Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2826: The Price

[Soul Force has increased...]

[You have successfully comprehended the Law of Ice by 2%.]

The notification faded, but the cold did not.

Klea opened her eyes slowly, white breath curling before her lips as frost traced delicate patterns across the stone floor of her cultivation chamber. Only a single week had passed since she began cultivating the Eternal Winter Sutra, yet the changes within her body were immediate and undeniable.

Her consciousness sank inward, and instinctively, she reviewed her state.

[Kleopatra]

[Magus Realm: Full Moon - Peak Stage]

[Law of Lightning - 35%]

[Law of Wind - 33%]

[Law of Water - 20%]

[law of Ice - 17 (19) %]

[Law Comprehension - 105 (107)%]

[Soul Force 998 (1019)]

For years, her comprehension of ice had refused to move. Yet now, in mere days, it surged forward as though a frozen river had finally cracked open. More importantly, she felt it—not just in her cultivation, but in her mind.

The pain was quieter.

The constant ache behind her thoughts, the invisible pressure that gnawed at her Dao Heart, had eased. Not vanished—but softened, wrapped in a layer of cold clarity that dulled its edge.

When Elder Oberyn examined her condition days later, his satisfaction was unmistakable. His divine sense lingered over her for a long time before he finally withdrew, eyes alight with restrained excitement.

”This technique...” he murmured, stroking his beard. ”It is no mere cultivation art. It is a sacred legacy. To think the Astiel would part with something of this level...”

Upon hearing Klea’s quiet intention—to pursue a third Aeon—the elder’s composure finally cracked. He spared no expense thereafter, mobilizing resources, pills, formation chambers, and rare materials that even Nephilim elites struggled to acquire.

If Klea succeeded, it would not merely elevate her—it would elevate him.

From time to time, Denard would visit her cultivation grounds personally, never intruding. At other times, it was Klea who crossed into Astiel territory, ostensibly to seek guidance on the Sutra.

To the Grand Overseer, this growing exchange appeared encouraging—evidence that tensions between factions were easing, and that Klea’s future might be secured through cooperation rather than conflict.

Yet for Klea, while the sutra had indeed proven effective in calming her emotions and dulling the ache of longing she carried, it had not clouded her judgment in the slightest.

From the very beginning, her purpose had remained unchanged.She was not here for reconciliation.She was here to understand the true extent of Astiel’s power.

Within two short years, her progress spoke for itself. Stage by stage, she advanced through the Eternal Winter Sutra with frightening efficiency until she stood firmly at the Sixth of its nine stages.

[Law of Ice — 26%]

When she finally asked about the remaining stages, the answer did not come as a scroll or manual, but as a name.

Caelthar Astiel.

The clan’s most promising rising star, a direct disciple of the Nephilim Sword Duke, and one of the last inheritors of the Winter Lord’s fading bloodline. It was said he had already mastered the Eighth Stage of the sutra—and more impressively, that he had completed the Frozen Throne itself.

”He can guide you,” Denard said calmly, as if the matter were trivial.

Klea understood immediately.

The final knowledge was never going to be given freely.

And as she had anticipated, the prince’s true intention soon revealed itself. The last three stages of the sutra, along with what he implied was a guaranteed path through the Frozen Throne, came bound to a single condition.

”Have I not shown enough sincerity?” Denard asked softly. ”From the moment I first saw you, I was captivated.... Klea... be my life companion.”

The proposal came layered with promises: her elevation as Astiel royalty, protection, influence, and a so-called merger between Earth and the Astiel clan.

Klea listened without interrupting.

She saw the truth clearly.

At best, she would never be queen—only a secondary consort, a political symbol. Earth would not merge; it would be absorbed. The offer was not a partnership—it was conquest wrapped in courtesy.

Not that any of it tempted her.

What mattered was what those promises revealed—the truth behind Denard’s sincerity.

Unfortunately, the Grand Overseer did not see it the same way.

He did not object.

He did not resist.

Though he did not force Klea’s hand, the shift was unmistakable; the elder who once stood firmly behind her now hesitated, weighing political gain against personal loyalty. In that moment, Klea understood she had effectively lost her strongest protection.

Refusing outright would invite consequences.

Leaving abruptly would be dangerous.

So Klea played her final card.

Instead of rejecting the proposal, she requested permission to enter the Frozen Throne immediately.

”I know I am not strong enough to clear the trial,” she admitted calmly, ”But the Frozen Throne can help me stabilize my condition. I need this... to remove the Dao Heart completely.”

Using that justification, Klea maneuvered the situation cunningly, turning reason and restraint into leverage. She secured the Grand Overseer’s blessing—so thoroughly that Denard himself was pressured to prove his sincerity. In the end, the crown prince relinquished the Seventh Stage of the Eternal Winter Sutra, presenting it as a gesture of commitment toward his proposal.

With the path cleared, Klea entered the Frozen Throne.

She spent months within the ancient domain, cultivating in absolute stillness as the cold seeped into bone and soul alike. Time lost its meaning as she tempered her spirit against endless frost, using the trial itself as a crucible.

[You have completed the Seventh Stage of the Eternal Winter Sutra][Soul Force has increased...][Law of Ice — 29%]

Yet Klea did not emerge.

She had no intention of leaving—not before claiming the legacy, not before forcing her breakthrough into the Grand Magus realm. With that success, she was certain the Grand Overseer’s full support would return to her side.

She remained inside far longer than most challengers ever dared.

One year.

At last, the Frozen Throne answered.

The Legacy of Shiva descended, and Klea finally felt the glimpse of the cosmos through her body. Elation washed over her as she grasped that power—

But she underestimated how far the Astiel were willing to go.

At her weakest moment, Caelthar struck.

The pagoda artifact activated without warning, sealing her before she could react, ending her in chains of captivity.

####

Two years later, on Ebiru-6, within the Grand Overseer’s estate, the atmosphere was heavy with unease.

Two young figures stood before the elder.

”Grand Uncle...You truly didn’t know the Astiel took her?” ” Jinkan’s voice trembled in disbelief.

Elder Oberyn hesitated before shaking his head slowly. ”No... not until three weeks ago. I thought she had fallen during the trial.”

There was unmistakable anxiety in his eyes as he handed the letter forward.

Jinkan read it once—then again—her fingers tightening with every line. The letter was written in Klea’s hand. It spoke of severe injuries from the trial, of being rescued and recuperating within Astiel territory ever since.

And at the very end came the final blow:

She had agreed to the proposal.

Attached was the wedding invitation.

Jinkan’s breath hitched. ”Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she demanded, fury erupting. ”Those Astiel—how dare they do something like this! What are they thinking?!”

The elder tried to calm her.

”I... I didn’t believe it was so terrible,” his voice strained. ”A union like this could stabilize relations between the two houses. It might even help heal her condition. And that young man... he has been gone for so long.... perhaps this was for the best.”

Jinkan slowly lifted her head, eyes burning.

”Grand Uncle... that young man.... Emery... he has returned!!”

The room fell silent.