The snowstorm kept growing stronger, almost lifting Albert's group into the air.
All of them were hiding behind a hill of snow, waiting for Albert's signal to attack the two approaching figures.
"This is it... they must be two of Abaddon's generals. I don't think they know we're here yet, considering that there are only two of them," Albert thought.
He stared at them as they drew closer to where his group was hiding.
Every breath from their mouths turned into a mist of cold air.
Those not used to such low temperatures shivered while gripping their weapons tightly.
Albert then raised his left arm, his hand closed into a fist.
"And now they're closer... they must already know that we are here. Then, there is no point in hiding. Either way, we have a higher chance of overpowering them with our numbers."
His raised hand opened, palm spread, signaling that they were going to attack.
"Rarhhh!!!"
They shouted while charging at the two, who were likely generals of Abaddon.
Albert's group numbered approximately One thousand in total.
"Looks like the persistent insects have revealed themselves boldly," the man carrying a spear said.
He stepped ahead of the man wielding two purple blades.
"Let me launch the first attack."
He pointed his spear at them and took a stance.
A swarm of black-hooded soldiers charged at him. He smirked and shouted:
"FIRST STANCE OF SOUL SPEAR!!!
PIERCING SOUL!!!"
His spear glowed yellow, emitting energy that cleared the raging swirl of snow around it.
As the enemy grew closer, he focused, then struck the air with his spear.
The weapon unleashed a massive burst of yellow energy.
Those in front stopped suddenly, but the soldiers at the back didn't see it in time and crashed into them.
Albert and Anon were nowhere to be seen in the crowd.
The ball of energy struck the soldiers, their bodies dissolving in its heat.
It killed nearly everyone in front, including those frozen in shock who hadn't had the chance to escape.
The man with the spear stepped forward as the survivors fled in terror.
They panicked, scattering into the thick snowstorm.
"Haha, a thousand useless men running like rats," the man laughed.
He wore silver armor and carried a long iron spear, his artifact.
"Where the hell are that cowardly king's special soldiers or those so-called heroes?" the man with the double swords said.
In just a few seconds, he sensed something approaching from behind and quickly blocked an unseen strike.
Their blades clashed, but the storm drowned out the sound.
"Who could it be?" He panicked, readying his two blades side by side, eyes narrowing at the surroundings.
"Interesting..."
Then he shouted:
"DOUBLE EDGE OF EDGES. CUT THROUGH REALITY!!!"
He slashed the air, creating a rift that absorbed the snowstorm completely.
The weather changed. The fierce wind stopped.
Dim sunlight pierced through the clouds.
Albert's group, who had been fleeing, murmured among themselves:
"Ain't gonna die here!"
"It's our chance to escape!!"
"There's no way we can win a fight against those Wielders!"
Even though they outnumbered them greatly, Wielders were superhuman to them.
The man who cleared the storm now searched his surroundings for the attacker.
"Hey!! Swan!!" he shouted at the spear-wielder.
But when he looked at him, his eyes widened, Swan was locked in combat with a black-hooded man.
"What? Is this for real? I didn't know anyone could fight Swan toe-to-toe with a spear," he thought, shocked.
Albert was moving swiftly, striking without wasting a second.
"I must not let him use his artifact's power," Albert thought.
He tried to kick Swan's legs to immobilize him, but Swan leapt back, dodging and creating distance.
"Ha, you are quite good, but your time is up!! I'll end this now!!" Swan shouted as he broke free from Albert's relentless assault.
His spear glowed yellow, and he charged at Albert.
"Smack it... what should I do? I've already tried calling out that useless artifact, but it won't appear," Albert thought, bracing himself.
"Albert?... Hehe, I will never remember your name, hahaha!" Swan mocked.
He struck Albert's spear, releasing a violent surge of energy that shattered it into pieces and hurled Albert backward.
"Is this it? If I hadn't saved her back then, I should have my ar..."
