Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 496

Episode 496: The Successor of the North (1)

Following Eres and Lienze, Verden and his party left Chilstead and arrived at the 'Broken Axe Lake' to the west.

There used to be a tradition at this lake where warriors who were no longer able to fight due to injury, age, or other reasons would prepare a small ceremonial axe, break it with their own hands, and throw it into the lake to mark their retirement.

That's a story from the past.

A custom that disappeared when the North, which had been troubled by conflicts between numerous tribes, was unified by the Kingdom of Prohas.

Now the strife between the tribes ends in arguments and agreements rather than blood and metal.

If that doesn't work out, they may hold a duel and follow the will of the tribe that wins, but this is not a common occurrence.

Although the northerners' rough nature and boiling blood have not cooled down much, today, conflicts have decreased significantly, and there is no reason to become a warrior, so traditions have changed a lot.

Like this lake, which already holds countless broken axes, into which no more broken axes are thrown.

'… …They said they were moving to the northernmost part. I thought they had at least a small flying boat parked there, but there's not a single old carriage left.'

Isabella looked around, but nothing caught her eye.

At best, there was only a drizzle of snow, a broken axe lake, a small snow-covered hill, and the occasional winter tree.

'But Gaju doesn't say anything. What on earth is the ark that makes it do that?'

It's hard to make a judgment since I haven't heard the details.

However, seeing that Verden and the King of the North were secretly affiliated with it… … it seemed clear that it was an unusual group in many ways.

Adrian also thought that far.

At that moment, Eres stopped walking.

“That should be enough. I’ll prepare transportation shortly… Oh, by the way, this area is concealed, so if you feel suffocated, you can take off your hood.”

“Concealment?”

As Isabella turned her gaze outward, a thin sheet of ice surrounded the lake in all directions, centered on it.

'What the heck, when did that happen?'

Even trapping Adrian in a fake Chilstead without him noticing, or creating a large-scale cover-up field without Isabella knowing at all.

'It doesn't seem to be magic… … but it feels like it's not a power that comes from magic, so it's hard to say for sure. Did they use an artifact?'

The doubts only grow.

Eres, who was receiving all those gazes, suddenly stretched out his arm.

Phew.

The snowflakes falling around him all stopped in midair.

“Eleven (烈寒), Nivis.”

The moment I whispered two words softly toward the north, cold air currents rushing in from all directions gathered in my right hand.

Crackle. Crackle.

The water mixed in the air condenses and connects with each other.

A cold sword that slowly begins to take shape.

A twilight sword that looks simple but is smooth and clean.

The refined guard had slightly curved edges and a pommel engraved with an ice crystal shape, with a deep blue gem set in the center.

“The name of this weapon is Nevis. It is the only sword that proves the king of the north, passed down from the ancestors who founded Prohas. It has many functions, one of which is that it also functions as a directional key.”

“Arrow keys?”

“In the Ark, the word captain is mainly used to refer to a being who leads humanity, but in a practical sense, he is also a real captain.”

Eres took Nivis as his opponent.

Then he grabbed the handle with both hands and thrust it hard into the lake.

Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk!

A large, cracked ice sheet.

The earthquake that occurred soon after caused strong ripples in the lake that had been quietly lying beneath the surface.

It was at that time that countless cracks appeared on the frozen Broken Axe Lake.

Kwaaaaaaaah!

The ice rink was completely destroyed.

At the same time, a huge flying machine rose diagonally from within the lake.

The Northern Watcher's exclusive flying machine───Pewyngla.

The sky was decorated with flying machines that had an overall deep blue color.

Long shadows stretched out in the sunlight and covered Verden and his party.

'This is the first time I've seen a flying machine owned by the captain of the ark.'

It is not just a simple large flying machine, but is itself like an ancient artifact.

Although it is difficult to make an exact comparison due to lack of information, it is likely to be on a level that surpasses the Arnak Empire's giant flying boat, the Attorium.

Eres said.

“Because I called Pewingla from far away, there are currently no other crew members on board, so I have to pilot this aircraft alone. Lienze, please guide these people while I am away.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lienze, who had received orders from the Northern Watcher, turned his gaze towards Verden.

