Ch. 379 - Arctic Iceberg Mountain (7)

In the far northern reaches, the Arctic Iceberg Mountain was battered by relentless blizzards day in and day out, creating a land inhospitable to ordinary humans. Yet humankind, by its very nature, could adapt to any extreme… unlike elves who dwelled in forests, dwarves in their subterranean halls, or merfolk beneath the waves.

Thus, even without formal nations, the Arctic Iceberg Mountain was home to as many as thirty cities. When including the settlements of the snow folk, the population soared far beyond what one might initially imagine.

Furthermore, moving southward from the north toward the central continent, human settlements gradually expanded in a fan-like shape. At the edge of this expansion stood the final barrier safeguarding the masses.

The Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress.  

But today—  

That bastion had fallen.

Not to a horde of monsters… but by the general’s own decree.

"The general’s command?"  

“Explain yourself at once!”

"It’s true… The order was given to open all gates and release the 'Mirage' onto the surface."  

"My God…"  

In the North, the general's orders were absolute. Even if they seemed unreasonable, they had to be obeyed.  

"… Open the gates."  

Clang… Creak…  

All four of the massive gates in the Arctic Iceberg Mountain, spread across different sites, began to open simultaneously. Yet the monsters they anticipated never swarmed in. Instead, an eerie hush settled over the fortress walls.

An unsettling silence.  

Gulp.  

Perched on the ramparts, the soldiers gripped their staves anxiously, waiting for whatever might come.

"Something… Something is coming!"  

Moments later, faint shapes began to emerge through the opened gates. They were small and indistinct at first.

Humans. Undoubtedly human in shape.  

They’d expected a stampede of beasts, but only a single figure came forth. For a moment, doubt flickered through their ranks…

“No, that’s not a person!”

Upon closer inspection, it became clear. It didn’t have a defined form.  

It was merely mimicking a human shape, a Mirage-like figure. It was faint and flickered like mist.  

One, two, three—slowly, their numbers began to grow and they poured out through the gates.  

“W-What are those things?!”  

“I’ve never seen monsters like that before…”  

“Squad Leader! What do we do?”

Most of the rank-and-file soldiers were at a loss, but some higher-ranking officers recognized these entities right away. These were the unknown creatures that had recently wiped out the forward bases of the Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress.

“Each entity rates at least 6 to 7 Risk levels...”

The officers shut their eyes, pressing trembling hands to their foreheads. Even defending the fortress against such foes was a harrowing prospect… and now they had been let inside without resistance.

How were they supposed to annihilate such overwhelming creatures?  

Did the general have some kind of hidden plan?  

Or…  

‘Has the general finally gone mad?’  

Everything had felt wrong since the moment he let that blonde-haired woman in.  

It wasn’t like him at all.  

The general, protector of all life in the North, had allowed a woman—completely uninformed and unprepared—into their sacred fortress.  

She was beautiful, no doubt… Perhaps the general had fallen prey to her charms and got tricked by her fox-like cunningness.  

‘Whatever the cause, does it even matter now?’  

Accepting the worst, the officers slowly looked away, resigned. Soon, the number of these mirage-like monsters swelled to the hundreds, greater than any previous sightings. It was as if they had been waiting for the gates to open, multiplying rapidly in an instant.

Meanwhile, from the highest spire of the Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress, Pale Yellow Autumn Moon observed every chilling detail. She chewed anxiously at her thumbnail, eyes darting back and forth.

“Damn it… What the hell are those things?”  

This was not part of the plan.  

Had it been just an ordinary group of monsters invading the central continent, the fortress’s forces could have easily wiped them out.  

Afterward, cities devastated by the monster attacks would have no choice but to raise the Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress banner, signaling the beginning of territorial expansion.  

But now—  

‘There’s no way humans can handle those things.’  

With her trained eyes, she could gauge their combat strength. Those bizarre mist-like creatures had a minimum 6-risk combat level.  

Lower-class mages wouldn’t even be able to scratch them.  

Fighting them would require more refined and advanced magical techniques.  

While there were rare prodigies—class 3 mages capable of casting spells equivalent to the class 7—they were few and far between. Such talents were often labeled as ‘geniuses’ in human society, and it was unreasonable to expect every mage to perform at that level.  

‘Even in this fortress, there aren’t many mages who can properly fight those monsters…’  

A class 6 mage wasn’t exactly common.  

Yet most of those creatures possessed risk level 7 capabilities, meaning even class 6 mages would likely prove ineffective in actual combat.  

And class 7 mages?  

They were so rare that their names were officially registered and managed by the continent.  

‘I can’t see a way out of this situation. If worst comes to worst…’  

‘Will I have to step in personally to suppress this mess?’  

Just then, a voice broke through her thoughts.  

“Well done, Pale Yellow Autumn Moon.” 

She quickly raised her head, locking eyes with the gray-robed man hovering in midair.  

“Fawn Prevernal Moon!”  

“You’ve done exactly what I expected.”  

“What are you talking about…?”  

With hollow, gray eyes, he turned his gaze to the northern plateau where the white Mirage creatures gathered.

“Do you know what happens… When two members of the Twelve Divine Moons combine their powers?”  

“… I don’t know.”  

She didn’t… no one did. In the thousand-year history of the Twelve Divine Moons, never once had two of them combined their magic. So why bring it up now?

