I smiled.
I asked Zerathul, "Reinforce this place and the mountain as much as you can."
Zerathul used his powers. The temperature dropped further. The cavity we were in sealed itself.
I asked again, "Increase your defence as much as you can."
Zerathul spoke in a majestic tone. "Icebound Armor."
Ice slowly formed around him, crystal weaving into a solid armor.
I asked, "Make the safe a little more solid."
He immediately increased the size of the safe. By then I had gathered Nature Mana for about forty minutes and was ready.
I asked once to confirm, "You won't die, right?"
He laughed.
I just shook my head. "Apocalypse."
This time the force I unleashed was bigger than any I had created before.
.....
IN THE CITY
People felt a small tremor that slowly grew. The army commander immediately checked if someone was targeting the city, but he didn't sense anything out of the ordinary.
The citizens of the city were terrified... Evaluating building, searching for family and some just praying.
Lord of the city looked towards the mountain fearing the worst. He feared due to all the friction the natural frozen dam in mountain might break or the fine snow might flow through wind creating Blizzard or snowstorm. If that happens the city will encounter big problems.
.....
Claw members—
Lucas yelled, "What the—! The whole mountain is shaking!"
Emma pointed. "Avalanche!!"
Raven ordered, "Everyone onto the Sky Dogs. For now, we stay in the sky."
They soon rose a hundred meters above where they had been.
Brock asked, "Was that...?"
Raven replied, "Maybe."
.....
INSIDE THE MOUNTAIN
Zerathul lay on the opposite side of where he had been. He had been flung across the cavern, leaving a huge hole in the wall where his face had been—well, you get the picture. The thing he feared was destroyed, as was his armor and some of his body.
He lifted himself and finally stood. Ice began to cover his body—maybe this was all the energy he had saved over a thousand years to heal himself; now he could do it himself.
Zerathul laughed. "Finally I am freed of the injuries. It feels so liberating."
Then his eyes fell on me.
I heard the sound of ice breaking. When I looked toward the noise, I saw the safe shattering.
I smiled and began advancing toward the Nature Force.
I cut my finger and put it into the haze, and waited.
Seconds passed, then minutes.
I was totally confused. What the hell was happening? Is there a limit to how many one can have?
I pulled my finger out and saw it was healed.
Oh—The Devourer's Gift.
I needed a bigger cut.
What to do now?
Well...
I aimed one arm at the other and—
"Apocalypse."
My arm was blown off.
"Ahhhhhhh!!! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!"
I panicked and jumped around. Zerathul looked at me like, what the hell is this idiot doing? Then he saw my arm regrowing at a rate visible to the eye. He must have understood.
I put the blown-off, half-regenerated hand into the haze. After a few seconds, the haze entered my arm. Within a minute I was as good as new.
Good thing I didn't need any more Nature Force. Feeling what I felt now, I couldn't blow my arm off again.
Zerathul laughed. "Looks fun, hahahaha."
I glared at him angrily, but he kept laughing.
I asked, "Why didn't you claim the Nature Force? It might look like you were trying to trade it, but I also know you wouldn't have taken it anyway."
He smiled. "I am not a grave robber."
I was shocked—he knows how Nature Forces are made.
He started laughing again. "So you know how they are formed. You are an interesting human. Truly interesting."
I asked another thing, "How will you leave? You are... quite big."
He answered, "Ice teleportation. I can teleport anywhere in the world where ice is present. It is more powerful than normal transportation, but it has a weakness: a large amount of natural ice must be present."
He added, "But kid, Nature Force can't really be called a reward. Come feel my mana; I will give you two more rewards."
He reached and touched my chest with his fingers. When his mana met mine, a shiver ran through my whole body.
"One reward is my help," he said. "You can call me whenever you need me. I will help. I have no faction, so even if you ask me to kill millions, I wouldn't care."
What does he think of me? Damn—everyone thinks of me as a psychopath.
He then bent and blew on me like I was a candle on his birthday cake.
