Chapter 454: King’s Road (3)

[Dignity of an Emperor (S) has been activated to boost the emperor’s all-encompassing aura.]

[The emperor should always be dignified no matter where he is.]

[You are temporarily at the Transcendence Stage.]

[You have temporarily met the conditions to handle a soulstone.]

Seo Jun-Ho felt like his mind had opened, and he felt like his thoughts had expanded. It felt surreal, and it felt like everything was in his grasp.

‘Was the world always like this?’

The world had temporarily stopped, and a small ripple occurred in Seo Jun-Ho's mind.

He suddenly recalled the pushover Gray, hysterical Reiji, and the World Tree.

'Have they always been living in such a world?'

He was sure of it.

Unfortunately, he didn’t obtain this strength through enlightenment or because he had become even stronger. It was all because of a fluke. The power he was wielding right now would dissipate the moment the Dignity of an Emperor (S) was deactivated.

‘But even if it’s not mine…’

He could feel this space, the surroundings, and the world itself.

Even more astounding was that he felt as if everything were lying next to his feet.

'It’s not arrogance, nor an illusion.’

It was literally true rather than a metaphor. Seo Jun-Ho was now observing everything in his surroundings. It was proved by how he could now see what wasn’t visible earlier, and he could now hear what couldn’t be heard before.

- This is… a surprise.

Seo Jun-Ho turned and saw Hart Weeper’s blurry figure.

Hart Weeper smiled faintly and spoke.

- I had no idea that I would be able to talk with my lord so soon.

'This is just a fluke...’

- Look at you being so modest. A fluke doesn't just fall from the sky one day, you know? All this is the amalgamation of the numerous paths you have crossed so far.

Hart Weeper then looked up after he was done complimenting his lord.

- However, it seems that we will have to postpone the celebration.

‘…’

Yes, he still had something to do before anything else.

Seo Jun-Ho nodded and stretched his hand out.

- From now on, I’ll be supporting my lord from behind the scenes.

Hart Weeper’s noble soul filled the soulstone to the brim.

Seo Jun-Ho clenched his fist tightly and said, "Arise."

***

The intermingling of darkness and ice in the air created a beautiful work of art. Hart Weeper’s soulstone had appeared where the heart should be located in a humanoid body.

‘Yes, this is it…’

This was the humanoid frame that he and the Frost Queen had created.

- Frost Knight.

The giant knight made out of ice stood 202.43 centimeters tall.

"Hart." Seo Jun-Ho commanded Hart. "Kill the trash who dares to pretend like he’s a knight."

Psssh!

The blue eyes shone behind the Frost Knight’s helmet, and the knight vanished like a lie.

"I won’t die. I’m the knight captain! I won't give my position to anyone...” Audrick muttered crazily. The demonic armor he was wearing increased his stats exponentially across the board, but in exchange, it had taken over his mind.

"Kill, kill, kill…!”

"Hiiik!"

He strode toward another group of slaves. The man hugging his wife and children closed his eyes tightly as a sword fell toward him like a guillotine. However, the pain he was expecting did not arrive.

‘Did I die before I could feel pain?’

The man gently opened his eyes and was surprised.

"H-huhh?"

He could see a back. It was the back of a huge knight wearing armor made out of ice. For some reason, the knight’s back reminded the man of a mountain.

The knight had stopped Audrick's sword from falling toward them.

“…”

The knight glanced and lightly gestured with his chin. The man felt that the knight was telling him to leave, so the man hurriedly nodded.

"T-thank you. Thank you so much for saving us!" The man said frantically before running away with his family.

Once he was sure that the man was far enough, the knight in icy armor looked up.

"What? Who are you? What are you?” Audrick muttered. Behind the helmet, the knight in icy armor could see Audrick's bloodshot eyes. Audrick had obviously lost his mind long ago, and his condition was getting worse by the minute.

"How…?! Ugh, h-h-how dare you b-block me?!” Audrick had never felt this way before. He felt omnipotent, and he felt like he could now beat the king whom he had always been afraid to even face.

'Huh, should I really kill him? The king will die! Wait, why am I even following that guy’s orders? Oh, blood! I see…! It’s because I want to drink blood!' Audrick’s thoughts were long-winded, but what ultimately came out of his mouth was the growling of a beast.

