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From what has collapsed due to the landslide
Throwing from the rocks in front of it
I'll sweep it away
Even a giant rock throws it away
But…The higher we climbed along the mountain path, the stronger the wind grew, and a long stretch of frozen mist stretched between the cliffs. Blue veins of ore revealed themselves in the rock beneath my feet, their light flickering irregularly like a heartbeat deep within the mountains. As we passed the collapsed fortress and entered the narrow ridge, sharp sounds echoed from various rock walls.
As the rock split, monsters clad in crystal shells emerged. They grabbed the rock with four arms and crossed the cliff. Each time the crystals embedded in the arm glowed, sharp crystal shards were fired.
He crouched, dodged the debris, and unleashed a vision. The shock of magic slammed one monster into the cliff, but the others moved to the ceiling and launched attacks from above. He raised his hand and grasped the fragments of the air. Scattered crystal shards all changed direction at once and pierced the monsters’ joints. Burns struck then, climbing the rock and burning the remaining individuals.
But before the flames had even died down, black smoke billowed up from below the ridge.
A giant four-legged monster emerged from the smoke. On its back, protrusions resembling broken bell towers jutted out, with blue flames flickering between them. As the guy opened his mouth, a shockwave burst out with a roar. The rocks cracked, and the frozen mist vanished all at once.
He twisted the center of the shockwave with vision. But the monster immediately lowered its body and charged. When the massive head crashed into the ridge, the footrest collapsed. He stepped on the falling rocks and leapt over the side cliff. The moment the monster charged again, he lowered his hand in midair.
The stones cut off the monster's front legs one after another. In the moment his body tilted, Burnstriggs struck the bony areas on his back. Blue flames erupted and the monster screamed, and the creature tumbled beneath a pile of shattered rocks.
He returned to the mountain path.
Beyond the ridge lay a massive ice wall. In the middle of the ice wall, a massive figure resembling a human face had frozen. Where the eyes and mouth should have been, there were black holes, and the surrounding ice was layered with ancient patterns.
As he drew closer, the surface of the ice writhed.
Dozens of ice arms rose from the ice wall. Their arms intertwined to form a massive shape, and within their bodies lay frozen pieces of broken weapons and armor. The ice monster swung its arms to shatter the surrounding ice walls and fired sharp ice spears in all directions.
He unleashed his vision and altered the orbits of the ice spears. The windows shattered as they collided, but the monster gathered the broken ice again and restored its arm.
He immediately fired a bunt strike.
The flames pierced the ice body, but the monster countered the heat by drawing in the surrounding snow and ice. An ice arm rose to grab his ankle; he spun his body, severed the arm, and retreated toward the cliff. The moment the monster struck with all its arms together, he raised his hand and poured his vision over the entire ice wall.
The cracks trapped in the ice split open all at once.
The massive ice body collapsed from the inside out. Ice shards poured down like a waterfall, revealing the black core at the center of the monster. He threw a stone blade and pierced the core. A flash of black light briefly flickered, and the ice arms lost their strength, falling to the ground.
After the battle, a new path opened beyond the ice wall.
There was a huge stone staircase leading deep into the mountains. Headless stone statues stood in a row on both sides of the stairs, and at their feet lay ancient skulls and broken armor. The wind blew upward from below the stairs, mixed with the faint sound of a chant.
He began climbing the stairs.
As they neared the summit, the gate of the collapsed fortress opened on its own. The interior was covered in black crystal, and a massive pillar rose toward the sky in the center. Countless patterns were carved into the surface of the pillars, and below them, statues of warriors stood in a line, kneeling.
As he entered, the heads of the statues turned all at once.
The stone soldiers rose up, weapons in hand. The sword-wielding statue drew its blade and approached, while the soldier wielding a giant hammer slammed the ground, creating a shockwave. The spearmen matched the intervals between their attacks to block each other's retreat.
He released Holywave. Waves of light swept through the battle lines, and cracks spread across the statues’ armor. But when the statues behind raised their hands, shards of broken stone flew back and clung to the body.
He drew the rocks together in a vision and brought down the feet of the statues. As the soldiers lost their balance and fell, Bernstein cut through their ranks. Flames pierced through the gaps in the stone armor, and the adjoining stone blades severed the joints.
The last remaining giant statue was twice the size of the other soldiers. A blue crystal was embedded in his chest, and he held a giant axe in both hands. Every time the stone statue swung its axe, the fortress pillars shook.
He dodged the attack and observed Sujeong's movements. The moment Seok-sang raised the axe high, a vision struck the crystal in his chest. The blue light flickered, and the statue's movement paused for a moment.
