Chapter 323
Chapter 323
When Yu-hyun returned to the barracks with Frechen, they found Lean looking for them.
“Keira, and Frechen. Where have you been?”
“Well, you see…”
“I went out to scout the enemy’s situation. This young lady came along to make sure I wasn’t up to anything suspicious.”
Before Yu-hyun could answer, Frechen interrupted.
When Lean shot a questioning look, Yu-hyun nodded in agreement.
“It’s almost time to advance.”
“I know. That’s why we came back in time.”
Frechen lightly brushed off Lean’s words with a chuckle. Lean gave him a brief, deep look before turning to the sound of someone calling him from afar.
“Aren’t you going to explain? Clearing up misunderstandings would be good.”
“Even if I can’t stop her from knowing, there’s no need to inform someone like him. Unless you want me to confess I was just a devoted lover and have them reconcile?”
Frechen loathed such cringe-worthy behavior.
He didn’t care whether others liked or disliked him.
What did it matter? The important thing was that he was simply himself, no matter what anyone said.
“I am Frechen. That’s all there is to it. I don’t care about others’ perceptions or changing them.”
There was no need to correct any misconceptions people had about him until now.
Bragging about it was not his style.
“And your subordinates?”
“What is there to tell them? They’re more likely to feel sorry for me.”
That day, to save Frechen, the Gray Wolf knights knocked him out and fled south.
They still followed Frechen loyally.
“I don’t hate my subordinates. I understand their feelings. As the last hope and bloodline of the royal family, who would let me go to hell? Even if they were later punished or killed by my crazed hand, they acted with that in mind.”
He hadn’t blamed his knights, even in the depths of despair after losing Rebecca.
They did nothing wrong by being loyal to him.
“Even if I told them I went to get Rebecca’s keepsake, they would only feel more guilty about that day. I don’t like that.”
“You care deeply for your subordinates.”
“Care? No. I just don’t want to see them crying. The empire may have fallen, and they can no longer be called imperial knights, but they still follow me. They are Frechen’s subordinates.”
Frechen laughed arrogantly.
Yu-hyun could see why this man, who led and captivated people with his hard-earned charisma, was called the Gray Wolf.
“Do you think I would tolerate my subordinates being depressed over something like this?”
“You’re a harsh leader.”
“This is considered kind.”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t last a day under you.”
“Those who can’t last are weak. My subordinates are never weak.”
His voice carried infinite trust towards his comrades over the past 32 years.
In the distance, Yu-hyun saw Gray Wolf knights approaching, recognizing Frechen.
“I must go. Stay with Lean and prepare. You never know who might die.”
“Alright.”
Yu-hyun parted ways with Frechen and headed towards Lean.
People were busy moving. They covered the spent rune stones with snow, finished checking their weapons, and swung them a few times.
Their minds were sharpened more than any blade for the impending battle.
It wasn’t that they weren’t afraid. But more than that, they wanted to overcome their fear and fight.
When Lean confirmed that Yu-hyun had arrived, he nodded and shouted.
“Let’s go!”
Lean led the way, and the people followed.
A large army of 2,000 crossed the frozen Andolim Lake.
The lake, dividing the world like transparent glass, was frozen solid to the bottom, without even a crack.
“Frechen.”
Before the final battle began, Lean called Frechen.
Frechen wondered why Lean called him, guessing it might be to remind him not to cause trouble and to fight hard.
“What is it?”
“If we survive the battle, let’s have a drink.”
“……”
Even the great Frechen didn’t expect such words from Lean, making his expression comically surprised.
Ignoring Frechen’s reaction, Lean turned his gaze forward again.
The snowstorm had stopped. Beyond the still air, a hazy mist was visible.
The icy mist was Georn’s breath.
And beyond the mist was Georn, the cause of this world’s current state.
Once a great god served by the Gardians, now a fallen monster spreading despair.
Having been briefed beforehand, people did not hastily approach the mist.
“Damn. It’s disgustingly quiet.”
“It’s always like this before something happens.”
“Shh. Be quiet.”
As murmurs rose from behind, a change occurred in the mist.
The mist slowly thinned and eventually cleared completely.
Unlike the last visit, this unexpected event left Lean confused. Yu-hyun felt the same.
“Why did the mist suddenly…?”
“Look over there!”
Someone shouted, drawing everyone’s attention to one side.
In the slowly fading mist, large shadows began to rise.
The figures in the mist were Frost Giants.
There were about a hundred of them, not particularly threatening considering their forces, but the real problem lay beyond.
The mist fully cleared, revealing the source of all this.
“Ge-Georn.”
Someone called out the name in a trembling voice.
Georn, a giant Frost Giant ten times larger than the rest, looked down with red eyes, contrasting with his icy blue skin.
Georn, covered in sharp ice and with hair and beard of ice, rose.
Boom.
The 200-meter-tall giant stood, causing the Gardian warriors to instinctively step back. Even a slight movement from Georn made the ground vibrate.
Lean gritted his teeth and shouted.
“Raise your weapons! Stick to the plan!”
Before anyone could respond or nod, Georn opened his mouth.
Roar!
A deafening roar shook the ground, scattering the snow like dust.
At the same time, changes occurred on the Andolim Lake.
Crack!
A cracking sound was heard as a hand burst through the lake’s ice.
Frost Giants, hidden by merging with the lake’s ice, emerged at Georn’s command.
“What the…!”
“Everyone, be careful!”
The newly emerged Frost Giants began attacking the nearby people indiscriminately.
Their numbers exceeded a thousand.
“How could this be?”
“Did Georn know we were coming?”