“Follow me.”

“…….”

Verden was relatively calm, but Adrian and Isabella were not.

The two of them just stared blankly at the plane in front of them with their mouths wide open.

[Record name. A flying boat that appeared in the lake.]

Before she knew it, Alpha had taken out the spare memory golem from Isabella's space bag and devoted herself to recording the current scene.

The guy was very excited.

yet.

Shuhwaaaaaaaah.

An artificial ice storm raged in front of the Pewingla carrying everyone.

A blue ellipse was formed.

The ark's flying boat, which had advanced into it, soon disappeared from Broken Axe Lake.

* * *

At the northernmost point of the continent, and at its northernmost point, there exists a great ice wall.

But despite its apparent size dividing the world, only a very small number of people in all of humanity have actually seen the wall.

Because there are harsh snowfields between the border and the barrier of Prohas.

Underneath the thick, silent white clouds that do not allow sunlight to pass through… … the pure white plains where the snow that fell in ancient times still has not melted and fluttering all year round.

The frigid temperatures there freeze even blazing fires and destroy expensive magical items that protect body heat.

The same goes for the magician's resistance as well as the protective shield formed by magic.

Once you challenge the barrier, there is no coming back.

The ancient Northmen named the Wall and the snowfields together, the cold apocalypse, 'Frostium', in honor of the warriors who bravely headed toward the Wall and never returned.

The name is now considered a legend among northerners.

but.

Even the frost of Prostium could not stop the flying ships led by the Northern Watchers.

“……Is this what the northernmost part of the country looks like?”

Berden, protected by Pewingla, stood on the deck and stared at the frozen world.

Emptiness permeates the air.

On the one hand, I felt the unknown.

Verden asked Lienze.

“I’ve never heard of a place like this in the northern part of the continent… Should I understand it as an unexplored area like the Demon Realm or the Desert of Silence?”

“Environmentally, yes, but this place is even more desolate than those two. In the past, several well-prepared expeditions reached the Wall, but were driven back without finding anything. Since then, interest has been lost. Now, even among the northerners, it is only a tale.”

“But since you came here, there must be something they couldn’t find.”

“That’s right. Only the Watchers of the North, the past Kings of Prohas, can find the way.”

Lienze answered, glancing at Verden.

Observant eyes.

Then, he showed a look of confusion while also being convinced, and nodded forward.

“We’re almost there.”

Pewingla, who moved through space to the end of the harsh snowfield, passes through the land where the bitter cold is rampant and crosses the ice barrier.

Not long after, a huge gap came into view in the middle of the barrier.

It was a canyon.

Pewingla slowly lowered its altitude and entered the canyon.

The passage becomes noticeably narrower.

At the end of the canyon we reached that way, there was an eerie, unknown glacier cave with its pitch-black mouth wide open.

The entrance was so narrow that they could easily crash into each other, but Eres seemed confident in controlling Pewingla and didn't care at all.

Phew.

Inside the barrier, barely able to enter.

As darkness blocked the view, a blue wave spread from the cockpit of the Pewingla and swept through the space in an instant.

The place where the shadows receded was filled with a beautiful light. It was the radiance of the numerous ice crystals that decorated the walls.

“Wow…….”

Isabella gasped in awe at the breathtaking view. Could there be another ice cave this clean in the world?

Everyone's impression was like that.

'It looks like Pewingla is slowing down, so it must be almost at its destination.'

Verden stood near the player and never took his eyes off him.

The Northern Watcher was curious to know what secrets the Ark held.

As soon as the plane turned the corner… … as expected, an entirely unexpected and unknown sight unfolded before us.

At the end of the cave is a huge iceberg.

There was a 'giant' inside.

* * *

Height is about 23m.

Although it resembled a human body, its immediate appearance was quite different.

The five pupils forming the pentagonal corners of the face were deeply dug in, as if they had been pierced by something sharp.

His entire body was so dried up that his bones were exposed, and his skin was blackened, like a mummy.

Also, the giant's armor was in shambles, with only its shape remaining, and the weapon that appeared to be a huge sword trapped in ice was barely visible, with only the handle remaining.

The appearance───was just like a ‘defeated soldier’.

