Whoosh.

The Ice Queen stood amidst a raging blizzard. Kang Oh's corpse, which had turned to ice and broken into pieces, lay beneath her feet.

However, Kang Oh's broken hand radiated an intense red light. To be more specific, the Cassio Ring was glowing.

Whir!

Countless shards of light appeared in the air, and gathered within the ring. It was like a completed puzzle; his body was rebuilt, starting from his hands, all the way down to his feet. Then, his head was reconstructed.

At the same time, a pair of giant, flaming wings unfurled from his back.

[You have been revived.]

[You are the Phoenix's father. Resurrection has been enhanced.]

[HP and MP have been fully restored.]

[For 10 minutes, all abilities increase by 30%, and your maximum HP is doubled.]

[For 5 minutes, HP is replenished so quickly that you are essentially immortal.]

[You may now use Sun Sword (Active/Skill).]

[Cooldown: 30 days]

Resurrection!

Kang Oh supported himself with Ubist and Akanhoff. His eyes narrowed at the Ice Queen.

'Let's go!'

There was no way around it. He either kills the Ice Queen, or is broken into pieces!

Kang Oh pulled out an item from his inventory. It was an A-rank item called Amtaurus's Bone Necklace. He had picked this up while hunting the Tuslam with Sephiro, Karin, and Soren.

He immediately used Gluttony. Darkness seeped out of Ubist, which devoured the necklace.

Bam!

Jet-black energy exploded out of Kang Oh's body.

All of his abilities were tripled!

Kang Oh activated Devil Trigger again. Darkness crept up his hand and spread across his body.

At that moment...

The Ice Queen, who was still surrounded by her metal spheres, pointed her giant club-like staff at him.

Absolute Freeze!

An ice flower, which froze anything it touched, rose from beneath Kang Oh's feet. However, Kang Oh had already leapt into the air.

Whoosh!

Then, the Ice Queen swung her staff. Her staff let out a heavy 'whoosh' as she cast another spell.

Summon Glacier!

Crack! Crack! Boom!

The slippery ice split apart, and out came a giant glacier. Thus, Kang Oh didn't have a good place to land.

Abyss Transfer!

Space itself ripped apart, and Kang Oh was consumed by darkness.

Swish.

The Ice Queen's metal spheres linked together, forming a long snake once more. Then, Kang Oh reappeared above her head. He was aiming for her frozen horns, which were her one and only weakness.

However, the metal snake came at him first.

Whoosh!

It was as if a giant whip was flying towards him.

"Haahp!" As he fell, Kang Oh swung Akanhoff as hard as he could.

Lightning Breath!

The lightning blast shot out of his purple blade, striking the metal snake. The combination of his Resurrection and Gluttony buffs, as well as Akanhoff's inherently high attack power, increased its power significantly.

Its destructive power was undeniable.

Crackle!

Sparks danced across the metal spheres as they flew through the air. Then, Kang Oh swung Ubist, aiming for the frozen horns once more.

Tempest Tiger!

A golden tiger dashed at the Ice Queen, but she had already finished casting her spell.

Frost Wind!

Whoosh!

A biting wind blew, but Tempest Tiger cut through the wind like a shark swimming through a wave, and struck the Ice Queen's horns.

Boom!

Red shards of light burst from her horns!

Kang Oh landed on the floor, and dashed at her once more. He was exceedingly fast, as he was under the effect of Gluttony.

He instantly closed in, and horizontally swung Akanhoff.

Transcendent Blade!

His blade sliced her horns with transcendent speed and power.

Crack!

A giant crack formed on her frozen body. Now was the time. Just a little bit more! If he dealt just a little bit more damage, then Kang Oh would win.

However, the Ice Queen possessed a move that could turn things around.

Absolute Zero!

Her frozen horns emitted bright light, unleashing an absolute, bone-chilling cold that could even freeze one's soul.

'C'mon, I just need to hold out!' Kang Oh did everything in his power to survive.

Moon's Protection!

A barrier akin to the full moon surrounded Kang Oh's jet-black body. For 3 seconds, it would nullify any and all damage!

Although the barrier was frozen solid, it didn't break. However, Absolute Zero lasted longer than the barrier's full duration.

2 seconds, 1 second...

Kang Oh gritted his teeth.

Sun Sword!

His twin demon swords were coated in flames. The Phoenix's Feather, which was kept in his chest, had reignited with fire; perhaps it was due to him using this skill.

Moon's Protection quickly disappeared. Then, Absolute Zero's energy mercilessly rushed at him like an invading force.

[You have been exposed to Absolute Zero.]

His feet were completely frozen, as if they had been dipped in tar. However, that was it.

Roar!

The Phoenix's Feather and his demon swords' flames intensified.

[The Phoenix's power has given you a near-immortal body!]

[The mighty flames of life have resisted the effects of Absolute Zero.]

When exposed to Absolute Zero, you normally wouldn't be able to move, and your body would turn into ice. However, that didn't apply to Kang Oh.

His feet were frozen, so he couldn't move, but he could still swing his swords.

Kang Oh swung his flaming jet-black sword.

Everlasting Darkness!

A pillar of darkness shot at the Ice Queen. Perhaps it was due to Sun Sword, but orange flames wrapped around the darkness.

The Ice Queen attempted to protect herself with her metal spheres and an ice shield, but it was no use. The flaming darkness devoured the metal spheres, the shield, and the Ice Queen herself.

Bam!

Countless shards of light burst from her body. The fire and darkness dissipated, but the Ice Queen was still alive; she was, however, heavily injured.

