Chapter 416: The Protectors Of Austere-Winter

This exquisite fighting technique…

If Annan could grasp it when he transmigrated to this world… or when he just awakened his memory, Annan could defeat ten opponents at once, no matter if they were bandits or mercenaries.

He did not even realize that the Frost Sword could adhere to and drag the opponent’s weapon. He still did not understand Dmitri’s technique of reproducing Esmeralda Blood Freeze.

[TN: Steven’s ability allows him to decrease the temperature of his blood to freeze targets. (link)]

As a matter of fact, Dmitri was not a transcender at all.

In other words, the technique fell into the “skill ” category, just like [Frost Sword]. It was not the utilization of transcended power.

Moreover, that fluent swordsmanship with kicks.

Annan was confident that even an ordinary Silver Rank transcender, who was not proficient in combat, would not be able to defeat Dmitri in close combat.

Also, Dmitri was using a one-handed sword only.

Dmitri did not utilize an extra crossbow or shield with his free hand. Instead, he had one in his pocket.

Suddenly, Annan noticed that he was watching his younger self and Dmitri for too long.

Annan’s heart suddenly tightened. In a low voice, she asked the old man and brushed off the suspicion, “Is that Austere-Winter’s Grand Duke?”

[TN: I will describe Annan as “she”, since Annan now possesses Bella.]

“That’s His Highness Dmitri.” The old man replied calmly and emotionlessly, “Next to him is His Highness Annan.”

“Can I…”

“No, you can’t.” Before Annan could say anything, the old man refused indifferently, “After you pass the [Wolf Kiss] ritual alive, you will naturally get to meet his highnesses.”

Hearing the old man’s voice, Dmitri turned around.

His long, pure black hair fell to his waist. However, it was slightly different from his hairstyle on the Noah Continent. Dmitri had braided his hair.

However, he was clean with no trace of dirt and dust to be seen. The serious frowning expression was still there, like in Annan’s previous memory.

He glanced at Annan, who was a werewolf at the moment, without saying anything or asking her name.

Dmitri just turned around and looked at the old man. “Is this the one who traversed the blizzard?”

“Yes, Your Highness.” The old man nodded.

He did not pay a formal greeting to Dmitri, nor did not say any honorifics. Instead, he replied calmly, “If it’s fine, I’ll take her for a ‘Wolf Kiss’.”

“Go.” Dmitri frowned and nodded slightly.

The young Annan on the side also looked over calmly. The real Annan just happened to look over.

For a moment, their eyes met.

For some reason, Annan felt a chill in her heart after being stared at by “him”.

Annan held her breath.

The seemingly weak body was unexpectedly divine.

It was reminiscent of the deities. Those were indifferent and clear gazes.

Others might not realize it, and they might through that was a well-behaved appearance of “seriously and quietly listening”.

It was something only Annan could perceive.

That was definitely not what he had seen before.

It was definitely not the look that Annan would have.

At this moment, Annan realized that he was a completely different person before the memory loss despite sharing the same memories on Earth.

The influence of Winter Heart on personality was far too significant.

They might have the same knowledge and the same soul in their bodies.

However, reversing the Winter Heart could determine his course of action.

If the current Annan was like a fearless “Adventurer”, then Annan in the previous life was like a “Demon King” with no compassion and empathy.

Those were eyes indifferent to life, power, and the world.

Annan did not doubt that the previous “self” might destroy the world.

Is this me who acquires the Winter Heart?

It was not like an ignorant young child trying to inherit this talent and responsibility, but having the positive emotions frozen over time.

Annan was still a little lost, but he felt his shoulders were being held down.

She woke up and followed the old man inside the building, “Bella.”

The old and indifferent voice from her ears brought her back to reality, “The fate of the Austere-Winter family is already heavy. Don’t let them remember the names of the dead, and don’t let them talk to the dead.

“We are the Protectors. We are not only protecting their bodies but also their minds. Since birth, they have not felt joy, hope, courage, or love. The Frost Beats feasted on their emotions since birth.

“Do you understand the pain?”

“I don’t understand, teacher.” Annan was silent for a while but answered honestly.

She really could not empathize with it, but she was aligned with this possibility.