“Grr, grr…!”

Audrick’s mind was in the middle of a collapse, so it was only understandable that he couldn’t speak anymore.

"Grauuu!" Audrick charged while groaning and drooling. He swung his sword, but his movement contained not a single trace of conviction a knight should have with their every movement. There wasn’t anything else other than killing intent.

“…” The Frost Knight extended his hand in response.

Craackle!

The air froze, and a sword was created.

The Frost Knight snatched it in mid-air and moved, passing by the crazed Audrick.

"…Grrr, graaawl!” Audrick roared like an animal as if he were proud of receiving no damage at all. However, before he could walk seven steps, he collapsed and split into four perfectly symmetrical pieces.

“…”

The shocked residents stared with their eyes wide, and they eventually muttered one by one.

“W-we won…?"

"That monster was cut down in one stroke?”

They turned to the victorious knight.

He was a knight clad in icy armor while wielding a sword made out of ice.

They had no idea why he decided to help them, but they knew one thing for sure.

"T-Thank you…!"

"Thank you for helping us!"

"Sniff! Sniff! I'm alive, damn it! I’m alive!"

They knew that the knight’s heart was warmer and kinder than anyone else here, betraying his cold and cool appearance. The residents realized by then that the knight in icy armor was the perfect definition of the knight in their dreams.

***

Craack!

The wooden railing shattered under the king’s grip.

‘How pathetic…’

He died in just one blow, and it was such an ugly death at that.

The king’s mood turned sour, and he slowly turned around.

He had no idea why but both his mind and body were trembling, even though he was simply staring at his opponent. His mind was crying that he shouldn’t resist the existence in front of him, but he ignored those cries.

Crunch!

He bit his tongue lightly, and the fishy scent of blood spread all over his mouth. The trembling subsided as a result. At the same time, his right eye turned bloodshot. He had finally revealed his ability as a half.

"Whew, that feels better.”

His opponent was strong, sure, but he couldn’t just run away without a fight. Moreover, hadn’t he been longing to fight the strong? The king got excited at the thought.

"I will bring you two to your knees and let everyone remember the law of this Farm."

"There’s a law here?"

"Yes. It is a simple and absolute law." The king spoke as he slowly spread his arms. "On this Farm, my words are the law."

"Then, I will change that law.”

"Hmph, what a ridiculous pipe dream." Demonic energy flooded out of the king like a deluge. His cold demonic energy instilled primal fear in those unfortunate enough to be in its vicinity, and it was like a spray of cold water on the hot Farm.

'Ah, it has been such a long time since I felt this way.’

He got thirsty the moment he mustered his demonic energy.

'They’re strong.’

The knight clad in icy armor was particularly strong. He was a powerhouse that should have never appeared on this farm. The king found it hard to suppress his excitement, and he couldn’t really be blamed.

After all, it had been ten years since he had a good fight.

“I’ll crush you right here and now. Then, I’ll lock you up in prison, and I will only let you out whenever I want to fight,” said the king with bared teeth. Immediately afterward, he flew toward the knight on the first floor.

He moved faster than sound and gripped the Frost Knight’s face.

‘I’m curious…’

Would the Frost Knight die if his head was shattered? The king just had to check, and with that being said, the king slammed the Frost Knight’s head into the ground. Then, he continued pushing the Frost Knight’s head into the ground with all his might.

“…?!”

‘How is he alive?’

He moved faster than sound earlier, and with the help of gravity, along with the king’s own strength, the Frost Knight should have died when his head made contact with the ground.

So why was he still alive?

The king’s eyes filled with shock as he quickly retreated.

“…” The Frost Knight didn’t move at all, but the king had already grasped the latter’s prowess.

'I made a mistake. There is no way I can defeat him without going all out.’ He wanted to hide it until his fight with the arrogant human up there, but there was no helping it.

Whoosh!

All of a sudden, a fierce gust of wind swept past the windless Farm.

When the wind swept past the residents, blood started pouring out of their noses.

"Huk, huk… I can’t breathe.”

"W-why do I feel dizzy…?”

The residents’ skin dried up, and their cheeks quickly sunk.

However, the king’s appearance changed drastically.

"Aaah…!"

