Chapter 555: A Sad Ending
As the ice dragon's head killed itself, the howling winds and blizzards around it gradually dissipated. When Angel was no longer able to maintain his "frost" ability, they turned into ordinary snowflakes, falling one by one on the headless body of the "King of the North".
After spitting out the last trace of ice flame, the dragon head fell onto the ice with its spine covered in flesh and blood with a thud. Its blue eyes, still open in death, stared at the dazed Groselle, as if Groselle was the culprit who had killed it.
Then, in the eyes of everyone, the headless dragon corpse and the head that betrayed it turned into a stream of blue and white light, gathering together to outline an archway with an arc at the top on the ice field.
The light faded, and a double door appeared on the ice. It seemed to have stood there for a thousand years, heavy and silent. The arch was covered with a thick layer of ice, and ice spikes even rested in front of the door.
Without any prompting, everyone immediately understood that this was the exit from Groselle's Travels.
"Finally... we succeeded!"
The first to speak was Groselle, whose silver armor gradually faded and whose flank was lacerated by a dragon's claws. He laughed heartily and stepped forward, as if trying to touch the door he had waited for thousands of years. Instead, he fell forward and landed on the ice with a loud bang.
"Groselle!"
Siatas realized something was wrong and walked to the giant with a quick pace befitting an elf. She took off the "Rose Necklace" from her neck and tried to put it on him, but found that a necklace of this size was not even big enough to make a bracelet for him. She looked anxiously at the ascetic Snowman.
The latter had used "Notarization" too many times and cooperated with Angel to fight against the strongest frost power of the "King of the North". At this time, his thin body was shaking. With the help of Mobet, he came to the side of the giant, looked at the huge wound that penetrated deep into his internal organs, frowned, and did not speak.
"Let me do it."
Klein put the exhausted Angel down and let Edwina hold her while he half-knelt beside Groselle.
His top hat flew off during the battle. His eyes were blazing under his gold-rimmed glasses. He could clearly see the spiritual thread extending from Groselle's body, which meant that the giant was not dead yet, but was seriously injured.
He put his right hand, which was wearing an ordinary glove, into the huge wound, pressed one side, and "transferred" the wound to his shoulder with difficulty as if dragging a heavy object, and then to his left arm, leaving a deep scar at the elbow where the bone was visible.
The flank that had been ripped open was now intact, revealing healthy gray-blue skin.
The giant's already weak breathing immediately became heavy, and the sound like a bellows made everyone feel relieved.
"Groselle, can you hear me?"
The black-armored "Punishment Knight" Longzel came to the other side and shouted into the giant's ears, which were bigger than his palms.
The four-meter-tall body trembled.
"I feel much better..."
This breathless reply made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. Siatas, whose severe injuries had not yet fully healed from the "Rose Necklace", even sat down directly on the cold ground, making Mobet nervous for a moment. Anderson shook the ice from his hair and silently sheathed his dagger. The ascetic Snowman closed his eyes, made the sign of the cross on his chest, and prayed softly. Angel, supported by Edwina, approached the crowd, both of them with happy smiles on their faces.
Klein also stood up and looked at the ancient double doors. He scanned the area and was disappointed but not surprised to find that the body and flesh of the "King of the North" Jurisian had completely disappeared, as if he had never existed.
Naturally, not a single bit of the so-called extraordinary characteristics remained.
"It seems that it is different from us and is a false creature created by this travelogue."
He sighed.
These words seemed to remind everyone that they were still in a false world. Including Groselle, who had just gotten up and was stroking his injured left arm, everyone turned their gaze towards the huge door.
"Let's get out as soon as possible. No one knows how long this door will last. If we miss it, we'll have to wait for many more years before another 'King of the North' appears."
Edwina expressed everyone's thoughts. She then looked towards the cave, which was almost buried in the snow, and shouted:
"Danis, come out, the battle is over."
This might cause "Flame" to lose the last bit of confidence... Angel regained some strength, stood up from Edwina's arms, muttered something silently, and walked closer to Klein. He found that he was talking to the elf singer Siatas. Then he handed the other party the paper and pen he carried with him. The latter took it and wrote quickly.
"She promised to give me the formula for 'Ocean Songster', and I will exchange it for a relic obtained from the ruins of Cosineum."
Seeing her approach, Klein took the initiative to speak.
"Ocean Singer" was the next sequence that the Hanged Man Alger needed, and Cosinamu... Angel quickly recalled the name of the "Queen of Scourge" mentioned by the Fool at a Tarot meeting when he almost admitted that he held the power of "Sea God".
Oh, right, back then, Klein was still pretending to be just an ordinary believer, not the "world"... Thinking of this, she glanced at him with some resentment, but was seen by Siatas, who handed over the potion formula.
The elf, with a soft voice but a somewhat irritable personality, chuckled and returned the "Rose Necklace" in his hand to Angel, saying:
"There's nothing between him and me, it's just a deal."
No, you misunderstood, and saying this will make it even more likely to lead to misunderstandings… Angel was speechless and was about to explain when Danitz, trudging out of the cave, looked at the huge door that had suddenly appeared, and at the people who were all injured but couldn't hide their smiles, and lowered his head in silence.
