The Ice Queen was wreathed in cold. Her dress was an ice blue, her eyes and hair shared the same frosty white color, even the icicles around her had formed a crown of halos above her head, completing the patented look of the Ice Queen Race.
There was no mistaking it. A true Demon King had appeared. And, this wasn't a normal Demon King either, it was an Eleventh Order Demon King with the power to overturn mountains and suppress waves.
Ryu smiled, a hint of pride hidden within the depths of his gaze. This was an emotion he showed rarely as he most people had no ability to impress him, and even those that could wouldn't warrant him being proud of them. But, this case was definitely different.
Ailsa didn't draw on Ryu's help even once. And, despite her lack of experience, she had managed to bring a Demon King under her control. Ryu could tell at a glance that the Ice Queen was ready to act at Ailsa's beck and call.
Stepping through the air, Ryu appeared by Ailsa's side. His wife had a sheen of sweat covering her forehead but the smile on her face could light up the world. As beautiful as the Ice Queen was, Ryu felt that it couldn't compare to even a single hair on his wife's head.
Proudly sticking her ample chest out and threatening to rip her dress at the seams, Ailsa delicately pointed a finger forward.
"Kill them all."
The Ice Queen gazed toward Ailsa for a moment and immediately vanished in shards of ice. When she appeared again, she stood in the middle of the Griffins and the Martial Gods, the haughty expression between her brows.
"Demon King, you dare?!"
Rou'shu, the current leader of this expedition for the Griffin Clan, was instantly infuriated. So what if it was a Demon King? Could a single Demon King do anything to him?! The Heaven's Favored were the Ancestral Beasts, not the Demons! Did these fools really believe a single Demon King could change anything?!
Rou'shu's brows raised, his gemstone lighting up as the world seemed to solidify.
The elders of the Martial Gods were equally furious. However, Ryu was indifferent, not doing a single thing despite the fact they had now gained the ire of both sides. He had felt something special when this Ice Queen was manifested and he was content to see how things would play out. Regardless, it would end in their favor.
Ice Queens weren't actually tangible beings, they were more like Wraiths than they were like normal Demons. The apparent solidity of their bodies was only caused by the perpetual layer of ice that covered them, making them look as though they had tangible forms when in reality they were nothing more than flickering souls.
It could be said that Ice Queens were the incarnation of an Ice Soul Nature manifested into reality, but without the weight of a body holding them down. Their entire race was made up of women for reasons believed to relate to the fairer sex's proclivity for Yin. Regardless of what the true reason was, they were the lowest in population among the Demon Kings. But, they were also notoriously difficult to kill. According to legend….
They were Immortal.
Several sword strikes erupted through the Ice Queen's body, leaving shards of ice falling through the skies and her body riddled with holes. From every vantage point, it looked as though the battle was over. A single Ice Queen couldn't hope to accomplish anything.
Although it was of the Eleventh Order, there were equivalent experts on both opposing sides. In addition, even though Demon Kings had the great combat prowess among Demons and could be considered the equivalent of extraordinary human geniuses, what did that matter in front of Ancestral Beasts and Martial Gods, each which was a race that could be said to be at the pinnacle of battle prowess as well.
However…
'They say that at the deepest layer of the Nether Realm, the Dream Wraiths control the memories of all those who flow by, wiping them clean before assuring them on to their new life. I had always believed that this cycle of reincarnation was a closed circuit… If the death of Shrine Mountain would mean that all those born in this world would lose their right to reincarnate, then wouldn't that only prove the point all the more?
'But… There's another way to look at things. What if the death of Shrine Mountain doesn't represent the destruction of reincarnation and the disrupting of a closed circuit, but rather represent the break in a chain of events, leaving everything else completely unimpeded? What if Shrine Mountain's only job is to bring souls to their next destination, passing it off to something much larger and grander than itself?'
Ryu mused as he watched the indifferent Ice Queen continue to raise its hands as though nothing had happened.
At that moment, a surge of cold qi rushed in in all directions, forming countless blades of ice in the air, each radiating with a mighty aura of its own. The air itself crackled and space froze over, running countless webs across the wind until it seemed like the world itself might shatter like glass.
'… If this second assumption is true, then that would mean that the Nether World is connected to something more grand than even I could understand, something that maybe even the Heavens of Sacrum itself must lower its head to…
'And, if that's the case, then the Demon Kings that rule over it, and the enigmatic legends of Demon Emperors never before seen to the populace of the world, sitting upon their lofty thrones and looking down from above…
'How could their strength be limited to the insights we have in this small world? How could their battle prowess be so meager?'
The grin on Ryu's face widened, his aura billowing.
'You found such a path, didn't you…. Father? You have your fun, then. Leave mom to me.'
The swords of the Ice Queen fell, an avalanche of icy hell enveloping the battlefield.