Fierce Battle on the Frozen Summit
A biting wind, whipping up ice shards like countless tiny blades, swept across the summit of the Himmel Shuvia Mountains. The battle began the instant Simmel set out, without warning and without a word.
Himmel's sword moved with lightning speed, carrying the sharpness torn through the wind and snow, aiming straight for the Demons general's throat. This strike combined speed and precision, his signature opening move—"Behold my 'Meteor Flash'!"
The Demons general neither dodged nor evaded, but simply raised his right hand, which was holding a sheathed longsword, to parry.
"Clang--!"
A clear, melodious, yet ear-numbing clang of metal clashing resounded atop the mountain, accompanied by a shower of sparks. Himmel felt a heavy, mountain-like force rebound from the tip of her sword, her hands went numb, and her body involuntarily slid back several feet, leaving two clear tracks in the deep snow.
"What astonishing power." Himmel's eyes sharpened, instantly realizing that her opponent far surpassed her in pure strength.
Almost at the same moment that Himmel was repelled, Eisen's imposing figure charged in from the flank like a cannonball. The dwarf warrior roared, his battle axe carrying the terrifying power to split mountains and shatter rocks, stirring up a cloud of snow dust, and unleashed a simple yet incredibly powerful "Mountain-Splitting Slash" that cleaved the Demons general in half!
He didn't have the habit of shouting out the names of his moves; only the deep whistling of his battle axe cutting through the wind revealed his purest power.
The Demons general's golden vertical pupils shifted slightly. This time, he finally raised the sheathed longsword in his hand slightly, using the middle of the scabbard to precisely meet Eisen's battle axe.
"Boom!"
A duller, more violent collision sounded, like two icebergs crashing together. The shockwave Swirl outwards from the two men, violently hurling the surrounding snow. Eisen's arm muscles bulged as he roared, trying to press down on his battle axe, but the seemingly ancient scabbard remained motionless as if welded into mid-air, instead firmly holding his axe blade.
"Hmph." The Demons general let out a soft, ambiguous snort, his right hand, which was gripping the sheath, trembled slightly, seemingly casually.
Eisen frowned, suddenly feeling a chilling yet domineering force surge through the battle axe. He quickly used the momentum to retreat and deflect the force. The recoil from just blocking was surprisingly powerful!
I'm here to help you!
Ruby a sharp cry, seizing the momentary stiffness of the Demons general after his parry, and swung her staff rapidly, her face flushed red from the cold and the full force of her magic.
"Ice spirits dancing in the sky, gather here, transforming into extremely cold arrows that pierce through solid walls—the extremely low frost penetrating beam... Achoo!" She tried to make her chant clear and powerful, but an untimely, huge sneeze completely disrupted the rhythm, and the flow of magic was disrupted for a moment. Fortunately, the spell model finally took shape, and several azure ice spears exuding a chilling aura were still condensed and shot out, aiming at the Demons general's vitals from different angles.
The Demons general didn't even turn around. With his free left hand, he casually flicked his fingers behind him like a sword. A condensed, almost tangible, arc-shaped ice-blue sword aura appeared out of thin air, precisely shattering the ice spears.
"Click, click..."
The ice spear shattered instantly, like glass hitting a rock, bursting into countless ice crystals that dissipated in the wind. The sword energy, however, did not wane, carving a deep furrow in the ground.
"It... had absolutely no effect?" Ruby 'Ruby blue eyes widened in disbelief. Her ice magic should have been enhanced in this extremely cold environment, but it was so easily neutralized by the other party.
"It wasn't ineffective," Heiter's calm voice rang out, and a gentle holy light shield appeared just in time in front of Ruby, blocking the ice shards that scattered after the sword energy shattered. "It's just that his swordsmanship is above your magic power! Some Demons generals are very skilled at this. Be careful, he's coming!"
As expected, after dispelling Ruby's magic, the Demons general launched his first attack. His figure blurred, as if merging into the snowstorm, and in the next moment he appeared between Himmel and Eisen, his speed so fast that only a blurry afterimage remained.
He still didn't draw his sword, but simply held the sheathed longsword, sometimes pointing, sometimes sweeping, sometimes smashing. His moves were simple and unadorned, yet each strike contained terrifying power and incomparably pure, icy magic that seemed capable of Frozen the soul.
"Radiant Radiance - Whirlwind Slash: A Dazzling Waltz!" Himmel stance shifted, her body spinning as her longsword drew countless dazzling arcs of light, attempting to overwhelm her opponent with a barrage of attacks.
Eisen remained silent, responding with simple yet incredibly powerful strikes. Each axe blow was heavy and forceful, perfectly complementing Himmel's agile attacks. The two, one nimble and the other fierce, worked in perfect harmony, their sword and axe flashes engulfing the Demons general's figure.
