Solo Leveling: Ragnarok - Chapter 129

Right before Cha Haein was enveloped by the light, Kaisel gave a weak screech and quickly wrapped his wings around her to protect her.

The result of the deafening flash was brutal. Oh, no! Please, Kaisel…! She sensed his power fading fast and repressed a scream. Kaisel’s black, shadowy body was slowly being torn to pieces. He was risking his own life to protect her.

Amid the blinding light, Thomas frowned and turned his gaze. His eyes, burning with ghostly energy, fixed on something flying right toward him. The blizzard of the Echo Forest, horribly cold and compressed into a powerful stream, was roaring around it.

The object reached the Ice Dragon, and a frozen trident burst from within the blowing snow. The Trident of the Ice Tree sank deep into the creature’s body. A powerful shock jolted through the dragon, and ice crystals splintered off and flew from the wound. New spirits immediately swarmed to patch the fissure, but they paused as an overpowering energy suddenly settled over the Echo Forest.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[The Monarch of Frost and the King of the Snow Folk suppressed the ice spirits with his energy.]

[The Monarch of Frost and the King of the Snow Folk demands their submission.]

[The Monarch of Frost and the King of the Snow Folk…]

The maddened ice spirits screamed, terrified by the sudden presence of the Monarch. Even the blizzard seemed to lose its direction for a moment.

At the center of it all was Suho. “I’ve got you!” he shouted, grabbing Haein in the nick of time. “Mom!”

Meanwhile, Beru landed on Haein’s head and gave an elated screech. “Kieeek! Lady Haein! Are you all right? You have nothing to worry about anymore! Your humble servant Beru has come to save you!”

Kaisel, who was in a sorry state, moaned in response as he recognized Suho and Beru.

Stupefied, Haein looked at her son. “S-Suho? Wait, how are you here—”

“Cha Cha! I brought him! I brought your son here!” It was Sirka, her voice cheery after discovering that the Dragon Maiden was safe.

There was no time to catch up, however. There was a rumble as the Ice Dragon, which had taken a severe blow from the trident, recovered and began to rise behind them.

Suho finally made out Thomas’ face, slightly visible between the thick, cracked sheets of ice. “I-is that Thomas Andre?” he said, greatly taken aback.

“Was he possessed by the spirits, too? No. This is different…” Sirka said. She was repelled by the ghostly energy coming from his body. What in the world is that energy?It’s like that which belongs to the spirits, but it certainly doesn’t belong to them…

Beru stepped forward, bristling with hostility. “Young Monarch, you must ready yourself. A disciple of the Itarim has appeared.”

Suho instantly produced his greatbow from his inventory, loaded Que from the shadows onto the bow, and pulled the string back. “Arise, Que!” He let the string loose and fired the shadow arrow right at the heart of the Ice Dragon, where Thomas was encased. “Kill him!”

“As you command, Master!”

Suho had not hesitated for a moment. Thomas was clearly not in a normal state, and this was not the time to be concerned about his well-being. Their opponent was no ordinary magic beast, but a follower of the Itarim. Such enemies were far too dangerous to show any pause, and the slightest hint of weakness would put not only Suho, but also his mother, in danger. He had to be resolute, even if it was at the cost of another’s life.

It seemed Suho’s concerns were unnecessary, however. Before Que could even reach Thomas, his body was absorbed deep into the dragon’s icy form. Que’s arrowhead pierced the surface of the ice, but it failed to make it to the center.

“O Itarim!” Thomas’ strange voice resonated from the depths of the ice. The Ice Dragon opened its great jaws, and a tremendous energy began to brew inside it.

Haein, having already experienced how dangerous the dragon’s attacks could be, shouted at Suho, “Watch out! It’s Dragon’s Breath!”

However, Suho did not intend in the least to back down. “Beru!”

“Yes, Young Monarch!”

The young hunter glared into the Ice Dragon’s eyes. “The enemy has already seen this shadow dragon! That means we don’t need to restrain ourselves, right?” By “shadow dragon,” he was referring to Kaisel, who was still protecting Haein despite his wounded state.

Beru bared his fangs viciously. “Of course!”

“All of you, out!” Suho’s shadow suddenly unfurled around him with a loud whoosh. Dozens of shadow soldiers rose from it.

Haein’s eyes widened as she watched from behind. Good heavens. The young man surrounded by an army of shadow soldiers was a familiar sight. In the broad back of her son, who had grown in the years since she last saw him, she could see her husband.

My Suho is all grown up! It was such an odd feeling and one she was surprised to have amid such a crisis. A warm, fuzzy feeling filled her heart.

