even messy, mixed up with my energy. It won’t be easy to instill your chill.”
“Well, I’ve never done an easy job anyway.”
Ezekiel replied calmly.
“I just kept at it until it became easier.”
“Is that really true…?”
How long had it been?
In the end, the 1st Princess Ether nodded.
“Teacher, I permit you to touch this noble body.”
It was permission to do as he pleased.
The messenger’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“You’re going to touch her energy? If anything goes wrong, you’ll lose your life. Not only the 1st Princess but also the Inspector’s safety is incredibly at risk…”
“Once my hand touches, there’s no taking it back. Messenger, keep your dignity as my subordinate.”
Once a decision was made, it was never reversed.
Ether sharply cut off the conversation and bent further at her waist. She completely relinquished her back to Ezekiel.
It was astonishing.
The 1st Princess exposing her bare skin, and a warrior turning their back. It all signified something monumental.
Ether slowly closed her eyelids.
“Teacher, what I just said is no different from a confession. You are prepared to take responsibility for me, right?”
“I’ve always been prepared for that level.”
“The way you wield the chill is incredibly intricate… Yeah, who else should I trust if not you? From now on, act on your desires without hesitation.”
It felt like she was casually handing over an item.
But Ezekiel understood. Ether cherished her body dearly. Still, her trust in him was far greater.
It was deeply appreciated.
“Aaah… Ugh…”
As the messenger fidgeted, Ether turned her gaze towards them.
“What’s the problem?”
“Putting both your lives on the chopping block isn’t the same! I am deeply concerned…”
“In other words, it means we share life and death.”
Ether only chuckled at that.
“Isn’t that incredibly romantic?”
She spoke boldly of romance, but her wheezing breaths revealed the worsening of Ether’s condition.
At that moment, voices surged from outside the mansion.
“Your Highness, the fighting spirit of the enemies cloaked in mana is unusual! If you just step out and burn them away…!”
“Handling the corpses won’t end it. They keep reviving in bizarre ways!”
All voices conveyed that the situation was dire. Things were escalating very quickly.
Ezekiel was well aware of that.
He released his chill onto Ether’s nape, his palm resting on her bare skin. He felt both her soft skin and the firmly toned muscles of her back simultaneously.
The gentle flesh was soon burned as it ignited.
And then it repeatedly healed itself.
‘If I could end this chain of pain with my own hands.’
It was a thought he held while drawing out as much chill as he could.
Ezekiel, who so eagerly desired the Sun Elixir but could not obtain it, and the 1st Princess Ether, who did not particularly want the Sun Elixir but had to forcibly endure the pain.
Neither of them might have been very happy.
‘Now, I just want us all to be happy.’
The man simply wished for that. To do so, he first needed to quell the heat sleeping within the 1st Princess’s body.
Sssssssss─!
Chill rising like a frost cave.
Ezekiel shut out all distractions.
Yes, he forgot everything except for saving the 1st Princess.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Unbelievable.
The princess, as high as the heavens, permitted him to touch her skin.
The Goddess of War, the Queen of All Cures… She bore immensely powerful titles. What man could ever experience placing his palm on her bare flesh?
The place where Ezekiel’s hand touched was very high on her back. Almost the nape of her neck.
The neck.
A vital spot where blood vessels cluster, and at the same time, a place where aura surges forth. It was a critical area for Ether who manipulated energy.
Now, all of that depended solely on Ezekiel.
Chiiiiiik─!
His palm felt as if it might burn away.
Having lived his life, he had never felt such warmth. The Sun Elixir still felt like magic. How could such a thing exist?
“The Sun Elixir’s spirit is tormenting my blood, blocking it everywhere. I need to pierce through it with chill.”
Ether murmured quietly, having entrusted her nape to him.
“If it’s a passage for energy, I’ve kept it well-maintained. Just forcefully push in your chill, and that’s enough. If you shove in enough, it will flow on its own.”
Indeed, the 1st Princess maintained an absurdly wide channel for energy.
The path of energy is influenced by one’s mental strength.
Just how much training must one undergo to reach such a level? Then again, merely enduring the pain of burning flesh every moment was beyond ordinary mental strength.
Kuung─!
At that moment, the mansion’s front door collided violently with something.
“Do not let this door open at any cost!”
“Protect it! Definitely protect it!”
“Push forward as much as you can! If a corpse explodes here, it’ll be dangerous! This is the 1st Princess’s mansion!”
The voices echoed all proclaiming the urgency of the situation. The Demon Realm’s ‘Goddess’ wished for the 1st Princess’s downfall.
It was not something hard to understand. If they could take the 1st Princess down, conquering the continent of the Demon Realm would be much easier.
Crisis.
Ezekiel slowly closed his eyes.
“Ah, this won’t do! I will join the battlefield as well. Your Highness, Inspector, please stay safe!”
Leaving behind the sound of the messenger dashing out, he buried his consciousness. He slowly pushed in the chill.
Sruuuh─
As soon as he closed his eyes, a vivid scene manifested. In the pitch black view, something unfolded into akin shapes of branches, blue and red, extending everywhere.
He could see the 1st Princess’s energy and path entirely.
Suddenly.
A comment the Emperor had made popped into his mind.
—It seems the Sun Elixir fears your chill. Even I have never witnessed such a thing.
To instill fear meant they acknowledged superiority.
Could they possibly overcome it?
No, could he dominate the spirit of the Sun Elixir?
To realize such an audacious idea, he poured all of his concentration into the chill. After experiencing countless battles lately, his chill manipulation had risen even further.
For some reason, confidence bubbled within him.
He heard Ether’s stifled coughs a few times before slowly fading from his consciousness.
And then, at some point.
Ezekiel felt a massive world.
Ether’s path seemed so expansive that it felt like a world unto itself. The level he had achieved surpassed others to an astounding degree; it was rightly ‘The Strongest.’
It felt like an incredibly mysterious inner body.
Yet, perhaps due to the side effects of the Sun Elixir, it appeared exceedingly unstable.
Hooouuuuk─!
He forcefully blew in his chill.
He did not forget Ether’s advice. Since her path was wide, he only needed to pour the chill in comfortably.
He followed that entirely.
As a reaction, heat filled Ezekiel. It felt as if he was suffering from high fever; his head spun, and he even started to smell burning at the tip of his nose.
But.
Nonetheless.
Hooouuuuk─!
In a relentless push, there came a result.
“…Huh?”
At some point, he heard the 1st Princess’s dazed exclamation.
At the same time, the man felt certain.
That he had a chance to dominate the spirit of the Sun Elixir.
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