Chapter 26 : The Wilted Ice Flower (1)
Chapter 26: The Wilted Ice Flower (1)
Hindir and the Snowy King stood face-to-face in the wide space between the peaks, while the Head of the Parno Family kept a reasonable distance, watching them.
The Snowy King glanced at him, then turned to Hindir and asked again.
“Why did you make such an absurd proposal?”
“Because it had to be done.”
“Something that had to be done... Still, there was no need to rush like this.”
Perhaps, as the Snowy King said, there truly was no need to rush this far.
But after having even a brief conversation with the Parno Family Head, Hindir concluded that delaying would change nothing.
He wouldn’t change.
In that case, it was right to subdue him for certain when the opportunity came.
“There’s no turning back now anyway.”
“True… That’s a fair point. But let me warn you in advance. From this moment, forget everything from the past few days. I won’t go easy on you. As a man, I’ll keep my word.”
“That’s what I hoped for. If you were planning to hold back, I’d have been disappointed.”
At Hindir’s reply, the Snowy King smiled.
He slightly lowered his posture and raised both fists in front of him.
This wasn’t a joke.
The Snowy King fully intended to defeat Hindir.
After all, the proposal Hindir had made only applied if the Snowy King lost.
If he won, then it would be as if it never happened.
“There are times I use weapons, but what I’m most confident in is hand-to-hand combat.”
“Then I’ll face you with hand-to-hand combat as well.”
It was a strange thing to say since Hindir hadn’t been holding any weapons to begin with, but the Snowy King charged forward without care.
Jjeooong—
The Snowy King's massive fist exploded with a roar as it grazed past Hindir's head.
The shockwave pierced into his ears, shaking his sense of balance, but Hindir used the stagger as momentum to launch a counterattack instead.
Kwaang—!
A punch aimed at the Snowy King's side, blocked by the Snowy King's elbow.
The sound that erupted was too intense to be caused by mere human bodies colliding—it seemed like one of them should’ve had their bones broken.
Yet neither showed any reaction, moving expressionlessly into the next action.
Dodge and block, counterattack and dodge again.
At a glance, it looked like a simple and unimpressive exchange.
But beneath the surface, their intricacies tangled without rest.
‘Impressive.’
The Snowy King marveled at the impact that jolted through his body every time they clashed.
He was a mana user.
Naturally, every swing of his fist and every block was infused with immense mana.
Yet Hindir blocked his mana-infused strikes with pure physical ability, pierced through his defense techniques, and inflicted damage.
What was especially remarkable was his seasoned battle sense.
Whether it was a straightforward strike meant to break through with strength, or an unorthodox attack meant to deceive the senses, Hindir responded as if he knew them all.
A warrior of the Snowy King’s caliber could hold countless variations in a single punch.
For someone as young as Hindir to read through all those variations was unrealistic.
‘His level of unarmed skill is obvious, but even his combat experience far exceeds mine.’
He already confirmed over the past few days that Hindir had an excellent physique and knew how to use it properly.
But he never imagined that in even the unseen aspects, Hindir would be vastly superior.
The Barb— no, the Charun may have had a unique disposition, but such ability could only be filled through experience.
That a man who looked barely twenty could surpass someone like himself—who had been through every kind of hardship—in experience and combat proficiency…
Jjeoeok—
Failing to completely deflect Hindir’s fist, the Snowy King finally took his first hit and clenched his teeth.
‘I refuse to accept this!’
The lingering pity and hesitation he had toward Hindir vanished from the Snowy King’s mind at last.
All that remained now was pride and a will to fight.
Though not of the Charun, he had lived thinking of himself as one—a remarkable warrior.
Kwaang—!
The Snowy King twisted his torso while deliberately exposing his shoulder.
The intense shock made his muscles scream and felt like his bones were twisting, but this was an investment for what came next.
He intentionally deployed his defensive technique a moment late to absorb only minimal damage and create the illusion that Hindir had landed a clean blow.
