A Sorcerer's Journey 483 King of the Snowthreads

Fifty days later.
The cerulean Ice Flames were burning ever so strongly!
It seemed like the sublimation of Ice Energy, or perhaps some kind of mutation that had occurred to the Flame Energy. In his field of vision, the ice-sealed Acraepoids had sprung back to life one by one, each one as agile as they had been before.
Some Acraepoids charged fiercely with their Infernal Blades, their bodies low to the ground and leaning forwards. Their eyes were burning with fear-inducing rage. Their jaws opened to let out blood-curdling war cries but to no avail. In an instant, they were sealed frozen. This came so abruptly that there was not even enough time for them to react. They remained frozen in the same menacing postures from a few seconds back.
Despair had befallen the rest of the Acraepoids seeing their comrades' attack being so effortlessly foiled. Unwilling to accept their fate, they roared out in protest.
Apart from these Acraepoids, everything within this dilapidated burrow, the plants which have yet been ravaged by the Abyss Moss, the rocks, the water stream and even the burning flame had all been encapsulated by the Frozen Seal.
The ripples on the stream became stationary from being frozen solid and the licks of flame from the burning fire stood still. The entire scene seemed almost mystical and out of this world.
The entire territory spanned at least a dozen kilometers wide. The Acraepoids, who numbered upwards to a thousand had all been completely frozen solid in motion by the Frozen Seal. Now, they were like intricate ice sculptures carved by hundreds of noble artists from the Sorcerers World. The artwork being so detailed and flawless, it could be said to be the work of God himself.
Despite numbering upwards to a million, the Deep Abyssal Slaves instinctively avoided the dangerous cerulean Ice Flames and banded together cooperatively.
The giant Abyssal creature taxiing Grimm on its back slowly made its descent while flapping its massive pair of wings.
The Frozen Seal and its cold winds reeked of familiarity to Grimm. His memory of it was as fresh as ever.
It was the time while Grimm was under the Ancient Seal of the Dark Destroyer Kingdom, during the initial phase of their expedition in the Infernal Spirit World. In his quest to obtain Mystical Energy from the Darkness Pool, the terrifying Ice Flame Signal which sealed him in ice was this particular cerulean one in front of him.
The brutal Infernal Gods of the Infernal Spirit World, despite having total occupation over the Burrow World, chose to not kill their World Lord, the King of the Snowthreads. Instead, they divided it into five pieces, and sealed each piece beneath the five imperial capitals, providing the large reserve slave army under the Ancient Seal with an endless source of Frozen Seal Force.
"It is an honor to meet you, O great World Lord of the Burrow World."
Grimm said respectfully before climbing down from the twenty-or-so meter long giant Abyssal Demon. With Millie following closely behind him, they carefully made their way around the Ice Crystals and the Snowthreads which crawled playfully around the Ice Flames.

Crackle!
Frost flowers splashed and burst open as if they were blooming. The entire scene looked like a beautiful painting. It was exactly like the frost flowers from within the Ancient Seal under the Dark Destroyer Kingdom's Capital. Though, the entire grandiose event happened within the blink of an eye.
Grimm took the lead among the millions of abyssal creatures, whose fangs and claws were bared in a show of force as they surrounded the Frozen Sealed Land. But as soon as Grimm lowered his body humbly, the creatures quickly followed suit.
Rumble…
As the thirty-odd meter tall cerulean flame which burned so brightly before it started dancing, a skull-sized light orb appeared. Surrounding it were dazzling strings of light, pure and concentrated, which attracted the eyes of many.
It was like a Snowthread elf, playfully jumping around in the air, which attracted Snowthreads from every direction as they rushed toward the gathering of light.
A moment later, a colossal skyscraper-sized creature called the King of the Snowthreads appeared.
The King of the Snowthreads was at least around three hundred-meters tall and was formed from the amalgamation of millions of these regular snowthreads. Despite its sheer size, it did not have a monstrous signal to Grimm's surprise. On the contrary, it had a rather peaceful demeanour.