“Of course, you don’t understand.” The old man said flatly, “But you will soon understand.

“Why did the Winter’s Hand devote allegiance to the Austere-Winter Family? We have full respect for them because we have tasted the bitterness of despair. If you have not experienced it, you will not understand.”

With that, the old man opened the corridor door with the ring again. “Go in. It’s right at the end.”

He announced, “Come in, Bella.”

Annan noticed that the corridor was dark and deep, with no lights.

The old man took the first step and walked in.

Before being engulfed by the darkness, he turned his head to give Annan a nonchalant look and motioned her to follow.

Is there really an end?

Annan grew suspicious of it after the old man’s warning.

She remembered that the old man mentioning the “Wolf Kiss” ritual was capable of killing a person.

This dark corridor was too suspicious.

Will a Frost Beast lunge at me when I’m halfway through the corridor? Then, there comes the chase event.

Annan was silent for a while but stepped inside.

But right after he walked in, the door behind him suddenly creaked and closed on its own, making a muffled thud.

The next moment, Annan suddenly felt the world around her turning scarlet in the blink of an eye.

It’s the familiar feeling.

But this time, I haven’t sat down yet…

Those sentences just popped into Annan’s mind.

He heard the intermittent screaming, roaring, and crying in his ears, coming from all directions.

It was like a TV with a bad signal. The world around him was noisy and jittery.

After a few moments, Annan fell into a trance, realizing that he had fallen into a long corridor.

The corridor was unusually pure white, reminiscent of a girl’s fair skin.

At a position about one meter below, it looked like the skin scorched by fire, browned, charred, distorted, soaked in blood, and even dripping grease could be seen.

At the end of the corridor was a large piece of a pure red curtain five meters high. It was also clean and pure red, just like the corridor’s walls.

Annan had become a middle-aged man dressed as a detective.

He wore a beret with a pipe in his mouth. He also held a heavy cane with a steel core in his right hand.

“I see.” Annan narrowed his eyes slightly and took a sip of his cigarette.

This body seems proficient in analytical thinking. He is worthy to be a detective.

I should take advantage of this perk to sort out my thoughts.

This time Annan did not trigger the dream crossing mechanism when he sat down. Instead, he fell into his nightmare when he entered the corridor.

So, do I fall into someone else’s dream when the surrounding environment fits the scene of a particular nightmare fragment?

Previously, the old man put Annan in the subway train’s front row. Annan entered the nightmare the moment the subway door closed.

During that moment, the space in front of Annan shared the same distance as he was from the wall in that “treatment room”.

With that inference, the length and width of this corridor should also be similar to the corridor at Austere-Winter’s Residence. Annan could take this opportunity to verify this hypothesis. However, he had to leave this nightmare first, so he temporarily noted this conjecture in his head.

The treatment room was blurred. In comparison, it showed that this corridor was not a memory “remembered” by the deceased.

Come to think of it, they did not have a soul at all. How did the dream world download the relevant information?

It was just their mental imprint — an abstract, deep fear hidden in a curse or stored in their mind.

What Danton dreaded was the treatment… So, was he suffering from a mental illness?

Did that happen after he became the Soul Snatch Wizard?

Or was it before?

If these nightmare fragments were the things that the dead feared, it was unsurprising for anything that happened in the nightmare. It would be illogical, resembling a real “nightmare” in sleep.

“What will it be this time?” Annan exhaled a smoke ring and murmured in a low voice, “Fire? Demon? Or what?”

But fortunately, there was no immediate danger in this place at the start, unlike the last nightmare fragment.

So, he decided to check his status panel in the end.

Health 100%. Awesome.

I have a dagger and a pistol with six bullets.

I don’t have a mana pool, so this body is not a wizard. The muscles aren’t well-trained, and there is no trace of swordsmanship.

Is it a hunter?

Or lurker?

Regardless, Annan did not know any skills in those professions.

He only knew that he had three silver coins in his pocket.

“Ah.” The corner of Annan’s mouth rose slightly, and he grabbed one of the silver coins without hesitation.

“Tribute to the silver coin, Lord Silver Sire.”

He kissed the silver coin and said in a low voice, “Bless me—”

So Annan no longer hesitated, raised his head, and walked forward.

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