It seems that not being able to participate in this battle and having no chance to show off in front of the captain has made him even less confident in his own abilities... Angel sighed secretly and found that the blond hunter Anderson approached him with a strange smile, as if he was about to say something.
Maybe a few provocative words would cheer him up a little.
Angel stopped paying attention and looked at the black-haired, pointy-eared elf, Siatas, and asked:
"Did the arrow you just used come from the power of your own path?"
"You mean 'Storm Arrows'? That's not a potion's power, but a way of using that power taught to us by our king. Multiple arrows striking the same spot increase the subsequent damage. If three or more archers attack simultaneously, even the 'King of the North' would find it difficult to resist."
Siatas replied with a haughty expression.
Sure enough, this is "Gathering Storm," or rather, the prototype of "Gathering Storm." I have no memory or knowledge of using it as an arrow, which means that what I know is only the "copy"...
Angel's guess was confirmed. He stopped talking and looked at the double doors in the wind and snow.
At this time, everyone had gathered and arrived at the door. Groselle's team didn't even bring tents or survival tools, but looked at the door with anticipation.
Even Longzel, who entered last, had experienced more than 160 years in the book. They should all be eager to go home... Angel looked at everyone who had become his companions in the short battle with satisfaction, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
But, after they left...
A strange idea suddenly popped into her mind.
Groselle came from the Giant King's Court, but Mr. "Sun" said it had been destroyed thousands of years ago; Siatas's fellow elves had long since vanished into the depths of time, leaving only the elven ruins scattered across the Sonia Sea; Mobet came from the Solomon Empire of the Fourth Epoch, but the Northern Continent had been replaced by nations like Loen; Longzel was indeed from Loen, from Backlund, but everyone he knew had died a hundred years ago...
Most importantly, they themselves...
"Where are you going after you get out?"
A whispered exchange interrupted her thoughts.
Longzel asked Groselle, who was twice his height, with high spirits, no longer confused as when Angel first met him.
The latter stroked the wound on his arm and answered in a booming voice:
"The King's Court of Giants."
"I guess so," Longzel said, brushing off the snowflakes on his shoulder armor. "I want to go back to Backlund and my home in the Northwest..."
His voice trailed off, the last word barely audible, but Angel recognized it as "Mom" by the shape of his lips.
She turned her head and met Klein's eyes. The latter also looked a little sad, but did not speak.
Backlund's northwest district had been redrawn a hundred years ago and no longer existed. Moreover, let alone Longzel's mother, even if he had any offspring, they were no longer alive.
Everyone slowly walked across the field where the battle had just taken place, stepped over the gullies carved by the ice dragon, and the traces of fire, frost, and lightning, and came to the huge door.
Groselle put his hand on the ice-covered door and looked at the others.
Siatas, Mobet, Longzel, and then the taciturn Snowman, each extended a hand and pressed it against the side of the door.
Angel, Klein, and Edwina, who had just joined the team a few days to a few hours ago, as well as Danitz, who had regained his spirits after Anderson's "encouragement", also raised their hands and pressed on the door on the other side.
"Let's go."
Groselle said, and everyone worked together to push open the door.
The next second, the ice and snow, the gate and the endless ice field in front of Angel became illusory and transparent and disappeared without a trace. Oil lamps lit up one by one, followed by brown-yellow bookshelves, nautical tables and several armchairs under the light.
She returned to the captain's cabin of the Golden Dream.
The ten people who suddenly appeared almost filled the entire room. The tall Groselle even bumped into the ceiling. He lowered his head and bent his waist carefully to avoid hitting the wooden ceiling, but a smile from the heart was on his face.
“We’re really out…”
Mobet stroked the asymmetrical buttons on his chest with one hand and reached out to the elf Siatas beside him with the other. The latter hesitated for a moment and then shook his hand.
“I didn’t expect that I would still be on the boat after I came out.”
Longzel murmured, slowly reaching out to the navigation table beside him, and pressing his finger on a point on the map. It was the Kingdom of Loen in the northern continent.
The sound of pages flipping drew everyone's attention to the desk. Groselle's Travels, placed there, flipped automatically without a breeze, quickly turning to the last few pages. The pages that were originally stuck together were now filled with content, passing before everyone's eyes until the end of the story.
"Grosel fulfilled his promise. He led the companions he met along the way, and with the help of lost pirates, a lady who controlled frost, crazy adventurers, and powerful hunters, he killed the 'King of the North' and returned in triumph."
"Returning triumphantly..."
Groselle silently recited the last few words, blinked his single vertical eye, stretched out his uninjured right hand, and slapped it towards his chest.
Suddenly, he noticed that the gray-blue skin on his arms turned pale, then dry and wrinkled, and the strong muscles inside began to atrophy.
He lowered his head in surprise and looked at the other teammates in the room.
The smiles on the faces of Mobet, Siatas, Longzel, and Snowman also disappeared in an instant. Their gazes shifted from the giant who had instantly aged to their other teammates, and finally to their own bodies.
In just a few seconds, these powerful extraordinary people who had just challenged the "King of the North" and killed him became old and frail and on the verge of death!
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