Earth's Greatest Magus

Eeshoo Nephilim.

During Emery’s academy years, that name had stood at the peak of their generation. A prodigy of Nephilim descent, Eeshoo had been both a friend and a rival-someone Emery had measured himself against more than once, sometimes fighting alongside him, sometimes standing directly opposite.

When Eeshoo arrived, his gaze lingered on Emery for a brief moment. It was not hostile.

Nor was it friendly.

Something complicated flickered in his eyes-recognition, assessment, a trace of something left unspoken. Yet he offered no greeting. Instead, he turned away deliberately, nodding first to Atlas, then to the overseer, acknowledging them with calm respect.

Emery’s Dark Avatar caught the subtle change in Jinkan’s expression as Eeshoo appeared. Whatever emotions stirred beneath her calm exterior, she suppressed them quickly and stepped forward.

“Let’s go,” she uttered coolly. “Lead the way.”

Eeshoo turned to look at her, his expression unchanged.”There is no need for you to come,” he replied. “I alone am sufficient.”

The air tightened.

Jinkan’s composure wavered for a fraction of a second before she answered.

“This is my responsibility. My mission. I’m going.”

Eeshoo looked at her once more, his expression indifferent.

“Suit yourself.”

The exchange was brief, but it carried history-unspoken tension that needed no explanation.

Emery’s memory was clear. The two of them had once been a couple, even engaged to be married. Something was clearly amiss between them now, but Emery had no intention of involving himself in unresolved Nephilim affairs. He remained silent, falling into step behind them as they moved forward.

The three of them stood before the Frozen Gate-a towering arch of ancient ice, its surface etched with runes that pulsed faintly with power. The cold radiating from it was oppressive, carrying the unmistakable pressure of an Ancient Domain beyond.

Atlas stopped there.

He neither attempted to follow nor pretended otherwise. Not only did he lack the necessary permits, but he openly admitted that his strength would be insufficient to make a difference inside such a domain.

Atlas sent a mental message.

Emery paused for a heartbeat, then nodded.

The moment the Dark Avatar crossed the threshold, a violent gust of frozen wind slammed into him.

It was not merely cold.

The wind carried an ancient chill that pierced straight through flesh, bone, and spirit alike, bypassing physical resistance to gnaw directly at one’s essence. Even with the Dark Avatar’s reinforced physique, the cold sank deep, spreading numbing pain through his limbs within seconds.

Before them stretched a vast icy cavern, its ceiling lost in shadow. Jagged walls of frozen crystal reflected dim, blue-white light, while remnants of ancient structures lay scattered across the ground-collapsed pillars, half-buried platforms, and eroded runic arrays that spoke of trials long forgotten. A frozen dungeon.

“Stay close,” Eeshoo said, already moving forward.

They had taken only a few steps when frost began creeping visibly along the Dark Avatar’s limbs. His movements slowed as ice formed across joints and muscles, each breath growing heavier than the last. Any ordinary Magus would have frozen solid in less than an hour here and days at most, even with extensive preparation.

Eeshoo, however, showed no sign of discomfort.

His cosmic body radiated steady warmth. Moreover, his cultivation of the Law of the Scorching Sun directly opposed the Frozen Throne’s environment, dispersing the cold around him like mist beneath sunlight. His physique itself rejected the domain’s hostility.

Without pausing, he continued forward, indifferent to the conditions, his steps unhurried.

Jinkan followed with a faint grunt of irritation.

“Are you going to do nothing?” she snapped. “It’s your responsibility to keep us safe.”

Eeshoo stopped and turned-not toward her, but toward Emery.

“It will only get colder the deeper we go,” he said calmly. “Can you keep up?”

There was no emotion in his voice.

But his gaze was sharp, appraising, filled with unspoken judgment.

Fortunately, Emery had linked his Khaos Guardians to each of his avatars. By coincidence or perhaps by fate-the Dark Avatar carried the one most suited to this environment.

He lowered his voice and whispered a single name.

“Daurgototh.”

The response was immediate.

A deep, suffocating resonance rippled through the Dark Avatar’s body as the Guardian of the Death Gate awakened. Khaos energy spilled outward, dark smoke unfurled from his skin, coiling around him in slow, deliberate waves before condensing into an unnatural cloak of obsidian frost.

This was not warmth resisting the cold.

It was dominion.

The freezing aura of the domain no longer assaulted him. Instead, it bent, redirected, and settled into silence around the Dark Avatar.

Eeshoo’s eyes flickered with faint surprise.

He offered no comment, merely turning forward again and continuing deeper into the Frozen Throne as though nothing had changed.

Jinkan clicked her tongue in irritation.

Annoyed once more at being left out, she activated an artifact-a clear blue

pendant resting at her collar. The gem pulsed with refined energy as a thin, translucent barrier enveloped her body, humming softly as it repelled the encroaching cold.

“Yes,” she said, glancing toward Eeshoo. “I can keep up too. Thank you for your

concern.”

Her irritation faded almost immediately as she turned toward Emery, observing

the dark frost curling around him with open curiosity.

“So,” she commented lightly, “ice, huh? That’s new!”

They continued onward.

Minutes passed before the cavern opened into a vast chamber. The walls

glowed faintly as runes activated, ancient scripts pulsing with dormant power.

“This is the first trial,” Eeshoo said calmly.

The temperature dropped further.

Shapes began to emerge from the walls-ice elementals, translucent beings

without physical form, shrieking as they manifested. Their presence dragged the temperature down even more, frost snapping across the floor as Emery felt

his feet begin to freeze in place.

They attacked in a sudden swarm. Eeshoo did not hesitate.

A simple chant left his lips.

Light exploded outward.

A blazing solar ring erupted around him, flames roaring through the chamber in

a single sweeping arc. The ice elementals shrieked as they were obliterated, disintegrating into glittering ash before they could even close the distance.

Silence followed.

As if nothing had happened, Eeshoo proceeded forward. A door opened before

him.

“Let’s not waste time,” he said.

What followed was a relentless descent.

Long tunnels. Expanding chambers.

The number of ice creatures grew. The cold intensified. Each trial was more

severe than the last. And yet, every obstacle was erased within seconds by Eeshoo’s overwhelming power.

Against the Frozen Throne’s early trials, the Nephilim genius was a natural

bane.

But the Ancient Domain was not merely a sequence of battles. After nearly half a day of travel, the environment changed dramatically.

They emerged into a colossal cavern that resembled a world unto itself. Frozen lakes stretched into the distance. Jagged tundras rose like broken continents. Massive creatures moved beneath the ice, and distant roars echoed through the frozen expanse. Insects made of crystal drifted through the air,

while titanic shadows prowled far beyond their reach. Multiple paths diverged in every direction. This was no dungeon; it was a survival domain.

It was no wonder that each challenger would have spent months within this

place.

Emery’s Dark Avatar could not help but grow increasingly concerned for Klea’s

safety.