Chapter 155
Boom--!
The deafening roar of the thunder echoed through the narrow cave, nearly shattering one's eardrums.
The blinding light once again enveloped Chen Ce completely, and the crackling sound was quite eerie.
But... this time, there doesn't seem to be the "smell of barbecue".
Only Chen Ce's disdainful voice could be heard:
"Let's try something new. This kind of attack is too boring. If Volibear only has this much power, then it might as well wash its neck and wait for me to take its bear head off."
"Arrogant...!" The Lord of the Hunt couldn't stand anyone insulting its master, and immediately roared, increasing the output power of its lightning.
However, before it could finish unleashing this wave of lightning, the demonic figure had already arrived in front of it.
It still has that terrifying speed... like teleportation...
Wrong...
That's teleportation...!
"From now on, I'm going to ask you some questions." Chen Ce smiled and raised his sickle.
Whoosh--!
A pair of bear paws fell to the ground, and the raging lightning stopped.
"First question—why did you attack the miners? This is clearly not your Ursine's hunting ground."
"..." The Lord of the Hunt gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Then came the second wave of excruciating pain.
The scythe slashed again, this time taking away its legs.
"The second question—was this the bear-men's own idea, yours, or Volibear's suggestion?"
"...!!" The Lord of the Hunt was drenched in cold sweat; the intense pain had even paralyzed its self-healing abilities.
Unfortunately, silence was still not the answer Chen Ce wanted.
Then came the third wave of excruciating pain.
This time, I'll cut it in half.
Fresh blood, bone fragments, intestines, and undigested human flesh all flowed out of his abdomen in a mixture.
"One last question—has Volibear decided to break the millennia-old agreement and launch an attack on humanity?"
This time the Lord of the Hunt relented—but not entirely out of fear.
It determined that the mortal before it was qualified to represent all of humanity in Freljord.
"Yes..."
"It would have been better to do this earlier." Chen Ce put away his sickle with satisfaction, and then...
The scythe pierced the Lord of the Hunt's right chest cavity and pinned him to the ground.
"Tell me, what is Volibear thinking?"
"I... I don't know..." At this moment, the Lord of the Hunt had no means of counterattack. His half-body looked pitiful, like a dying worm, and even his voice was so weak that it seemed as if he was about to die at any moment.
"I cannot fathom the Lord's will... I am merely a messenger... I am His instrument..."
"So what is it telling you?" Chen Ce moved back a few centimeters to avoid getting the disgusting intestines and entrails on his boots.
"Great Lord... He has judged that you have broken...the covenant...you humans..."
"Um?"
"You... gathered... together..."
"Just because of that?" Chen Ce frowned unhappily.
"The contract... its contents... are... as follows..."
The Lord of the Hunt's breath grew weaker and weaker, and he froze after uttering the last word.
Its pupils were gradually dilating, and it could only exhale but not inhale from its nasal cavity.
It's as if... its sole purpose in living was to convey Volibear's words—to someone who could represent all of Freljord.
And now, it has achieved its goal.
It died then.
Volibear stopped transmitting lightning power to it, letting its feeble life fade away with the wind.
"Use and discard... This cruel way of doing things is quite in line with Volibear." Chen Ce pulled the Darkin Scythe from the dead Lord of the Hunt's body, bringing out another pile of rotten flesh—this time it should be considered human flesh.
"What do you mean, Ashe?" He turned to look at the girl behind him, the Darkin transformation of his body gradually fading.
"If that's the case, then it basically means..." Ashe took off her coat and draped it over the naked Chen Ce, then pursed her lips uneasily.
"The Ursine are planning to wage war against us."
"Just because we've gathered all the surrounding tribes together?" Chen Ce suddenly wanted to laugh—if Volibear used this as a pretext for war, it would be better to say that a bear-man had disappeared within the territory of the Avarosan Tribe.
"Hmm..." Ashe nodded, then sighed wistfully, "The Volibear ... Legend has it that tens of thousands of years ago it waged war against the Three Sisters for similar reasons—it wanted to return Freljord to its wild nature, forbidding farming and grazing. It considered this its Freljord."
