Chapter 19: The Fiery Ash of Embers
Although Yin Hui couldn’t find the two mysterious girls, he knew where Iradace, the former owner of the manor, was.
Although she often disappeared, he knew she was currently in a town in the frozen wasteland, indulging in her so-called “observation.”
In reality, it was a vacation. After all, almost every tavern in the Frigid Lands was her property.
And the taverns were her “eyes.”
“Finding the mysterious girls might be difficult, but finding you isn’t, Iradace…” Yin Hui’s gaze fell on the two small figures, his eyes narrowing.
“They’re wearing cloaks, and the cloaks are enchanted… with a special… magic circle? A Solor device. It seems they’re the ones Elthorp is looking for.”
The “eyes” couldn’t provide any more information. Some things had to be seen in person.
Yin Hui knew that Elthorp, without him, was blind to the events of the Frigid Lands.
And Elthorp knew this as well, which was why he had repeatedly warned him not to cross the line.
“The line? In the Frigid Lands… all lines are a joke.”
Unlike the relationship between Iradace and her master, the relationship between Elthorp and Yin Hui was far more complex.
“Let’s go. Let’s meet an old friend,” Yin Hui said, standing up and walking towards the Snow Maiden’s location. “And these two… cute and mysterious ladies.”
…
“This is the first time the ‘Snow Maiden’ has wandered after the lockdown, isn’t it?”
On the vast, snowy plain, a burly figure picked up a piece of pure frost.
His hands were covered in fiery Demonic Runes, like cracks in lava, and the pure frost sizzled in his grasp, the intense heat melting the surrounding snow.
But the pure frost itself was unaffected.
And he, for the first time, felt a chill, a cold that seeped through the pure frost, into his body, slowing his blood.
“The ‘Snow Maiden’ seems… unusual. This has never happened before.”
He frowned, his grip tightening, but he couldn’t crush the pure frost.
He tossed it aside, and as he looked around, he saw that the ground was littered with fragments of pure frost, the remnants of shattered spears.
This pure frost was different from the frost ice ore. The ore could be used, but this… this was a substance even he, a master of fire, didn’t dare to touch.
In fact, after being mined and processed, frost ice ore became pure frost.
But pure frost… was difficult to transport. And the places that needed it weren’t in the Frigid Lands…
“Troublesome.”
He narrowed his eyes, the snowflakes hissing as they touched his skin.
“But also… valuable.”
He was a Lava Demon, the only race capable of creating the lava runes that could resist the arctic calamity. And he was also a general of the Lava Demon Legion, a being of the Calamity Class or higher.
He was known as the “Fiery Ash of Embers.”
His power was immense. Even in the Frigid Lands, which suppressed his abilities, he was a formidable opponent, a walking volcano.
Even Yin Hui, a peak Destruction Class Evil Blade Demon, wouldn’t dare to face him alone.
And now, besides him and Yin Hui, many other demons had their eyes on the Snow Maiden, and they had all noticed her strange behavior.
The towns in her path had been destroyed, no demon able to survive within a thousand meters of her, either frozen to death by the “Bone Marrow Cold” or torn apart by the swirling fragments of pure frost.
Outside the Frigid Lands, many Calamity Class demons would have been confident in their ability to face her. But here, in the Frigid Lands, even the mighty Yan Rong couldn’t take on the rampaging “Snow Maiden” alone, let alone the weaker demons.
So, all the factions of the Frigid Lands were watching, waiting, for her to calm down.
They all knew that when she stopped, the battle would begin.
And there was another reason. With Elthorp’s new interest in the Frigid Lands, all the various demon factions were now also focused here, and on the most sensational event of the moment.
…After all, although Elthorp was now the most powerful being in the Abyss, he didn’t possess the overwhelming strength of Queen Shaya, or the prestige and connections of the former council head, Atwood. And with the Abyss in a state of turmoil, the greatest since the great destruction, many different ideas were taking root.
Not every demon race wanted a unified Abyss. And besides, it had never been unified.
Just like Solor.
“The ‘Snow Maiden’s’ power can’t be overcome with numbers. At least a high-level Destruction Class is required to even participate, to not be a liability,” Yan Rong said, clenching his fists, the flames extinguishing. “A pity. A duel of elite squads… not my strong suit. I’m better in large-scale battles, or one-on-one.”
“But it doesn’t matter. Even so, in the Frigid Lands, there are few who can match my Flame Wave squad.”
“Yin Hui’s Soul Slayers, Delm’s Bone Spikes, Zoras’s Dread Ghosts… they’re all worthy opponents. Besides them… just a bunch of fish and shrimp.”
He grinned, a puff of hot air escaping his lips, a savage smile on his face.
“Finally, a good fight. It’s been so boring in the Frigid Lands…”
Behind him stood a squad of equally burly warriors, their fiery auras a stark contrast to the surrounding cold.
At the same time, countless other elite squads, from all the various factions of the Frigid Lands, were also deploying, following the Snow Maiden’s path.
They were all waiting, for the right moment.
And the distance between the Snow Maiden and Bai had now shrunk by two-thirds.
