The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

The Night Crow and Branka clashed for the first time.

Screech...

'Ugh, as expected. Physical combat is tough without Agony.'

From their first clash, Seol realized he should avoid close-range combat against Branka.

'As expected of someone who ravaged the North...'

Paf—!

"Hmph! You're quite pathetic for someone so confident."

However, the one fighting this time wasn't Seol but Jamad.

Thus, Jamad was also the one who answered him.

"Your words are quite something... but Branka's true power isn't the physical one."

"We'll see that soon."

At that moment, a few Shamans appeared from a crumbled corner of the castle.

The energy around them wasn't ordinary.

"Branka!"

"Go to the Head of the Library! We're moving up the schedule!"

"Yes!"

The Shamans rushed while raising their staffs. Thanks to powerful cold resistance Shamanic Spells, they were able to divert the snowstorm from them.

They rushed toward the sleeping Head of the Library, seemingly about to do something to it.

So, they couldn't stay still either.

"We're going to stop those guys!"

"Joneh! Let's go!"

At first, the plan was for Joneh and Santio to help Seol fight Branka. But the Shamans moving to the Head of the Library seemed suspicious, so they decided to deal with them first.

Branka merely watched the two Magicians without stopping them.

"Are you sure you don't need to stop them?"

"What could two young, inexperienced Magicians do...? My interest lies in you."

"Haha... An old man's interest is quite burdensome."

"I'll have to teach you some manners first."

Branka called Joneh and Santio—members of the Zodiac—young and inexperienced Magicians.

Seol checked out Branka's information, which appeared before him.

[[Branka, the Cold]

Rank: Immortal

Estimated Level: Unknown

Branka, the Cold, is a great troll who became the ruler of the Frostmaw Tribe—savage trolls that didn't even yield to the harsh polar environment.

He was born with a larger and tougher body than other Frostmaw Trolls. He earned a reputation as a warrior long before he mastered shamanism.

The Frostmaw Tribe, which recognized his potential early on, taught him shamanism, and he eventually rose to the position of Great Shaman.

One day, Branka stayed behind alone to fight the enemy while his tribe retreated, and he ended up falling into a crevasse.

There, Branka found the secret of the Northern Ancient trolls. Having absorbed all that strength, Branka became able to wield a destructive shamanic power that couldn't be compared to before.

Basic Ability: [Ancient Glacier Shamanic Spell: Opaque 2], [Unknown 4], [Unknown 5], [Unknown 4], [Unknown 5], [Unknown 5]. [Unknown 5], [Unknown 4], [Unknown 3], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 5], [Unknown 5]

Special Ability: [Unknown], [Unknown], [Unknown], [Unknown].]

[Branka's Ancient Glacier Shamanic Spell: Opaque activates.]

[Branka remains in a state of mystery.]

'The Eyes of Foresight is being deflected...?'

Branka smirked, "I have a lot of things I want to ask you, but that can wait."

Whoosh...

Branka's eyes began emitting a blue light.

"First, I'm going to test you."

Clap—!

[Branka used Ancient Glacier Shamanic Spell: Hail.]

[Abnormal Status: Hypothermia triggers Abnormal Status: Slowed.]

[The effect of Slowed increases by 1% per second.]

[When the effect of Slowed reaches 100%, you will be afflicted with Abnormal Status: Frozen.]

Whoosh...

It felt as if the snowstorm had intensified.

"Aren't you cold?"

Swoosh...

Branka's figure vanished into the snowstorm.

Jamad had taken control of Night Crow as soon as the fight started.

Clap—!

[You use multiple Primal Powers.]

[You are using more than 2 Primal Powers.]

[The efficiency of the Primal Powers you are using is decreased by 10%.]

Clack!

Clack!

Clack!

As Jamad clapped his hands, skulls of Mountain, Lightning, and Sulfur floated into the air.

And...

Clack...

Even the skull representing Pitch Black Primal Power, Shade's skull.

Clap—!

