Chapter 79: The Oath of Frost

Sterun could tell from Gaon’s gaze.

All the magic that was disappearing one after another—it was all because of him.

That realization only made it harder to believe.

Right now, Sterun was practically an 8th Circle Archmage.

And it wasn’t just him who had cast magic.

The remaining members of his faction had also cast spells.

Every single one of them was a high-ranking mage.

So how could all their magic be neutralized so effortlessly?

Impossible…!

Sterun had met other 8th Circle mages besides Gaon.

Those who had crossed over to the Demonic Faction, replacing their foundation with demonic power and ascending to the 8th Circle through underhanded means.

Even if achieved by shortcuts, 8th Circle was still 8th Circle.

The wall they represented was formidable.

But even they couldn’t do something like this.

Could it be…

A sudden thought made Sterun swallow hard before he muttered inwardly.

The 9th Circle?

Gaon had already been an 8th Circle Master decades ago.

Could he have entered the 9th Circle since then?

And more than that—he looked so young.

Had he regained his youth upon reaching the 9th Circle?

It was then—

Puk!

A sound brushed past his ear.

A cold yet searing sensation bloomed in his abdomen.

His mana faltered.

Sterun looked down.

And he saw it.

An icy spear piercing straight through his stomach.

The next moment, the spear slid away, dissolving into the air.

It wasn’t dispelled by him.

It vanished on its own.

But it didn’t merely disappear—

The fading ice spear left behind an extreme chill.

Crack! Crackle!

His body began to freeze.

Sterun tried to push the cold away using mana.

Or rather, he tried to.

What kind of cold is this…?

He had thought he could dispel it easily, but the chill was too strong.

Even in his berserk state, he couldn’t suppress it.

Crack! Crackle!

At that sound ringing by his ear, Sterun flinched and looked around.

The surviving mages of his faction were freezing solid.

Every one of them had holes in their abdomens.

So it wasn’t just me…

That was when Sterun realized it.

No matter what he did, there was no way out of this situation.

He stopped resisting the cold.

The chill spread rapidly, freezing his body piece by piece.

He looked toward Gaon.

Gaon’s eyes hadn’t changed one bit.

They were still utterly cold.

But this time, Sterun saw something he hadn’t noticed before—

A trace of pity in those eyes.

If only you had returned a little earlier…

Regret filled him.

If Gaon had come back just a few years earlier…

He wouldn’t have betrayed him.

But it was already too late.

No amount of regret could turn back time.

The frost climbed up to his head, and Sterun lost consciousness.

***

Balversa couldn’t say a word.

He just stood there, staring blankly at the frozen Sterun and the mages of his faction.

What in the world…

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Sterun was a 7th Circle Archmage.

And for a brief moment, the aura he had released had rivaled that of the 8th Circle mages and 8-star sorcerers Balversa had encountered in the Coexistence Zone.

Yet he had been subdued without doing a thing.

And not just him—

Several 6th Circle mages had been taken down alongside him.

Over half of them had died even before being restrained.

And all of those who died were at least 5th Circle mages.

It was then—

“Balversa.”

At the voice near his ear, Balversa flinched and turned to the speaker.

He swallowed hard and answered the call.

“Yes, Lord Gaon.”

“You…”

Gaon trailed off.

A brief silence followed.

To Balversa, that brief pause felt endless.

It was suffocating.

Then Gaon finally spoke.

“Can you prove yourself through an oath?”

“Yes.”

Balversa answered without a moment’s hesitation.

He knew what happened to Sterun when he hesitated.

Hesitation meant death.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

There was nothing to ponder in the first place.

If an oath could prove his loyalty, then he would swear it without delay.

“I see.”

Gaon nodded lightly as if satisfied.

Then he waved his hand.

Crackle!

A long line split across the floor of the grand hall.

“…?”

Balversa couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

A line? For what purpose?

“Step over here.”

At Gaon’s next words, the reason became clear.

“Yes.”

Balversa rose from his seat immediately, just as he had when first responding to Gaon, and walked forward.

As he passed the frozen Sterun, he couldn’t help but glance at him.

I thought his heart for the Tower was genuine…

Balversa had trusted Sterun.

He had believed they would lead Gardion’s future together as rivals.

But betrayal?

The shock was immense.

Step.

Crossing the line, Balversa stopped.

Swoosh!

A shimmering veil appeared along the line.

He instantly understood.

It was a soundproof barrier.

And the reason for it—the oath.

“Tell me the conditions, and I shall swear immediately.”

Balversa said firmly.

Gaon’s expression eased into a faintly pleased smile.

“The first: that you have not betrayed Gardion. The second: that you have not belonged to or cooperated with the Demonic Faction. The third…”

He paused briefly, then added, “…and the proof will be the destruction of your Circle. Any objections?”

“No objections.”

There were many conditions.

But not one of them was a problem.

In fact, Balversa felt a strange sense of relief hearing them.

Anyone who could swear under those terms was beyond doubt.

“May I swear now?”

Gaon nodded.

Balversa activated his Circle, speaking clearly and loudly.

“I, Balversa, swear this! That I have not betrayed Gardion Tower! That I have not joined or aided the forces of the Demonic Realm!”

He repeated every condition Gaon had spoken, word for word, without omission or change.

Moments later—

Saa!

A mark etched itself onto his Circle.

