Epic Of Ice Dragon: Reborn As An Ice Dragon With A System Chapter 2423: The Beginning Of The End [4]

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"Drake! W-Wait!" Miranda panicked as she watched him rush downward. "Shit, Jake! He’s...!"

She turned toward Jake, only to realize he had vanished. Panic rising, she held Benladann close and noticed Gold along with several other Split Souls nearby.

They were carrying Jake’s recently deceased body inside a sphere of divine ice, completely frozen—both body and soul preserved at the sa ti.

"D-Drake?! But weren’t you down there?!"

"I am, and I’m also here through these Split Souls," Drake sighed, trying to push down his anger. "I’m currently chasing him, but he’s descending faster than I expected... Benladann, I’m so sorry. If only I had been quicker."

"D-Drake..." Benladann gazed at her husband and hugged the nearest Split Soul tightly.

At Drake’s will, the Split Souls unified into a single form, including Gold. This second body shared the sa soul, and his wives and children were already accustod to him doing this.

"Can’t you heal him?! Wait, Benladra can do sothing!" Benladann cried.

"I already tried, Mom!" Benladra said. She was right beside her father. "B-But nothing works on Uncle! I don’t understand what’s happening to his body or soul! That monster didn’t destroy him completely, but sohow... I don’t know! It’s like he won’t let him regenerate or heal!"

"What?! How is that even possible?!" Yuki asked.

"Oberon has attained a power I don’t fully understand yet," Drake explained. "But I believe he has gained the ability to destroy concepts. He destroyed Jake’s concept of ’life,’ so no matter what we try to regenerate him... we can’t."

"N-No! Jake!" Lucia began to cry as she saw the young man frozen inside the sphere of ice.

"Damn it!" Chris groaned, striking the barrier with his fists while fighting back tears.

"I only just t him... He’s my brother and I only just t him, and that bastard took him from !" Benladann sobbed. "He took my village... he took my dad and my mom! And now my brother...!"

Although Benladann’s parents had ultimately been revived by Drake, it had taken ti. For most of her childhood and into young adulthood, they had been dead.

That trauma remained even after they returned. Deep down, she felt nothing could ever truly be the sa again.

"What’s your plan?" Skadi asked Drake, peering into the vortex. "I assu we have little ti, right? That damn bastard... I can’t believe how helpless and weak I felt. Everything I’ve achieved in my life seed aningless in front of him..."

"I agree... I don’t know what we did, but he simply stopped us from moving," Belle muttered. "It wasn’t ti or space manipulation as we know it. He just willed it, and it happened... It’s a power that goes beyond the elents we understand."

"It’s... a step beyond Dinsional Manipulation," Drake explained with a sigh. "I think what he has attained is Reality Manipulation. Oberon can alter the reality around him. It was purely theoretical to before, but it seems to be the combination of Space, Ti, and Dinsion Manipulation. Sothing I had only considered in theory, never truly imagined possible."

"Are you kidding ...?" Yuki asked. "That bastard is invincible now?!"

"No..." Androda stepped forward. "Although his powers reach that far, Drake managed to ignore the paralyzing effect and reach him, even if Oberon was incredibly fast and easily evaded his attacks."

"I still felt weakened, but sothing inside lets break through that Domain," Drake explained. "The only way to save Jake is to learn how to cancel Oberon’s power over destroying concepts and restore Jake’s concept of life."

"I-Is that even possible...?" Benladann asked, looking down.

"It has to be," Drake said firmly. "I’ll make it possible."

"No, we’ll make it possible, Master!" Surtr declared.

"Yeah, please don’t forget about us!" Erald nodded.

"You’re not alone, you know?" Athyst sighed, crossing her arms.

"We might be powerless individually, but maybe we can do sothing together?" Hrimvaldr suggested. "Or at the very least, take our power, Drake."

"If I had more ti to analyze things, I could help," Hydra offered. "I might assist you in figuring out how to counter Oberon’s powers. You do possess the talent."

"I’ll help however I can... Maybe my mirrors could be useful?" Celene wondered.

"I’ll help too!" Triton said.

"We’ve all awakened Archetypes as well," Root added. "Perhaps that can help? After all, this mysterious power is what has allowed us to surpass our limits and reach even greater heights."

"That’s right..." Drake muttered, clenching his fists. "But it will be dangerous—more dangerous than anything we’ve ever faced. I don’t want any of you to die. Stay behind , okay?"

The entire group agreed, even Fuyu’s crew led by Charlotte. The chanical titan she had beco hovered in midair, gazing downward.

"Just what is Oberon’s plan?" Androda asked. "I rember him saying he wanted Eternal Life and Immortality. But now he’s going underground... seeking the truth? What is that?"

"He wants to reach Yggdrasil’s roots," Drake explained. "I have no idea why... Well, let’s go. I’ll teleport you all close to where I am. Combine and coat your Auras together. Stay as close as possible!"

"Dad!" Benladra cried. "Do your best!"

"Yeah!" Drakda roared.

"Daddy, don’t die..." Kate whispered.

"Dada! Awawah!" Yudra said, furrowing her tiny brows.

Drake smiled tenderly at them and nodded.

"Don’t worry. I won’t... I can’t die that easily anyway. I’m one tough nut to crack, after all. Oberon will have to relearn that lesson again, it seems."

Drake quickly enveloped everyone in his power. With Hers and Logi’s assistance, he teleported the group to his location—or rather, a safe distance away. He didn’t want them caught in Oberon’s Aura, Domain, or whatever else he now controlled.

He also led the group with his second body to ensure Oberon couldn’t sneak up on them while he fought.

And indeed, as everyone arrived, they saw it.

The vortex plunged endlessly deep into the world’s tectonic plates, reaching a long-forgotten realm—the holand of the Death Dragons.

"W-What the hell?!" Alma stared downward. "Wow, we’re going so fucking deep! But everything is dark down there...!"

"Is there... another world down there?" Hers asked.

"Sothing like that!" Hydra replied, peering down. "It’s a place no living being is allowed to enter, but I suppose I’m in no position to stop you now. That place is the Underworld, Helheim! An Ancient Realm born beneath all others, where the roots of Yggdrasil spread underground. It’s the world of repenting souls or those who could not pass on, filled with regrets. Sotis they leak to the surface and beco undead that roam certain places. We try to contain them, but there are simply too many."

"So it’s a world where souls go if they don’t want to move on to the Afterlife, whatever that is?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, that’s a fair description, but it’s far more than that," Hydra said. "It’s the ho of my kind, the Death Dragons, and of our Primordial Dragon Mother, the Death Dragon Queen, Hel."

As they spoke, they watched Oberon laughing, descending rapidly on his giant butterfly wings while Drake gave chase, his speed increasing dramatically.

"OBERON! CO BACK HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!"

"Co now, have so patience! We’re almost there! I’m sure you’ll love to learn the truth, Drake!"

Oberon’s body pierced a massive layer of black and gray clouds, plunging deeper. Drake followed swiftly, pushing through the thick, chaotic barrier. He groaned and coughed as he forced his way through until...

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