The Ice and Snow Goddess is one of the four main deities of the Northern Pantheon. The book says the Northern Pantheon rules over all the white lands covered in ice and snow, and it is the most widespread faith on the continent of Friga. Owen Clark lowered his head, placed both hands on the opposite shoulders, and bowed slightly—this is the “embrace” ritual for praying to the Northern Pantheon. Owen Clark recalled the prayer from the book, his tone awkward: “Ice and snow are blood, cold wind is breath, I offer faith as steadfast as permafrost, guide me through that gate, let me see that world—no filth, no defilement, no impurity, only purity, whiteness, and innocence. The faithful shall praise the white protection of the Northern Gods on every page of life, upholding the supreme and pure glory until the next era. The devout pray for your blessing and comfort, Your Eminence Mason Harris…” As expected, the aura of a believer is truly impressive.

Believers build temples for their gods to offer their devout faith and pray for blessings. The most important facility is the statue of the deity. Legend has it that the more lifelike the statue, the more likely the god is to manifest.

The final note of the prayer faded into the cold wind. Owen Clark raised his head and gazed at the statue of the Ice and Snow Goddess. Dusk cast mottled light and shadow across the goddess’s face.

Uncle Shadow listened to Owen Clark finish the prayer and said calmly, “Here, I will tell you a truth, or you could call it an answer.”

Owen Clark was puzzled as to why Shadow had brought him to this dilapidated temple—what “answer” could possibly be here?

Uncle Shadow came to Owen Clark’s side, used his fingernail to cut open Owen Clark’s arm, dabbed a bit of blood, and with a flick of his finger, the blood turned into a bead and shot toward the statue of the Ice and Snow Goddess.

Pa! The blood drop became a bloodstain on the statue’s right pupil.

The statue of the Ice and Snow Goddess suddenly underwent a change that shocked Owen Clark. The statue glowed with a hazy white light, as if draped in a thin veil. The goddess’s eyes shone with an icy blue brilliance; her once lifeless gaze suddenly became spirited, exuding a majesty and elegance as lofty as a snow-capped mountain. Divine might, like an invisible tide, washed over Owen Clark’s heart, filling him with an urge to worship from the depths of his soul.

The statue had manifested!

Shadow grabbed Owen Clark’s shoulder, stopping his attempt to kneel in worship.

The statue of the Ice and Snow Goddess did not open her mouth, but a dignified, noble, and cold voice buzzed through the temple, utterly emotionless, echoing hollowly: “Filthy race, how dare you desecrate the Northern Gods.”

Shadow said nothing, looking up at the statue with a blank expression, as if he had expected this.

Owen Clark couldn’t believe it. “What the heck is this?”

“I, Mason Harris, inscribed as a god of ice and snow, command my followers to erase the filthy race from the Northern Divine Kingdom.”

Shadow spoke, “Go ahead, try it.”

The statue’s eyes shone even brighter, the noble icy blue light as clear as crystal, sending out invisible waves.

A fierce roar echoed from the distant mountains, reverberating again and again. In the land of ice and snow, all primal creatures—that is, beasts—are followers of the Northern Pantheon. Owen Clark looked into the distance and saw hundreds of tiny black dots rising among the mountains. Powerful flying creatures were rapidly approaching, the black dots growing larger.

Owen Clark gaped. “What’s happening?”

Shadow turned to face the palace gates. Black dragon scales rose from beneath his skin like armor plates. His thin body suddenly swelled nearly a hundredfold, sprawling on the ground. His feet turned into black dragon claws, and from his tailbone, a thick dragon tail extended and swung out. His arms expanded and suddenly spread like fans, transforming into a pair of pitch-black dragon wings dozens of meters wide, smashing through the temple walls. His neck thickened into a serpentine shape, his head became a massive dragon’s head, black bone spurs forming a helmet-like crown, and his golden vertical pupils were cold and merciless. He roared at the hundreds of black dots in the distance, unleashing a terrifying shockwave.

In a single second, Uncle Shadow transformed into the legendary black dragon. Owen Clark stared blankly as the dragon’s roar rippled outward, the air shimmering like ripples. Wherever the shockwave passed, the black dots fell like rain. When the sound faded, the black dots flying from the distant mountains were wiped from the sky as if erased by a rag.

“Filthy, lowly race…” The Ice and Snow Goddess’s voice was cold and hollow, as if stating a simple fact. The defeat of hundreds of ice and snow creatures did not stir even a trace of emotion in Mason Harris’s consciousness.

The black dragon glanced back at the statue, swept its tail, and smashed the statue in half. The divine light vanished instantly, the shattered statue fell to the ground, lifeless, turning back into ordinary stone, as if the earlier manifestation had been nothing but an illusion.

The black dragon looked down at Owen Clark, who was still pondering what had just happened, and spoke in an ancient, solemn voice: “This is the answer.”

Owen Clark clicked his tongue. “Are there really gods in this world?”

As soon as he asked, he felt stupid—if even demons like Demacia exist, how could there not be gods?

Uncle Shadow said calmly, “In the eyes of humans, we are demons walking the earth. In the eyes of the gods, we are annoying flies. Our faith is a disgusting blasphemy to the gods. The gods will never reward our devotion. This is the understanding our ancestors gained with their blood.”

Owen Clark was utterly confused. “Why do the gods despise us?”