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Chapter 332
Chapter 332
Whir…
The heroic spirits shining in various hues flowed into the bodies of the Icemaw, creating a spectacular scene.
"Oh my God…"
"Wh-what am I looking at?"
It was something they had never experienced before, a mesmerizing sight that left them in awe.
It felt as if an aurora had descended and was dancing right before their eyes, a completely novel experience.
"Seol did it!"
"He pulled it off!"
Such a spectacle wouldn't have unfolded if Seol failed.
Yeva and Ishi confidently waited for the moment they would wake up. Bron did the same."…"
While frowning, he observed their transformation.
Whir…
The waves of light continued for a while.
Bram was the first to open his eyes.
"Bram!"
"…"
"Was it a success? Or…"
Crunch…
Crunch…
Bram's form started to change. His fangs had grown sharper, his muscles were now densely packed without a single gap, and a coat of pure white fur had emerged.
His size soon surpassed that of any other troll by several times. Even his facial features had changed, resembling a giant bear.
"Oof… Oof…"
"That sight…"
"It looks like the heroic spirits have started getting serious this time."
"Oof…"
Crunch…
Crunch…
The other tribe members were also transforming as they embraced the powers of the heroic spirits.
One took the form of a wolf, someone looked like a snow leopard, and another one looked like a fox. Each exuded a strength several times stronger than before.
Bron followed Bram's gaze, who was now much taller than him. There stood Seol with his arms crossed and his eyes open.
Bron waited desperately for the answer he had been anticipating to come out of his mouth.
"It's done."
"…"
Bram smirked and said to Bron.
"We will stand with the Frostmaw."
[Faction: Frostmaw and Faction: Icemaw are now in close alliance.]
[The balance of power between Faction: Emon and Faction: Frostmaw has shifted.]
[The balance of power between Faction: Emon and Faction: Frostmaw is now asymmetric.]
"That means…"
"We will crush the Emon, regardless of how many there are. Just as we did in the past."
Bron closed his eyes. His body was trembling.
Not only had he achieved his purpose for coming here, but the power of the Icemaw— now their allies—had also significantly grown.
"Gauge the timing, Brother."
"Ah… Timing. Supply lines… They won't be necessary, will they?"
Bram and Bron were on the same page.
The momentum had shifted in their favor. If they lost this chance, there wouldn’t be another change.
Thus, they planned to give their all.
"There's no need. This war won’t be long."
Bron said while looking to the North, where the Emon were.
"Yes. It's time to make things return to normal."
* * *
Seol and Bron's group joined the Icemaw and returned to the fortress.
As news of a successful negotiation with the Icemaw spread, mixed reactions swirled within the fortress.
On one side, some supported the alliance and believed this would finally end the war. On the other hand, some argued that the atrocities the Icemaw committed in the past couldn't be overlooked.
While Brutul and Bron began preparing for war while listening to what the opposition was saying, Seol was making good use of his spare time.
Whoosh…
Whir…
Creak…
Creak…
"Hmm… This isn't right…"
BZZT…
Seol separated from Jamad.
He was organizing his thoughts about what he felt during the previous fight against Krom.
"The sensation of moving the Primal Power itself feels foreign. I can't even grasp it."
- That's the drawback of having multiple Primal Powers. Getting distinct Primal Powers circulating together requires considering numerous factors. They will get entangled and smashed if you aren't careful. It isn't your fault.
Seol imagined the Primal Powers as different pieces inside a large circle.
'This doesn't feel right…'
The Primal Powers couldn't mix with ordinary methods. In fact, he felt uneasy that forcing them to circulate might disrupt the balance and create even bigger problems.
"So there you are."
As he was discussing training with Jamad, Bron came looking for him.
Seol appreciated having a Shaman nearby who could share his insights about Primal Power circulation.
"That's right. To think you would figure out a way to counter Irizard's authority just from your encounter with a mole… You're amazing. As expected, you…"
Whir…
Bron created a sphere of water in his palm. Seol noticed something remarkable as he looked at his body—Bron’s Primal Power was rotating.
The Night Crow tried to imitate him, but their Primal Powers refused to budge.
"Hmm, it isn't easy."
"Hahaha, of course not. I'm merely making a single essence to circulate. Being able to do this took me an incredible amount of time."
Brom emphasized the importance of Primal Power circulation.
"Irizard's authority slowly freezes your Primal Power, preventing you from using Shamanic Spells. It's as if your heart itself was freezing… Her very existence is a curse."
"Circulation… Circulation…"
"It won't be easy. You might not get a grasp of it until the very moment you step into battle."
"How strange… When I subdued Krom…"
"That's exactly why I'm not worried. It's much easier once you're in the heat of a battle."
Seol found a clue in Bron's words. He came to an understanding upon reflecting on his fight against Krom.
