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EPISODE 112 – SNOW QUEEN (3)
Cordelia lost her sight.
But she could clearly feel it.
The arm of Jude whom she could trust and depend on as he tightly hugged her waist.
When did he grow up like this? – Cordelia thought while in Jude’s arms.
And she could hear it.
The roar of four dragons.
The surging powerful force that awakened, bringing destruction and ruin to everything.
The hairs on her entire body seemed to stand up.
A shudder ran along her back, and her heart was pounding.
Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors – Fourth Door.
The cause that changed everything.
Four black dragons were released at the same time.
‘Strong.’
He definitely changed.
He didn’t become a little stronger because he reached the fourth door after being 1/5 away from it. Rather, he entered a completely different realm when he opened the fourth door.
‘Scary.’
That was the short thought that crossed her mind. Because the dragon’s energy that rose from Jude’s entire body was so chaotic.
Anger.
Rage.
Violent emotions that seemed to burst out anytime soon.
‘It hurts
’
Jude hugged Cordelia on her waist so tightly that she felt like being crushed.
She felt like her back was going to break.
‘This fool!’
But her voice didn’t come out properly. She had no strength left in her entire body to the point that she couldn’t do anything.
But she felt his touch.
Because her sight was gone, her senses became more sensitive and she could perfectly feel it. The hand of Jude which had released the black dragons earlier were now caressing Cordelia’s cheek.
Cordelia flinched.
She became more scared.
But it was for a short moment.
Because she soon understood it.
Why Jude was angry.
And the very gentle and soft touch of Jude’s hand on her cheek.
“<Healing>.”
Jude touched Cordelia’s closed eyes and chanted a spell.
The white light from the ring seemed to be absorbed by Cordelia’s eyes, and she slowly opened her eyes.
“Ah, I can see.”
Her vision was still blurred, but she could see roughly.
After hearing Cordelia’s exclamation, Jude sighed in relief and caressed her cheek again.
“I’m sorry, it must have been really painful, right?”
His voice was slightly different than usual.
Moreover, he was touching her cheek.
So Cordelia was embarrassed and pretended to be calm to overcome this strange situation.
“Hmph. It was very difficult.”
“I’m sorry.”
Jude apologized again, and Cordelia was seriously overwhelmed by a strange feeling.
She wanted to shout to him to just behave like usual and not act like this. She felt like closing her eyes was better while her heart began beating as if it was going to burst.
‘Why, why are you doing this
’
The reason why Jude was acting like this to her.
And Jude moved again. He stared straight into Cordelia’s eyes and said.
“I’ll be back.”
Cordelia unconsciously nodded.
Jude unexpectedly smiled after seeing her blushing face as she meekly nodded. He then moved her very carefully.
He gently sat Cordelia who plopped down because of her weak legs, before he looked back at the guardian.
Cordelia felt him letting out his repressed anger.
“Grrrr
”
The guardian weakly growled.
But it was different from before.
It felt fear.
It felt like being restrained by energy of the powerful dragon emanating from Jude.
“Grrrrr
”
It wasn’t waiting for Jude and Cordelia.
However, it had no choice but to only wait.
‘Because it’s scared.’
Cordelia sensed the guardian’s fear. She could clearly feel it because of her senses that were more like a beast than a human’s.
The energy of the dragon coming from Jude.
The power of the black dragon burned like a black flame and covered Jude’s whole body.
Cordelia’s eyes were not completely cured.
It was still blurry, and she couldn’t see the colors well.
But that was why she could clearly see it.
Jude stood in front of her.
She saw Jude’s back.
And the black dragon just before it soared into the sky.
“Come.”
Jude spoke in a low voice.
It was a small voice, but she could clearly hear it.
His voice was like the gentle ripples that spread out.
‘W-what is this? This shyness.’
Why was she feeling shy?
The guardian reacted while Cordelia was fidgeting.
It loudly roared as if to shake away its fear.
“Rooooarrrr!”
The Living Swords and Shields moved at the same time.
They flew in to crush and smash Jude and Cordelia.