"Breath of Coldness," he said.
"This is a surprise," he added.
"I don't like surprises," I said.
He laughed. "I don't care whether you like surprises or not."
I asked Zerathul, curious, "Why did you fight him?"
He looked as if he were remembering something very old. He began to narrate.
... Zerathul, the Frostbound Titan — POV
"You evil... we will kill you and do as Pyrothar, the Infernal Sovereign commanded. "
Explosions
"!!!"
"Ice age."
That bastard!!!
I moved faster than usual, my feet crunching over the frozen ridges of my domain. I had sensed the disturbance earlier—the heat creeping from the south, melting parts of the glaciers, disrupting the flow of ice and snow I had maintained for centuries. Pyrothar, the Infernal Sovereign, was interfering with my environment, and I intended to stop him.
I rounded the edge of the glacier and saw him—Pyrothar. Molten streams ran across the obsidian ground beneath him; the air shimmered with heat. His presence alone melted smaller ice formations around me, but I focused.
I stepped forward and formed a wall of ice between us. "You've gone too far," I said. My voice carried but barely reached him over the heat of his body.
Pyrothar didn't answer with words. He raised a fist and slammed it into volcanic rock, sending molten lava toward me. I countered with Glacial Manipulation, pushing ice from the glacier under my feet forward. The lava hit the ice wall and hissed, creating a cloud of steam. I could feel the heat trying to reach me, but I held my stance.
I lunged and extended a Frost Lash toward his legs to slow him. He twisted; a Magma Armor flare absorbed the impact and the ice cracked against hardened magma. He was unscathed.
I adjusted quickly. If I wanted to stop him, I needed to use terrain and force. I stomped the glacier with Titanic Stomp, sending spikes of ice toward him. He jumped and rotated in midair, the spikes exploding in shards—some bounced off, some hit his arm. He hissed. Small successes, but I could feel the fight draining me. The heat from Pyrothar and the effort to maintain the ice were taxing.
He lashed with molten chains; I met them with Frozen Chains, locking and breaking some of them. We tested each other, each strike measured. I threw a punch at his torso; he caught it. I shaped Glacial Manipulation into a column and hit him with the side. He staggered but only slightly.
He countered with Flame Whip; I intercepted with Frost Lash, freezing some molten strands midair. It shattered, but the heat left burns along my forearms. He was testing my limits now.
I used Permafrost Eruption beneath him—ice bursting through rock to push him off balance. He jumped and responded with Volcanic Eruption. The ice shattered partially, sending shards flying. One grazed his arm. Small victories, but I felt the toll of each move.
I threw Ice Bombs, Icicle Rains, Frostwave Surges. He absorbed and returned with Lava Bombs, Lava Flow Waves, Thermal Shockwaves. One strike hit my shoulder; ice shattered and pain jolted through me.
We circled, calculated. He was faster than expected, but the terrain favored me. I gathered my remaining strength and formed a Glacial Manipulation spear, throwing it with precision at his chest. The impact cracked much of his hardened magma. He stumbled, leaving a molten trail.
I pressed the advantage, used Icebound Armor to shield from residual heat, and struck again. He staggered. I hit him with Absolute Freeze; the air crystallized rapidly. He roared but slowed—magma thickening and cracking. Permafrost Eruption beneath his legs brought him down. One final Thermal Shockwave failed; the surrounding ice held.
I forced him back until he collapsed on the cooled lava field. I was breathing heavily; frost formed along cracks in my body from exertion. I had won. Pyrothar lay still, molten blood cooling along his sides.
I pulled myself toward the mountain, reshaped ice and rock, carved a narrow cavern just enough to move, and sealed myself inside the mountain to preserve and recover. The ridge outside lay scarred: cracked glaciers, cooled magma flows, shattered ice spikes. The battle had cost more than I would admit, but I had survived.
Finally, to remove his influence from the mountain and surrounding areas, I used Absolute Freeze once again.