It was the seal of the oath.

Seeing the mark, Balversa felt a deep peace settle in his heart.

“Do you believe me now?”

Balversa asked Gaon with a much more relaxed expression.

Gaon gave a faint smile in response.

“I’d better. After all this effort, how could I not?”

Then Gaon called out to Graxios.

“GraXios.”

“Yes.”

“Declare a Level 1 emergency immediately with Balversa and prepare for the cleanup. Share all information.

We’ll use this chance to completely root them out.”

“Understood.”

Graxios nodded and exited the conference hall with Balversa.

Gaon turned to face the remaining elders of the Council.

Will they all swear the oath?

He was curious.

How many would pledge allegiance, and how many had betrayed him?

—Gardion Tower, Eastern District.

Sdrin’s Estate.

***

The estate was filled with mages of the Sdrin faction.

“What do you think is the reason for this general assembly?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to head to the conference hall now?”

“I agree.”

“If the Tower Master, Vice Tower Master, and Great Elder are all gathered there…”

“But I heard the Vice Tower Master went alone…”

“Could it be they’re scheming something?”

Listening to his faction’s chatter, Sdrin thought to himself.

Vice Tower Master… what are you planning?

Graxios had called for a general assembly.

But even if he stated his reasons, holding such a meeting wasn’t easy.

And yet, he hadn’t given a reason.

That meant the assembly wouldn’t actually happen.

There was no way Graxios didn’t know that.

Then why did he call for a general assembly, and why were the Tower Master and Great Elder gathered in the hall?

What’s going on here?

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand.

Just then—

Creak—!

The door opened, and one of Sdrin’s subordinates rushed in.

Sdrin frowned slightly upon seeing his expression.

The subordinate’s face was grave—urgent.

Something had clearly gone wrong.

“What is it?”

Sdrin asked calmly.

The subordinate leaned close and whispered so only Sdrin could hear.

“…What did you say!”

Sdrin shot to his feet.

With disbelief written all over his face, he demanded,

“A Level 1 emergency? Where did you hear that?”

“The information just arrived from the Tower. And it wasn’t the Tower Master—it was the Vice Tower Master who declared it. The Great Elder was with him as well.”

“What the…!”

Sdrin trailed off.

A Level 1 emergency could only be declared by the Tower Master.

The Vice Tower Master could only do so if the Tower Master’s position was vacant or if the Tower Master was incapacitated—unable to make decisions.

What happened in the conference hall?

Sdrin swallowed hard.

Then he addressed his faction.

“We must go to the conference hall immediately. We need to find out what happened.”

Everything about the situation felt wrong.

No—this wasn’t just strange. It was dangerous.

If he stayed put, something terrible would happen.

At his command, every mage in his faction rose to their feet.

Led by Sdrin, not a single one stayed behind—they all rushed toward the Central Tower.

It didn’t take long before they arrived.

And there, Sdrin saw them.

Mages moving hurriedly through the corridors.

They don’t seem to know anything either.

Their faces shared the same emotion—confusion.

Judging from that, it was pointless to ask them what was going on.

Then—

“Lord Sdrin, you’re here.”

A familiar voice came from behind him, and Sdrin turned.

“Vice Tower Master.”

It was Graxios.

Sdrin’s eyes darted over his appearance.

Doesn’t look like he’s been in a fight.

His robes were immaculate—no injuries, no blood, his aura calm.

That meant no battle had taken place.

“What is the meaning of this? A Level 1 emergency, of all things?”

Sdrin demanded bluntly.

“I heard you were the one who declared it. What happened to the Tower Master?”

Graxios smiled faintly.

That smile made Sdrin flinch.

He discreetly prepared to activate his magic circle.

But what followed left him speechless.

“The Tower Master is in the conference hall right now. The Great Elder as well.”

“…What?”

Sdrin’s voice came out in a gasp.

He’d assumed something had happened to Sterun.

But if he was in the conference hall—

Then why had Graxios been the one to declare the emergency?

“You must be curious about the situation.”

Graxios spoke smoothly.

“Yes. I don’t understand. Why was a Level 1 emergency declared? Is it related to the agenda for the general assembly?”

There were too many unanswered questions.

Graxios nodded as if understanding perfectly.

“You’ll see for yourself once you go there. It’s better that you witness it directly rather than hearing it from me. I have duties to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”

With a polite bow, Graxios turned and walked away.

As soon as he was gone, Sdrin’s deputy, Kaen, spoke up.

“This is suspicious, no matter how you look at it. Will you still go to the conference hall?”

Sdrin didn’t answer immediately.

He closed his eyes, thinking for a moment.

It didn’t take long.

“We’ll go and confirm it ourselves. Even if it’s a trap, as long as we work together, we can handle it.”

He said this firmly and began striding toward the conference hall.

Moments later, they arrived.

Sdrin took a deep breath and opened the door.

Creak—!

What…!?

The moment the door opened, Sdrin froze.

Just as Graxios had said, Sterun was there.

The problem was his condition.

Sterun was suspended midair—completely encased in ice.

And then—

“Is that Sdrin?”

“Yes, that’s Sdrin and his faction’s mages.”

Hearing the voices near his ear, Sdrin swallowed hard.

The first voice was unfamiliar.

But the second—he knew it all too well.

It was the voice of Great Elder Balversa.

What in the world is happening here…!