It was a trap laid by the Snowy King, and he leapt backward, wondering if Hindir would fall for it this time.
Kuuung—
At the moment Hindir kicked off the ground, convinced it was his chance, the Snowy King’s eyes flashed.
Kududeudeu—
Though he seemed to be flying helplessly, he suddenly slammed his foot into the ground to regain his balance.
Then he spread his arms wide above and below toward the charging Hindir.
Twin Tiger Crushing Fists (호패쌍권)
His fists closed like the fangs of a tiger, heavy and merciless.
Kkwaaang—!
But Hindir once again accelerated, distorting the point of impact.
It was astonishing that he could accelerate even further in such a short moment, but the Snowy King thought it wouldn’t matter—as long as Hindir entered his zone, the outcome would be the same.
That’s what he believed, until the next moment left his eyes wide open.
Hindir stretched his arm toward the closing fangs and struck the inner elbows.
With that, the Snowy King’s attack was effortlessly dismantled.
It looked crude, but in that fleeting instant after initiating his charge, Hindir analyzed everything and struck two precise weak points.
‘He’s countering perfectly!’
The Snowy King felt his mind go blank.
Hindir’s movements showed no discernible pattern.
As if the Snowy King's moves were far too slow, he reacted on the fly without the slightest delay...
Jjeooeok—
Eventually, Hindir’s fist sank into the Snowy King’s rock-hard abdomen and crushed it.
The Snowy King barely stopped himself from gasping, and grabbed Hindir with one arm.
Then he struck Hindir’s side with the other.
Patterns meant nothing now.
In that case, the only option was to restrict each other’s movements and go into a brawl.
Kwaang—Kwaang—Kwaang—
The two men began exchanging blows in close-quarters combat, heads almost touching.
Yet even in this brutal clash, the Snowy King felt despair.
‘I’m being overwhelmed…!’
Even at this distance, Hindir blocked what needed to be blocked, and skillfully diverted what could be deflected.
But the Snowy King couldn't handle Hindir’s attacks.
It wasn’t just a difference in speed and strength.
It was difficult to respond—Hindir pierced the blind spots with precision, yet read every one of his own feints.
The limits of joints, movements restricted by muscle, the range of his field of vision—Hindir read it all.
It was an unbelievable talent.
Enough to make him feel indignant.
Jjeoeok—
“Khuhp!”
His leg, struck by Hindir’s knee, instantly lost strength and buckled.
But the Snowy King was a warrior too.
He tried to straighten his bent knee and push Hindir away with his shoulder.
Tried.
Kuuung—
It felt as hopeless as trying to push a cliff.
As the Snowy King's expression darkened, both of his feet lifted off the ground.
“Wha—?”
The world flipped, and then the ground rushed up in an instant.
Kwaaang—!
Hindir slammed the Snowy King into the ground, then snapped his waist and flipped his body upside down.
He drove his fist down at the fallen Snowy King.
Kugugung—
Snow dust scattered in every direction, and Seolyong Valley let out a cry.
Birds hiding in the valley took flight, and the sounds of countless beasts fleeing from landslides rose from all directions.
“Huu…”
Exhaling long, Hindir rose to his feet.
But the Snowy King could not.
The Snowy King lost consciousness from Hindir’s final strike.
Had it landed properly, it wouldn’t have been a knockout—it would have been death.
A clearly defined fist imprint was left in the ground, right next to his head.
Hindir’s fist had struck the earth, but the shockwave hit the Snowy King from right beside him and rendered him unconscious.
Hindir opened and closed his hand, then nodded.
‘It’s fine.’
His fight with the Snowy King was a trial to confirm where he currently stood.
And the result was satisfying.
If he had been even slightly weaker, this battle would’ve ended with the Snowy King’s death.
He could feel it at the end—the Snowy King had been prepared to kill him too.
The fact that they had both tried to kill each other.
He didn’t feel regret about that.
