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Published at 23rd of April 2024 07:36:19 AM


Chapter 195: Magic at War

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Chapter 195: Magic at War

Edgar hovered high above the eternal glaciers.

Below him was a flurry of activity. Buildings were etched in the ice, half-buried into the glacier and half-exposed to the freezing air. A snow-covered expanse spread as far as the eye could see, interrupted only by the sea in the distance. Emaciated polar bears sat in a massive steel cage, waiting to be fed or sparred against.

Between all that walked a large number of people. Some were dressed heavily, like Alaska's inuit. Others wore laxer clothing, just a jacket or coatthese people had high enough stats that the Siberian cold didnt touch them. There were men and women, all humans, either training or meditating.

The headquarters of Ice Peak resembled a palace dug into the glacierit was actually the F-Grade Dungeon, Iceberg Palace, that theyd conquered. Originally occupied by mermaids, merfolk, and ice spirits, this place was now filled with humans, from its wide courtyards, to the several stories dug into the ice, to the impeccable sculptures that dotted its balconies. Fountains lines the front, with statues of mermaids holding vases from which dripped water.

It was a scenic place that struck Edgars chord for beauty. Only the knowledge of its inhabitants cruelty kept his mind in line. After all, the mermaids and merfolk that once occupied this place had been exterminated. It was a hollow memory, a beauty on the shoulders of which rode cruelty.

Nobody had noticed Edgar yet. Though there were anti-aircraft weapons and radars on top of the glacier, he was not an aircraft. He was flying just by himself. At best, he would register as a large bird.

A particularly destructive large bird. He had just broken through to the E-Grade. Everybody below him was F-Grade.

Edgar clenched his jaw. The people far below were humans, just like him. Perhaps they had been coerced into working for the Ice Peak; perhaps they had done nothing wrong yet; perhaps this place was all they had ever known. Could he fault them for the war currently taking place? Not necessarily. Not all of them. Did they deserve to be eviscerated?

Edgar didnt know. But he had to save his own. If left alone, these people would kill his friends. He had to kill them first. Just this once. Just to tilt the balance, so everyone else could handle it, because Edgar sure couldnt. Even now, his stomach was turning, his vision was fading, and a voice in his head screamed at him to stop.L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.

All he wanted was to get away. The voice in his head grew louder and more demanding. Leaving this place was all he could think about. His heart was beating fast. He was panicking.

But he had promised. Just once. He had to do this.

Edgar suppressed his rising fear and dove for the glacier. The wind screamed around him. A shield of air blocked most of it, keeping Edgar safe, though his control was faltering as his mind was occupied by panic.

Blue sparks appeared on his fingers. They were beautiful; a spectacle to watch, enough to fill ones heart. They carried the power of hopes and dreams and wonder.

Edgar unleashed them in a beam that struck the ground, melting the ice and upturning the snow. People screamed. Everyone looked up to find a wizard hovering above them, attacking without warning.

Edgars hands shone again. He took his newfound powers and channeled them into destruction.

But he could fly. He gradually rose higher until they couldnt reach him. A man with majestic wings of ice broke out of the ice, filled with righteous furyAlexander Petrovicbut Edgar was already running away.

A scream came as Alexander rushed after him, his ice wings flapping furiously through the air, but he couldnt catch up. Even exhausted, Edgar was an E-Grade now, and not even a weak one. His speed was incomparable to Alexanders, who still hadnt broken through.

The bird of ice stopped chasing after some point, but Edgar kept running. He wasnt even sure he had the right direction. He couldnt be. His vision swam in tears, and his heart was cracked by wrenching pain, digging into it as his vines had dug into the glacier.

What have I done? was all he could think as hills flowed under his feet and ice gave way to sparse greenery. I am a monster.

He had committed slaughter. It was in the service of war. In the service of his people. He would be celebrated back home.

But it was a slaughter.

His magic, a conduit of wonder, had been used for death and destruction. The flowers and vines that brought life had collapsed a glacier on the heads of its inhabitants. The brilliant arcane orbs had been used as bombs. The thousand forms of his magic had been reduced to arrows, which he shot in through every opening he could find, hoping to claim as many lives as possible, cause the maximum amount of pain.

Edgar screamed, and the sky echoed, but the ice underneath did not respond. Neither did the birds, which only ran away. Edgar was alone with his guilt and crushing pain. Nobody could help. Nobody could understand. The world was cold to him, as he had been cold when he slaughtered the Ice Peak.

Never again! he screamed at the top of his lungs, uncaring about the razor-sharp, icy wind that jammed into his throat. He had dropped his shield. He didnt care about the pain. No; he welcomed it. He deserved it. After what he had done, this cutting wind was the least he should endure.

If only war could be solved by one mans suffering.

Never again!

He cut through the clouds at full speed, the air booming around him. He had to resummon his shield at some point, or he would be too wounded to return.

He didnt stop to sightsee. He didnt look back once. He simply darted through the sky, a brilliant comet over the snow, as he rushed to the west, where his starship waited. It would take him back to the Forest of the Strong. To Valville. To home.

There were hours of flying between them. Edgar only wished it could last longer. He needed the time.

After all, he was now a hero. The alliances first E-Grade. The one who struck a crucial blow to Ice Peak. He would be celebrated, and he couldnt cry during that. Regardless of how he felthe had to smile.




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