There was a pair of wings on his back, and a slightly large bump could be seen on his forehead. The king seemed satisfied with the sense of fullness that filled his entire body.

‘This characteristic reduces the lifespan of the insects, so I didn’t really want to use it, but…’ He couldn’t help it. Wait, actually, he regretted not using it a bit earlier.

Tess got worried at the sight.

"M-Mr. Sonny. Isn't that a bit dangerous? Don't you need help?"

"Yes, it’s a bit dangerous." Veins bulged on the back of Seo Jun-Ho's hand as he tightly gripped the railing. It was probably the king’s demon characteristic, and the effect was to forcibly absorb the life force of the nearby living beings.

The king laughed. His enhanced hearing allowed him to hear their conversation.

"A bit dangerous?" How ignorant. He was indeed ignorant to give such an evaluation at the sight of this supreme power.

Shaking his head, the king gently gestured with his hand.

A wall on the first floor was abruptly torn open.

The residents groaned and trembled at the sight.

"No, you're wrong. It’s very dangerous."

The riled-up king waved his hand.

Booom!

The massive wall as big as a house flew and crushed the Frost Knight.

"Hey, you’re still alive, right?" the king laughed.

A few moments later, something emerged from the cloud of dust.

“I knew it! There’s no way a mere wall could have killed you!”

The Frost Knight started running toward the king, and the king responded in kind.

The Frost Knight got a head start, but the king had already calculated it.

‘It’s my win…’

His fist would crush the Frost Knight first before the latter could do anything.

Boooom!

A large explosion occurred at the moment of collision, sending shockwaves throughout the entire Farm.

The residents lamented.

"Sir Knight!"

"Ah!"

There was no way someone could survive such a horrendously powerful punch. The punch was too destructive and strong.

"Mr. Sonny! Is Sir Knight…”

“…” Seo Jun-Ho looked down at the first floor without saying a word. All of a sudden, he recalled the Frost Queen’s first homework[1].

‘Back then, I didn’t sleep for days. The only thing I did was make swords.’

The homework was to produce the perfect and strongest ice.

"I hate to admit it, but…"

The foundation he had built from the Frost Queen’s grueling homework was the foundation of the Frost Knight.

“…!” The king's eyes widened at the sight.

The Frost Knight was still alive? The king could swear that his punch had landed squarely.

"Ridiculous…!” the king exclaimed. He was comparable to a High demon, and if it weren’t for the dirty human blood running through his veins, he would have long become a member of the Underworld rather than rotting in a place like this.

“Your arrogance will destroy you someday.”

The words of a demon whom he had forgotten long ago suddenly rang in his ears.

Grit…!

"Nonsense!" The king gnashed his teeth and sent another punch. This time, he would smash his opponent apart and prove his strength.

"It’s too late." Seo Jun-Ho’s cold words echoed, and the Frost Knight drew his sword.

"What I said earlier was for you," said Seo Jun-Ho to the king.

Hart was furious at how the king had sacrificed his people to gain power, so he didn’t hold back as he performed a fully concentrated strike.

Cut the Mountain.

The sword ki created from the concentrated strike struck the king and sent him flying into the air.

"Aaaaargh!"

The king desperately tried to use his demonic energy and resist the sword ki, but it was useless. The sword ki shredded the demonic energy as if it were a piece of paper, and the sword ki soon wounded him.

"Aaaargh!” Screaming, the king's back struck a wall. He abruptly stopped screaming, and as the dust cleared, the king realized that the Frost Knight’s sword technique had sent him flying all the way up the ceiling.

"N-no... No...!" The king spread his wings and tried to go down with a fearful look.

However, the Frost Knight took his stance once again without saying anything.

“No, no, no, no…! W-w-wait…!” The king reached out his hand toward the knight he had been mocking earlier.

Unfortunately, there was no way that his hand could reach the knight.

Perhaps it was all because he had always made sure to keep everyone away from him, but he felt that there was no way he could ever reach the knight.

"Aaaaahhh!” The same sword technique struck the king and sent him flying toward the ceiling once more. Upon colliding with the ceiling, the king’s consciousness blurred, but he was forcefully awakened by a tremendous pain that threatened to overwhelm him.

Boooooom!

The ceiling crumbled into pieces.

1. for those who have already forgotten, the homework is to make swords out of clear ice ☜