“W-Why act like you’re about to create some catastrophe? You control the spatial domain, and I the mental domain. What could possibly happen if our powers merge?”

Fawn Prevernal Moon simply smiled in response.  

‘He… Smiled?’  

His expression was so unexpected, it sent a shiver through Pale Yellow Autumn Moon.

“I told you before. The powers we possess are merely remnants… leftover pieces granted by the Progenitor Mage.”  

“Our true value… lies hidden within.”  

When that hidden value is unlocked - and their powers merge - something completely unforeseen will occur.  

“At our last meeting, I left a part of myself with you.”

“What?!”  

Pale Yellow Autumn Moon frantically tore off the dress she was wearing.  

Her skin, which normally shimmered with a soft golden hue, was now stained with a dark gray color around her abdomen.  

“H-How…?!”  

Even worse, the gray was spreading, slowly but steadily.  

If it were to completely consume her body—  

What would happen then?  

“Do not fear it. Embrace it.” 

This is only the beginning.  

Eventually, all of the Twelve Divine Moons would be dyed in his color.  

“No, no! I don’t want this! I won’t accept it!” Pale Yellow Autumn Moon cried out, clawing at the gray stain spreading across her abdomen. She had prepared for this moment for years, and now he intended to destroy her…!

But her struggle was futile. Their bodies had never been truly physical to begin with. Only the soul mattered… and that was impossible to tear apart.

“Turn me back! Right now!”  

Desperate, she lunged at Fawn Prevernal Moon and grabbed him by the collar.  

But even her hand began to turn gray.  

“Ugh…!”  

She recoiled in terror. There was no way to stain him with her own power, no way to fight back. She hadn’t even realized such a method existed. Yet he could taint her completely with a single touch.

‘I’m going to die.’  

For the first time in her life, Pale Yellow Autumn Moon felt genuine terror.  

Shaking uncontrollably, she clasped her trembling hands together, unable to do anything but cower.  

Fawn Prevernal Moon, meanwhile, gazed down at the scene below with evident satisfaction, as if she no longer mattered.  

Then, without looking back, he began to turn away.  

Panicked, she called out.  

“W-Wait…!”  

“What is it?”  

Her lips quivered so much that even speaking was a struggle, but she had to ask.  

“Your goal… Is it to summon those strange creatures and slaughter humanity…?”  

Fawn Prevernal Moon fell silent.  

Not because her words struck a nerve—  

But because he had never once considered the question.  

“What’s the point of deliberately destroying a sandcastle when the tide will wash it away anyway?”  

Human slaughter?  

To him, such things were meaningless.  

And with those final words, Fawn Prevernal Moon vanished.  

Pale Yellow Autumn Moon collapsed to her knees, clutching at the spreading gray taint. No matter how hard she pressed against it, she couldn’t make it stop.

"So that’s what this was… You used me as nothing more than a test subject..."  

All along, Fawn Prevernal Moon had known how to fuse the powers of the Twelve Divine Moons to bring about something new. How he discovered the method was unclear… likely he had never tested it before. And she had become his first trial run.

The result was the appearance of the white Mirage in the North… creatures that had begun advancing toward the central continent, intent on eradicating humanity.  

‘All this from combining just two colors…?’  

Why had mixing two of the Twelve Divine Moons’ powers unleashed such a threat? She couldn’t afford to dwell on it. Bracing herself, she struggled to her feet.

Stagger—!  

A wave of dizziness hit her, making it difficult to even remain upright.  

In her current state, the most she could manage was to issue one or two orders to Grand Duke Selphram before collapsing.  

‘Fawn Prevernal Moon… I won’t let things go your way.’  

He may have spoken as though he had no interest in wiping out humanity in the North, but she knew better.  

More than anyone, he desired humanity’s extinction.  

If there was any desperate act she could take, it was to stop him no matter what.  

But there was one problem.  

‘Is there even anything I can do…?’  

Her brows furrowed deeply as she bit her nails in frustration.  

Simply issuing a few commands to Duke Selphram wasn’t going to resolve this crisis.  

Then—  

A name suddenly came to mind.  

‘Baek Yu-Seol…’  

The only human capable of opposing Fawn Prevernal Moon and sabotaging his plans.  

He was the one who had even defeated Jeokha Yuwol and absorbed his power—  

The strongest human alive.  

If anyone could stop this disaster, it might be him.  

But there wasn’t much time left. 

Baek Yu-Seol was most likely residing at Stella Academy in the central continent. However, without the ability to teleport, traveling there and back would take far too long.  

‘This is pointless.’  

Was she seriously considering seeking out Baek Yu-Seol now after having antagonized him so thoroughly?  

She needed to come up with another solution.  

‘… It’s humiliating, but there’s no other choice.’  

The Dark Mages. Perhaps their forbidden arts could stabilize the situation, at least for a time. She could only imagine what price they would demand in return, but there was no time to hesitate.

‘I’ll deal with the consequences later.’  

What mattered now was throwing a wrench - any wrench - into Fawn Prevernal Moon’s plans.  

Even the slightest disruption would be enough to deliver a blow to his ambitions.  

At that moment, revenge was the only thing dominating Pale Yellow Autumn Moon’s thoughts. 

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