Karin and Soren stared at the vast snowy plains.

"It's the north!"

"This is my first time here! There really is nothing but snow here!"

Kang Oh's party crossed through the snowy plains, their horses leaving footprints in the snow. They were ambushed by white-furred, dog-like monsters, or Snow Hounds, along the way. They were only level 200.

Kang Oh didn't even need to intervene. Sephiro's arrows killed them instantly. After that, they didn't encounter anything in particular.

Sometime later...

Kang Oh's party stood before a giant wall of ice. It was their destination, the Alkasha Canyon. The wall was so high that it was obscured by the clouds.

"There's a path here." Sephiro pointed towards one side of the wall.

There was a passageway that cut through the wall. No, there was more than one.

"Which one do we use?" Karin asked.

"It doesn't matter which one we use. They all lead to the same place," Kang Oh said, recollecting what he'd heard from Santana's Adventurer Guild.

Kang Oh's party entered the closest passageway.

Flap, flap, flap!

All of a sudden, a swarm of blue-eyed bats came flying out. They weren't your average bats; they were huge, and their eyes were like snow crystals.

"Law of nature that increases weight!" Soren cast a gravity spell.

Gravity Control: Stomp!

The horde of bats was pushed down, as if an invisible hand were pressing down on them.

"Sand spikes that line the desert!" Karin raised her staff with her fur gloved hand.

Sand Spike!

Spikes protruded from the snow covered ground, skewering the bats.

"Hehe, Waryong loves bats," Sephiro said as he collected a few of their corpses. Waryong was currently receiving treatment for its wing at the Tamer Guild.

Kang Oh's party moved on.

"It's a mural." Soren stroked the wall. A mural was etched upon it.

It depicted Yetis charging at giant monsters from atop their rhino-like beasts. The northern non-human tribes all had their own culture and way of life. However, the Yetis were extremely skilled with their hands, allowing them to leave behind murals that depicted their history.

The murals continued till the very end of the passageway. Kang Oh's party appreciated the murals, and before they knew it, they had reached the end.

"Hmm?"

"Huh?"

Kang Oh's party was shocked by what they saw. They passed through Alkasha Canyon, and were greeted by the sight of various sized igloos.

"This is a northern village," Karin muttered, her eyes sparkling.

"But there are no people here." Soren tilted her head. There were plenty of igloos, yet there were no people, or non-humans, here.

"I hear something. It sounds like screaming," Sephiro said. Since he possessed an Archer-type class, he had a keen sense of eyesight and hearing.

"Let's head over to the source of the noise," Kang Oh said.

"Please follow me." Sephiro led his team.

A short while later...

Kang Oh, Karin, and Soren could hear the noises too.

"Ugh."

"You monster!"

"Save..."

Curses, cries, screams, etc. An ice wall surrounded the igloos. They could definitely hear something from beyond the wall.

"There's a stairway over there." Kang Oh rushed over.

He quickly climbed up the stairs, rising to the top of the wall, and widened his eyes.

'Impossible!'

"Oh my god."

"Mm!"

Sephiro and the twins, who'd made it up right after him, stiffened. Atop the vast snowy plains... There were hundreds of non-human species, including the furred Yetis, the glowing blue-eyed Yuki Onnas, the Sea Lions, the Polar Bears, and even the Ice Giants!

They had surrounded someone. It was a blue-eyed, pale skinned Yuki-Onna. Unlike the other Yukia-Onnas, whose bodies greatly resemble human beings, her body was more than 3 meters tall.

Two ice horns protruded from her head, and an ice skirt was wrapped around her lower body. Her long nails were red, as if they'd gone through a manicure. Various sized metal spheres floated around her.

It was Saila!

"Attack!" the furry Yeti representative yelled. Then, he threw a giant snowball at Saila.

Thud.

An Ice Giant, which was more than 5 meters tall, swung its fist at Saila, while the Polar Bear, Sea Lion, and Seal Warriors charged at Saila with their weapons. The Yuki-Onnas created a blizzard, and shot sharp ice shards at her.

Saila stretched out her arms. The metal spheres, which floated around her like satellites, flew in every direction. They were like bullets.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

The largest metal sphere struck the Ice Giant's face, causing it to fall over backwards.

"Kuhahk!"

"Ugh."

It wasn't the only one. Upon impact, the others fell too, filling the snowy fields with cries of pain and agony. That attack's power was tremendous!

Nevertheless, there were some warriors who braved the danger and charged in with their weapon raised.

Stab! Stab!

Saila's body burst with shards of light. Then, she pointed a finger at the warriors.

Absolute Freeze!

An ice flower, which radiated blue light, surged from the ground.

"Kyahahk!"

Upon contact, the warriors were frozen and broke into pieces.

'Frozen' was a status ailment, which either slowed your movements, or completely froze you. However, Absolute Freeze was a status ailment that could only be inflicted by one with the power of the Ice Soul.

It was an absolute power that transformed a person's essence into ice itself!

Whoosh!

The metal spheres went flying, crushing the frozen warriors to bits. The battlefield reeked of death. Even a dragon would die if it were frozen by Absolute Freeze and it were broken into pieces.

Kang Oh bit his lip as he watched Saila slaughter the troops.

'She's powerful enough to freeze the northern warriors, who have such high ice resistance?'

Absolute Freeze! What a dangerous ability!

Saila continuously slaughtered the northern warriors.

Summon Glacier!

Frozen Orb!

Frost Wind!

Absolute Freeze!

