I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

As the sun's rays cascaded through the blanket of the sky, a warm hue spread down on the earth, and with it, a warmth of semblance.

The assembly of people gathered in the Free Zone had a neutral expression, while five of them were gathered in the epicenter of the mass of people.

Raph and Elsie were in new attires, with Raph putting on black trousers, white sleeves, and black boots and Elsie on Jean shorts, a black crop top, and black high boots. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and her skin had never been as clear as it was at this moment.

Ziza, Safara, and Plum were the others gathered; the tension hung firmly in the air.

Ziza glanced at Raph and Elsie, a knowing expression written on her face as her gaze met Raph's. A smirk formed on her lips.

'Oh…must be nice to be young'.

"This is where we say goodbye, to our saviour, the Blind Swordsman". Ziza said, her tone laced with authority as it echoed in the skies.

"Well, this may not be much for a send-forth ceremony, but we, the Cat Guild, will serve and welcome you at any time."

Raph nodded his head, stretching his hand towards her.

"No need for all the formalities, Ziza. Your decision to join me will not be for nought".

They shook hands, a silent promise within their grasp and a turbulent future that brewed in wait for them.

Their loyalty will be tested, and so will Raph's resolve, but overcoming all this will be a tale to tell.

Ziza turned to Elsie and bowed curtly, the girl returning her action with a smile.@@novelbin@@

"See you around, Ziza". Elsie said with a giggle as Raph turned to Plum and Safara.

"Are you ready? Your future is riddled with enemies and obstacles, but your allies are with you. This journey is your first of many…..are you ready to grab it all, once again?"

He asked, a sigh escaping his lips as he did so.

A flash of memory of the promise with Meadow came up in his mind, and so did the journey it took to get here.

Two weeks? Three? He couldn't tell, but he had spent quite a while here, trying to bide his time just to find a forgotten Prince that was very alive.

Banished from the kingdom at an early age, Raph was certain of the perilous journey he had undergone just to get here, but for some reason, he was certain that Plum was more sure of his goals than he ever was in the past.

His gaze landed on Safara and the Rugged Coin Clan, now called the 1st Plum Battalion.

'This is all thanks to Safara and the Clan….who could have thought a back alley Battle mage and her group of hippy men would change the mind of royalty'.

He didn't know what she said that convinced him, or if his talk with them had a hand in it at all, but he for sure could tell that they had the same resolve.

'....and the same goal'.

Plum smiled, his golden hair cascading down with the sunlight.

"Don't be ridiculous, Raph. This was a destiny I could never run from".

But that was where he was wrong, and Raph was certain of it.

'The Forgotten Prince, Prince Plum was killed in my past life….Either that…or he remained here, with the Rugged Coin'. He thought, but that only meant that Plum had suffered the same fate as the people of Border Town. Complete annihilation from the Demon Gates.

"Fine then, we shall take our leave".

He glanced at Ziza, a smile and a nod revealing his intent.

Ziza walked out in front of the group of five, her hands stretched to the skies as she closed her gaze.

She had only one focus, and that was the Western Kingdom. She didn't have knowledge of a lot of places there, but she did know one place, somewhere she had abandoned a long time ago.

As her mental image focused on the Western Kingdom, the capital to be exact, her vision became narrower.

She scanned through the buildings, the castles, mansions, and even the back alleys, searching for her once-forgotten home.

'Hah….there it is'. She thought, a smile on her face. 'Locating a Teleportation Station to get to the academy should be easy for him; as for Plum and Safari, this will be their starting point.'

A castle far away from the busy streets of the capital, hidden in a forest west of it, and riddled by beasts, a place she had once spent her childhood with joyful memories.

"I've found a place". She announced, startling the people gathered.

A brief chatter of relief and excitement spread through the crowd. The turning wheels of time were escalating quickly, and this was a big step to it.

Raph turned to plum once more.

"I'm sure you are aware, but the location she sends us to will be your base. She is also going to maintain the Mass Teleportation to prevent the Castles Mages from sniffing us out".

