Chapter 92: The Ice Queen’s Departure and the Black Mist’s Fury

She imparted a great deal of knowledge to me. She revealed that she couldn’t die by her own will, nor did she possess any purpose or reason for her existence. She was merely left behind, present only because she had consciousness.

Her sole desire was to return to her original state.

“Since I couldn’t kill my son, I reluctantly summoned the [Void]. I never imagined that Void would turn out to be… his lover.”

“…So, you have no knowledge of the great calamity that befell Grisha, then?”

Illeis nodded. Her rampage and the massive gate incident had undeniably occurred within the same timeframe. It was impossible for them to be unrelated, yet she claimed ignorance. This was truly peculiar.

“It’s regrettable that I couldn’t retrieve the Void, but there is also something fortunate in this. My dear daughter-in-law, I have something to tell you.”

I was about to ask her to stop calling me ‘daughter-in-law,’ but I bit my tongue. Her expression had turned grave.

“For some time now, the movements of my brother in the Demon Realm have been unsettling.”

Illeis’s brother.

“Are you speaking of Kratus?”

“Yes. I will not ask about what resides in your heart. Everyone has their own circumstances, after all.”

“…”

“He has been frantically collecting fragments of the Demon Realm. It seems he intends to cross over to this place.”

She extended her hand. Her pale, cold fingers settled over the back of mine.

“Take my [Time]. And in my stead, stop Kratus.”

“Wait, just a moment, please.”

I gritted my teeth.

“You know what is etched into my heart, don’t you?”

“I do.”

Illeis replied calmly.

“However, if I take your Void, you will surely die. Had I not known you were my daughter-in-law, it might have been different. But I cannot allow that.

I am not Illeis. Therefore, it is right to protect you, who will live alongside Sagyeol, rather than continue existing as a mere shell of a remnant.”

Even as she asserted that she was not Illeis, her words were more maternal than anyone else’s.

“There must be another way.”

Illeis simply smiled, offering no reply. I tried to pull away, but I couldn’t budge. The density of the space around me, excluding myself, had increased.

It felt as though I was trapped within solid, transparent jelly. I spoke urgently.

“At the very least, you should see Sagyeol! No, couldn’t you just pass your time on to him?”

“That child cannot enter here. Such dense demonic energy is more than a hybrid body can withstand.”

Illeis, who had surely contemplated this for far longer than I, offered a faint smile. There was no resignation, no sorrow in it. Only relief, as if this outcome was, in fact, a blessing.

I found myself unable to utter another word.

“Please, will you deliver the last vestiges of me to that child?”

A warmth, like heated water, flowed from her into me. The stopped time began to move again. The moment my body could move, I firmly grasped her hand.

“I will.”

It was a complex feeling. My throat felt constricted, preventing me from speaking further. Illeis pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“Take good care of Sagyeol. My dear daughter-in-law.”

This was my last chance to correct her words. Instead, I looked directly at her as she began to scatter into particles of light, and I spoke.

“Yes. I will surely make him happy.”

Her eyes, widened slightly in surprise, curved into a gentle arc. Words I hadn’t heard reached my heart. The Ice Queen, who had governed the depths of the flooded world alone for countless ages, departed.

Poof.

The entire world was enveloped in light.

Some time after Yeowon and Sagyeol departed, Reph returned to the base camp alone. The hunters naturally turned pale. Everyone instinctively knew that something serious had happened.

Opinions were sharply divided. Some argued they should retreat and regroup, while others insisted on immediately going to search for the two. The former were elites from other guilds, and the latter were Credit’s S-ranks.

The debate showed no signs of narrowing. Eventually, they began snarling at each other like dogs. The resistance from the ‘regrouping’ faction was particularly fierce.

Understanding their sentiments but emphasizing the need to assess the situation calmly, Lee Hyun-su abruptly called out two of Credit’s S-ranks.

“Yu Seong. Jaehyeon.”

The two, whose names were called, snapped to attention like dogs hearing a whistle.

Their discipline was exceptionally tight. The cause was the Hestia incident; what would normally have been a mild scolding turned into a week of relentless torment due to that unfortunate event. The person who had most enthusiastically wielded the whip during that period now smiled brightly and spoke.

“Move out.”

The two shot off like lightning, clambering onto Rephtha’s back as the magical creature idly chewed on something. So fierce was their momentum that Rephtha, who had been grumbling irritably, flinched and began to run silently.