“What is this……!”

"crazy."

Naturally, Isabella and Adrian couldn't hide their shock. It was the first time in their lives that they had seen a being that looked like this… a freak.

Of course, Verden and Alpha were also ignorant of the knowledge.

Talk.

Alpha glared at the giant with one eye and dropped the memory golem that was barely holding up with its left arm and body.

Eres, who had finished piloting, came out of the airship and climbed onto the deck.

“You dropped this. But you were holding this golem for a while now. What is it?”

[Recording the situation from memory.]

“……This is a very precious item. This is something that is not even in the Ark. You are free to write it down, but please do not show it to outsiders as it may cause great confusion. Can you promise me that?”

[Confirmed. I will always keep my promises.]

Satisfied with Alpha's firm answer, Eres returned the memory golem to Alpha.

Eres asked Verden.

“Are you surprised?”

Verden narrowed his eyes.

“What is that being?”

“In the Ark, they refer to it as a giant as it is. All that has been revealed is that it is one of the ‘ancient species’ that existed long ago. Well, there are not many people who even know the word ‘ancient species’.”

Ancient bell.

'I've heard of it.'

Before Verden became a transcendent being… …in the labyrinth that became the stage for Ignacia’s scales.

───Have you ever heard of the term 'ancient bell'?

Ignacia, who had disguised herself as a participant named Sia through a fantasy clone in order to enjoy the auction with others, clearly said this.

───I haven't heard of it.

───That's right? I heard it in passing, but───in the distant past, there were various races other than humans, elves, beastmen, and dwarves. Someone classified them as ancient races.

The transcendent being of fantasy in memory shrugs his shoulders.

───And they say there's a big human among them… … Honestly, there's no data, and there's no plausible story. As a wizard, I can't help but think of it as a made-up story, right? Right?

───What's the main point?

───But even though it's fiction, I thought it was perfect as an idea. So I tried to recreate it, at least partially, with my imagination.

At that time, the giant that Ignacia had created was a monster with no pupils, a mouth that was torn from below the ears, and long limbs.

'Unlike the giant trapped in the ice… … .'

They have one thing in common: their overall appearance is very similar to that of humans.

Perhaps that being is the true form of the ancient giant that Ignacia mentioned.

That was when.

“Look carefully, Asher.”

Eres concentrated his mind.

The air currents in the cave are turbulent.

An unknown light leaked out from the Nivis he was holding in his hand, emitting a chill… … and things that had not been visible until just now began to come into view.

"that……."

The 'Ice Chain' connecting Eres and the ice stone containing the battered giant was reflected in the audience's eyes.

“Is this a seal?”

“That’s correct. As expected from a transcendent being, you have a keen eye for detail.”

Eres agreed with Verden's guess.

That's why I didn't understand.

“Why are you sealing a giant that is nothing more than a corpse and not even an undead?”

“Because that ancient species is alive and not dead.”

Are you alive?

“……No matter how much I look at it, I can’t feel any signs of life.”

“On the outside, it looks dead. Like a mangled, hollow doll… But I can tell. The giant is not dead, but is in a kind of hibernation.”

Eres gently stroked the chains embedded in his body.

“And the ancient species that I am sealing with my existence is not the only one.”

"what?"

“I don’t know if there are two or twenty. Even I can’t pinpoint the number or location. One thing is certain: there are chains connecting the entities sleeping within this ice barrier.”

Silence falls.

The faded ice chain disappeared.

Eres turned his head and asked Verden a question.

“Let me ask you, do I look like a wizard or an awakened warrior?”

Verden answered immediately.

“Both. But not with Regret.”

“Ahaha, you have the highest level of insight among the transcendent beings I’ve ever seen. That’s right. She is a magician who has awakened and trained both powers herself to the peak. She’s completely different from ‘innate’ cases like mine.”

“…….”

“This came from the existence of a certain ‘power’ that only exists in the magical circuits of the Northerners.”

At this very moment.

<Is the magic circuit natural?>

Was it a coincidence that Dahit's words, which had been engraved in Verden's mind, came to mind?

Eres calmed his voice.

“Shall we tell a story from the old days?”