To defend against the opponent's shamanism, Jamad infused Primal Power into the Skull of Sulfur.

"As for the cold..."

Whoosh...

[The flames… shall consume…]

[You have applied Sulfur Primal Power.]

[You used Primal Power: Hellfire.]

[Roaring flames surround the caster.]

[The caster is immune to Hellfire’s damage.]

[Hellfire has a chance to spread to other targets upon contact.]

[The transferred Hellfire won't easily extinguish and continue to grow stronger, fueled by the target's life force.]

[Hellfire inflicts damage proportional to the target's lost Health.]

Fwoosh...

"I don't know what you're talking about. Isn't it hot?"

"Hmph!"

Clap—!

[Be purified by lightning.]

[You have applied Lightning Primal Power.]

[You used Primal Power: Lightning Strike.]

[Lightning will continue to strike the battlefield as long as you support it with Lightning Primal Power.]

[The caster is immune to Lightning Strike’s damage.]

[Lightning will strike where the Lightning Seal is placed. Lightning Seal will regularly appear on the ground where enemies are located.]

[There is a slight delay before the Lightning Seal activates.]

Whoosh!

Amid the intensifying snowstorm, as flames roared and lightning crashed down, Branka's eyebrows twitched.

"Primal Power? How quaint."

"Unlike someone, I prefer to stick to the basics."

"Longo, come out."

Clap—!

[Branka used Summon Phantom Beast: Snowy Mountain's Nightmare.]

[Passive: Environmental Adaptation has been activated.]

[The frost energy makes the white Longo grow even Larger.]

Grrr...

A massive bear making an ominous sound appeared.

Even at first glance, it seemed to be at least twice the size of Branka.

Jamad looked like a child compared to Longo.

"Hmph!"

Clap—!

[Summon Phantom Beast: Shadow Wolf activates.]

[Passive: Sudden Appearance has been activated.]

[Koko, the Happy, affects Jamad's skills.]

Woof—!

Compared to Longo, Koko was infinitely smaller.

"Hahaha! How pathetic."

"Koko, show him."

Thud—!

Koko swallowed Shade's skull.

Grrr...

Crackle...

Although smaller than when it had devoured the Mountain skull, Koko still grew larger.

Whoosh...

Koko's form blurred and spread like mist.

[The Phantom Beast's Attribute is temporarily changed to Brutal Pitch Black.]

[The Phantom Beast's type is temporarily changed to medium ghost.]

[Phantom Beast Koko, the Happy, is temporarily changed to Koko, the Brutal.]

"Oh..."

"Now, let's begin."

"Good!"

BOOM—!

When Branka struck the ground, the piled-up snow erupted like dynamite, shooting high.

Paf—!

With that as a cue, the white bear, Longo, vanished.

Swoosh...

Koko also hid in the snowstorm.

As the Night Crow braced for Branka's attack, Branka suddenly leaped from their blind spot.

"Ugh..."

"You won't!"

Crunch!

Crack!

A rocky barrier formed, stopping Branka's punch.

"So you're a fake!"

"Hmph!"

Puf...

Branka dissolved into the snow.

It was most likely a clone.

Whoom...

The ground beneath the Night Crow suddenly surged upward.

ROAR!

Longo swung its massive paw, threatening the Night Crow, but.

Paf—!

Screech!

Koko left claw marks on Longo's arm before disappearing again. Blood dripped from Longo's wounded arm.

ROAR!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Maybe to forget the pain, Longo's attack intensified. In that moment, Jamad dodged it.

[Branka used Ancient Glacier Shamanic Spell: Snowfight.]

[A reinforced snow sculpture has been formed.]

A huge snow arm appeared and slammed into the Night Crow.

Crack...

"Agh!"

He had summoned numerous shadow hands to mitigate the impact, but it wasn't enough.

Ultimately, the Night Crow was sent flying backward.

Whoosh—!

After rolling across the snowfield, the Night Crow prepared their next move.

