Wind and Ice (Happy New Year)

Under the control of Wilfred, seven whirlwinds laden with ice and lightning surged toward the charging Luke.

The wind roared, carrying a magnificent momentum.

The edges of the whirlwinds collided, pulling electric chains that flickered and intertwined, while the ice particles whipped up by the high-speed rotation acted like the sharp blades of a meat grinder.

Wilfred held his wand aloft, continuing to chant his incantation.

The airflow whipped his beard and hair into a frenzy, causing the sleeves of his magic robes to snap violently in the wind.

A ball of electricity condensed at the tip of his wand, erupting with a blinding, intense light.

The whirlwinds expanded, sealing off every path Luke could take.

Luke moved like a speed skater, gliding across the ice at high velocity. The curved blades she gripped in both hands had been enchanted into Ice Wheels. She leaned low, pressing the Ice Wheels against the icy surface, using them as leverage to tilt her body at a sharp angle and execute a series of rapid turns through the gaps in the whirlwinds.

A layer of solid ice armor froze over her body. Furthermore, as new ice layers formed, they would cause the old ones to shatter and burst outward like reactive armor on a tank, the flying shards of ice deflecting the damage from the electricity and ice blades within the whirlwinds.

Utilizing the powerful mobility of Clear Sky and her Frost Armor, Luke burst out of the whirlwind encirclement, leaving no obstacles between her and Wilfred.

Pushing Clear Sky's level to 100.

Luke vanished on the spot.

She reappeared directly behind Wilfred.

She swung her Ice Wheels upward, trailing a massive blade of ice, the sheer force of the impact slicing straight through the ceiling.

The residual energy generated a blade-shaped ice wall between the floor and the ceiling, freezing the stones that were about to fall in mid-air.

Yet, Wilfred used Transfiguration to evade this strike from behind.

He transformed into an owl and flew forward, two whirlwinds parting to clear his path as he moved rapidly toward Luke.

Luke released the Ice Wheels, letting them hover in the air on their own, then drew a bow from her Spatial Backpack.

The name of the bow: Heavenly Craft Absolute String.

She drew the empty string, and an ice arrow materialized, its tip aimed at the owl's tail.

The arrow was loosed, transforming into a spear the moment it left the string, piercing through the gap between the two whirlwinds.

At the same time, the two slowly rotating Ice Wheels suddenly accelerated, shooting forward. They carved two arcs through the air, one left and one right, cutting inward after bypassing the blocking whirlwinds...

Outside the castle, the faculty of Aolu Academy were evacuating the students who had escaped.

The internal structure of the castle had shifted, signifying that Dean Wilfred had sealed himself and the invading Elf inside.

For Dean Wilfred to take such measures, one could only imagine how dangerous that Elf must be.

After receiving the report, Councilor Virgil arrived with a large group of Imperial Secret Agents and bailiffs.

He asked an Aolu Mage, "Is the Elf inside?"

"She is inside..."

Before the Aolu Mage could finish, Councilor Virgil waved his hand and ordered the agents and bailiffs, "Go in! Kill the Elf and recover the 'Heart of Red Dragon Nilcolon'."

The Aolu Mage immediately stepped in front of the agents and bailiffs.

"Dean Wilfred has just issued an order: please leave Aolu Academy."

"Why?" Councilor Virgil demanded. "We are here to help you. That Elf is extremely dangerous, and she possesses..."

At this moment, Haidixike shouted from among the students, "The Elf didn't hurt us! It was the Imperial Secret Agents who injured Lydia, and she is still unconscious. Aolu Academy does not welcome you; the Dean can handle all these problems himself."

Haidixike and Lydia's classmates joined in denouncing the Imperial Secret Agents, and students from other departments soon followed suit.

Councilor Virgil did not know what his agents had done, so he said to the blocking mage, "This may have been an accident. On behalf of the Secret Intelligence Bureau, I apologize to Aolu Academy and the injured student. Move aside and let our people in!"

The blocking Aolu Mage remained firm. "Councilor, the Dean has ordered you to leave. Besides, since the Dean has taken action, the invading Elf will be captured soon..."

But before the Aolu Mage could finish his sentence, a deafening boom erupted from within the castle.

Looking up, they saw an ice spear pierce through the castle wall, half of its shaft protruding from the inside out.

The spear, condensed from cold ice, was crystal clear, looking like a piece of exquisite art.

Seeing the ice spear, everyone's expression turned grim.

They all knew how incredibly sturdy the main teaching building of Aolu Academy was.

The outer walls of the castle, in particular, had been thickened and reinforced with alchemy to grant them superior hardness to withstand external invasions.

Even cannon fire couldn't leave a significant mark on them, yet this ice spear had actually pierced right through!

Those familiar with Aolu Academy knew that Dean Wilfred did not specialize in ice magic. Could this ice spear have come from that Elf?

Was she truly that strong?

However, the shock to those beneath the castle was not over.

A few seconds after the ice spear pierced the wall, two massive Ice Wheels sliced through the masonry and burst out from within.

They spun rapidly in the air before diving back into the breach they had just carved. Only then did the rubble from the shattered wall begin to fall.

Just what kind of monster was Dean Wilfred fighting?

The Orff mages raised protective shields upward, shielding the students to prevent them from being struck by falling debris.

The mage negotiating with Virgil asked, "Do you still insist on going in?"

The Imperial Secret Agents and the bailiffs all stepped back.

Virgil stared at the ice spears protruding from the castle walls and the gap created by the collision of the two Ice Wheels, muttering blankly, "We need reinforcements!"

The battle between Luke and Wilfred continued inside the castle.

That arrow did not hit Wilfred; the one-hundred-and-seventy-two-year-old fellow possessed extremely rich combat experience. The owl transformed into a tree monkey in mid-air, dropping down to dodge the ice spears and Ice Wheels, only to be caught steadily by the palm of the giant ape.

A whirlwind blocked Luke's line of sight, coalescing into a wind wall that pressed forward.

Luke slid backward, drawing her bow and firing rapidly at the ceiling and floor ahead. The ice arrows transformed into ice spears, their tips embedding into the stone ceiling and floor to form dense clusters of spears.

The obstruction of the spear clusters slowed the power of the whirlwind.

Seeing gaps appear between the wind walls, Luke switched from retreating to advancing, rushing forward at high speed. She slipped through the gaps before the spear clusters, used teleportation to dodge a chain of lightning, retracted the Heavenly Craft Absolute String, and caught the returning Ice Wheels.

She then performed a small hop, turned, and danced the Ice Wheels to create two large ice walls that sealed off the top and bottom, creating obstacles for the whirlwind on the other side of the walls, before performing a 360-degree mid-air spin and landing.

Looking ahead, the giant ape's palm was swinging right in front of her face.

Wilfred had transformed back into human form and stood not far away; the tip of the staff in his hand released a chain of lightning, which lashed out at Luke like a whip.

Upon landing, Luke utilized the force of her descent to leap high into the air, the energy of the Elemental Fusion Reactor erupting to allow her to perform two consecutive teleports in mid-air.

She dodged the ape's giant palm and the strike of the lightning chain, jumping to the height of the ape's neck.

She then performed a limit-break teleport behind it, rotated her body, and used the Ice Wheels to draw out two large ice blades, slashing down at the back of the ape's neck.

Both blades struck true, severing the ape's cervical spine.

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