"It's hard to understand the sensation of making your Primal Power move. But when an opponent persistently targets it, my essence unconsciously responds with strength."
"Hmm… So it isn't a circle?"
"A circle…?"
Bron asked back at the mention of a circle, and Seol shared his doubts.
"Hmm…"
After hearing his explanation, Bron seemed to understand what he was missing and added additional insight.
"What is a circle to you?"
"Well… It's round…"
"What does it mean to you?"
"Mean to me…?"
"What significance does a circle hold to you?"
"It's just something round… Hmm?"
Amidst their conversation, Seol realized why making his Primal Powers circulate had been so challenging.
"It's hard to picture it."
"Exactly. In my case, I think of the Primal Power as a wheel. I imagine it rolling in my mind."
"A wheel… a wheel…"
Before attempting to put Bron's suggestion, Seol asked.
"By the way, it's soon, right?"
"Yes… Tomorrow. It's unsettling. A cold wave is coming."
The weather was ominous.
A cold wind knocked on the fortress' doors, and their stockpile of provisions dwindled to a precarious level.
"With more mouths to feed, we don't have enough resources for a prolonged campaign. We can't give the enemy time to prepare."
"What about the opposition?"
"We'll have to settle it soon. If no decision is made before the march…"
Bron laughed awkwardly.
"We can't take them with us."
"What about waiting out the cold wave before marching?"
"We're facing too many problems. Things are escalating because someone who should be dead is forcing the pace. If we sit back and wait for the cold wave to pass, the tribe will grow sluggish, and moving them will be hard."
"…"
"This is our only chance. We must make everyone look forward. So… we can bring down Irizard."
Many thoughts crossed Seol's mind while he looked at Bron—what would have happened to the Frostmaw if he hadn't returned? What if he hadn't released him from the Library of All Knowledge? Or if their paths never crossed in the first place?
As Seol thought about these things…
"Bron!"
A soldier appeared to deliver a message to Bron.
Bron listened before turning to Seol.
"Come with me. It seems the opposition is demanding an explanation."
"Well, it makes sense. After all, the march is tomorrow…
Step…
Step…
Seol and Bron returned to the throne room.
The opposition was gathered there, waiting for him. Most of them were veterans who remembered the past.
"Bron, it's good to see you alive, but… I can't agree with everything you've planned."
"I understand the importance of ending this war! But… they aren't to be trusted."
"They won't keep their promise."
Nod…
Bron gave a slight nod and responded.
"I understand your anger."
"You understand?"
"Anger is our source, after all. So it's only natural."
"How bold of you to say such a thing after bringing back the Icemaw."
At that moment, Brutul, who had been standing by, stepped forward.
"Father, may I speak to them?"
Brutul seemed to have shifted his perspective after participating in the negotiations with the Icemaw. He seemed to realize their importance in this war.
"Go ahead…"
Brutul addressed the opposition.
"I also lost my mother to someone I trusted a lot. I still remember that day vividly. Since then, I've been nurturing my anger." He smiled bitterly. "Focused anger is a sweet thing, after all."
"…"
"However, anger only shows one color. It paints the entire world in that hue."
Despite not being a great leader, Brutul empathized with the tribe through emotions. After all, unlike Bron, he couldn't look ahead.
"My father achieved things that might have been within my reach, even with my limited strength. But I didn’t. I couldn’t even see those possibilities. Anger blinded me, shutting out any chance of coexistence or understanding."
"Don't you dare tell us our anger is misplaced!"
"Right now… we might possess the greatest strength yet hold the weakest bonds."
Growling rebuttals erupted from the opposition.
"Erase… erase our anger? How could you even suggest that?"
"It isn't erasing it, but redirecting it temporarily."
"What…?"
"Fill the world with anger toward Irizard."
"Why should we do that?"
"Because this opportunity might never come again."
"…"
Brutul was once the most prominent figure among those who despised the Icemaw. As he said it like that, the atmosphere seemed to ease a bit.
Their anger needed to be redirected. But what came after that?
If their anger could be redirected, even by the same degree it had been misaligned, they would still need the strength to push forward.
Bron asked the opposition.
"Have you ever seen a wave…?"
"What does that mean?"
"With the Waterfall Shamans gone, I never had the chance to learn anything from them."
From his birth to his growth, Bron's life has been full of extraordinary things. The long-forgotten power had resurfaced. And although he didn't have anyone to guide him, he had grown to become someone exceptional.
His very existence bordered on the miraculous.
"Every day, I imagined myself floating on the sea. Even though the only ocean I'd ever seen was the tranquil Polar Sea, I imagined all the oceans, the sunlight slipping through the clouds, the stormy nights, and the ever-moving waves."