"Are you the sorcerer, Grimm, who had discovered the coordinates of the Burrow World and led the Sorcerers World's invasion on the Infernal Spirit World?"
The King of the Snowthreads peered down directly at Grimm as its soul signal questioned sternly. Its Soul Echo sounded as pleasant as the singing of birds during dawn. It seemed to possess a female nature with hints of a child's playfulness.
As for leading the Sorcerers World's invasion on the Infernal Spirit World…
Although Grimm was indeed the source of all atrocities done in the Infernal Spirit World, and the Snowthread King's question was technically correct, it was still quite exaggerated. But knowing that this was what Black Isotta had intended and arranged, Grimm replied naturally.
"That is correct, I am the Demon-Hunter Sorcerer, Grimm, from the Sorcerers World."
Hiss…
The King of the Snowthreads seemed to have used some other unknown method of perception to feel Grimm's life signal.
After a long silence, the King of the Snowthreads sighed.
"Such a weak Life Groove. I doubt you have even reached the thirty-ninth groove circle completely…"
Halfway through its sentence, the King of the Snowthreads paused to gaze at the surrounding sea of Abyssal creatures, standing guard around Grimm. It continued, "The Sorcerers World certainly is powerful. This world is truly full of mysteries and surprises. Such a weak lifeform and yet it can transcend the Will of the World and leap across the worlds. Likewise, its slaves contain so much life force!"
Little Myna laughed.
"Caw caw, the Sorcerers World will surely drive the waves of the Endless World in the years to come!"
The King of the Snowthreads set its sight on Little Myna.
"Such an interesting creature. Are you also a lifeform from the Sorcerers World? Not only that, you and this sorcerer Grimm have formed a perfect life harmony. This is an unprecedented development."
As if it had discovered something new and shocking, the King of the Snowthreads exclaimed like a curious child.
The sorcerer's relationship with his soul partner was inseparable. Within the sorcerer was his partner, and within his partner, the sorcerer would be found. This alliance was the strongest one a sorcerer would forge in his lifetime but it would also be where his weakest point lied.
Little Myna was elated.
Pumping up its chest and raising its feathery tail, Little Myna replied pompously, "Lord Myna is the Great Steel Emblem Myna of the Sorcerers World. My true name is Mavrica Nevichy, caw caw caw caw caw…"
Upon hearing this, the King of the Snowthreads burst into its unique laughter cheerfully. It seemed that the King was very fond of Little Myna.
"Ish Ish Ish Ish, Mavrica Nevichy? I'll remember you. This is too amusing! I have high expectations for the Sorcerer Coalition. It's been too long since this world has been ruled by a mighty civilization."
Grimm's eyes lit up.
It did not bother Grimm that the King of the Snowthreads, World Lord of the Burrow World was invited to join the Sorcerer Coalition. This was a logical and natural cause of action.
However, the choice of words used by the World Lord carried hints that it had been alive since time immemorial.
Moreover, its statement implied that before the Sorcerers World had set foot in this place, there was once a great civilization that existed here. Did that civilization get washed away with the passage of time?
As eons passed, civilizations' prosperity and downfall come hand in hand. The only constant was the state of impermanence. Even the Endless World's most fundamental Balanced Law would inevitably experience change over time.
"The great Sorcerer Coalition is governed by strict rules. The great World Lord will be provided with the greatest platform for expanding the internal competition laws and external laws of resource extraction should you join our ranks."
Grimm said in the most neutral tone he could manage. He dared not ask any more questions before the foreign World Lord.
It was once a Level-5 creature, a World Lord. After spending many years under the fissure seal of the Infernal Spirit World, there was a constant outflow of power from its body.
For now, it was around the level of a Level-4 creature.
Even so, the King of the Snowthreads possessed an extreme amount of potential. It only had to return to its land, the Burrow World and given enough time, it should be able to return to its former glory. This was why the Sorcerer Coalition placed such an importance on forming an alliance with it.