In all directions.
At the same time.
But Jude was not afraid.
He saw, felt, calculated, and took action.
Thud.
A low and dull sound.
But what happened then was so fast and light.
Black Wind’s Advent.
The jet-black wind and the golden whirlwinds.
Jude traversed the place. He looked to the right and stretched out his hand to the Living Shield.
Black Dragon Release Technique.
The black dragon roared as it rushed forward. It not only struck the Living Shield, but also pushed it. The center of the Living Shield sunk, and it flew straight to the wall and crashed.
Baaang!
There was a loud noise.
But it was too late. Jude had already run to the left.
The Living Sword.
The blade flew straight ahead.
Jude rotated his body in the air. As he did that, he sent a kick towards the flying Living Sword. The black dragon’s energy was released at the same time. He swung his foot to the ground.
Baaaang!
The flying Living Sword was struck to the ground.
And it only took two seconds for all of that to happen.
That short duration of time.
Thus, the Living Swords and Shields could not attack the sitting Cordelia. One second was insufficient for that.
In that one second.
Jude crossed the space.
At the moment the Living Sword hit the floor and made a loud noise, he kicked the ground and became faster than sound. He turned to Cordelia and stretched out his arms. He added a black gale to the black dragon’s energy.
Black Dragon – Gale Form.
Kwaaaa-!
Two black dragons came out from Jude’s hands and wildly shook with the air. The Living Sword and Shield were trapped in a black vortex and ended up being flung onto the wall and ceiling.
Baaaaang!
A loud sound reverberated at almost the same time. Cordelia blinked her eyes, and Jude turned his head. He rushed towards the guardian, who was flustered that the Living Swords and Shields were no longer moving.
“Roooarrr!”
The guardian roared and charged forward.
But its momentum was weak.
It was dispirited, so its actions and thoughts seemed to be all visible.
Baaaaang!
Black Dragon – Thunder Form.
The jet-black energy exploded with the golden thunderbolt.
Jude’s spin kick struck the guardian’s head. The emanating black dragon’s energy hit the guardian’s head and sent it to the ground.
Thud!
The guardian’s large body collapsed. After having turned several times in the air, Jude landed on the ground and made another dash.
Thunder Strike.
Baaaang!
A thunderbolt burst again. The lightning strike hit the chest of the guardian, who couldn’t even properly scream.
Baaaang!
But it was a guardian. It absorbed the dragon aura from the ground and the lightning that struck its whole body. As soon as it stopped Jude’s attack, it roared.
“Kaaaaaa-!”
Dragon Fear.
A power that causes fear.
Bang!
But it was useless.
Jude roughly stomped on the ground and caused a loud noise. It was to stop the guardian’s skill as he let out the dragon’s energy at the same time.
The guardian’s Dragon Fear was neutralized by the noise filled with a stronger dragon’s energy.
“Keuaaaaa!”
The guardian writhed and screamed. And Jude calculated it again. The height of the ceiling, the size of the guardian, the power required to make it fly up, and the time it would stay in the air.
‘I have to finish it in the air.’
He was in a situation where he had to do everything himself, but it took too long for him to finish it off through that way.
After sending it flying into the air and cutting off its power supply from the dragon vein, he had to finish it with one strike.
He needed to do two things.
A means to send it flying into the air, and a powerful technique to finish it off while in the air.
“Keuaaa!”
The guardian writhed again. So Jude halted his thoughts and moved. Jude punched the guardian in the chest, making it crouch again. He retreated and deliberately let the guardian have time to get up before he struck it again.
Whaam-!
The guardian was a four-legged beast, so when he struck it on its back, he saw its chest and belly.
As the guardian was lying on the floor, Jude did a handstand and aimed for the guardian’s abdomen at the same time.
He kicked the guardian’s abdomen with all his power.
Bang!
The black dragon’s energy soared. It hit the waist and sent the guardian into the air.
Bang!
The guardian crashed into the ceiling. Then it began to fall.
The remaining time until it reached the ground was only a few seconds.
