Even through the Twilight Phoenix's cataclysmic impact that was unlike anything before-a deafening rupture that shook the entire range, rolling like a celestial thunderclap, splitting stone, and sending echoes of destruction through the very bones of the mountain-Northern
clearly had heard the system's announcement.
The Calamitous Maelstrom had been slain, burned to crisps.
Of course, under such an attack, it couldn't hope to survive. The sheer force had rippled through the peaks, causing distant cliffs to crack and shatter, avalanches collapsing mid-slide as the heat vaporized them before they touched the ground.
What remained was unrecognizable.
The once-frozen mountain was no more-its glaciers and snowfields reduced to blackened scars of molten rock and obsidian glass.
A large side of the summit had been sheared away, replaced by a yawning crater, its depths glowing with buried veins of magma now exposed to the surface for the first time in millennia.
The land that once lay beneath a pristine white expanse was now scorched raw, rivers of ice boiled into nothingness, their former paths now jagged trenches carved by the sheer intensity of heat.
The few trees that had once clung stubbornly to the frozen slopes had vanished in an instant, leaving only ghostly silhouettes of ash, crumbling at the faintest touch.
Even as the fires began to settle, the embers remained. They flickered in the cracks of molten stone, refusing to fade, their eerie glow leaving a reminder that something unnatural had happened here. The wind, once howling with icy breath, now carried only silence-the kind that follows an extinction event.
Northern stood at its center, blinking, quite unsure what to think.
The mountain had not just been destroyed.
It had been reborn-scarred, scorched, and forever marked by fire.
He had never doubted the power of a Paragon. Despite holding back so much, he had seen how much damage the Luinngard Emperor could still do to him.
Even with all his cards on deck, there was no way he could have won that battle. It would have ended in his utter devastation.
Seeing the destruction he had unleashed gave him reassurance of that fact.
Of course, the Paragon's talent in his hands had gone through several leaps and bounds of evolution and was now deadlier than it had been.
But Northern couldn't help tracing the catastrophic talent to its original owner, imagining what their battle would have been if the Emperor hadn't held back.
The entire kingdom would have been reduced to a flat plain. Even the tall walls.
'The rumors weren't selling it short. They really can reshape landscapes.'
He wasn't a Paragon yet, and definitely shouldn't wield such ruinous power. But that was the fun and beautiful part of it.
He was an abomination, a strange existence that should be abolished from its roots, forced out of the natural world's laws and concepts.
But who could try? Ul? The Tyrants? The Origins?
'Ah... thinking about those bastards is suddenly distasteful.'
Northern scratched his head absently.
He had to admit, if they put their minds to it, they could get the job done.
'I mean, Paragons exist with different kinds of powers, and Luminaries will probably show up soon. I still have them to worry about-I don't see myself being able to withstand a Tyrant's wrath now.'
But that was also why he couldn't stop.
Why he wouldn't delude himself into thinking he had reached the pinnacle of strength.
He would keep climbing that ladder until he stood on the highest peak of the world, across all continents and even in the underworld.
Thinking about the scope of his goal, Northern suddenly felt a chill assault him, making him shudder.
Northern glanced around again. The scene was truly... terrifying. He shook his head and walked away, mumbling.
"Damn them all, really."
He seethed with insidious malice toward all Paragons, their sheer existence making him pale slightly in comparison.
Then there were those who had been Paragons for years, who were very... very experienced. Northern's mind drifted toward Dante. The Paragon was not a veteran yet, he was even the most recent but was a carrier of reckless and devastating onslaught.
'I wonder if he kept some cards hidden.'
Still, what else could there be? He already had the Paragon's talent. Unless there was something he hadn't considered before... or had considered but wasn't remembering.
The flame attack, however, had only affected one side of the mountain. And it was no coincidence he had protected this place with Void Force. Reasons... obvious.
Northern took a soft but powerful leap, easily flying across an enormous distance and landing with the grace of a falling leaf. He continued forward casually, now treading on snow.
A few seconds later, he stopped. The girl stood before a slightly heaped mound of earth, gazing at it with a sullen expression.
"It didn't go in too deep. I didn't have the time or strength to make it..."
She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sharply tailored, vibrant suit of gold and black.
Northern had never paid attention to her clothes before-she always wore a cloak over them. But now the cloak was gone, revealing the graceful outfit beneath.
It clung to her like snakeskin, gracing her voluptuous form with dangerous elegance. Instead
of long trousers, it ended in a flared skirt that barely reached mid-thigh.
Her black boots stretched just past her knees, leaving a sliver of alabaster skin exposed. On one knee, a purplish bruise sat like a somber mark.
And her face... it was strange how Northern was only now noticing her features, freed from the
The pale blue of her eyes had been a facade, an illusion. Instead, a strange golden light flickered in her gaze, perfectly matching her flowing, sun-kissed blonde hair with its golden
She was hauntingly breathtaking, like a mortal goddess. If this were Earth, Northern was sure she could play Aphrodite in any Greek mythological epic.
'...She's very beautiful.'
Northern killed the thought before it could bloom, forcing his eyes back to the grave.
'Crap, I can't believe I'm thinking about that... forgive me, Gareon.'
He closed his eyes briefly, remembering the short time he'd shared with the leader of the
Gareon's death pained him—it stung badly. He would have lived if he hadn't been so disobedient. But for some reason, Northern didn't want to think about it that way... even if it
meant lying to himself.
'What's wrong with me today... I hate lying to myself more than anything.'
He exhaled sharply and spoke, his voice cutting through the mountain wind like a cold blade.
"Should we try to meet up with the rest of the caravan ahead, or do you think we should head back home?"
He spoke in consideration of the girl... another thing he normally wouldn't do. But she was just human, and though she could hold her own, her strength would shatter in an instant
before true destruction.
So Northern thought to do her a favor and help her return home. Although...
The girl's hand trembled for a moment before she clenched it tight. When she spoke, her voice
was clear and steady.
"We need to meet up with the rest of the caravan and complete the mission. If nothing else,
for Captain Gareon's sake."
'What was I expecting...?'