Return of the Frozen Player

Wiiiiing.

As the window lowered, cold air from the North rushed in, cooling his head. Filgrim Gaunessia gazed at the snowy plains in silence.

'The life signals have been cut off.'

His disciples were dead. Most likely, the 2,000 soldiers who were with them were also dead.

'In the end, was it a trap?'

Even if it was a trap, he had thought that leaving ten disciples behind would be enough to prepare for such a situation. Now that they had failed, he had to find out the reason.

“Scan.”

With closed eyes, Filgrim examined the area near the enemy's castle through magic.

'It's clean.'

An area of about 10 kilometers had been neatly erased.

'But magic always leaves traces.'

After he carefully surveyed the area, he slowly opened his eyes.

“I see. Was it Glorious Death?”

He nodded without even realizing it. He had a very good idea as to why his disciples had died.

'They must have thought they could cancel it.'

But the enemy mage's level was probably higher. If it were him, he would have twisted the crucial parts of the magic. Undoubtedly, the method that the enemy used wasn’t much different.

'Interesting.'

Filgrim dropped his head, mourning the dead disciples for a brief moment. Then, he noticed that his vehicle was slowing down.

“Hoho…”

In the distance, a huge castle came into view. It appeared much sturdier than the castle they had found a few hours before.

“The defenses are well prepared.”

There were huge moats dug around it, all the way apart from the main gate. In other words, there was only one path leading to the castle.

As Filgrim got out of the vehicle, the commander approached him.

“The path is not that narrow, but it cannot accommodate 8,000 people. Is there no alternative?”

“There are many alternatives.”

He could use flight magic to send the allies flying. He could also use those with the flight attribute genes to infiltrate the airspace. There was also the option of widening the path with his own magic.

'But...'

One had to clap their hands to make a sound. All of these methods required the other party's permission, so to say.

“I wouldn't allow it if I were them.”

It went without saying that the enemy mage wasn’t going to let them do as they pleased. Their temperament didn't seem very friendly.

“Let’s see…”

Filgrim's field of view expanded. He glanced at the Players waiting on the castle walls.

'There are many of them.'

But his gaze was fixed on one woman. She had the purest and deepest magical power among all.

“You must be that mage.”

Amplification magic transmitted his light murmur throughout the snowy plain. The answer came back immediately.

“That’s right. Is there a problem?”

“Not really. I was just a bit surprised to see that you were a woman, and even more surprised at your age.”

Forget about “young”; to him, she was basically a child. To think that she had such skill at her age, surpassing all his disciples!

“Haha.”

From what he’d seen before, he had thought that it would be a mage of the same age as himself. Furthermore, next to her was Seo Jun-Ho, whom the emperor had warned him about.

“Hmm?”

No, upon closer inspection, it wasn't Seo Jun-Ho.

“... That person next to you is Seo Jun-Ho's clone. Then the real one must be near the power plant.”

“Huh? What? No, I’m the real one,” Seo Jun-Sik responded with a bewildered face. Filgrim’s words had caused him to visibly shiver.

Unfortunately, Filgrim’s strange conviction could not be shaken. “Sorry, but your hairstyle doesn't look the same.”

According to the report from Prince Digor, the one who had his hair up was the clone, and the one who had his hair down was the real one. And the guy in front of him was sporting a confident high hairdo.

“Jun-Sik, come here. Put your hair down.”

“Damn it. The old man has a good eye for random stuff.”

Frost hurriedly helped Seo Jun-Sik fix his hair, but the tea was already spilled.

“Well, I don't have to worry about the power plant.” Filgrim thought of the princess and focused all his attention on this battlefield. “Commander.”

“Yes, Filgrim-nim.”

“Advance.”

“... Will that be all right?”

The width of the path leading to the castle was at most 15 meters. It was a narrow passage that would be filled if dozens of people marched at once.

“If those humans bombard us from the castle walls while we are passing through there, there is no way we can avoid it.”

“Isn't that what the mages are for?” The remaining twelve disciples lined up behind Filgrim. “Certainly, those humans won't go easy on us.”

His gaze shifted to some of the people on the castle walls. Seo Jun-Sik, Skaya Killiland, Mio, Gong Ju-Ha, Mister Shoot, and many other individuals whose power made them appear superhuman. Moreover, there were over 4,000 weaker humans with them.

“Don’t worry. My disciples and I will block their long-range attacks.”

It was a somewhat arrogant statement, but the commander had no doubt. There was no mage in history more powerful than the old man in front of him.

“Thank you. Then we will break through and destroy the castle gate.”

Once they gained entry into the castle, the situation would completely reverse. The concept of defense and offense would disappear, and once the melee began, they’d have the advantage not only in numbers but also in the level of the soldiers.

“I’m counting on you.”

Of course, the enemy would try to block the path by any means.

“... Hmm?”

At that moment, Filgrim's expression hardened as he looked at the castle gate.

“Commander.”

“Yes?”

“Is my eyesight deteriorating due to old age, or is something strange about this situation?”

“It is the latter,” the commander replied immediately.