Jude corrected his posture and drew the Eastern Warrior’s Sword from his waist. He infused it with the black dragon’s energy.
Then he realized.
The ceiling was too low.
There was not enough time to gather enough power to kill it off.
But Jude did not stop.
Because he saw it.
A green power swallowed the guardian. It was the witch’s telekinetic power which held the guardian in the air.
“After all
”
..you can’t do it without me.
He heard Cordelia’s voice from behind him. It also seemed like he heard the words that she left out saying.
Cordelia.
Combat genius.
She didn’t just watch.
She restored her mana by using <Mana Drain> on the dragon aura rising from the ground.
The efficiency was definitely not very good.
But even so, she could recover her mana from it.
And as a result.
“As expected, you’re the best.”
Jude said. He smiled and drew the Eastern Warrior’s Sword before swinging it towards the guardian who was stuck in the air and couldn’t move.
Black Dragon – Hell’s Blood Slash.
The black blade did its job well. The violent slash tore up the ground and cut across its neck.
Slaaash-!
The guardian’s neck snapped, as if it had been bitten by a dragon’s teeth. Cordelia released her telekinetic power, and the guardian’s giant body fell to the ground.
Boooom!
The guardian’s head and neck hit the ground, and the floor cracked with a loud noise.
And a succession of white light rings appeared around Jude and Cordelia.
Level up.
Jude was now 65. Cordelia was now 64.
“Haa
haa
haa
”
Cordelia panted as her shoulders drooped down, and Jude turned to Cordelia.
The Snow Queen was important, but for now, he wanted to go to Cordelia.
Cordelia looked up and saw Jude.
Jude saw Cordelia.
And immediately after.
Craaaack.
They heard a sound.
The two raised their heads at the same time, and saw a crack spreading on the ceiling.
Craaaack-
And the sound was heard again.
It was on the walls and floor this time, and the two looked at each other.
“Ah.”
“Aah.”
The crack grew bigger.
It wasn’t surprising.
Because they had done all sorts of violent acts.
Which had randomly struck the walls and ceiling.
“Hurry up!”
Cordelia shouted, and Jude quickly turned around. After running to the pillar, he removed the Snow Queen’s core through the process Melissa had told them.
Chuuk, chuuk-
Debris fell from the ceiling little by little. The cracks kept growing, so it was possible for a large debris to fall down soon.
But the biggest problem was the walls and floor.
Golden energy began to come out from the cracks in the floor.
It was evidently the pure energy of the dragon veins.
“Hurry!”
Cordelia shouted again, and Jude quickly ran. He snatched the waist of the standing Cordelia and he turned towards the elevator at the same time. He had no way of opening the door, so he broke the elevator door with a drop kick.
Bang!
“Up!”
Fortunately, Melissa responded.
The elevator began to rise, and the two saw the walls and floor of the development room collapse through the broken elevator door. And they also saw the golden energy engulf the guardian’s body.
Kuwaaa-
The elevator continued to go up.
“Haa, haa.”
Jude sank to his knees and collapsed, and Cordelia groaned as she ended up falling on the floor too.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m not okay. My eyes can’t see. My bones are aching too. Everything hurts.”
Jude smiled at her unconscious grumbling. Just like Cordelia, he said unconsciously too.
“I’m lucky.”
“What?”
“Because you’re with me.”
Jude turned to Cordelia. He revealed a bit of his inner thoughts.
But whether he was lucky or not, Cordelia’s eyes were not completely healed.
So their eye-to-eye conversation failed this time.
“Hmph. It’s good if you realized that.”
Cordelia snorted and spoke like usual, and Jude slightly frowned but soon had a sly smile as always.
“You’re not wrong, my princess.”
“Hmph, you’re just good at words.”
After deliberately grumbling more than usual, Cordelia leaned her head against Jude’s chest.
She didn’t want to admit it, but she felt relieved when she leaned her head on him.
She closed her eyes and let her body recover from the fatigue. She deeply fell asleep.
***
“Thank you very much. Thank you so much.”