There was no malice in the killing intent. They had simply drawn each other to the limit of their fighting spirit.
‘At this level…’
Hindir turned his body.
Startled by the final blow, Seolyong Valley swirled like a protest, sending a gust around Hindir.
His crimson cape whipped wildly.
That sight imprinted clearly in the eyes of the Head of the Parno Family.
From beginning to end of the battle, he had watched without blinking.
He had long since forgotten what cold felt like—but for the first time in a while, he felt a chill.
That was how shocking the fight had been.
‘He clearly didn’t use mana.’
Then what exactly had he just witnessed?
‘Was that truly the power of a pure body?’
He had expected Hindir to hold some secret—but this was well beyond anything anticipated.
What made it worse was that it was hard to even estimate his power.
There were many factors to evaluate someone’s strength, but ultimately, the most intuitive and objective was mana.
Whether swordsmanship or magic, everything in the world was founded upon mana.
And yet, even the level of mana emitted by Hindir during battle was less than that of a normal person… no, even less than them.
The Snowy King had poured out explosive mana at every moment, making the contrast even starker.
Judging by momentum alone, it might have seemed like the Snowy King was pressing the advantage, but the result spoke otherwise—so how should one interpret that?
“…I acknowledge you as the new master of the Seolyandan.”
“Thank you. I thought you wouldn’t, since I’m a Charun.”
“Charun?”
“That’s the real name of the ones you call Barbarians.”
“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
The Family Head shook his head.
“So, do you still intend to challenge me?”
“I do.”
“You may have won, but your body can’t be in perfect shape. That’s quite the confidence.”
The Head of Parno was right.
Though he hadn’t struggled much against the Snowy King, that didn’t mean he walked away unscathed.
He hadn’t been an easy opponent.
Still, there was a reason he had to fight now.
No, depending on the Family Head’s answer, a reason would be made.
“Family Head. How much do you know about the history of your family?”
“What?”
The abrupt question made the Family Head furrow his brow slightly.
“What are you getting at?”
“The Charun I mentioned. Do you know nothing about them?”
Surely the Family Head from five hundred years ago had left records about the relationship between Parno and the Charun, and the children of Charun who escaped.
Not to mention the strange incident that happened to the Lesser Branch Head of that time, and the one who resolved it—Orcus.
That should’ve been treated as significant history even within the Parno family.
He was curious whether that history was known.
“I don’t know why you’re asking such questions before a fight.”
“…Is that so.”
Hindir let out a short sigh.
Then, for the last time, he asked.
“Family Head. As the new master of the Seolyandan, I ask one last thing.”
“Speak.”
“Charun… Do you have no intention of returning freedom to those you call Barbarians?”
“What…? Hahaha!”
The Head of Parno burst into laughter so loud it sent the snow on the ground trembling into the air.
“A band of thieves is what you are. Now you’re asking for the family's wealth? You’ve been spouting nonsense for a while now… what kind of answer did you expect?”
“……”
“Don’t tell me that absurd proposal earlier was for that? You were trying to make a plea to free your people? Let me make it clear. I refuse. No—since you’re also a Barbarian, you’re mine by nature. Isn’t it only right that you bow your head before me?”
This wasn’t a situation Hindir had hoped for.
“I keep my promises. So I’ll grant you one last mercy. If you kneel right now and show respect to your master, I’ll act like your proposal never happened.”
Hindir quietly looked at the Family Head’s arrogant gaze, then closed his eyes and raised his head.
There was no turning back now.
No—perhaps, deep down, he had hoped it would come to this.
A chance to face the Head of Parno alone, even in a situation where no one else was around—how likely was that?
The enemy’s leader stood alone before him.
If only things had been like this five hundred years ago.
‘I’m sorry.’
Hindir apologized to the Family Head he remembered.
Familiar faces from the past filled the darkness behind his closed eyes.
He watched them melt away like snow before opening his eyes again.
“For Kartan.”