Crack...

Crack...

The Night Crow created another rock plate in midair, just like before.

"Your movements are too obvious!"

Branka attacked again using Snowfight, just like earlier.

BOOM—!

Crack...

The rock plate shattered.

BOOM—!

"What...?"

But a fireball hidden behind the rock plate latched onto Branka's arm, shattering his shamanic spell.

"Ugh..."

Paf—!

Seizing the opportunity, the Night Crow closed their distance from Branka.

"You fool! You're still too inexperienced!"

Branka thought they had lost their composure and chosen close-range combat.

No one had ever defeated Branka, the Cold, in a physical fight before.

In an even exchange, Branka would have the advantage.

Paf! Paf!

Crack...

Paf!

"Cough..."

"Ugh..."

The two exchanged blows.

Branka was surprised at how skilled his opponent was in hand-to-hand combat, while Jamad was caught off guard by Branka's overwhelming strength.

In the end, the one left smiling was Branka.

Sizzle...

Branka controlled the flames clinging to his body with cold energy.

"You still have a long way to go."

"Do you really think that?"

Clap—!

Ziing...

At that moment, a seal appeared on the part of Branka's body that had just come into contact with the Night Crow.

"This..."

"It will sting."

WHOOM...

"Longo!"

ROAR!

Longo emerged from the snow and covered Branka's body.

Lightning struck down.

WHOOM!

WHOOM—!

Swoosh...

Unable to withstand the impact, Longo disappeared into the snow.

Seizing that opportunity, Koko aimed for Branka's vital spot.

"You won't!"

Paf!

Kiieeng...

For a Transcendent-rank like Koko, inflicting damage to an Immortal-rank like Branka wasn't easy.

* * *

"Not bad."

"Didn't you call me a brat before? Haha..."

"Fate is quite ironic."

"What do you mean?"

"Why is my descendant standing in my way?"

"Let's just say we have differences in tendency. After all, I have a rough idea of what you're planning."

Branka laughed. "Ha… Hahaha… You don't know my true purpose."

"Seeing how much you're talking about a purpose, I'm not interested in knowing..."

"I will free the trolls from the Old Gods."

"..."

The Night Crow, which was about to continue attacking, paused.

"And grant trolls true freedom, along with the glory of ruling over the continent..."

"Nonsense."

"As expected of someone who has submitted to the Old Gods."

"No, the one who has submitted to the Old Gods isn't me but you."

Branka's expression was distorted by Jamad's words.

"You're just babbling nonsense now."

"What is true freedom? What is glory?"

"What?"

"Isn't what you're trying to do just theft? You're planning to obtain the strength of the Library of All Knowledge to summon diverse entities and beg them for help, right? And say, 'Please, save the Trolls from the Old Gods.' Hahaha... That would be quite a sight."

"Shut up!"

"Your desire will be consumed by mine. I'm sure of it."

Jamad continued to push Branka mentally.

"You're scared of the Old Gods. You know your power alone isn't enough to win against them."

"Your delusions are as weak as your power! That's enough! I will leave nothing but that mouth of yours and crush the rest of you!"

"Ha... Hahaha..."

Jamad kept laughing.

Branka glared at Jamad.

Hooop…

Branka began preparing his next move.

[Branka used Ancient Glacier Shamanic Spell: Eternal Snow.]

[Eternal Snow accumulates every time a Glacier Shamanic Spell is used.]

"Haa!"

[Branka used Ancient Glacier Shamanic Spell: Icicle Bombardment.]

[A barrage of icicles, treated as blades, are launched.]

[Icicles accumulate large amounts of Eternal Snow.]

Whoosh...

Whoosh...

Dangerously large icicles began floating in the air and raining down, targeting the Night Crow.

Papapaf!

"You're getting emotional."

Slap!

Crack!

The ground quickly rose, creating a rock wall, shattering the icicles into dust upon contact.

Crash!

Crumble!

WHOOM...

Immediately after that, huge snowballs began rolling toward him.

