Several jet-black chains continuously emitted thick black smoke, as if gradually polluting the boundless clouds.

Instantly, black smoke billowed from above the white clouds and rose continuously into the sky.

The massive black formation that suddenly appeared beneath Viktor's feet was completely buried by the black smoke.

The chains tightened, gripping the giant bird's throat tightly.

"God of evil and wicked thoughts, submission will be stripped away by my own hands—"

"The sacred beast of a thousand purity has fallen into silence—"

As the incantation was slowly recited, Victor's body beneath his trench coat seemed to be transformed into layers of thick armor by streaks of dark souls.

The giant bird flapped its wings frantically, trying to break free of its restraints, but all it got in return was further encroachment and tightening.

Its body was slowly wrapped around by endless chains, layer upon layer, transforming into a huge black iron cocoon.

Soon, several obscure runes floated around the chains, engraved on them.

Boom! Boom!

Two intense echoes suddenly resounded between the runes, colliding with each other.

The white runes seemed to come alive and began to writhe, penetrating deep into the giant bird's body through the gaps between the iron chains.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the giant bird's body transformed into streaks of white energy that burst forth from the iron cocoon.

Following the chains, they transformed into runes that were etched into Victor's trench coat.

Several mysterious white, trembling runes slowly appeared on the collar and hem of the trench coat, constantly radiating powerful energy.

The moment the giant bird completely disappeared, the sky seemed to be completely engulfed by black smoke, turning it incredibly dark.

The white clouds seemed to begin to disintegrate, and black vortexes formed in the void, constantly drawing in the stone pillar and clouds.

The massive stone pillar beneath his feet began to shake violently, and the constantly crumbling fragments told Victor that this was not a place to linger.

The guardians of the temple themselves also serve as an energy source to sustain the temple's existence.

If a guardian is killed within the temple, the concentrated magic power can reshape the guardian's body over a long period of time.

However, once the guardian beast was forcibly removed from the temple...

That would mean the entire temple's divine power would be stripped away.

At this moment, the entire temple was teetering on the brink of collapse.

Vega stood on Victor's shoulder, seemingly unsurprised.

Victor, hands in his pockets, remained unfazed by the trembling, turned and strolled leisurely toward the open gates of the trial.

With his departure, the trial grounds completely crumbled, and the stone pillars turned to dust.

Only the boundless black hole continued to expand, swallowing the sky along with it.

...

On the far northern ice plains, a group of barbarians gathered at some unknown time.

The red-haired barbarians gathered together, shouting in strange tones.

On their opposite side was a group of barbarians with blue beards and bulging muscles.

They were holding up an enormous blue flag.

The flag depicts two battle axes, as if embedded in ice.

That is the symbol of the Claw of the Ice.

The red and blue barbarians faced off, and at their feet lay the corpses of those barbarians who had attained the right to rule.

Their bodies were already stiff, their flesh and blood were mangled, and their limbs looked as if they had been broken. Their deaths were extremely tragic.

It was precisely because of the existence of these qualified individuals that these barbarians were able to come to this northernmost ice plain.

The barbarians from the two tribes, weapons in hand, strained their voices against the wind and snow.

Not far away, on an isolated snow island, several mages with transparent outlines lay on the snowfield, watching the scene before them.

Seeing the array of barbarian forces on both sides filled them with excitement.

"So many barbarians gathered together, hiss..."

"Wouldn't this natural disaster wipe them all out in one fell swoop?"

"They seem unprepared. Should we notify the general now and prepare war magic in advance?"

They whispered to each other, but they didn't notice Viktor's presence.

The location that female knight mentioned was right here.

All that remains is that magical white palace on the distant, cold sea, which has not yet been inspected.

Could Victor be there?

While they were still wondering, the temple suddenly trembled violently.

Suddenly, a powerful tremor spread for miles around with the surging sea.

The entire snowfield was engulfed in a violent earthquake.

Several cracks appeared on the snowfield, and seawater poured into them all at once.

The barbarians who were standing facing each other on the snowfield immediately lay down on the snowfield, maintaining their posture.

Several slower-reacting barbarians lost their footing and fell into the icy ocean, drifting downstream into the deep valley.

Within the temple, a muffled roar of anger seemed to erupt, and a violent storm suddenly arose on the sea surface.

The barbarians couldn't help but turn their gazes to the collapsed temple.

Perhaps in an attempt to quell the god's anger, they all prostrated themselves on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

But the temple did not stop trembling because of their fear; huge earthquakes continued to reverberate across the boundless snowfield.

The snow kept collapsing and swirling due to the constant tremors.

It was as if a giant ice beast had suddenly awakened on this desolate land, only to fall helplessly into the abyss.

Suddenly.

A burst of intense white light erupted from within the temple, shooting straight into the sky.

Everything around seemed to have turned colorless.

Only that soaring white remained between heaven and earth.

...

The terrifying tremors even brought the members of the Pale Magic Guild to a halt.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!