After experiencing it, the layout of the second floor was even more notorious than it appeared on the map. It felt like it was designed solely to kill visitors.
Naturally, there were many resident fiends as well.
‘High level.’
It wasn’t just some low-level monster or minor fiend like what they encountered in the Ruiple area. Each one was a high-ranking entity with refined combat abilities.
“Mana is so dense here, I could believe this is any area of the Demon Realm. What on earth are the fiends thinking? Why are they so determined….”
After a few battles, Seina muttered in disbelief. It seemed hard for her to believe she had to exert herself so much.
Even so, Seina didn’t make a sound suggesting they take a break, as if she didn’t want to be a burden to Ezekiel. They pressed on endlessly and soon arrived.
“Master, according to the map, this is the center of the underground second floor. There should definitely be elders around here.”
Seina said while wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Suddenly, there was a moment when both of them stopped walking at the same time. They sensed a fierce energy collision.
“….”
Seina and Ezekiel exchanged glances.
In the depths over there, the energy waves from the magic collisions brushed against them with each surge.
It appeared the battle was quite fierce.
At that moment, there were those who approached first.
To be precise, they came rising from the floor.
They had been mere black puddles, but the moment they felt Ezekiel’s energy, they transformed into human assassins.
A total of ten.
They had combat prowess similar to those they faced when battling the Black Tower Master in the Thicket of Thorns. They appeared to be specialized in assassinations or underhanded tactics among fiends.
The one in the center spoke.
“Finally found you. There’s no need to fight. I’m not interested in the girl, but how about traveling with us?”
They cautiously avoided being hostile towards Ezekiel and Agnes while subtly trying to persuade them. They didn’t recklessly charge in.
‘They sure have a good grasp of strength.’
This meant they understood they were strong and had the intelligence to come up with an alternative plan. They were definitely on a much higher level than those encountered on the first floor.
“You found us? Who are you, ah…?”
The specialized assassin fiend, who appeared late, tilted his head in disbelief at an exaggerated angle.
Surprise was evident in his voice.
“Ice Ghost…. Is that… an Ice Ghost…?”
“The Goddess’s scheme worked splendidly. Indeed, humans seem to have a tendency to come seeking trouble when harassed by nearby humans. Such pitiful creatures.”
“If it’s truly an Ice Ghost, I doubt we can subdue it. How should we approach?”
“As long as we can buy time, that’s excellent.”
The mention of the Ice Ghost created an enormous wave of tension, causing the specialized assassin fiends to chatter among themselves.
Seina quietly whispered to Ezekiel.
“I think they are mistaking you for the Ice Ghost because your chill is so impressive, Master. You really are something else.”
“Uh-huh.”
Ezekiel let out a nonchalant reply.
‘They can’t possibly consider me the actual Ice Ghost.’
It wasn’t a matter of faith. It was only natural for them not to think that the Ice Ghost they revered and revered as an ancient figure was someone living in the same era.
In fact, it turned out to be a good thing.
Aren’t the fiends originally targeting the Ice Ghost?
If Ezekiel were to be confirmed as the Ice Ghost among humans, he might face criticism, and Seina might act a bit more troublesome. This was better.
“Ice Ghost…! Let’s just hold them down.”
“Right, after all, the Goddess is at the center.”
They began to approach Ezekiel.
Rather than aiming to kill, they seemed focused on restraining him, pulling out black strings made of mana.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Immediately, Seina stepped up.
Smack!
She swept away all the black strings that the fiends started to wield with a single strike of her ice whip.
“Master, I’ll take care of these guys. You hurry to the center. You have something you want!”
Ezekiel trusted Seina and did as she suggested.
Without hesitation, he froze the ground completely. He needed to move quickly.
Scrape!
As he sped past the specialized assassin fiends, he sliced off the heads of two of them with his blade hand. It should help Seina.
“I took down two, so I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Whoosh—!
The pressure of freezing the ground and walls as he moved was formidable. Even before accessing the Sun Elixir, his speed had been fast, but now it had transcended that.
Boom!
As he unleashed his mana, the space compressed.