Paf—!

The Night Crow leaped over the rock wall, dodging the snowballs and searching for Branka.

Branka was murmuring an incantation with his eyes closed.

"Freeze."

[Branka used Ancient Glacier Shamanic Spell: Frost Storm.]

[A large-scale vortex of cold has been created around the caster.]

[Deals more damage the farther the enemies are from the vortex's center. Cold penetration is applied.]

[Frost Storm accumulates a massive amount of Eternal Snow.]

Branka's expression darkened slightly.

Even a troll couldn't escape the effects of using a Forbidden Shamanic Spell that drained a lot of their Energy of Life.

FWOOSH—!

Jamad quickly poured the Sulfur Primal Power into himself, turning his entire body into a blazing furnace.

FWOOSH—!

WHOOSH—!

As the snowstorm combined with Frost Storm, visibility was almost completely lost.

The cold crept in.

A single flame flickered precariously, like a candle in the wind.

"Oof... Oof..."

Upon seeing Jamad barely holding on, Branka flashed a crazed smile and said.

"There's no need to struggle. This is the end."

"What...?"

[Branka used Forbidden Shamanic Spell: Avalanche.]

[Avalance's damage increases based on the amount of accumulated Eternal Snow.]

[Avalanche's effect is doubled in mountainous terrain.]

[The caster isn't swept away by Avalanche.]

[The caster is immune to Avalanche’s damage.]

[The Forbidden Shamanic Spell uses the caster's Energy of Life as an offering.]

'A Forbidden Shamanic Spell!'

It was a similar Shamanic Spell to the one Magra, the Scorching, had used before.

Since Forbidden Shamanic Spells used one's Energy of Life, their damage output was far beyond ordinary.

WHOOM...

The ice castle, which was already damaged, began collapsing.

"Die powerlessly!"

BOOM!

An avalanche that started from the peak of the snowy mountain swept away everything in its path.

Crack! Crack!

The Night Crow curled into a ball, burying their head into the snow.

Crack!

Crack!

Now, their figure was no longer visible.

The avalanche swept through everything, enveloping the landscape in a blinding white haze for what felt like an eternity.

"..."

Although Branka was sure of his victory, he felt a deep discomfort.

- You're scared of the Old Gods. You know your power alone isn't enough to win against them.

Those words seemed to have pierced his heart.

"No... This is wisdom and reason."

Branka answered a question no one asked.

"To defeat the Old Gods... This is the only way."

- What is true freedom? What is glory?

"Shut up... Once the era of the Old Gods ends, everything will..."

"Aah, that was really close."

Whoosh—!

Branka turned his head around.

The snow-covered mountain was silent, so where did that voice come from?

Branka thought it had just been an illusion.

He was about to turn his head again when something began to move from beneath the snow.

Rustle...

"Oof! Hahaha. That was a bit sloppy. It's my turn now, right?"

The Night Crow, although it had used Bones of Origin and Earth Armor, had almost been crushed.

Yet, they managed to resist.

"You..."

"Hey, you think the end of the Old Gods’ era will come? Haha... Even if that happens, you won't achieve true freedom."

Swoosh...

Jamad crawled out of the snow.

His hands were trembling.

"It’s not about how it ends; what matters is that it ends—with this hand!"

Branka looked at Jamad as if he had seen a ghost.

"How did you survive?"

"I'm a Mountain Shaman. Dying on a mountain? Wouldn't that be ridiculous?"

Jamad said to Seol, "Seol... I need your help. My arm isn't moving. Finish the Shamanic Spell for me."

"Okay."

The Night Crow's arms, which hadn't moved before, began moving after Jamad's words.

Slap—!

"Ah, thank you. Also you... over there."

WHOOM...

The entire mountain began to tremble.

"What the..."

Branka was startled by the ominous vibration.

"This is a true Forbidden Shamanic Spell."

[You have used the Forbidden Shamanic Spell: Tectonic Shift]

...