As he carried the deeply sleeping Cordelia in the so-called princess carry, Jude nodded and stepped out of the elevator.
“What happened to the development room?”
“It completely collapsed. But it’s fine. The Snow Queen’s core was removed, so an explosion won’t happen.”
As Melissa smiled and spoke, Jude automatically turned to Cordelia.
‘Umm, I must be seriously ill.’
When he heard the word ‘explosion,’ he thought of Cordelia’s widely smiling face.
No, it was Cordelia who was ‘ill’ and not Jude himself.
In any case, the collapse of the Sky Roof mountain range was prevented, and the birth of the Light Dragon Yalavaska was also stopped.
It was clearly a great achievement.
‘The only ones who know are Cordelia and me
there’s also Melissa.’
In fact, Melissa didn’t know anything about Light Dragon Yalavaska, so she only thought that the two did a good job.
‘Well, that’s enough.’
Jude himself was a man.
If he was the only one who knew that he saved the world, he would have found it regrettable, but he wasn’t alone.
It was a knowledge he shared with Cordelia.
He felt warm with that thought alone.
‘I got a lot of things.’
He opened the fourth door of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.
And not only did he learn on how to use four black dragons, but he also learned about the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors itself.
‘Let’s think about it later.’
His second meeting with the female sage.
The things he got from meeting her.
‘And.’
The Snow Queen’s core was in Cordelia’s arms.
The failed ruler of spirits who ended up creating Light Dragon Yalavaska.
He had already decided on how it would be used.
‘Cordelia also needs her powerup.’
Because Jude himself thought that it was unfair if it was only him.
‘It’ll take quite some effort though.’
In order to realize Jude’s own idea, they would have to do some hard work first. But he wanted to start right away when he thought of the smile Cordelia would have when they finished it.
“Ju-Jude? What are you thinking?”
“Eh?”
“No, that
you keep smiling.”
“Ahem, ahem.”
Jude hastily cleared his throat while he carried Cordelia and spoke to Melissa again.
“First of all, can we get some rest? If possible, we’d like a meal too.”
“Don’t worry, my masters left behind some emergency food.”
Melissa widely smiled and Jude followed after her.
At the same time

Near the northern border of the SĂ€len Kingdom.
“Really, did that happen?”
Count Chase spoke in a low voice as he looked towards the north.
He nodded as he thought of Jude and Cordelia, who would be somewhere in the vast expanse of the wild lands.
“GaĂ«l, as you have said, the Jackdaws have to be prepared.”
GaĂ«l’s judgment was right. They had to tell the north on what was happening in the barbarian lands.
“I will go north and join that Eastern Alliance that you mentioned. GaĂ«l, you go with Adelia to the Thunderdoom Fortress.”
“I understand.”
It was as he had expected.
But what would happen next was unexpected for Gaël.
“By the way, GaĂ«l.”
“Yes, Count.”
“As I see you again, you look weak and frail. You don’t have strength.”
“Eh?”
Unlike Jude, GaĂ«l couldn’t adapt to Count Chase.
Therefore, Count Chase clicked his tongue and opened the space expansion bag.
It would take a while until they met again if they parted here.
Even if it was a little awkward (?), he had to settle this at once.
“Are you eating properly? You’re not starving Adelia, right? Hmm, hmm
that sword is old. I don’t think it can be fixed.”
“Co
unt?”
GaĂ«l blinked his eyes because he didn’t understand what the count was talking about, but Adelia covered her face with both hands and screamed in her mind.
‘Daaaaaaaad.’
She was embarrassed. She was very, very embarrassed.
But she didn’t think of stopping him. Why would she stop it if her father would be giving something to GaĂ«l?
Count Chase’s bizarre nitpicking continued, GaĂ«l looked in disbelief as the bag in front of him increased into two, and Adelia sat down as she was at a loss on what to do.
A dozen minutes passed like that.
After GaĂ«l and Adelia’s luggage multiplied by several times, Count Chase saw them off as they headed to Thunderdoom Fortress, and he turned around to go his way.
He then headed to the north.