Imagination… that was the origin of Bron's power.
'Ah… So that's why.'
Bron's power started with a sound. The sound of water came even before a single drop of water emerged.
"As time passed, certain things became visible."
"Visible?"
"The waves."
"…"
"The world has a flow. I call it the wave. Even in places where there isn't water, there are waves."
The wave Bron spoke about was deeply tied to the war at hand.
"I see it. A massive wave surging toward us."
"A wave…"
"If we ride it, we're going to reach the shore in an instant… but if we're swept away by it, it's the end."
Nobody wanted such a future where the tribe was torn apart.
What the opposition truly wanted might have been an opportunity to unleash their long-held anger.
"Then, Bron… how do we ride this wave?"
"By facing it. By not fearing it. By not avoiding it. And by knowing the right moment…"
Bron spoke with conviction.
"I intend to ride the wave. Your thoughts are as countless as stars, as varied too. I'm just here to guide you. The decision is yours."
"…"
"And finally… to ride the wave, I need your strength."
The march was set for tomorrow. If Bron failed to convince the opposition, it would be akin to losing their forces without even fighting.
And thus, he tried his best to persuade them.
He told them where to direct their anger. He told them that now was the time they all had to see in the same direction.
As the murmurs among the opposition grew, Bron, along with the other trolls, frowned. The outcome remained uncertain.
Then, as if their discussion had reached a conclusion, the leader of the opposition, a Great Warrior, said to Bron.
"Bron."
"…"
"This wave… it will be huge, right? Big enough to carry all this pain and anger."
"Haha… Ah… Of course. I'd put everything I have at stake."
Bron suddenly stood up and roared.
"A massive wave like none of you have ever seen will rise and sweep away Irizard and those damn moles all at once."
"Then, good! We will ride that wave you speak off!"
The day before the march, the Frostmaw finally became a single, colossal spear.
* * *
Boom… Boom…
Thud…
Boom…
As the day of the march dawned, the gates of Gargea opened, and the Frostmaw came out through it.
From above, the vast army moving across the snowy plains resembled a swarm of ants on the march.
Boom… Boom..
Boom… Boom…
Grrr…
Seol and Bron rode atop tamed wolves.
The two Great Shamans were, in truth, the strongest assets the Frostmaw had to show.
The outcome of the battle against Irizard depended on these two.
They advanced toward the North, the heart of the Emon's territory.
Whoosh…
On the third day of the march.
"It seems we’re the first to arrive…"
No one was at the place where they were supposed to meet with the Icemaw. It was undoubtedly a discouraging sight.
Yeva whispered to Ishi.
"There's no way they betrayed us… right?"
"Then… what would happen to us?"
"I don't know… I think they scrapped everything they had for this…"
Unease quickly spread among their ranks.
"See?! They never intended to keep their word!"
"Believing in the Icemaw was a mistake!"
As complaints poured out from those who still didn't trust the Icemaw, Bron said to them.
"It seems we have arrived early! Do not waver!"
It was at that moment…
Kiik…
Kiiiik!
Instead of the Icemaw, a rather troublesome group of guests appeared.
"Kiik… We've been waiting for you."
From the distance, a voice Seol had once heard before came.
"It seems you failed to bring the Icemaw. Kikkikkik…"
The Great Shaman Krom and the Emon mocked Seol's group from afar.
"Zakcha can see further! The blizzard is coming! And you…"
BOOM…
BOOM…
"In this place…"
BOOM…
The sounds of massive drums spread.
And from a distance, faint shadows began to emerge.
BOOM, BOOM…
BOOM…
GROAAR!
A massive bear was the first to come into view.
Leading the bear was Bram, who shouted.
"Brother, apologies for making you wait!"
Bron smirked.
"You're a bit late…"
As the Icemaw made their grand entrance, the moles grew agitated.
"Kiik… It's them!"
"We need to finish the mission and retreat…"
"Shut up…! I was just about to do that!"
Whir…
Krom swung his staff and shouted.
"This staff, which was bestowed upon me by Irizard, can command the power of weather itself! Now… see!"
Whir…
"Now… the blizzard shall"
"You command what?"
"Kiik! Just wait. Soon, the blizzard will…"
As the staff showed no reaction, Krom began sweating profusely despite the frigid cold.
"The blizzard… Why…"
"How long are you going to make us wait?"
Krom paused for a moment and brought his ear close to the staff's crystal orb.
He tapped it lightly with his finger.
Tap…
Tap…
Then he brought his ear close again, frowning.
This time, he hit the orb with slightly more strength.
Clang!
Crack…
The crystal orb shattered like ice, breaking into fragments. It was an obvious result.
After all, it had been ice all along.
Looking visibly flustered, Krom muttered, "T-to think Irizard would deceive me…"