Chapter 34: A Flurry of Slashes
Yan Rong roared, his body now completely covered in molten lava, his eyes a burning inferno, his vision gone.
In this state, he could only “see” through his sense of temperature.
The “Flame Wave Squad” followed suit, and in an instant, the battlefield was filled with lava giants, the temperature rising to a comfortable warmth.
This was to counter [Illusion]. If even Yan Rong and his squad were affected, the battle would be lost.
The other elite squads couldn’t afford to lose their only front-line force against the mysterious girls.
The rolling heatwave melted the surrounding snow, but the moment it receded, the water refroze.
And even the boiling lava couldn’t melt the pure frost, which greatly reduced Yan Rong’s power.
Bai simply raised a hand, and her [Frost Calamity] domain suppressed the flames on the “Flame Wave Squad” by seventy percent.
Yan Rong, unfazed, threw a punch, a wave of molten lava hurtling towards Bai.
If he were in the outside world, he could have drawn upon the earth’s molten core to amplify his power, but here, in the Frigid Lands, he was at a disadvantage.
Bai erected a series of pure frost shields, but only three were needed to block his attack.
The “Flame Wave Squad’s” charge was also intercepted by Ara, who used Bai’s pure frost and her own [Shatter] Authority.
“So strong…” Zoras murmured. Although their strength was comparable, perhaps even slightly weaker, the Frigid Lands’ amplification of the Ice Demons’ power was immense.
Yan Rong was no slouch. He was the second-in-command of the rebel forces, his true strength even greater than Yin Hui’s.
But… the environment was against him.
Of course, if they weren’t in the Frigid Lands, the victorious Lava Demon faction wouldn’t have just let him go.
With the “Flame Wave Squad” leading the charge, the other elite squads no longer hesitated, swarming towards Bai and Ara.
They were now in a life-or-death situation, no longer holding back, no longer scheming.
They knew that to survive, they had to kill these two mysterious girls.
Facing the onslaught, Ara didn’t use [Illusion] again.
The “Flame Wave Squad” had already shown that it could be countered. It was pointless.
But… against such a large force, a war-type Authority would be quite effective.
She gathered her power, and unleashed [Shatter] and [City Breaker], the pure frost fragments from Bai’s [Frost Calamity] domain now imbued with her Authority, a storm of destruction sweeping across the battlefield.
The elite squads were not to be outdone. Their combined power was far greater than Bai’s and Ara’s, and a barrage of spells rained down upon them.
The pure frost shields shattered, one after another.
[Absolute Negation] could only nullify abilities within its range, not those from outside.
The swirling spells kicked up a cloud of snow and dust.
“Did… did it work…?” Yan Rong, who had taken the brunt of Ara’s attack, asked, having barely managed to block it.
“…No! They’re gone! They’ve moved!” Zoras shouted, his “Dread Ghosts” stirring uneasily.
The Dread Demons were not suited for direct combat, so they had held back, waiting for an opportunity.
But now… it seemed Bai wasn’t going to give them one.
In the midst of the swirling snow, Zoras had sensed Bai’s consciousness approaching at an incredible speed.
They had somehow dodged the barrage of spells, and their target was now… him.
—Authority: [Lost], one of the nine Authorities of the Empire.
It could temporarily alter the perception of those around them. Although it was easy to see through after a while, in the heat of battle, it was a powerful tool.
And the higher the user’s mastery, the more profound the alteration, and the longer it would last.
Ara’s mastery was not yet at that level. Although she possessed many Authorities, she was only proficient with them.
But she could use them in combination, to compensate for their individual weaknesses, making her a formidable, unpredictable opponent.
As Bai had erected the frost shields, and Ara had repelled the charging elite squads, she had also, at the same time, silently unleashed [Lost] and [Time Stop].
The demons’ perception of the brief time stop had been masked by [Lost], and in that instant, they had moved, heading towards the rear of the elite squads, towards the “Dread Ghosts.”
Ara, her power depleted after using multiple Authorities, was now in Bai’s arms, her pure frost longsword in her other hand.
The effects of [Lost] quickly faded, but in that final moment, two small figures appeared in Zoras’s vision.
“They’re—”
A flash of light, and even the formless demon, with Ara’s soul-based abilities imbued in the frost sword, was severely injured.
Hearing Zoras’s cry, the elite squads turned to see the Dread Demon squad in disarray, Zoras’s own form flickering, as if about to dissipate.
But Bai had already launched her second attack, and in that short time, they couldn’t stop her.
“Fear Vision!”
Zoras bit his tongue, forcing himself to focus, and unleashed his own Authority.
Although he hadn’t wanted to use this ability on the mysterious girl, he had no other choice.
In an instant, a consciousness space enveloped Bai and Zoras, and Ara, still in Bai’s arms, was also pulled in.
“Let’s see… what your fears are, shall we?”
