"I only asked you to lead the way. I never asked you to say so much, Shiki."
A voice descended from the heavens, stopping Ryougi Shiki mid-sentence. Like the wail of a ghost rising from beneath the earth, it instantly reverberated across the entire wilderness.
"----!"
Everyone's expressions changed in that instant.
Because almost the moment the voice rang out, a heart-chilling cold swept through the entire space like blowing snow.
The atmosphere's temperature had not changed, but everyone's perceived temperature plummeted rapidly.
"Saint Graph reaction detected!"
"Be careful! It's a Heroic Spirit!"
"No! It's a Divine Spirit!"
Da Vinci, Olga Marie, and Roman shouted one after another.
Everyone seemed to have been caught in a frigid storm, swaying precariously as they were buffeted by the wind, their body temperatures constantly dropping.
"Bang!"
The Golden Crow Robe around Luo Zhen had already burst into flames, driving away the cold surrounding him.
"Clang!"
Mashu also brought her shield down heavily, deploying a magical barrier to block the incoming chill.
"Did I make her angry?"
Ryougi Shiki raised one hand in front of her face and murmured softly.
"Fou!"
Even Fou cried out in alarm and hid inside Luo Zhen's robe.
As for Ishtar, she clung tightly to Mashu's shoulder and shouted loudly.
"Stop playing tricks and come out already! Ereshkigal!"
Ishtar's voice spread into the distance, ringing throughout the entire space.
Under these circumstances...
"Still as loudmouthed as ever. Your body has become so small, yet you still dare to act so arrogantly. It seems the lesson I gave you wasn't enough, Ishtar."
As she spoke, a platform resembling an altar appeared in the center of the wilderness amid the frigid wind.
"Bang!"
At one corner of the altar, ghostly blue flames transformed into a pillar of fire, rising as they