Georn acted as if he had been waiting for this.
A trap. The thought of it first crossed Lean’s mind. This place was already a trap set by Georn.
“Behind! Something’s coming from behind!”
“Damn! Frost Giants are coming from behind too!”
From beyond the Andolim Lake where they had crossed, Frost Giants were swarming.
Not only were they surrounded, but Frost Giants also emerged from the center of their formation.
Despite their panic, the Gardians fought the Frost Giants.
“Did they know from the start?”
Muttering to himself, Lean cut off a Frost Giant’s neck at the forefront.
They were surrounded. Frost Giants, lying in wait from the start, ambushed them from all sides.
“Block them!”
Someone shouted, and battles erupted everywhere, with weapons clashing against the Frost Giants.
In the sudden chaos, Lean’s mind became cluttered.
‘What do we do? What should we do now?’
Their plan was to quickly dispel the ice mist and launch a surprise attack on Georn.
Even if Georn noticed midway, they thought they could defeat him before he summoned the Frost Giants.
But their plan faced obstacles from the beginning.
“Lean! Give us orders!”
“Lean! What do we do now?”
Lean! Lean!
Desperate voices called for him from all sides. Lean’s mind was in turmoil.
The surprise attack failed. Instead, the Frost Giants surrounded them and attacked from all sides. Their 2,000 soldiers were outnumbered by the Frost Giants swarming from behind.
‘No.’
His steps felt heavy as if his ankles were stuck in a swamp. He was out of breath, and his vision blurred.
Because of me.
Because of my stubbornness, everyone was in danger.
“Snap out of it!”
Just as Lean’s vision flashed, a sharp pain struck his cheek.
“Keira?”
“What are you doing? You can’t stand there dazed when you’re the leader!”
Yu-hyun, usually polite, glared at Lean and shouted.
Only then did Lean look around.
People fighting Frost Giants and his closest aides were all watching him.
Seeing them, Lean bit his lip and pulled himself together.
“Yes. We’ve come this far. We can’t be overwhelmed by this.”
“Now that you’re back, give the orders.”
Lean nodded.
“Everyone, listen!”
With golden aura emanating from his sword, Lean shouted.
To the despairing Gardian warriors, he appeared as a beacon of hope.
“Hold the line! Form a defensive stance, back to back! Endure and keep enduring! I’ll take down Georn!”
The arrow had already left the bow.
Now, they had to defeat Georn, the source of all this chaos, as quickly as possible.
First, they had to break through the Frost Giants between them and Georn.
With Lean signaling, Yu-hyun rushed forward. The Explorers followed.
“Clear the path!”
“Just get Lean to Georn!”
They had no choice but to trust that Lean would resolve everything.
Hearing their words, Lean clenched his teeth without responding.
He knew. His words were nothing more than irresponsible promises.
Even if they reached Georn, without the Key Sword, he couldn’t properly fight him.
He realized upon confronting Georn. Even if Georn had lost power, he was still overwhelmingly strong.
Still.
‘I brought them this far. They followed me, wanting to fight.’
He couldn’t betray their expectations.
Even a fragile hope, like a candle in the wind, was enough if it ignited their hearts.
That was enough.
Failure
was not an option.
Now, he focused only on defeating the enemy before him.
“For the great Gard!”
“For the land of salvation!”
“For this world!”
Responding to Lean’s shout, the s*****e squad following him echoed.
The weight of honor in their cries pressed down on Lean’s shoulders, but he didn’t stop.
Without looking back at the comrades falling to the Frost Giants’ hands, he ran forward.
“Argh!”
Fight. Don’t drop your sword. Swing it. Move forward.
Golden aura traced bright arcs in the air, slicing through Frost Giants’ necks.
Lean wasn’t just fighting the Frost Giants before him.
Every step delayed meant a life lost.
Every time he faltered under the weight of expectations, another life was lost.
Weakness, limited time, and overwhelming pressure.
All of these were Lean’s enemies.
“Hold on! Hold on!”
“Damir! No! Argh!”
“Maintain formation! Don’t break, hold the line!”
Screams echoed everywhere.
Frost Giants’ roars and people’s shouts filled the air.
On the snowy white ground, the blood of Gardian warriors splattered.
Red did not mix with anything else. Red was vividly red.
Leaving that hell behind, Lean kept running.
‘So far.’
The distance to Georn wasn’t far.
With his body, he could cover the distance quickly.
Yet it felt far.
Every step felt as heavy as if shackles were on his ankles, and the white plain seemed endlessly distant.
But Georn’s figure was clear, as if mocking him from close by.
Cursed god.
Why do you abandon us?
Why do you make me swing my sword at you?
“Georn!”
Cutting down the last Frost Giant blocking him, Lean stood before Georn.
Up to that point, the Frost Giant king, Georn, had been watching Lean with an emotionless gaze.
Unfazed, Lean gathered his power into his sword.
Golden aura rose five meters high. Some warriors were captivated by its dazzling display.
Lean leaped. His body soared high, reaching Georn’s chest. His aura extended to ten meters.
With all his strength, he struck.
“This ends here!”
The cursed world, the endless cycle, everything would end with this strike.
It should have ended.
Clang!
The sound of the golden aura clashing with Georn’s neck was not what Lean expected.
His full-strength strike left no mark on Georn’s neck.
Georn hadn’t reacted to Lean’s charge because he couldn’t. He didn’t feel the need.
‘From the beginning.’
Had it been out of reach?
Georn slowly raised his hand. Lean blankly watched.
Then.
Georn’s fist came down, smashing into Lean’s body.