That was the sensation he felt. He zipped past the location at the edge of his vision in the blink of an eye.
Whoosh—!
Perhaps due to the incredible speed, he had to layer mana over his eardrums to protect them. The surrounding wind was fierce.
In mere seconds, Ezekiel reached the center of the battlefield.
He shaped the tip of the icy path into an upward curve, launching himself high into the air. From that height, he could quickly survey the situation below.
“Ice…?”
“This way! They’re coming this way!”
“Are they fiends?”
“I can feel mana. They seem to be mages…!”
Everyone’s surprise was audible. Ezekiel clearly observed the astonished expressions of the elders from the purple magic tower.
Swish—!
Of course, he was amassing an enormous chill in the process.
A sudden thought struck him.
‘Conclusion’ is the power to completely condense and freeze the chill.
With his enhanced capabilities, he felt it might now be possible to operate the chill in exactly the opposite manner, completely dispersing it. A light bulb went off in his head.
The name of this technique.
“…Scatter.”
Boom—!
An energy wave of chill radiated outward from Ezekiel in a circular pattern. It was exceedingly cold yet lacked the power to freeze the fiends it touched.
Instead, it simply crushed the fiendish beings in contact.
Like land parched by drought cracking open, the completely desiccated bodies of the fiends tore apart and turned to dust.
Fiends, mages… all eyes were on him.
Their species differed, but the emotions on their faces weren’t so different. After laying eyes on Ezekiel’s new technique, they just wore expressions of admiration.
“Ice Ghost…! The Ice Ghost has come!”
“How delighted the Queen must be!”
Surprisingly, the fiends expressed even greater joy than the humans. Even though they were on the brink of death.
The battle situation flipped in an instant.
Just when the mages of the magic tower were about to say something.
—Come back.
A voice echoed throughout the underground maze.
Was this what it felt like when the word “fascination” became a sound? It was alluring and simultaneously very beguiling.
“….”
Looking up, there was a woman with her form outlined only by a gray veil spun from mana.
Ezekiel’s gaze shifted to the elders of the magic tower.
They immediately explained.
“…Seems to be the leader; she’s been observing us from up there for a week. She’s not an ordinary opponent.”
“It felt like she regarded this battle as a game.”
Ezekiel instinctively knew the identity of his opponent.
She possessed an existence that was transcendently different from the high-ranking fiends. It was the one whom the enemies referred to as the Goddess.
Yet.
—Ice Ghost, welcome back?
“…What?”
Ezekiel unintentionally asked back.
The words from the Goddess of the demon realm were so unexpected. Asking if he was back felt like a casual greeting. Why now, in this moment, upon their first meeting?
—This Goddess of the Spider waited solely for you even in the barren lands of the Demon Realm. Hehehe…
The Goddess of the Spider.
That meant a spider deity. However, Ezekiel was more profoundly surprised by its implications rather than the title itself.
‘A title of a god, directly below the Demon Lord.’
If the title had reached that level, it meant she was of high-ranking status, capable of commanding legions—an immediate subordinate right below the Demon Lord.
Given the meticulous grading of fiends in the demon realm, that placed her among the very highest tiers.
—Ah… I wish I could rip apart this veil and rush over, but I choose to uphold the aesthetics of waiting today…
With the Goddess’s words and demeanor, the atmosphere turned ambiguous. The magic tower mages began regarding Ezekiel with suspicion.
From Ezekiel’s perspective, this was utterly unfair.
He had never met the Goddess before.
Could they perhaps be taking advantage of this mood?
“Is your plan to spew nonsensical drivel and create confusion among the magicians? Is that your scheme?”
—If you speak so sadly…
Every word the Goddess spoke made the mages clutch their heads. Her very voice was enveloped in dense mana and an overwhelming charm.
—My body, my heart, are solely yours. You may do as you wish right now…?
“What I desire is clear.”
Ezekiel found the answer.
It was a way to dispel the suspicions of the purple magic tower mages, resolve this incident, and also clear his own grievances.
There was only one thing to do.
“…You said you’re a Goddess, then die here today.”
Ezekiel gripped a spear of ice tightly and declared.
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