ICE PHOENIX

A massive field, stretching for miles on end, was lightly illuminated by the hanging half-moon. Towards the north, a great array of mountains arose like icicles towards the sky, while blemishing, golden flickers emerged here and there. Good ways south from the mountain, near the edge of the massive field where it spilled into extremely wide and deep river, an army of roughly sixteen thousand was currently stationed.

They all wore rather lavishing, silver armor, and one of the men at the very front was holding onto a banner with two-headed eagle as an emblem – Elvernheimn Empire’s emblem. At the very front of the massive army hovered a middle-aged man with disheveled hair and beard, donning a plane, but still quality-made silver robes. His arms were crossed against his chest as his eyes peered into the deep horizon, frowning slightly. This man was Elynal’s uncle, current King’s younger brother, Eylor. More so than his status, it was his strength that terrified most of those who met him on the battlefield, as he was Three Star Dominus Magus. In a world where those stronger than him could be counted on both hands, one could say that Eylor stood at the pinnacle, yet even a figure such as himself was frowning right now, in deep thought.

They had long since anticipated the arrival of the Northern Tribes, which is why he was sent out here with rather miniscule vanguard. They weren’t meant to either defend or defeat the incoming army, but rather to probe and get the general idea of enemy’s strength. Yet, at the moment, that was wholly overshadowed as he was more concerned thinking whether they can actually defend against the incoming calamity.

He had so far counted over four hundred thousand men, and he firmly believed this was but a vanguard force, much like his own. What’s more, he had sensed three extremely powerful auras, rivaling even his own. If that was the case, then stationing even a single man here was a complete waste, as even if just two of those figures attacked they’d annihilate every single one of his men. His expression grew grimmer by moment, and he couldn’t help clenching his fists tightly. Even if the arrival of Northern Tribes was taken into consideration when the Council was laying down the plans, they could have never participated this massive of a force. In the end, he had no choice but to retreat and inform his brother of imminent – and astounding – danger.

**

Lingering on the border of Rolyhard Kingdom and Elvernheimn Empire, towards the central part of both Kingdoms, was a massive, nigh endless jungle that sprung for more than three hundred miles across the border. The jungle was completely uninhabitable, and was proclaimed forbidden zone by both Kingdoms. Yet, at the moment, within its depths, there was sprawling of countless black-clad shadows as they moved in and out of the set of massive, dark towers.

The tallest one, named Infinity Tower, had a slight flickering of light at its topmost floor. Two figures stood shoulder to shoulder, observing those beneath them with a rather solemn expression. Both were men, roughly in the same period of life, with one being head taller than the other. He was the leader of the Lords of Zen, a man whose name no one knew, but everyone referred to him simply as Lord. Next to him was his right-hand man, as nameless as he was, Vice Lord. The two remained silent for quite some time before they spoke.

“How many have we managed to gather?” Lord quietly asked.

“One hundred and eleven, my Lord.” the other man answered humbly.

“What are our losses?”

“Of the one thousand we have dispatched, three hundred and twenty-eight had lost their lives.”

“Ah…” Lord sighed softly, shaking his head lightly. “We truly have underestimated those brats. We can’t continue like this. Order our men to not attack unless they are absolutely certain of victory. Also, inform Jun to instruct his brats that are headed towards the ancient city.”

“Have there been any news from the North?”

“Aye, the Tribes have finally made their move,” Lord’s eyes flickered lightly as he spoke. “But, their movement is irrelevant. I need to you to head towards Baselr Kingdom and investigate why high-ranked officials are gathering there. If impossible, retreat. We’ve only just begun so we can’t be careless.”

“As you wish, my Lord.”

“Also, summon Fen’er,” Lord spoke after a short thought. “Young Lord is currently stabilizing his condition and will soon come out. She will accompany him.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Hm,” Lord nodded lightly. “You are dismissed.”

With a flick of a shadow, the shorter Vice Lord disappeared into the night. The remaining figure observed the moving shadows beneath him as a gentle look eclipsed his stern, middle-aged face.

“Ah… too many things are occurring at the same time… it appears we have chosen terrible moment to act…”

**

Lynne, Anna and Elynal were currently hiking up through the colossal mountain before them. It had been nearly a week since their departure. Due to the incident they suffered on the first they, their speed had decreased somewhat as they grew more cautious. The monkey had scurried off forward to scout out the path while the three of them continued to climb narrow edge of the mountain.

To their right was a deep abyss, fall that seemingly had no bottom, doused in distant wails and roars of beasts. With Elynal taking the lead and Lynne taking the rear, they had kept this formation ever since departing from the mountain. Lynne was slightly stunned when he learned that Elynal was peak, Four Stars Master Archmage. Even if he was older than Lynne and Anna, it wasn’t by much; he appeared to be no older than twenty-two. This, in turn, had caused Lynne to ponder as to why he was studying here instead of his own Kingdom, but as he never explained, Lynne didn’t probe.

