Chapter 122
Chapter 122
"Maintain formation! Form groups of four and respond!"
My shout cut through the cold air.
The White Wolf Knights moved without hesitation.
Each of them had already drawn the tactics in their minds.
They were not mere soldiers.
They were wolves who had survived the blizzards of Winterbell, veterans accustomed to battle. In terms of combat experience alone, they were already on a level that did not fall behind even elite forces.
Crunch, crunch—
The steady sound of boots stepping on snow.
Swords were drawn, and spear tips flashed.
The knights quickly formed groups of four, guarding each other’s backs. Even while surrounded, we did not scatter. But the opponent was the demonic race.
They were not high-ranking demons, but even so—
With the strength of an individual knight, it was difficult to properly face even a single demon.
"Keuk keuk keuk…"
"Kill them, eat them, tear them apart—!"
“It’s a feast, a feast! Let’s eat human flesh!”
The demons rushed in all at once.
Their movements were unlike humans.
Their legs were long, their bodies bending with unnatural flexibility.
The speed of their leaps closed distance in an instant.
“…!”
“They’re coming from behind!”
“Don’t let your guard down. Hold your position!”
“Brother, behind you! Behind!”
The knights shouted urgently.
One demon leapt, aiming for a knight’s back.
But the comrade beside him reacted swiftly.
A long spear curved sideways, slashing diagonally.
The sharp tip cut into the demon’s thigh, and blood scattered.
"Kraaaaak!"
A scream burst out of the demon.
But it was a scream of rage.
Demons did not stop from simple wounds.
Another one came flying in, swinging its blade.
A different knight raised his shield to block, but the impact traveled to his shoulder and pushed him back.
“Keugh!”
“Get a hold of yourself! If you collapse, your comrades die!”
“Yes!”
I clenched my teeth.
As expected, a demon’s combat power exceeded that of an individual knight.
But if they moved in groups of four, they could handle them. It wasn’t about individual strength, but tactics and cooperation.
The knights moved.
When one raised a shield to block, another stabbed from the side with a spear, and the remaining two finished with coordinated sword strikes.
In an instant—
Thud!
The first demon collapsed.
But the rest glared at us, breathing roughly. Their dark crimson eyes, deepened in the snow, proved that this place was a hunting ground of death.
“…….”
“…….”
The White Wolf Knights were clearly tense as well. Though they had endured countless life-and-death situations, this was their first time fighting demons.
I raised my sword.
And began to wrap it in aura.
"……Hoo."
An intense chill surged in.
It felt as if it spread slowly from the core of my heart.
The air brushing against my skin froze cold.
Then I swung my sword.
A frost, gleaming coldly, split the air.
The chill wrapped around the blade flew forward, and the moment it struck the demons—
"Kraah!"
A scream erupted.
The frost instantly turned to ice, burrowing into their skin as if burning it.
Demons were naturally resistant to cold, but this was not mere chill.
Aura—a pure power based on martial prowess.
I stepped forward.
"……!"
One demon lunged at me.
“Leader human. I’ll kill you first.”
It swung its massive claws, aiming for my waist.
But I simply raised my sword and blocked.
Bang!
A powerful shock traveled through the blade into my arm.
But I did not get pushed back.
‘Even if a demon’s physical ability surpasses humans, it cannot overpower me.’
A different style of combat from my previous life.
It was a combat style only possible because I had obtained the body of Winterbell.
And—
Whoosh!
I twisted my sword and severed the wrist.
The demon’s severed hand spun through the air before falling into the snow.
"Kraaaaagh!!!"
The demon let out a shriek and staggered back.
But I did not stop.
"What you wanted was a hunt."
Muttering coldly, I swung my sword again.
The blade, imbued with chill, carved down through the enemy’s chest.
In an instant, the demon’s body began to freeze.
Even amidst the raging snowstorm, the sound of the demon’s body freezing and shattering rang out clearly.
Crack—crrrk.
"……There are still plenty left."
I scanned the battlefield again.
The knights were still fighting in groups of four. But the number of demons was still greater.
We were not hunters stalking prey.
We were wolves who had to finish the hunt to survive here.
"We break through the encirclement. All units, advance!"
Within the blizzard, swords were swung once more.
The sound of flesh being cut and ice shattering mixed and spread.
This was Winterbell.
The wolves of the snowfield were never hunted.
“Blood Flower Great Divine Art.”
The secret art of the Halla Clan began to awaken within my veins. First, the mark near my heart glowed red.
On the left side of my chest, where my heart beat, the sun-shaped pattern engraved there awakened for the first time. At first it was a faint crimson, but it gradually became clearer, radiating a red light like an actual sun.
That light spread slowly, yet with unstoppable force. Like dawn pushing away the night, or the sun rising above the horizon. The once faint glow grew stronger, turning into a dazzling crimson radiance.
The red light that began in my heart flowed through my blood vessels and spread throughout my entire body. Like molten lava, it branched along my veins and extended across my whole being.
‘Drawing out this power while able to fully use my mana… it feels different from before.’
