Frost's Lament (Part 2)

"Is this the power of a hero? So amazing!" Rhonamuth said, looking at his father with worshipful eyes.

"No, this is the authority of a Great Hero, one of the strongest among heroes!"

With a father's particular pride, Aleias spoke to his son.

"Wow! Are Great Heroes the strongest?"

Rhonamuth's expression was familiar to Ace. In his previous life, he had looked at his own father with the same worship when he was little, believing him capable of anything.

"The strongest group among Great Heroes are known as Golden Heroes. Above them are the legendary heroes, whose personal strength and Epic renown are united as one. They can condense unique treasured artifacts. Legend says they receive divine grace and are specially permitted to dwell on Mount Kaya, the Dwelling of Gods."

Aleias wore an expression of slight envy and longing.

"My son, from the moment your mother placed you in my hands, the entire city whispered your name. One day, my mission will come to an end, and you will be crowned king."

"You are the son of the Elegant Goddess and me. The people will love you, the nobles will support you. You are Frost City's king, destined by heaven."

The voices and scene gradually blurred. Behind the father and son, black frost began to creep over the arms of the young man standing in attendance, while calm and madness alternated in his eyes.

When the scene became clear again, gentle morning light had already spread across the land. The people of Frost City had begun a new day of work. Everything was peaceful and beautiful.

Sleep-inducing whispers began to drift through the air. The entire city seemed to freeze in an instant. Great amounts of black frost crawled forth and condensed into grotesque monsters. Their bodies were a dark blue, black frost burned upon them, and they radiated extreme cold and evil.

These were probably the Ice Demons from the Epics. Ace recalled the stories he had heard. The greatest enemy in escaping the Sander Plateau had been the Ice Demons. Legend said they came from Eternal Winter, the coldest layer of the abyss, cruel and chaotic.

"It's the Ice Demons!" The nobles of the city-state broke free of the strange frozen state. They gathered with the king, while the citizens formed small squads by neighborhood. The entire city-state began an organized resistance against the demons that had descended from nowhere.

Aleias led an army formed from the city-state's nobles and citizens into battle against a horde of hideous, horned monsters one or two times taller than ordinary people.

He waved to Rhonamuth. "Son, quickly lead our people to the highlands north of the city! The warriors and I will hold back the demons. As long as the people remain, the city-state still has hope."

Rhonamuth watched his father's retreating figure as he marched against the demons, his eyes growing slightly wet. Then he turned, gathered the panicked residents, and led them fleeing out of the city.

Aleias's battle was extremely difficult. Most of the nobles who possessed extraordinary power, like him, were descendants of the Frost Goddess.

Frost power that had not surpassed its limits was instead the greatest nourishment for the Ice Demons. Therefore, they could not use their powerful bloodline divine arts and could only fight the demons with extraordinary bodies and martial techniques.

"Descendants of Frost, dear citizens, there is no room left for us to retreat! Behind us lies Rona City! Behind us are our parents, our wives, and our children!"

Aleias tore a demon apart with his bare hands and roared. The army's morale soared. The nobles charged forward bravely, while the citizen heavy infantry formed ranks and held their ground. Bit by bit, the demons were driven back.

At that moment, the young man who had once stood behind Aleias in attendance had massive amounts of black frost crawl over his arms. He rushed toward Aleias at high speed. A demonic claw formed of condensed black frost stabbed the heroic king in the back.

Aleias turned around with difficulty and asked in disbelief, "Alasong, why have you sided with the demons?"

Half-demonized Alasong casually killed a noble who tried to protect the king, then said contemptuously:

"The city-state needs reform. The Sander Plateau needs rebirth even more. You have already rotted away, Aleias."

"You have lost Frost's glory. You are nothing but a little pet that wags its tail at the Elegant Goddess. You even handed over the great Frost City without resistance. Frost's will shall bring disaster upon you! And I will build a new Frost City upon the ruins."

The demons split apart and devoured the forces of nobles and citizens. Aleias looked at the corpses scattered across the ground, grief and resolve filling his eyes.

"The great Frost God would never deign to join hands with demons. You have been corrupted by demons. I must purify you for Frost."

Aleias spat out blood and trudged toward Alasong. Pain and determination filled his gaze. His lips moved slightly as he murmured something.

He transformed into a beam of brilliant light and exploded.

When the light faded, the entire battlefield had become a world of ice sculptures. As the wind swept past, demons and corpses alike scattered into powder. Alasong's body was also gradually dispersing, but black frost suddenly crawled over his head, halting the dissolution.

"So you actually reached the peak of a Great Hero and became a Golden Hero. I underestimated you, Aleias. If you had been given more time for your Epic to be sung, perhaps you really could have solidified your inner vision into a treasured artifact and killed me. Unfortunately, you are not a legend after all. You cannot break the protection of Demon Lord Gaogen."

Alasong was in an utterly miserable state, with only his head remaining, yet he had survived. Madness raged in his eyes. He looked more and more like a demon, chaotic and evil.

Boom! A powerful ice arrow infused with heroic divine power nearly struck Alasong's only remaining head. Rhonamuth, worried for his father, had rushed over in haste after relocating the city-state's residents.

"Father!" Rhonamuth roared in grief as he looked at everything that had vanished.

Alasong looked at Rhonamuth and gave a sinister chuckle. "Dear divine child, Demon Lord Gaogen wants to taste you."

As he spoke, black frost burned over his remaining head, burning larger and larger until a demon ten times taller than Rhonamuth appeared.

Black frost burned across the giant demon's entire body. With a casual throw, countless blazing black-frost projectiles shot forth. Anything they struck instantly froze and shattered into powder.

Rhonamuth did not hesitate. He leaped backward decisively, facing the demon as he dodged and fled. The wounds on his body gradually increased.

Ace watched the perilous scene without the slightest ripple in his heart. Since Rhonamuth had ultimately founded a new city-state, he definitely would not die here.

Just as a burning mass of black frost was about to strike Rhonamuth, time suddenly slowed, and an elegant song rang out.

A group of little sprites laughed and sang a beautiful tune. Gentle light enveloped Rhonamuth, and a pair of snow-white hands softly stroked him. Every wound on his body healed.

Then, the white hands gently pressed together. When they opened again, a Seven-Colored Bead appeared and slowly floated toward Demon Lord Gaogen.

It moved very slowly, yet Demon Lord Gaogen could not evade it. He could only watch as the Seven-Colored Bead gently pierced through his body, leaving a tiny hole.

Then the hole grew larger and larger before rapidly expanding, annihilating him completely.

"My son, you have already done very well."

A gentle, holy female voice came from within the light. "I cannot save your father. This is his fate."