She unleashed powerful spell after spell. At the same time, she bombarded the northern troops with her metal spheres.

"Don't back down! We still have a chance!"

"Don't let your brothers die in vain! Die in battle!"

The Polar Bear and Sea Lion representatives roared.

"Uhaaahk!"

"Die!"

The Yuki-Onnas launched ice spears at her, while the Yetis threw snowballs and rocks. The northern warriors valiantly threw themselves at Saila.

They were by no means weak. Though they incurred severe casualties, they did manage to cut down her HP by a fair margin.

"Her HP has gone down below half," Karin yelled.

Mages were capable of using a spell that allowed them to accurately gauge a target's HP/MP.

"At this rate..." Sephiro said excitedly.

They had plenty of troops left. They would likely incur even more casualties now, but at this rate, they would be able to defeat Saila. If that happened, then he wouldn't have to face that fearsome ice witch.

The northern troops' commanders thought the same.

"Keep at it for just a little longer!"

"Brave children of the north!"

The tribes' representatives encouraged their troops.

"Uhaaahk!"

"Let's die together!"

The brave warriors cared little for their own well-being. It was like a swarm of ants taking down a mantis. The ants repeatedly bit the mantis, even though it kept mowing them down!

However, Saila's true power was beyond the representatives and Kang Oh's wildest imagination.

Whoosh!

Saila's horns glowed with light.

Absolute Zero!

A sky blue wave rippled outwards. It was the power of the Ice Soul, which was considered the source of cold!

Once the wave passed by, the snow transformed into lumps of ice. The snow-white field was instantly covered in ice. For the northern troops, it was akin to a disaster.

"Ugh!"

"Uhaaa!"

"No way!"

The ice crept up their feet and froze their entire bodies solid. No, their entire bodies transformed into ice. To make matters worse, Kang Oh's party, which was some distance away from the battlefield, had felt the effects of the skill too. The Ice Soul's energy climbed up the wall and swept through Kang Oh's party.

Absolute Zero.

It was a one hit KO with unbelievable range.

[You have been exposed to Absolute Zero.]

[Warning: Your body is turning into ice!]

"Uhahk!" Sephiro panicked as he saw his hands turn to ice.

"Karin!"

"Soren!"

The twins called each other's name, as they saw their bodies turn to ice.

"Holy shit!" Kang Oh was no exception. He couldn't help but curse as he saw the ice creep up his body.

All of a sudden, however, flames surged from within his chest.

"What?" Kang Oh touched the flame with his frozen hand. Then, something astounding happened.

His hands, which had been frozen solid by Absolute Zero, returned to normal!

'The Phoenix's Feather!'

Kang Oh quickly pulled out the Phoenix's Feather. The feather, which was coated in the fire of life, was burning as bright as ever.

[The fire of life is one of the only energies in the world that is capable of resisting the Ice Soul's power!]

[The fire of life has removed the Ice Soul's effect on you.]

'Thanks, Rudy!' Kang Oh rubbed the Phoenix's Feather all over his body. Then, his frozen body returned to normal.

"Oppa!"

"Mr. Kang Oh!"

His companions desperately called for him.

Kang Oh moved as quick as he could, and melted the ice with the Phoenix's Feather.

"Haa, I survived."

"Hoo, thank you."

His comrades were relieved.

"O-Over there." Soren pointed at Saila. Most of the northern troops had transformed into ice statues.

Only a small handful of troops remained unscathed. They too had items or some sort of power, like Kang Oh, that allowed them to resist the Ice Soul's power.

Whoosh!

Bam! Bam! Whack! Boom! Clang!

Saila shot her floating metal spheres at the ice statues, breaking them into pieces.

"R-Run away!"

"You want to abandon our comrades and run away!? I can't do that."

"It's too late."

"Huaahk!"

The surviving troops lost their will to fight and scattered. Saila neither chased nor attacked the retreating troops. Instead, she continued her way to the wall, where Kang Oh and his party were, while crushing any ice statues in her way.

Her goal wasn't really Kang Oh's party. Kang Oh's party was just between her and the road that led south.

"Let's run away too," Sephiro said.

"Karin, how much HP does Saila have left?" Kang Oh asked.

"47%."

"47..." Kang Oh bundled the Phoenix's Feather inside his fur coat again. Then, he said, "Please use your return scrolls."

"Ok." Sephiro immediately pulled out a return scroll.

"What about you?" Soren asked.

"I'm going to finish her off."

"By yourself?"

"Yeah. Only I can do it, since I have the Phoenix's Feather," Kang Oh said firmly.

"However..." Soren hesitated. Karin also wanted to fight, even though she might die in the process.

"Ms. Karin, Ms. Soren. We'll just get in the way. It's not because we're not good enough, but because we're not prepared enough," Sephiro said calmly.

What if they were caught in the Ice Soul's power once more? Kang Oh would have to save them again.

But this time, Kang Oh would be fighting Saila. Thus, he would have to go out of his way to help them!

Kang Oh firmly nodded his head, agreeing with Sephiro's assessment of the situation.

"Good luck, Oppa!" Karin changed her mind and pulled out a return scroll. Soren clenched her fist at Kang Oh, wished him good luck, and ripped her own return scroll.

His allies disappeared, leaving only shining silver powder behind. Then, Kang Oh leapt down from the wall.

Switch Blood!

Switch Ubist!

Once the two demon swords were in his hands... Devil Trigger!

A demon flew into the air with dark red wings.