“Wh-what exactly are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Huh?”

“I only said ‘Move out’.”

“Th-that’s not an answer!”

Lee Hyun-su stood askew, facing the S-rank from another guild who was practically jumping.

“It seems you’ve come all this way only to be mistaken. Do you truly believe you can handle the depths without our Guild Master and the Returnee? You, who are already whining about having to turn back out of fear?”

“This is just… a suggestion to regroup for a moment…”

“And after regrouping?”

The S-rank from the other guild couldn’t answer. Lee Hyun-su smirked, a smile on his face.

“If you’re not going to be helpful, then shut up and stay put. Don’t tarnish the S-rank name.”

“What? Has he gone mad?!”

He fumed but dared not attack recklessly. It was clear that even amidst his feigned anger, reason still held sway. Those around him merely made half-hearted attempts to intervene. It was quite a spectacle.

Just as Lee Hyun-su’s patience was wearing thin at the sight, the two S-ranks returned, their expressions remarkably ambiguous.

“It seems a few more people might need to come.”

“We alone aren’t enough to stop him.”

“…?”

Someone asked if there was any danger. The two’s peculiar expressions turned downright bewildered.

“If you ask if there’s danger, we’d have to say yes.”

“Because that danger is our Guild Master.”

“…??”

Ultimately, most of the S-ranks mounted Rephtha. Led by Yu Seong and Jaehyeon, the S-ranks who arrived at the scene gaped in astonishment.

Rumble.

The majesty of the core, seen up close, was tremendous. Merely looking at it sent shivers down their spines. It was fundamentally different from any labyrinth they had experienced thus far.

CRASH!

CRACKLE!

Sagyeol was also there. He unleashed attacks against the wall of demonic energy with a fierce, almost savage intensity. Each strike sent sparks flying, and a part of the core writhed violently.

The startled S-ranks collectively rushed towards Sagyeol… then stopped.

‘His eyes are wild,’ they realized. It was clear that anyone who approached him recklessly would be torn apart.

“S-Sir, please calm down! Calm down!”

“Your attacks aren’t even working!”

Sagyeol did not reply. In fact, he showed no reaction at all. He continued to strike the core with a blank expression, occasionally attempting to enter the Black Mist directly.

“That madman!”

But it was futile. Unlike typical Black Mist, the core repelled him like dense jelly. Seeing Sagyeol try to enter, Lee Hyun-su immediately rushed forward and stood beside him, his expression one of shock.

“What on earth is this…?”

Sagyeol offered no response. Instead, he gasped for breath, grinding his teeth. To be out of breath—how long had he been doing this? Lee Hyun-su, turning to him, faltered.

So stunned and bewildered by the situation, Lee Hyun-su hadn’t noticed that Sagyeol was staring at the core with an expression he had never seen before. Looking closer, he realized Sagyeol was muttering something.

“…Not twice,” he whispered.

Lee Hyun-su understood. He was almost the only one who knew what the ‘first time’ referred to. His own expression hardened as he looked towards the core. This was the worst-case scenario. It was now certain that Yeowon was inside.

“Why is this happening again?”

At the desolate murmur, Lee Hyun-su, who had been about to speak, closed his mouth.

“I’m not an idiot, so why the hell am I getting caught in the same trap twice?!”

Sagyeol now clung to the core, completely affixed to it. He tore at the writhing mass of demonic energy with both hands. No one dared to stop him.

They didn’t even mock him as he thrashed and screamed. His bloodshot eyes made him appear half-mad.

Then, a hand reached out from within the core, grasping the one that was frantically scratching its surface. It wasn’t a forceful grip; it was more like a gentle brush of fingers.

His movements ceased as if by magic. Half a beat later, Sagyeol snapped back to his senses and frantically clutched the hand. With a firm tug, Yeowon’s bewildered upper body shot out of the core.

“Sagyeol?”

“…”

“Are you alright?”

He was far from alright. Sagyeol pulled him into a fierce embrace and tumbled backward. Yeowon, extracted like a carrot, collapsed onto his body.

Blinking in confusion, utterly unaware of what had just transpired, Yeowon finally understood Sagyeol’s state upon feeling his trembling form.

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

Sagyeol offered no answer. He simply tightened his entwined arms around him, wordlessly adding more strength. There was no danger at all. The situation had been resolved perfectly.

No matter what Yeowon said, it was the same. Ultimately, Yeowon closed his mouth and gently patted Sagyeol.

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