Chapter 296: Book of the Stars, Pen of Phantasm
Elbaf, the Underworld.
This frozen land, existing for an immeasurably long time, is considered the 'First World' after the sun's demise in Elbaf's mythology.
Moreover, due to Elbaf's special three-layered structure, most human explorers are unaware of the existence of the 'Sun Realm' and the 'Heavenly Realm'.
So for a very long time, human explorers believed the 'Underworld' was Elbaf.
And within the eternally unmelting snow of the Underworld, countless behemoths, massive as mountains, linger here.
But at this moment...
"Woo woo woo!"
A giant wolf lowered its body and let out a low growl.
Its size was extremely massive—more than three times larger than a normal Giant.
Its crimson eyes held a terrifying ferocity.
Looking at the several Giants and the man wearing the Horse Head Mask before it, saliva dripped unconsciously from its maw.
And as that saliva hit the ground, the earth would instantly freeze.
Looking closely, one would discover that frost and mist swirled around the fur of this giant wolf itself.
"Is this the Lord of the Mountain you said was affected by the 'earthquake'?"
Uma looked at the giant wolf and asked softly.
"That's right—Siflin, the Lord of the Mountain of the Northern Snow Peak, the Giant Wolf of the North Wind..."
"During the previous earthquakes, it even helped Elbaf suppress rioting beasts."
Beside Uma, those who followed him here under Hajrudin's orders were Dorry, Brogy, and Saul. Besides them, there was also the raven named 'Munin'.
The one answering him now was Saul.
He looked at the giant wolf with its crimson eyes, his expression solemn.
Just as mentioned before, the beasts of Elbaf, like the Giants, have all received the blessing of the World Tree, gaining massive size and formidable power.
The so-called Lords of the Mountain refer to the most powerful among these beasts.
They generally possess the power to kill elite warriors of Elbaf, as well as considerable intelligence.
However, after Loki's birth, the situation changed somewhat—this Cursed Prince had associated with the behemoth Lords of the Mountain of the Underworld since childhood and could command them.
So during the previous earthquakes, the Lords of the Mountain would even help suppress those beasts that rioted due to the disaster.
But now...
"The Wolf of the North Wind is one of Lord Loki's most loyal friends, and very friendly towards Elbaf. It once even saved a child who wandered into the Underworld by mistake. To think even it was affected by the 'earthquake'..."
Saul clenched his fists.
Up to now, the entirety of Elbaf still didn't know the specific mechanism behind the earthquakes, but they were clearly growing more serious day by day—this was not a good sign.
"We have to defeat it first... be careful, Siflin is a very powerful Lord of the Mountain."
Saul instructed: "If possible, it's best not to kill it."
At this moment, Dorry and Brogy also nodded with serious expressions, simultaneously drawing the newly forged giant sword and giant axe they had obtained after returning to Elbaf.
"Gababababa, swinging an axe at a friend isn't to my liking."
"Gegyagyagyagya, it can't be helped."
Both were clearly ready for battle.
But at this moment, Uma was looking at the giant wolf named Siflin.
In his eyes, he could see those invisible forces winding around it.
[Discovered Source Energy of Lineage Factor creation 'Giant Wolf']
[It contains a moderate amount of Source Energy of Lineage Factor]
[Currently in a special state: 'Source Energy of Lineage Factor · Disordered']
"Interesting."
Uma muttered softly to himself.
He had pretty much figured it out.
This place, Elbaf, was full of surprises at every turn.
Not just the Sun Stone—now even the beasts of the Underworld actually had Source Energy of Lineage Factor on them.
"No... these beasts called 'Lords of the Mountain' originally possessed extraordinary power."
Uma looked at the frost mist surrounding the giant wolf—that was clearly not a power that nature alone could birth.
This was also the 'blessing of the World Tree'.
"Sure enough—the problem lies with Elbaf itself, with this Treasure Tree Adam!"
While thinking this, Uma slowly took a step forward.
"Mr. Dorry, Mr. Brogy, could you leave this to me?"
He asked.
"Hm?"
Hearing Uma's words, Dorry and Brogy, who were already prepared to act, were slightly taken aback.
Then...
"Of course you can!" x2
They nodded without hesitation.
Just as Saul said, this giant wolf wasn't originally an enemy.
Fighting it wasn't something worth rejoicing over.
Moreover, they also wanted to see what Uma looked like in a fight.
Previously, when facing Chiba, although Uma had roughly displayed some abilities, it was merely a fleeting glimpse.
Hearing this, Uma nodded, then walked slowly towards the giant wolf.
The next moment...
"Awoo!"
The giant wolf, already eager and agitated, seemed to be enraged. It opened its mouth and let out a piercing howl.
Hoo!
From its maw, freezing cold mist wrapped in a dark blue icy wind turned into a shockwave and surged towards Uma.
Wherever the icy wind passed, a layer of dim blue ice crystals rose upon the earth of the Underworld—already a frozen wasteland. The surrounding temperature dropped to a level where even breaths seemed to freeze.
"It's Siflin's 'Ice Storm'!"
Saul, who had deeply researched the conditions around Elbaf, spoke with a solemn expression.
That was an extreme cold capable of freezing even snow, and the very symbol of Siflin's status as a Lord of the Mountain.
But at this moment...
They saw Uma—whose figure was minuscule compared to Siflin—merely raise his hand gently.
"Book of the Stars."
He murmured softly.
The book emitting starlight in his hand opened.
He raised his hand, and the starlight upon its pages began to circulate.
As they continuously circulated, they transformed into a pen formed from converged starlight, landing in Uma's hand.
[Pen of Phantasm]
"I am the 'Headquarters Administrator' in the organization, responsible for recording and managing all 'visitors'."
Amidst the circulating starlight, Uma smiled and raised his hand to write.
"Halt."
He wrote only this one word.
And the next moment—
VMMM!
The freezing wind that froze everything solidified within the space.
Whether it was the freezing air, the circulating wind, even the ever-falling, unceasing blizzard of the Underworld, or the light reflected by the ice crystals—all came to a standstill in that instant.
"Woo!?"
The figure of the giant wolf was similarly frozen in place.
From the terror and panic in its crimson eyes, it was clear—it still had perception.
But right now...
Tap.
Within this entirely static tableau, only Uma was still walking.
Holding the pen, he walked amidst the starlight.
Until he arrived beneath the massive giant wolf, huge as a mountain, and looked upon the disordered and rioting Source Energy of Lineage Factor swirling around it.
Only then did he smile, slowly raising his pen to write again.
[The Wolf of the North Wind is disturbed by the earthquake and has fallen into a frenzy. It only requires the frenzied 'blessing' on its body to be extracted to restore its sanity and return it to its friendly nature.]
[The power of the stars will help it, just as The Zodiac will help Elbaf—this is very reasonable.]
As he wrote this, amidst the halted wind and snow, starlight spread out from the pages in his hand, enveloping the giant wolf.
(End of Chapter)
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