However, the Demons general, fighting two against one, was not at a disadvantage at all. His movements were concise and efficient, as if they had been honed through countless trials. He could always parry or evade the attacks of the two at the last second. The longsword that was not drawn from its sheath in his hand was sometimes as heavy as a thousand pounds, and sometimes as nimble as a snake. He not only blocked all the attacks, but his occasional counterattacks also forced Himmel and Eisen into dangerous situations, and they could only barely hold on.
"No, his defense is watertight." Himmel unleashed a sweeping attack, his arm going numb from the impact.
"We must restrain his movements first, Ruby!" Eisen struggled to deflect the sword sheath that was about to smash above his head, the snow beneath his feet exploding as his short, stocky body sank even further.
"Understood!" Ruby a deep breath of the icy air, trying to calm herself down, and slammed her staff on the ground. "Bind him! Intertwined Web of Thorns—cough... Ice Binding Chains!"
Perhaps because of the cold, or perhaps because of nervousness, she misspoke again, and the spell's name became nonsensical. But the effect was good; several pale chains made of extreme cold magic emerged from the snow, like living venomous snakes, coiling towards the Demons general's feet.
The Demons general paused slightly, his golden eyes glancing at his feet, seemingly wary of the magic containing the power of confinement. With a flick of his wrist, his sword sheath drew several circles, precisely shattering the entangling chains. But this momentary pause gave Himmel and Eisen a precious chance to catch their breath, and their attack resumed.
However, the Demons general's golden vertical pupils glanced coldly at Ruby behind him, a hint of killing intent flickering within him. His figure blurred again, and he actually used his speed to break through the interception of Himmel and Eisen, rushing straight towards Ruby! Before he even arrived, the bone-chilling killing intent made Ruby she had fallen into an ice cave, her breath catching in her throat.
Clearly, he wanted to bypass the two melee fighters and kill the fragile mage first.
His figure blurred again, yet he somehow managed to bypass Himmel and Eisen's interception with his speed, heading straight for Ruby! Before he even arrived, the chilling killing intent made Ruby she had fallen into an ice cave, her breath catching in her throat.
"Watch out!" Himmel cried out in alarm, rushing back to help, but it was too late; the Demons general was too fast.
As the Demons general's sword sheath was about to strike Ruby's forehead, Ruby was startled, but her professionalism as First-Class Mage was on full display. Instead of attempting to construct Defensive Magic that was as fragile as a swordsman's attack, she unleashed a burst of magic beneath her feet.
"Whoosh!"
Her figure vanished from her spot in an instant, reappearing several feet away—a High-Speed Movement spell. Although the cold slowed her casting speed slightly, and the hem of her clothes was torn by the sharp wind, she narrowly avoided the fatal blow.
"Slippery." The Demons general, having missed his attack, didn't hesitate and closed in again like a shadow.
Ruby her teeth, pushing her High-Speed Movement magic to its limit, leaving afterimages on the snow as she darted and weaved. At the same time, she tapped her staff repeatedly, no longer pursuing powerful spells, but instantly casting various small magical missiles, ice spikes, and wind blades, harassing the Demons general like a swarm of bees. Although they couldn't cause any real damage, they effectively slowed down his pursuit, buying precious time for Himmel and Eisen to return to their aid.
Heiter's holy light spells continuously fell on Ruby and the two fighting ahead, dispelling the chill that had invaded their bodies and relieving their fatigue.
In an instant, figures soared across the mountaintop, sword and axe flashes intertwined with magical radiance, the sounds of collisions, whooshing, magical explosions, and howling wind and snow mingling together. Snowflakes were swept high into the air by the surging air currents, then fell softly back down.
But it was clear to everyone that the battle was gradually turning against Himmel's side. The Demons general was clearly not using his full strength; he hadn't even drawn his sword yet, but he had already firmly suppressed the three of them. Himmel and Eisen's attacks were unable to break through his defenses, and Ruby's magic had little effect. On the contrary, because she had to constantly dodge and cast spells, her magic power was greatly depleted, and her face gradually turned pale.
After nearly fifteen minutes of fighting, the Himmel squad was clearly at a disadvantage. The Demons general, like a seasoned hunter, was calmly wearing down his prey's stamina and magic.
Outside the battleground, Frieren had somehow found a sheltered boulder, wrapped herself in a blanket, and gone to sleep, as if the battle before her had nothing to do with her.
Lowell stood beside her, hands in his pockets, also in a spectator's posture, but with a focused expression, lost in thought.
Lupa gripped her spear tightly, her heterochromatic eyes Burning with resentment and fighting spirit. Her body trembled slightly with excitement, but she remembered Lowell's instructions—to observe and learn. Although facing a strong enemy was the way of a warrior, the current gap in strength was still too great. Going forward to fight now would not be training, but suicide, and would only cause trouble for Himmel and the others.
Linié stood quietly to the side, her deep blue eyes following the Demons general's movements, as if she were using Mimicry Magic to record his fighting style.
The wind and snow continued, howling as they swept across the frozen mountain ridge. The struggle for the prized sword at the Frozen Peak seemed to be slipping in a direction unfavorable to the Hero Party.