“All of you, listen!” Beru, the tiny ant, stood proudly at the lead. He roared fiercely and barked his commands. “Scatter! We attack all at once!”

The soldiers bellowed and dispersed. They began simultaneous attacks on the Ice Dragon from every direction. A rain of arrows from the ice elves hit the dragon and pierced its skin from various angles, creating cobweb-like cracks across its body. At the same time, the shadow minotaurs and shadow trolls raced toward the dragon at top speed, ramming into it with full force.

The Ice Dragon began to crack and shatter under the relentless onslaught, but even this wasn’t close to enough. The monster they were facing was superior in both attack power and defense. It eventually released its breath, which was powered by an incredible amount of mana, and with a mere shake of its head, it destroyed everything that lay in its path. Ranks of shadow soldiers melted away. Though some survived, most of the shadow elves had been completely obliterated.

But I’vebought us some time! Suho was using the opportunity to give his exhausted mother healing and mana potions. He also extracted new shadow soldiers immediately to replace the ones that had been destroyed. There was no shortage of sources for new soldiers, anyway. The Dragon’s Breath attack had not only killed Suho’s shadow soldiers, but the ice elves of the Echo Forest possessed by the spirits as well.

“Arise!”

[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]

[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]

[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]

…….

More soldiers continued to appear and attack the Ice Dragon, only to be destroyed by another burst of Dragon’s Breath.

In the meantime, Haein was recovering at a remarkable speed. Even the wounds that she had accumulated over the past few years in this strange land were being healed.

Suho would not stop until she was completely restored, however. He spared no healing item to treat his mother, even using the Mummy’s Bandages and the Echo Forest Spring Water that he’d just acquired. The spring water was a precious antidote that could only be acquired in the Monarch of Frost’s sanctuary. It’s bound to help somehow! he thought.

As he did this, he did his best to stay aware of the surrounding situation. The first thing he noticed was that his mother, just like the elves had told him, had awakened as an S-rank hunter. It was astonishing that an ordinary housewife could transform into such a powerful individual. Even given the evidence in front of his own eyes, Suho found it hard to believe. He also noticed that the Scavenger Guild hunters who had fallen with him were scattered about the area. And Esil is here with them!

Putting all this information together, he quickly came up with a plan. I’ll never defeat that dragon by myself.I need to fight alongside my mother.

Haein, as it happened, had recovered enough to move on her own. She steadied herself and rose from Kaisel’s embrace. “Kaisel, leave the rest to me. You get some rest.”

The shadow dragon growled as Haein gently touched his cheek. He then softly closed his eyes. Having exceeded his limits, he turned into dark smoke and disappeared into her necklace. Good thingKaisel is safe. She sighed with relief, clasping the necklace in both hands.

When she raised her head again, she saw her son. “Suho… I’m very upset,” she said. Oh,I think I scared him a little, she thought immediately. He had flinched and was glancing at her face cautiously and a little timidly.

Haein’s clear eyes were suddenly burning with an unquenchable rage. “Can you buy a little time for me? I’m going to put all my mana into a single attack.”

A massive accumulation of mana began all over her body. Sword of Light. This skill used so much mana that it was only viable as a finisher.

“If this doesn’t work, you’ll have to stall the dragon again and give me more of those mana potions,” she said. Haein was suggesting a battle of attrition of sorts. Cha Haein was once the vice guild master of the strongest hunter guild in South Korea—though that was in a past that no longer existed—and this was the most ideal strategy she could come up with at the moment.

“You can do this, right?” she said, giving Suho a look full of trust. It was strange to see how much he’d grown in a few years’ time, but at the same time, the sight wasn’t as jarring as it could have been. He resembled his father in his younger years.

But he still has a long way to go, she mused. Haein had given a cool-headed assessment of her son’s level in her head. From what could sense, he was far weaker than Jinwoo or even herself. But still, his skills were sufficient for what she needed him to do. He’ll be able to play for time,and that’s all I can ask for.

This was exactly what Suho had been planning himself. “All right. But let me decide which direction you’ll be attacking from.”

“What?”

Suho smiled triumphantly, his eyes gleaming. He was looking at the description for the antidotal potion he’d given his mother.

[Item: Echo Forest Spring Water]

[Acquisition Difficulty: ??

Type: Consumable

Mysterious spring water from Echo Forest. It has antidotal effects when drunk or applied to one’s body.]

The spring water was an ingredient for the Life-Giving Elixir, which was obviously meant to counteract the poisonous Purified Blood of the Demon King.

“Sillad, let me ask you something,” Suho said confidently as he looked in the direction of the spring, which was visible beyond the Ice Dragon. “Does the spring water work on a Monarch, too?”