"Ish Ish Ish Ish, Sorcerer Grimm, are you afraid of me?"
The King of the Snowthreads asked unexpectedly.
A chill ran down Grimm's spine and after thinking it through carefully, he replied.
"Yes. In the face of any great Will of the World, low-level lifeforms must show its utmost respect and admiration."
Millie, who stood beside Grimm remained silent. Her eyes were focused on that flaming frost flower that burned intensely within the mouth of the King of the Snowthreads.
In her eyes, that frost flower was the most beautiful thing she had ever laid her eyes upon. It was as if the essence of the world's ice energy was contained within that single flower!
"Ish Ish Ish Ish…"
The King of the Snowthreads had a weird laugh which made Grimm feel all the more uncomfortable.
"Did Black Isotta Stigmata Sorcerer not tell you the reason why I summoned you here?"
Grimm was shocked.
So this meeting was not Black Isotta's arrangement, but instead it was the wish of the King of the Snowthreads?"
To think about it, this all made sense. The special care provided by Black Isotta was already lost fifty years ago when he got himself thrown into the Spectral World of Mount Serpentine…
"With all due respect, may I know the reason as to why the great King of the Snowthreads had summoned me…"
Grimm asked inquisitively.
"Ish Ish Ish Ish, I would like to repay you of course! If you had not led the Sorcerers World's invasion on the Infernal Spirit World, I would not stand a chance to escape the grips of their vicious, brutal seal. That is why I would like to repay you!"
After saying this, the thirty-meter tall stack of cerulean Ice Flame which rose from the King of the Snowthreads' body crackled before condensing into a small size rapidly.
"This is…"
The two-colored eyes beneath the Mask of Truth showed glints of curiosity.
To his surprise, Grimm could feel an unbelievably high concentration of energy contained within this Ice Gem. This gemstone which contained so much energy stored within was somehow man-made and seemed like it could be mass-produced, which was absurd to Grimm.
"This is an Ice Top. Take it as a reward from me. As for its functions, I believe you will come to understand it soon."
Even before touching it, Grimm could feel this so-called Ice Top condensing life energy just like how ice energy would be absorbed and condensed. Vaguely, Grimm already knew how this item worked.
To put it briefly, this was a holy healing potion. It would be the icing on the cake in addition to potions that provided temporary buffs to one's constitution.
'So Ice Energy can be developed in this way too?'
From this point of view, it was on par with the Destructive Force which belonged to a group of high-tier energy that could be transmuted.
Grimm accepted the Ice Top carefully and tucked it securely by his side. A warm happiness washed over him as he thought of how he was going to uncover the secrets that lay within this Ice Top and how they could be utilized when he returned to the Sorcerers World.
And yet, the King of the Snowthreads started laughing heartily.
"Ish Ish Ish Ish, don't tell me that you think this Ice Top alone suffice as a reward for saving my life?"
Hmm?
It was not Grimm alone who was stunned by this question but even Millie beside him was caught dumbfounded. Little Myna, however, retorted quickly and went straight to the point.
"So how much are you gonna reward us? Hurry up and give it to us."
The King of the Snowthreads' gaze shifted from them to the faraway horizon, at the Infernal Spirit World that was now covered by the Abyssal Dark Cloud. Its voice suddenly grew cold and its face contorted with hatred.
"The amount of reward to be received now rests in the hands of Sorcerer Grimm. An Ice Top would require the condensed life energy of all the remaining Acraepoids here before it can be declared as complete. Not any less than that. That is why, in the coming five years, Sorcerer Grimm must scour the Infernal Spirit Continent for any more Acraepoid survivors which would determine your reward. When the time comes, I will borrow the Sorcerers World's strength to open a World Gate and return to the Burrow World…"
Grimm's eyes scanned through the Acraepoids who had been turned into individual ice sculptures for a moment.
"So it's around ten thousand Acraepoids for one single Ice Top huh…"

Chapter end