“Oh right, didn’t you say there would be someone else who’ll be joining us?” Lynne asked suddenly as he remembered.

“Hm,” Elynal nodded. “But she’s already in the ancient city, waiting for us. Don’t be impatient; I know you’re curious, but you know what they say – curiosity killed a cat.”

“Of course I’m curious,” Lynne said. “I could have asked that Nameless Lady, as beautiful as Lords of Sky themselves to join us, and instead I’m stuck with another brat.”

“… ah,” both Anna and Elynal sighed in unison, as if they simply didn’t care anymore. “I have to warn you though,” Elynal added. “This time around, ancient city will be filled to brim with disciples from other sects. You better keep your tongue in check.”

“Aye, aye my Lord,” Lynne humbly bowed as he spoke. “I shall not embarrass Your Highness.”

“Stop!” Anna suddenly shouted lowly as her gaze pierced upwards.

“What’s wrong Anna?” Elynal asked solemnly.

“I sense strong life force at the mountain’s summit.”

“Beast?”

“Probably,” Anna replied. “Ugh,” she suddenly grunted lowly in displeasure. “It’s had at least Six Evolutions, and its blood is filled with Ice Energy. This is bad.”

“What?!!” Elynal exclaimed in surprise, a slight tinge of terror crossing his gaze. “There is no other way through this mountain but the peak. Others around are even more dangerous. Can you sense the type?”

“No,” Anna shook her head. “We’re too far away.”

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, but what’s with this evolution crap you guys talk about all the time?” Lynne suddenly asked, breaking the tense atmosphere; as the two heard his question, they nearly slipped and fell due to shock.

“D-don’t tell me you don’t even know that?” Anna questioned.

“Geez, I wonder. Could it be that my third personality came out and asked you a question?”

“…”

“…”

“So, what’s the evolution thing?”

“Ugh, fine,” Elynal said, grunting. “As its name implies, it refers to the number of evolutions the beast had gone through. Each evolution, besides changing their physical bodies, grants them a trait of sorts. For instance, ability to control one of the elements and such. Which is why beats who have evolved more times are absolutely terrifying existences. We should be able to handle the Six Evolutions one if we pour out everything we’ve got, but… we don’t know its exact type.”

“Does it matter?” Lynne inquired further, completely oblivious.

“Of course it matters,” Anna scowled at him. “What if it’s a flying type? While you may be able to fight it, both Elynal and I are completely useless against the flying types. Temporary flying with it would burn our Mana far too quickly, and we have no chance of handling it in such a short time.”

“Let’s go then,” Lynne casually said, taking the lead. “You don’t need to worry about it. If we are unable to handle it in a fight, leave everything to me.”

“…”

“… could it be that your fourth personality took over? The courageous and idiotic Lynne?”

“Nah, I haven’t one of those,” Lynne casually replied. “I’ve got Lady Killer, Wine Devourer and Lazy Lord. Treat them with respect.”

“…”

“…”

The trio continued to walk up the mountain; although Anna and Elynal had their doubts, they didn’t believe Lynne was the type who’d commit a strange type of suicide, so they decided to follow. As they were nearing the summit, the monkey finally came back. It turned out that the beast truly was the flying type – Ice Phoenix. It had evolved to have four wings, and its entire body was encased in icicles. This prompted Anna and Elynal to immediately turn around, but Lynne simply ignored monkey’s warnings and marched onward without a care in the world.

Restless, the three other reluctantly followed him; after all, they could still probably escape due to the mountain’s terrain if things turn sour. However, if Lynne truly has a method of subjugating the beast, they’d have wasted a good opportunity and good amount of time, as the only way to reach the other side was to circle the mountain ring, which could take upward of a month.

Lynne appeared as if he was taking a casual stroll through the beautiful garden instead of walking towards the den of a beast. His casual behavior eventually calmed the others, and they were more or less prepared for anything.

However, upon reaching the summit – which turned out to be a perfectly flat land, as if sliced by a massive sword – with massive icicles rising at the side like towering fence, they were rooted in place. The beast in front of them was truly terrifying; it was roughly twenty meters long, with its wingspan being at least twenty five meters. It was a colossus when compared to them, and was currently lying peacefully in the corner.

As it spotted them, it casually opened its eyes and raised its head. Getting up on its feet, it truly showcased its sheer size, as it lifted up its front legs into the air and spread its wings wide. It towered the sun itself as it screeched at the trio with a piercing voice.

“Crap, run!!” Anna screamed and turned around like wind, bolting away. Soon, Elynal and the monkey followed; however, Lynne stayed, calmly walking towards the phoenix, as if it were his best friend, and not someone who was preparing to peck his head out.