Even in his eyes, there was only one human standing on the path leading to the castle.

“Moreover, that guy…” The commander chuckled. 'I remember. He is the one my subordinates tortured in our castle.”

“Oh, the human who was captured by His Highness the Prince?”

“Yes. He is nothing special.”

They said he had strong willpower. But no matter how strong his willpower was, he couldn't stop hundreds of Overminds rushing towards him alone.

“We will destroy the castle gate within thirty minutes,” the commander declared confidently.

***

"..."

Rahmadat Khali silently stared ahead. The fluffy white snow falling sharpened his senses with every flake that touched his skin.

"That fake-ass smartie. She asks for the impossible."

There was just one thing she demanded of him. It was to hold this passage as long as possible.

'Did she say the longer I hold, the exponentially higher the chances of our allies winning or something?’

Rahmadat smirked. To be honest, it was a lie to call her a fake smartie. Skaya was a clever individual beyond comparison with himself.

‘I shoot first and ask questions later. She’s…not that.’

Before starting any project, she would calculate first, and if she judged the odds to be low, she would try a different approach. With that in mind, Skaya assigning a role to Rahmadat meant that Rahmadat had the highest probability of fulfilling the role.

"That’s why I’m following the orders."

There was one reason he took on this role without hesitation: even though they bickered a lot, they trusted each other with their lives without any doubt.

Skaya Killiland was his comrade.

Thump, thump!

"Come on!"

Rahmadat Khali roared like a beast. At the same time, a power that he had never felt before surged within his body.

‘So this is it. Son Chae-Won's Skill.’

The blessing magic ‘Strengthening.’ It was a formidable spell that raised all the physical abilities of the target by one level. Of course, there were drawbacks as well.

‘She said it reduces lifespan.’

To be precise, the cells in the body were disintegrated permanently.

Rahmadat chuckled. "It's a blessing magic made for me."

He gestured towards the back.

"Hey, Master of the Silent Moon, keep casting without any worries."

"... Is that really okay? It took even Woo-Joong a long time to adapt in the beginning."

"Of course, I acknowledge the Sword Saint’s talent."

But that talent was limited to wielding a sword.

"Among humans, there is no one with a burning heart like mine, much less a superior physique. Don’t complain and just cast!"

As he roared once more, the blood in the vessels began to flow faster. At the same time, thousands of Overminds started rushing toward the castle.

Cra-crack.

Rahmadat slowly turned his head.

"Indeed, Overminds are strong. They are more formidable than any of the enemies on the lower levels."

He knew this well from being captured by them and fighting them directly. He definitely didn’t underestimate them.

"But I know you."

A fourth Enhancement was cast unto him, and a fifth Enhancement followed. His heightened senses even captured the sensation of cells dying within his body.

"But you don't know me."

Rahmadat's face twisted like a demon’s. He ecstatically transformed the pain he felt throughout his body into pleasure and muttered, "... Emancipation."

The dying cells started proliferating at a terrifying speed. Magic power surged, creating sparks near his skin. In that state, he slowly pulled his right hand back. His waist slightly twisted as well.

"So remember from now on."

His right hand swung gently, extending toward the approaching Overminds.

Booom!

His ridiculously slow punch generated a massive explosion in front of him. Dozens of Overminds died on the spot, and the few who barely survived let out groans as they crawled on broken limbs. The momentum of the charging Overminds faltered.

Seeing their state, Rahmadat murmured lightly, "Rahmadat Khali. That is my name."

***

Mountain.

Filgrim Gaunessia felt that the burly human blocking the passage was like a mountain.

"Commander, thirty minutes have already passed."

"..."

The commander was pale and speechless. He had never expected that the elite soldiers of the empire would struggle to break through a path blocked by just one person.

"I apologize. There is no excuse for this."

"I am not blaming you."

That was a kind of natural disaster. Blaming a person for being affected by a natural disaster was unreasonable. Filgrim Gaunessia surveyed the situation with a heavy gaze.

‘While he is holding up well, that guy is still human.’

Compared to the beginning, he seemed to be breathing heavier. The reason was probably the powerful enhancement magic that had been cast on him.

‘The more powerful the strength he borrows, the greater the physical exhaustion.’

In other words, that mountain would soon collapse. With that, Filgrim's gaze turned to the top of the castle wall.

‘But that mage... I don't know what tricks she has up her sleeve.’

She was relentlessly attacking the empire’s forces together with the other humans. Of course, all those attacks were blocked by the defensive barrier set up by himself and his disciples.

‘She must know that her actions are meaningless.’

In fact, it was a one-sided loss for them, and it consumed an enormous amount of magical power. So…was their aim to simply wear down their own stamina?

‘No, that's not it.’

Filgrim shook his head. He had already tasted the bitterness of such careless judgment.

"Commander."

"Yes, Filgrim-nim."

"It seems that the enemy is having a bit too good a time deciding the pace of the battle. We need to change the atmosphere on the battlefield."

The commander was startled.

"Does that mean…?"

"Haha." Filgrim chuckled and nodded. "I might be an old dog, but I still have some tricks to show off.”