Kang Oh rapidly approached Saila. In response, her floating metal spheres shot at him like a swarm of angry bees.

"Tasha."

"Leave it to me!" Tasha's voice echoed in his head.

Flap!

With a mighty flap of his wings, Kang Oh's body was propelled forward. Tasha was exercising her fine control over his wings.

Her flying skill was incredible! Thus, Kang Oh safely passed through the bombardment of metal spheres unscathed.

Saila then extended her hand.

Frost Wind!

Biting wind blew. It was cold enough to freeze Kang Oh's wings solid. Kang Oh then swung both of his demon swords simultaneously.

Fresh Blood Wave!

Abyss Claw!

A red crescent moon blast was first, followed by a black three-lined aura.

Swoosh!

The two blasts were powerful enough to pass through the biting wind.

"Tasha, get me closer!" Kang Oh seized the opportunity, closing in as fast as he could.

Swish, slash!

Kang Oh swung Blood and Ubist, aiming for Saila's twin horns. According to his Hyper Intuition, those were her weak points.

It was right; clear shards of light burst out.

The expressionless Saila's blue eyes widened, and she furrowed her brow. Though she didn't scream, her lips quivered, so it must've hurt quite a bit.

"One more time!"

"Ok!"

Kang Oh spun in the air and turned around, but Saila didn't sit idly by. She extended her index finger and by extension, her long red nail.

Summon Glacier!

Giant glaciers surged from the ground. At the same time, the metal spheres Kang Oh had dodged came back around and fell from overhead. He was being sandwiched in between the two.

"We won't make it if we keep going straight. I'll fly you up!" Tasha said, and Kang Oh's body soared vertically. By doing so, he was able to dodge the bizarrely moving spheres.

"Huahp!" Kang Oh stretched out his dark red wings, and pointed Ubist at Saila.

Lightning Breath!

Crackle!

A mighty beam of lightning came straight for her. However, she created a shield of ice, which took the attack in her stead.

At the same time, Saila pointed her long nail at him.

Absolute Freeze!

Danger!

Hyper Intuition's warning chilled his body to the core. Kang Oh controlled his wings personally, and attempted to escape as quickly as possible.

Flap!

An ice flower bloomed over his previous location. Had he not responded in time, the Ice Soul's power would've consumed him and frozen him solid.

Of course, the Phoenix's Feather would've kept him mostly safe, but while it was melting the ice, Saila could attack him.

Saila extended both her hands.

Ice Spear!

She created dozens of ice spears around her, and then fired them straight at Kang Oh!

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

The metal spheres, which were embedded in the glaciers, rose into the air and flew at Kang Oh once more.

However, Saila was controlling the speed of the spheres this time. The ice spears and the metal spheres were moving at different speeds.

"I can't dodge all of them!" Tasha said.

"Just dodge as many as you can. I'll take care of the rest!"

Red Butterfly's Dance!

[For 10 seconds, your evasion is doubled.]

Kang Oh relentlessly swung his twin demon swords while Tasha controlled his wings.

At times, Ubist's Abyss Blade allowed him to absorb the ice spears, and he also used Sword Parry with Blood to deflect the metal spheres.

Once he made it through the storm, Kang Oh had a chance to counterattack.

Tempest Tiger!

Kang Oh resolutely swung Ubist, unleashing a golden blast Saila's way.

Kuheong!

A roaring tiger dashed towards her! However, Saila protected herself with another ice shield.

Boom!

Tempest Tiger struck her shield, but it wasn't powerful enough to break through it.

"You can't fly for much longer," Tasha said.

"Get me in close. I'll fight her on the ground!"

"Got it."

Kang Oh folded his wings and plummeted to the ground. He then unfurled his wings and flew extremely close to the floor.

This way, he would be alright even if she knocked him out of the air. He'd fall to the floor, yes, but he wouldn't take too much damage.

Obviously, Saila wouldn't let him approach her without any resistance. She cast an ice spell while her metal spheres hovered around her protectively.

Frozen Orb!

Spheres of ice popped out of the snow-covered ground, and flew right at Kang Oh.

"You'll feel a little dizzy!" Tasha started spinning him round and round. His twin demon swords were like a mixer's blades.

Kang Oh sliced through the orbs like shredded ice, and made his way to Saila!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

He deflected the metal spheres too.

With no other option, Saila created an ice shield.

Kang Oh extended his twin demon swords. He was essentially a drill at this point.

Crack!

He instantly shattered her ice shield and pierced through it.

At that moment...

Flap!

Tasha flapped his wings one last time, causing him to soar into the air.

At the same time...

Mad Wind's Sword!

Kang Oh's twin demon swords ripped Saila to shreds.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Shards of light exploded from her body like firecrackers.

'Let's go!'

Kang Oh focused till the very end.

Abyss Claw!

Fresh Blood Wave!

The jet-black and blood red auras precisely struck Saila's ice horns.

Bam! Bam!

Saila staggered as red shards of light flew through the air.

"You can't fly anymore!"

"Ok!"

Now that Kang Oh's wings were effectively useless, he stomped on Saila's head, using it as a foothold, and leapt into the air.

He planned to land on the floor, and then attack her from behind.

At that moment...

Saila's frozen horns radiated intense light.

Absolute Zero!

The Ice Soul's absolute power, which froze everything in its path, covered both Kang Oh and the snowy plains they stood upon!

* * *

The Daltrak Region, which was situated somewhere in between the northern, western, and central regions, was filled with forests, hills, and mountains.

Many people that worked in the logging industry were here. Giant trees or thick boards were stored within the wagons here, which were pulled by several horses.

