The Kingmaker System Chapter 745 - 744. Ten Minutes Until Dawn (2)

Issyrha had no choice, she could see Ocean already having his own task to deal with so, the Demon Lord was hers to take care of.

It was almost fortunate because, Issyrha was angry and she needed to fight it out with someone and a Demon Lord seemed like a perfect opponent at this moment.

Issyrha inhaled and exhaled deeply and then cracked her knuckles, watching the single black pupil in the sky finding its home on her.

"Frost Dragon." The deep, earth-shattering voice spoke up making the group of Edrisyl unfrozen men to clamp their ears shut.

Issyrha tilted her head, regarding the Demon Lord coolly, "Gluttony, huh? Seems like the wounds from Kin Zhaeroth have finally healed."

The slanted pupil contracted and the voice bellowed, "You arrogant wench! I’ll savor your flesh and blood myself!"

A bow made of ice appeared in Issyrha’s hand and she brought it up, an ice bow materialising between her fingers as she pointed it at the eye.

"Go ahead and try, I’m standing right here to kick your sorry ass back to the hellhole." She spoke before she shot the arrow.

The arrow split and turned into numerous icy javelins that struck the eye making the Demon Lord bellow. The island shuddered at the impact and the three Kings and Xeveris stumbled to maintain their balance.

Issyrha glanced once behind herself at Ocean who was still at his work before she turned her full attention on the portal in the sky as the black creatures resembling the amalgamation of the reptiles and sea creatures started pouring out from the Summoning Portal.

Issyrha shot arrows after arrows that split and hit the creatures, but the creatures swarmed like locusts over the island racing for the beings trapped in ice.

Issyrha cursed under her breath and then looked at the stunned group.

"What are you waiting for?! Take care of these pests, I’ll deal with that thing!" She shouted making the four to flinch.

"Ye-Yes!"

The four split up each wielding their weapons and started destroying the vermin that poured out from the portal that kept enlarging.

Issyrha observed the surroundings, the island of Edrisyl wasn’t an ideal place to have this battle. If the portal kept enlarging then the Demon Lord of Gluttony and his whole army would descend and it would most likely destroy this whole island and also ruin what Ocean was doing.

Issyrha could unmistakably feel the roots pulsing beneath the frozen ground under her feet. If Gluttony descended then this new life would be destroyed and there really would be no going back.

Ocean was reckless and had kept her oblivious but he had a plan and he had worked hard enough to make sure to lift the curse from Solcarion. It was her turn now, while the youngest was doing his duty, it was her responsibility to not let his hard work go to the dogs.

The icy bow dissolved into countless shimmering flakes before a massive claymore of translucent ice took its place in Issyrha’s grasp.

She shot forward without hesitation. Platforms of crystal ice blossomed beneath her feet one after another, each shattering into frost the instant she pushed off. Her ascent grew swifter with every step until a pair of magnificent wings of translucent ice unfurled from her back, carrying her the remaining distance toward the widening portal.

The closer she drew, the heavier the dead mana became.

Issyrha raised her claymore overhead and the very air seemed to freeze. The winds answered her call at once, gathering into a violent blizzard that spiralled around the portal. Countless jagged icicles were swept into the storm, grinding through the creatures pouring out of the darkness before they could descend upon the island. One after another, the grotesque abominations were torn apart and scattered into black fragments that disappeared within the swirling frost.

Far below, another storm was already growing.

At the centre of Yggdrasil’s ashes, Ocean remained kneeling with his palm pressed firmly against the earth. Torrents of mana poured from his body into the newborn Seed of Life, their sheer volume making the ground itself tremble. The black ashes scattered across the mound slowly rose into the air, drawn into the immense current of mana. As they spiralled around him, the soot-like fragments gradually shed their darkness, each one transforming into a brilliant blue mote before joining the growing vortex.

From miles away, Edrisyl had become a spectacle unlike any seen before.

Above the island, an immense cyclone of ice imprisoned the summoning portal, its blizzard raging endlessly against the tide of darkness spilling from the heavens.

Below it, a second vortex rose from the earth itself. Countless blue particles, once the ashes of Yggdrasil, circled around Ocean in a towering pillar of light, giving the illusion that the stars themselves had descended upon the island. At its heart, the young Dragon remained motionless as the Seed of Life continued drawing upon the vast ocean of mana within him.

Below the frozen sky, Aelfric and Zale fought side by side, cutting down every creature that slipped through Issyrha’s storm. Waves of Pure Mana and the silver radiance of Serathil swept across the battlefield, reducing the abominations to nothing before they could reach the frozen survivors.

On the opposite flank, Erisgrirlum and Xeveris held the line just as fiercely. Their weapons rose and fell without pause as they intercepted every creature that attempted to push deeper into the island.

Even so, there was scarcely enough time to breathe.

The portal continued expanding with every passing moment. More creatures clawed their way into the world while fresh waves of dead mana spilled from the widening abyss.