"I'm aware; Safara explained it all to me," Plum said, a calm smile on his face as he turned to Safara.

'.....I wonder, would he be a better king?' he thought, his gaze shifting to Safara. 'Well, if Meadow had gone through this ordeal just to get him back, then he should be worth something'.

"Hubby?" Elsie whispered into his ear, her hand suddenly wrapped around his. "Ready? I can't wait to get back to school! I heard the festival was gonna start soon"

'Hah, yes…the festival' Raph thought, a smile on his face as he grabbed Elsie's arm. '....Wait…when was the festival again? Oh wait…shit–Shit! Shit! Jane is gonna kill me!'

"Alright then! Master Skill!" Ziza announced, the ground suddenly vibrating to the flow of her mana as a bright light shone around the members of the Rugged Coin, Plum, Raph, and Elsie.

The flow of mana began to swirl around, the world singing the hum of her skill.

Raph was still busy in his thoughts when he heard a scream, not one of alarm but one of excitement.

"Goodbye! Blind Swordsman!"

"See you again!"

"Thank you!"

"Way to go, Cat Guild!"

The voices of the people of Border Town had pierced through the air, raising their voices louder than the skill being cast.

The people gathered looked around, their attention easily attracted by the crowd of people that had begun to surround them, their excitement palpable.

Raph chuckled and Elsie giggled, their gazes scanning through the people as a feeling of wholeness suffused them in the moment.

'....Well, I guess it wasn't too bad of an idea'.

A magical circle suddenly danced through the air spinning in a circle as two more forged from it. The sky began to glow a mystic white, while Ziza floated in the air, her body locked in a trance as the spell activated.

"Mass Summon"

The hum suddenly went silent, shutting down on itself as the people intended, disappearing into the air, a white streak of light piercing the skies as it did so.

A few seconds passed and Ziza finally landed, her team members surrounding her as they did so.

'Good luck'. She thought before turning around and walking away with her Clan member.

There was a lot that had been done, but many more were left incomplete.

****

Like the clock wheel of time, the sunny sky had once again turned dark, only this time, it carried an ominous hue.

Of course, the people of Border Town had long gotten used to it. They were out and about as usual, and signs of construction could be seen here and there.

The women, or at least a few of them that had agreed to comply were also seen mingling about with others. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

Though, it was far from normal, it was at least close to it.

Despite these many changes, there were still some people who protested against it; well, they were brought down easily, but was it all of them?

A man in a dark cloak walked down the busy streets of the Northern part of the Border Town.

This used to be the harshest part, but life was brought to these people once again, not something this individual particularly liked. But he wasn't bothered.

His figure was hard to miss, being large and fully covered with a black cloak from head to toe, but he seemed nearly invincible to the people of the town.

They walked past him like he was a ghost, and he complied by minding his business.

His heavy footsteps walked through a clearing, before entering an alleyway between two incomplete buildings.

There, he stopped after stepping on some vicious, thick liquid.

"Oh, Elias, she did you dirty this time".

His voice was a deep, harsh timbre, reverberating with the walls of the building.

He stepped back, pulling his right hand out and grabbing a dagger from his cloak.

The dagger had a pattern, a written inscription of death and demon on its red blade, and a pulsating eyeball on the hilt.

"The Red Peacemakers still need you". He said, stabbing the Sword into his burly hand and pulling the blade down his arm.

Blood splurged out of it like a waterfall, rushing down to the mix of flesh and blood on the sandy ground.

It flowed into the liquid, a pulsating energy spreading through it.

"The Crimson Lord still wishes for your service, Grant the Lord his praises, Elias".

The pulsating energy began to float in the air, and with it, the viscous liquid took the shape of a human figure. A painful groan escaped it as its body took form, reshaping into the man known as Elias.

"Glory be to the Crimson Lord".

[END OF VOLUME 2- DARKNESS AND ICE]