The light that flowed through the larger vessels split into smaller ones, staining even the tiniest capillaries red. Beneath my skin, the flow of crimson-lit veins became clearly visible.
Like rivers drawn across a map, or a cluster of red meteors in the night sky, the flow was distinct.
Ancient characters climbing along my spine awakened one by one. Like dominos, the lower symbols began to glow, and the ones above them followed in sequence.
The light that began at my tailbone slowly climbed up my spine, illuminating every engraved pattern.
‘My entire body is overflowing with power.’
The patterns glowed red-hot like molten metal.
Each time a symbol fully awakened, small ripples spread around it, and a pulse could be felt beneath my skin.
The markings writhed as if alive. Each character brightened and dimmed at steady intervals, as though breathing.
At times they twisted like snakes, at times they rose like dragons ascending. They were no longer mere tattoos, but seemed like living beings.
It’s hot.
The heat climbing up my back felt like lava. Each time a marking awakened, that area burned as if pressed with red-hot iron.
But even that pain became strength, circulating through my entire body.
It felt as though the blood flowing in my veins was boiling. My heartbeat quickened, and the hot blood surged through my body.
Swaaaaa—
The sound of boiling blood rang in my ears. Like a kettle boiling over, or lava flowing. The sound grew louder, soon becoming a vibration that shook my entire body.
The sound of blood racing through my veins pounded against my eardrums like a waterfall.
Thud. Thud.
With every step I took, crimson ripples spread outward.
The snow-covered ground cracked, and red light seeped through the fissures. It felt as if my very existence had become a blazing flame.
The power of the engraving reached its peak.
Every sense in my body sharpened to the extreme.
Each muscle contained explosive strength.
My joints hardened, and my skin turned like steel.
This was the true power of the Halla Clan.
The ultimate body created by the Blood Flower Great Divine Art.
“Now it begins for real.”
I kicked off the ground and surged forward.
Whoong!
My figure vanished.
When I appeared again, it was behind a nearby demon.
Behemoth, flickering like flames as it carried blood energy, moved at a speed close to divine.
Slash! Slash!
The demons that had been attacking the White Wolf Knights just moments ago couldn’t even respond to my surprise attack before their bodies were shredded into pieces and they died instantly.
“……!”
“……!?”
Without stopping, I sent a sword strike toward the farthest demon.
Slash!
The arc-shaped strike flew forward and split the demon’s chest clean open.
“White Wolf, listen. As long as I am here, no one present will die. So trust me, trust your comrades, and swing your swords with everything you have.”
“…Yes!”
I pushed my speed even further.
Through the Blood Flower Great Divine Art, every sense in my body had been enhanced. My already powerful body had grown even stronger.
There was a difference from others starting at the level of perception itself.
Even demons with superior physical abilities could not keep up with the world I saw—with my field of vision.
“Kill that red-haired human first!”
“Kill him first!”
“You idiots!”
Realizing that I was the greatest threat here, the demons quickly began to surround me.
Attacks poured in from all directions.
But my sword was faster.
As I spun 360 degrees and swung my blade, the demons’ hands fell to the ground in droves.
“…Huh?”
“……my hand.”
Manifestation.
Each time I exhaled, cold air scattered.
A pale breath escaped my lips and spread into the wind.
But what spread within that frigid air was not mere chill.
Aura manifested.
The sword in my hand shimmered with a blue light.
A chilling energy flowed along the blade and spread outward.
An icy cold spread from my fingertips, enveloping the entire sword.
Frost, ice, the pinnacle of cold.
‘Winterbell’s swordsmanship is not merely swordsmanship.’
The cold air trembled, and ice crystals began to bloom along the blade.
Transparent ice blossomed like tiny snowflakes before scattering into the air.
Saaaaaa—
Snowflake-shaped crystals floated into the air.
One, then two.
Their number steadily increased until they filled the entire world.
Winterbell Style Phantom Sword, Fourth Concept Technique.
"Snow Flower."
Snowflakes that covered the entire snowfield.
My aura was not mere power.
It did not simply wrap around the sword—it was a force that dominated space.
The cold that spread into the air transformed into tiny snowflakes, slowly beginning to drift.
And then—
Whoooooosh!
The wind surged.
The snowflake crystals all shifted direction at once, forming a vortex.
In an instant, the surrounding air changed.
More and more snowflakes gathered, embracing the snowfield.
They were not merely drifting.
The aura moved with intent.
Now, the battlefield was mine.
The snowflakes slowly descended, filling the space.
But they were not mere decoration.
The moment a snowflake settled—
"Kraaaak!"
A demon screamed.
The snowflake that landed on its shoulder instantly turned to ice and burned into its flesh. A biting cold spread as if burrowing into its body, enveloping it.
This was not simple frost.
It was ice that tore flesh and froze bone.
Not mere cold.
This was the domain of "Snow Flower."
The blizzard grew stronger.
What fell from the sky was not ordinary snow.
Blades of freezing frost—and formless predators.
I gripped my sword tightly.
The demons instinctively stepped back.
They understood it as well.
Within this space, even their bodies were no longer free.
“Now it truly begins.”