Then he remembered Anon's words: The past is past, and there is no turning back.
Albert closed his eyes. Suddenly, mysterious letters appeared in his mind:
[Spell List]
[• Spell One]
[• Undying Soul]
[• Auto Regeneration]
"What? Why am I seeing this in my head?"
Then he remembered the words from his recent dream:
*Thank you for accepting my soul.
As payment for your kindness, I shall free you from the bounds of nature.
Survive in that world, with imagination and knowledge as your only limits.*
Albert smiled faintly as he fell toward the ground.
He tumbled across the snow.
Blood splashed from his mouth. He couldn't move, but his eyes sparkled with hope.
"Looks like I've fused with that artifact."
He saw Swan walking toward him, his spear scraping the snowy ground.
"Forgive me, young man, but your soul is very essential for us to grow," Swan said.
Albert slowly raised his trembling hand, pointing at Swan.
His voice came out as a whisper:
"S-Spell..."
His eyes glowed blue.
"One..."
Small black particles appeared, compressing into his palm, forming an orb of dark energy. Albert shut his eyes, concentrating.
"My limitation is my imagination and knowledge, isn't it? Its range, duration, speed, target... all of it depends on my imagination."
After focusing everything into the spell, he released it.
The orb shot forward so fast Swan didn't even see it coming.
It broke the sound barrier, creating a deafening boom.
A hole tore through Swan's stomach.
"W-What just happened?" His eyes narrowed at Albert, desperately searching for the artifact he was using.
Blood dripped from him. His organs dissolved.
He dropped his artifact and collapsed, eyes lifeless.
Albert regained some strength, supporting himself with one hand as he stood.
He walked forward, picked up Swan's spear, and held his stomach in pain from the earlier blow.
"Now, how's Mister Anon doing?" he muttered.
When he turned, he saw the man with two blades slashing wildly at the empty air. Each swing sparked against something invisible.
"This is so annoying... Reveal yourself!!! Ahh, so you want to know my name, right? I am Brind, the Wielder of the Dual Blade.
Now, reveal yourself, sneaky coward!!" Brind taunted.
But Anon did not reveal himself, continuing to strike from blind spots.
"Aaarghhhhhhh!!!!" Brind shouted in frustration, unable to counter.
"I'm tired of this! What's taking Swan so long?"
He turned left and froze. Swan's lifeless body lay on the ground, and Albert was limping toward him, using Swan's spear as support.
"What? How?" he thought, focusing harder while blocking Anon's invisible attacks.
"I have no choice right now." He clicked his tongue.
"REFILL!!!"
He slashed his blades, creating a rift in the air. From it, the snowstorm he had absorbed earlier was released violently.
The atmosphere turned freezing, the winds roared again, and Albert was thrown back by the force.
Brind fled into the storm.
Anon reappeared and rushed toward Albert.
"Albert!!!" he shouted as he struggled through the raging snow.
Albert was half-buried, eyes closed, mind focused, ignoring the cold.
In his head, he was creating a new spell with Swan's soul.
[Soul Collection: 1]
[Soul Collected: Negative]
[New Spell Name]
[New Spell Effect: External]
[New Spell Activation Method]
[New Spell Description]
[New Spell Special Trait]
"I have killed again... why?!" Albert thought. Snap out of it! It's a waste of time thinking of what cannot be undone. Now I must focus on the present. I'll make use of the soul of my unwanted enemy.
He filled in the blanks in his mind:
[New Spell Name: Spell Two]
[New Spell Activation Method: ...]
"I should think of a faster way to activate it... wait. I'll just make it automatic, no, too risky. I must be specific."
[New Spell Activation Method: Activated through thought and imagination.]
[New Spell Description: ...]
"Description... it includes everything about the spell, right? Then I'll make it useful for both offense and defense."
[New Spell Description: A spell that will paralyze the target with unbreakable...]
"Albert... Albert, wake up!! The reinforcements have come!!!" A voice echoed in his ears.