Bai Shi was still savoring the lightning whirlwind slash he had just executed.
Although he had successfully pulled it off in battle, it was only a superficial imitation. The power and technique were still lacking—ultimately just a clumsy copy of the greatest master of Castle Sol.
The Ancient Zamor Hero knelt on the ground, completely baffled.
She had confirmed during their fight that ice and snow could indeed harm her opponent.
Why had he emerged as if nothing had happened?
Since defeat was certain, she might as well die with a clear understanding.
So, the Ancient Zamor Hero spoke:
"Why... are you unharmed?"
Startled by the hero's voice, Bai Shi was stunned. He had assumed the Ancient Zamor Hero in the evergaol had long since become a living corpse.
Bai Shi remembered that the Ancient Zamor Hero was said to have been imprisoned after the war with the giants, an era that preceded the Shattering by an unknown length of time.
For the Ancient Zamor Hero to still possess a clear mind after such an eternity was unbelievable.
Bai Shi had been wondering how a living corpse could be so skilled in combat. It turned out she was never a living corpse to begin with.
"We Zamor are extremely long-lived. These years of imprisonment have not been enough to erode my consciousness."
"Now, you should answer my question. I wish to die with a clear understanding."
"I simply used a storm to nullify your blizzard."
Of course, it hadn't been as easy as he made it sound. He had merely supplied the magic; the Ancient King had handled the storm's control entirely.
At his level, Bai Shi was not yet capable of such a fine-tuned operation as having the storm and blizzard cancel each other out.
Moreover, he wasn't unharmed. The biting cold had pierced his armor, and the blood in his wounds was continuously freezing into ice.
The Ancient Zamor Hero was shocked.
"A storm can achieve such a feat? None of the Banished Knights I knew in the Mountaintops of the Giants could do that."
"To die at the hands of a warrior as powerful as you... I have no regrets."
With that, she fell silent, waiting for Bai Shi to execute her.
But Bai Shi had no intention of killing her.
If she were already a mindless living corpse, there would be no need for hesitation; he would simply grant her release.
But since she was still conscious, the situation was entirely different.
Bai Shi hoped to learn the secrets of ancient times from her. He was deeply curious about what had happened back then.
Furthermore, if he could learn how to unleash ice and snow, he could master the Frost Storm Ash of War, a skill known only to the Banished Knights of the Mountaintops.
The Ancient King's voice also echoed in Bai Shi's mind, urging him to ask her about the Banished Knights.
From her words, it seemed she knew quite a few of them.
The Ancient King was familiar with the Zamor race. They hailed from the era when the Golden Order swept across the Lands Between, purging its enemies.
First were the giants, then came the storm lords and the ancient dragons.
The Zamor were one of the main forces in the war with the giants.
The Ancient King was curious as to why the Banished Knights would become involved with the Zamor on the Mountaintops after their defeat.
A descendant like Edgar knew too little; the information had been lost over generations.
Looking at the Ancient Zamor Hero before him, who was offering her neck for the final blow, Bai Shi felt a bit awkward.
He had nearly cut her down, but she hadn't held back either. He supposed that made them even.
"I'm not going to kill you. I apologize for fighting you; I didn't realize you were still conscious."
Instead of the expected execution, the Ancient Zamor Hero heard words she never anticipated.
"You're not the executioner sent by Queen Marika?"
"An executioner? I have no idea. Queen Marika disappeared a long time ago. I only heard that there was a talisman of great power in this evergaol, so I came to find it."
The Ancient Zamor Hero was at a loss for words.
The evergaols were filled with powerful individuals who had committed grave crimes.
Besides the executioners sent by Queen Marika at the end of their long sentences, no one would ever want to enter.
Yet today, some strange fellow had just wandered in on his own.
But this was a good thing. She finally had a chance to leave this place.
The Ancient Zamor Hero suddenly thawed the ice on her abdominal wound and thrust her hand into her belly.
Bai Shi was stunned for a moment before he recalled Melina telling him that a talisman had to be fused with one's body to be effective.
The Ancient Zamor Hero was likely searching for the Radagon's Soreseal within her body.
As she rummaged, her entire body trembled in pain, but she uttered not a single sound, continuing to search within her abdominal cavity.
A round, shimmering object with a golden-red glow was pulled from her flesh by the Ancient Zamor Hero. It was Radagon's Soreseal.
It was a talisman shaped like an eyeball, fused with her flesh and blood. Even after being torn out, several blood vessels still clung to it.
The Ancient Zamor Hero tore away all the flesh from the talisman. Severed from its connection to her body, the eyeball's glow gradually dimmed.
She handed Radagon's Soreseal to Bai Shi and proposed a deal:
"This is likely the talisman you seek. I'll give it to you. In exchange, will you take me out of this evergaol?"
Bai Shi took the still-bloody Radagon's Soreseal and stored it away carefully.
"I can, but I hope you will follow my orders for a time."
"I want to learn from you what happened in the past, and I want you to teach me the frost storm."
"If you agree, I can heal your wounds and lead you out of here."
"In the Lands Between of today, no one will care about one less prisoner here."
The Ancient Zamor Hero naturally accepted Bai Shi's conditions. Compared to freedom, they were nothing.
She needed freedom, not just for herself, but to seek revenge against the Golden Order for her people.
After the war with the giants, the Zamor clan was granted the title of heroes. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚·𝔫𝔢𝔱
But the favor of the Golden Order was fleeting. As Godfrey wiped out all its enemies, the Zamor's situation grew increasingly precarious.
Although she didn't know the fate of her other clansmen, if even she, the strongest among them, could be mysteriously summoned and imprisoned, the others were surely not faring well.
Leaving the evergaol, Bai Shi was followed by the tall Ancient Zamor Hero—Erlisa.
Bai Shi had given her a Flask of Crimson Tears, and now all her wounds were healed.
Erlisa gazed at the familiar scenery she could see every day in her prison but never touch, and she took a deep breath.
Bai Shi pointed to the ruins of another chapel on a nearby hill.
"Let's go there. We can find a suitable place to talk. I have many things I want to ask you."
Erlisa nodded, and the two set off toward the chapel on foot.
On the way, a thought suddenly struck Bai Shi:
Most of the prisoners in the evergaols were criminals imprisoned by the Golden Order for various reasons, and burning the Erdtree seemed to be a necessary step on his path to kingship.
Could he find some friendly ones to release and help him? An Avengers of sorts?