She raised her staff into the air.

Glacial Impact!

A giant chunk of ice appeared in the air, casting a giant shadow over Kang Oh's body.

If he allowed that glacier to fall, then the Ice Queen might be able to turn the battle around. Kang Oh wasn't willing to take that chance.

Transcendent Blade!

The world began to slow. Kang Oh precisely aimed at the Ice Queen and swung the flame-wreathed Akanhoff.

'Now!'

Halfway through, he loosened his grip over Akanhoff.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

Akanhoff left his grip and spun in the air like a wheel. Then, it hit the Ice Queen right in the middle of her body!

The harsh winter had ended.

Crack!

It was as if glass had cracked. Shards of ice, both large and small, broke off from her body.

The shadow overhead disappeared too. The giant chunk of ice transformed into small grains of shaved ice, and dissipated into the air.

What a sight!

Countless grains of ice shined in the sun's light. It was the very definition of 'resplendent'!

"Hoo." Kang Oh sighed in relief.

'I won... Huh?'

All of a sudden, something unexpected happened. As the Ice Queen's body crumbled, Akanhoff naturally stabbed itself into the ground! A clear, bluish entity popped out in her place!

'It wasn't the end?'

"Damn!" Kang Oh tightly gripped Ubist. Now that he thought about it, the system hadn't informed him of the Ice Queen's death!

The clear, bluish being assumed the shape of a lady.

[Saila's soul is absorbing the Ice Soul's power.]

[If she fully absorbs the Ice Soul's power, then there is a high chance that she will explode and cause a disaster!]

Kang Oh was relieved that he held Ubist in his hand, as it was capable of cutting through the immaterial.

He rushed forward, and swung Ubist at Saila's soul.

However...!

"I... have... a favor to ask!" the soul said. It was Saila's voice. The raw desperation in her voice forced him to stop.

"What kind of favor?" Kang Oh asked.

"You can't... kill me..." She paused halfway through her sentences. Was it because she was absorbing the Ice Soul's power?

"I can't do that." Kang Oh flat out refused.

"If I die, then... the Ice Soul's... power will go out of control and explode... As a result, the continent's climate will be irreversibly changed..."

"Change the temperature!? What are you talking about?"

"The Ice Soul... will cover half the continent... causing a long winter..."

"Hmm."

Saila spoke the truth. How did he know, you ask?

If she was lying, then his Hyper Intuition would've told him such. It would've given him a feeling that made him want to punch her!

"Then what do I do?"

"Bring me... to the north..."

"I just need to take you north?"

"Take me... to the Temple of the North Sea. The Ice Soul... is there."

"So you want to return the power you gained from the Ice Soul." Kang Oh, who was quick on the uptake, realized what her plan was.

"That's... right."

"Hmm." Kang Oh was locked in thought.

Killing her might change the climate of the continent. But he didn't think she'd make it to the Temple of the North Sea before she exploded.

"We... don't have time."

During their conversation, Saila had been continuously absorbing the Ice Soul's power. Thus, she had swelled like a balloon.

Whatever the case, he needed to make a decision, and he needed to make it fast. What should he do? While he was mulling over his options, however, his purple blade shimmered in the sunlight.

'Could I...?' Kang Oh walked over and gripped Akanhoff. Then, Kang Oh activated the skill that he'd learned from Blood's previous master, Grande Loxia.

Seal Demon!

[You can seal a demon within a sword, transforming it into a demon sword.]

[Applicable Target: Saila]

'As expected.'

Saila had killed countless people, corrupting her very existence. She was similar to Blood, who had sewn terror in the Great Forest.

"There's a third option," Kang Oh said.

"Which... is?"

"I can seal you within my sword."

Kang Oh had experienced her power firsthand. After all, turning his body to ice and breaking it into pieces was by no means an easy feat!

He was sure that Saila was the right fit for Demon Sword Akanhoff. Plus, if he sealed her inside, then he would complete one of Valan's three tasks!

"Me...?"

"Yeah. You wouldn't be returning the Ice Soul's power. Instead, you'd be sealed inside my sword with the Ice Soul's power intact." Kang Oh pointed Akanhoff at Saila's soul.

"Do... it. Before the Ice Soul's... power... explodes."

"Alright."

Seal Demon!

Once he activated the skill, Akanhoff's blade radiated dim light. At the same time, Saila's soul was sucked into the sword like a vortex.

[The Ice Queen, Saila, is being sealed within Demon Sword Akanhoff.]

[The sword cannot contain the entirety of her power. Any excess power will be released.]

[Progress: 1%]

The Ice Soul was powerful enough to change the continent's climate. It was impossible to seal the entirety of that power within a single sword, no matter how great the weapon was.

Whoosh!

The Ice Soul's uncontainable power transformed into a blue aurora and dispersed in every direction. That too was quite a sight.

Sometime later...

Saila was completely absorbed, and Akanhoff stilled.

[Seal Demon was successful!]

[Seal Demon is a one-time use ability. Thus, the ability has been expunged.]

[Demon Sword Akanhoff's name has changed. Its new name is Ice Demon Sword, Sarahoff.]

[You have completed the Guardian of the Continent Quest.]

[You have completed one of Valan's tasks. You have two tasks left.]

His purple blade radiated blue light. It was like how Ubist radiated jet-black darkness, while Blood glowed with scarlet light.

"Sarahoff," Kang Oh muttered, stroking the blade. Then, he looked over his new demon sword's abilities.