Issyrha clicked her tongue in irritation.

Her blizzard was powerful enough to contain what emerged, but it could not stop the portal itself from growing.

At this rate, Gluttony would descend.

She inhaled and then shouted, "Hey, brat. I’m going in this portal. You take care of things here after you’re done!"

She was almost ready to fly into the black hole when she heard the clear voice ringing in her head.

"Don’t!" Ocean’s voice ordered.

Issyrha paused and then looked down at the mana storm that was swirling at a violent pace.

On the ground, in the eye of the blue storm, Ocean sat steadily pouring his mana into the seed which was slowly sprouting. The pressure on him was so vast at this point that even if he thought of removing his arm it was as if it was being devoured by the black hole before him. The ripping storm of mana around him whipped at his clothes and hair in the air violently yet, the grip of the seed was too strong over him. It almost felt as if the seed was adamant in sucking every drop of life in Ocean’s body.

Suddenly Ocean heard a crack near his ear and his eyes moved on instinct. He felt his disguise form- Ocean’s form slowly shimmering before he saw the earstud that was on his earlobe shattering completely before it flew off to join the glowing mana particles in the air. The mana brooch followed suit within seconds along with the other mana devices on Reina.

Reina’s long hair was tied back in a ponytail whipping around her as she gritted her teeth feeling even more pressure by the seed on her as her disguise was shattered. The mana storm blew even more as she felt the little sapling grow at an agonisingly slow pace.

[Warning!

50% of you Mana Reserves have been exhausted.]

[Time Remaining Until Seed Germination: 03 minutes 42 seconds.]

The screens were barely visible to Reina as she kept her eyes on the ground. Her fingers curled against the ground until her nails were dug deeply into the soil. She felt the ripping pain surge through her body as her knees came down breaking her crouching posture, until she was kneeling feeling as if along with her mana even her body would get devoured.

"What do you mean?" Issyrha asked, "I need to destroy Gluttony for this to portal to be closed."

Her voice ringing inside Reina’s head. It was only temporary but the authority of the Dragon God allowed Reina to make telepathic contact with Issyrha who was the closest to her.

"No," Reina responded, strained.

"What you need to do is to only buy time, don’t go in there!"

"Are you even listening to yourself? It’s useless to keep fighting this from out here, the portal will expand and it will descend-"

"I know!" Reina nearly shouted.

"I already have prepared for that."

Issyrha was stunned beyond her wits. Just how far ahead had this young Dragon planned and how much did she know about this ritual that she even knew that the only ways to close the Summoning Portal was to either destroy the Demon Lord that was being summoned or destroy the four conduits at the exact same moment.

If one tried to destroy the conduits at different times then the rest three conduits’ power would suck in the life force of the person who was trying to destroy the fourth conduit.

It was tricky and dangerous even for a Dragon.

The information Reina had received from Ruel was never about the ritual itself, only that a summoning was being prepared. The finer details of how a Demon Lord was brought into the world had been pieced together later from ancient Grimoires, forgotten tomes that Silas had entrusted to her and countless discussions with Caelthir.

A summoning of that scale demanded an enormous sacrifice. Hundreds of lives had to be offered, their deaths bound together through four conduits that acted as the ritual’s anchor points. The greater the bloodshed surrounding a conduit, the stronger the ritual became.

The four decided conduits were Azar, the young Dark Mage who had gained the ability of controlling the Undead, the lowest and weakest of ability which branched from the lost dark art of Necromancy. The second conduit was Gargi, the Whisperer of Shifters. Third was Velk, the Chimera who would wreck havoc in the colosseum and lastly, was Lilith. But because he couldn’t locate Velk, he had to use his and the dead Domina’s life forces for it, after all even he was ultimately responsible for thousands of deaths themselves.

Issyrha considered everything while she let the icy storm whip around her while she cut down the dark creatures with her claymore.

"Child, I have to go in the portal, don’t worry. I have fought Gluttony once with a Kin, I know-"

"And I’m telling you to buy time, Kin Issyrha." Reina cut her off.

Issyrha felt a vein in her forehead popping as she heard that, she was already plenty angry at this young brat but now this little Dragon was even telling her what to do and what not to do.

"How are you planning to kill these four conduits together? It’s impossible, your human minions can’t kill them, there needs to be considerable power to cut through this dark magic! Anyone who tries will die."

"I know." Reina responded, "but will you please have patience, Kin Issyrha? I have a way to deal with this."

Issyrha felt even more frustrated but somehow she felt like she couldn’t go against Reina’s words, it was as if even her Mana Heart was in accordance with Reina, which made her a little suspicious.

"You’re not using the Dragon God authority on me still, are you?" Issyrha asked.

"Then don’t try to go against my word."

"You brat!"

[Time Remaining Until Seed Germination: 02 minutes 06 seconds.]