If this lumber was transported to the Daltrak Region's largest city, Dalturion, then they could use its intercity transfer gate to sell their goods all over the continent.

In order to find the Evil God Worshippers' headquarters, Burkan was disguised as a transporter that moved the wood around.

He wore shabby clothes and a bucket hat. At the moment, he was sitting in the wagon, transporting the goods someplace else.

Most people wouldn't see through his disguise.

From first glance, it was clear that he was one of the Daltrak Region's transporters. No one spared a second glance at his firm muscles or his robust body either.

After all, the lumberjacks here, who felled trees and transported them, were much stronger than normal people.

How much time had passed?

Burkan entered an area shaped like a gourd bottle. It was a giant lumber market.

"Twenty medium-sized pine trees. Selling at the market price!"

"I'm looking to hire a lumberjack that can get me some birch trees. You have one week."

"Trevan Lumber Company is hiring new lumberjacks. We'll provide you with accommodations and three meals a day. We'll discuss your pay separately!"

Workers stacked and sold their lumber here. Plus, there were tents with flags all over the place.

"Whoa, whoa. Stop." Burkan pulled on the reins, and stopped the wagon.

Neigh!

The horses, which snorted or dragged their hooves against the floor, smelt the ground or began eating the green grass.

Then, Burkan entered the lumber yard's bar. It reeked of both sweat and alcohol.

He sat in the corner and took a sip of his drink.

How much time had passed?

The door creaked open, and a man that rested his axe over his shoulder came inside. He was clearly a lumberjack. His skin was rough and tanned, and his hands were as thick as a bear's paws.

"Oh, Mr. Nouveau." The man approached Burkan. Nouveau was Burkan's undercover name.

"Is that you, Mr. Tadal?" Burkan joyfully greeted him.

"It's been a while."

"Let's have a drink."

"Sounds good."

They cheered and then discussed various matters. It was just a normal conversation. The two spoke about the price of wood, which wood sold well lately, etc.

"Kuhu, I think it's time I left. I need to cut down a few more trees by the end of the day." Tadal stood up first.

"Let's have another drink next time."

"Sure."

Then, Tadal left for real. However, no one had noticed the shred of paper within Burkan's hand.

Burkan rubbed his nose, and placed the paper inside his pocket with his other hand.

"Ugh, did I drink too much?" Burkan stood up.

He finished his business in the restroom, and passed by a burly man.

"Go ahead." Another piece of paper had made its way into his hand.

After that, he secretly got in touch with his brigade and accumulated several notes from them.

"Hey, give me a room." Burkan tossed a silver coin onto the bar, and the bar owner passed him an old key from the wall.

"Room 402."

"Got it."

The bar's upper levels were accommodations. Burkan wobbled around, as if he were extremely drunk, and barely made it up the stairs.

No one paid attention to him.

Burkan entered room 402, locked the door, and sensed for any presences nearby. All he could hear was the sound of snoring and boisterous chatter.

"Hoo." Burkan sighed. Then, his flushed face, which resembled a ripe permission, returned to normal.

He had only acted drunk!

Burkan pulled out a map of the Daltrak Region and spread it across the table. There were already countless marks on the map.

'Let's see here...' Burkan pulled out the notes from his pocket and looked them over.

- No one's missing from Ant Village. Couldn't find any signs of the Evil God Worshippers. - Reporter: 100 Fighters' Gladiator, Shika.

- Five people missing in the small city of Trible. Currently tracking them down. - Reporter: 100 Fighters' Gladiator, Macol.

...

Burkan marked the map in accordance with the notes. Blue dots meant that the village, city, or location in question wasn't likely where the Evil God Worshippers' main base was located.

However, the red dots meant that more information was needed. The black dots meant that there was an extremely high chance that the Evil God Worshippers were located there.

They hadn't marked any black dots yet.

'Where exactly are they?' Burkan looked down at the map and thought back to the Evil God Worshippers.

If they were located somewhere within the Daltrak Region, then he would find them!

'No matter what!' Burkan clenched his fist.

* * *

Absolute Zero.

The Ice Soul's power left only ice in its wake. However, Kang Oh was an exception, as he possessed the Phoenix's Feather, which constantly burned with the fire of life.

Roar!

The Phoenix's Feather's flames protected his body from the cold.

'I love you, Rudy! I'll get some delicious flames for you later!'

Kang Oh gripped Blood and Ubist once more, and readied himself to attack Saila. However, Saila's appearance began to change.

Her pale skin transformed into clear ice, and her blue eyes, which once possessed a hint of green, had turned into a dark blue, like that of a sapphire!

Ice extended from her hand like an icicle, which transformed into a staff. She now held an ice shield in her other hand, which was thicker and more complex than any ice shield she'd created thus far.

Bam!

Feather-like ice shards formed over her shoulders, which reached down and touched the floor, almost like an ice cape.

[Saila, who has been possessed by the Ice Soul, has almost lost all traces of her mind and is at risk of being completely devoured by the Ice Soul.]

[Saila has transformed into the Ice Queen. Saila's consciousness has faded significantly.]

[The Ice Queen is the manifestation of the Ice Soul's power. The Ice Soul's only objective is to make the entire world cold.]

[Be careful! The Ice Soul's power will go out of control!]

Ting.

The Ice Queen tapped her staff onto the ground. Then, a huge block of ice appeared above Kang Oh's head.

Glacial Impact!

The Meteor spell is often the most powerful spell in games. This was simply an ice version of it!

Whoosh!

A giant glacier fell from the sky!