"That's pretty ridiculous," Chen Ce shrugged dismissively.
"In short, we need to prepare for war in advance... The Ursine is not to be trifled with, and that legendary Volibear possesses the power to destroy the world."
"Uh-huh."
Chen Ce did not refute Ashe's "perception" of Volibear, but silently looked at the Darkin Blade - Ice Sculpture Edition stuck in the ground.
The latter's deep, hoarse roar came at just the right moment:
[Don't even think about getting me to kill that damn, stupid bear for you! I'd rather it kill you first! Then I'll kill it!]
"Oh," Chen Ce replied with a smile.
A sly smile...
A tall figure strolled across the snow.
She was a dignified and beautiful woman. A crystal hood covered her eyes, and her long silver hair, braided into a fishtail braid, floated lightly over her slender waist. Her robe was luxurious but not gaudy, befitting her queenly demeanor.
Her feet were unbound, her fair skin gently treading on the fresh snow, her elegant gait making her look like a holy nun untouched by worldly concerns.
Or rather... the goddess of the polar regions.
Like the fervent devotion of some zealous followers—who firmly believe she is the goddess of this icy plain, a true deity.
But some people see her as a monstrous threat... cursing her with the most vicious language, hoping she will be killed by the terrifying beings beneath the abyss as soon as possible. They call her the "evil witch".
Opinions from the outside world are mixed, but neither of them diminishes her ability to rule the entire Freljord.
Her lifespan is as long as human history; her power is enough to challenge the gods of ancient times; her magic is beyond the comprehension of even the deepest eyes.
She had a magnificent castle, larger than even the dwelling place of the gods. But she left her castle.
She wandered alone across the endless ice plains, where only snow stretched before the horizon and endless white light extended beyond.
Having lost her sight, she could only see darkness.
But this does not prevent her from perceiving all things in the world.
For example, she stopped in her tracks—she sensed an obstacle ahead.
A group of starving bear-men.
There was also a humanoid creature among them.
They called it "Lord," as if it were a superior ruler governing a continent. Its name was so grand, so...
Ridiculous.
"Human, you have trespassed into the hunting grounds of the Ursine." The lord's tone was full of the arrogance and authority unique to those in power, as if he were issuing a royal command to a lowly commoner. "According to the ancient covenant, we will punish you."
"Um."
"And the way to punish is... to eat." What a ridiculous attitude... ignorant and arrogant, like a worm in the abyss. It doesn't understand the vastness of the world at all—it can't even see the behemoth beneath its feet and the blade above its head.
"Good."
The bear-men charged forward... They were starving, and they seemed to be insane.
They sacrificed their souls to the Volibear, along with all their flesh and blood... This grotesque behavior and their endless craving for flesh and blood were their retribution.
Just like...
Blindness.
The witch gently touched the blindfold covering her eyes, and a sigh escaped her lips.
And what was raised was her fair hand.
"Freeze." The simple two words were uttered softly from her beautiful lips.
The next moment...
Thump--!
A frozen hill rose abruptly from the ground, lifting all the bear-men high into the sky.
Before they fell, countless sharp ice spikes extended from the "hills," like magnificent spears pointing straight at the dome.
Puff puff puff...!
Countless ice spikes pierced through the bodies of all the bear-men, fixing them in mid-air like a gourd.
In an instant, all the bear-men died—their blood didn't even have time to flow.
"Damn it...! You're a witch...!!" the ridiculous lord roared childishly.
Dark clouds began to gather in the sky.
Lightning is about to strike.
Volibear's blessing is about to descend, and the lord has already felt the violent power of the thunder.
It became full of confidence.
The witch simply waved her hand dismissively.
"Bury."
Sizzle--!
A massive ice pillar appeared out of thin air, freezing the ridiculous lord along with the lightning power it had just acquired.
Unlike the frozen hills we just saw, this enormous ice pillar is pure True Ice.
No one can escape True Ice's control.
Even the crackling arcs of electricity were trapped within the True Ice, their movement gradually coming to a complete stop.
The bear-man lord, who was almost invincible in the eyes of mortals, died just like that.
It didn't even move an inch throughout the entire battle.
If this can be called a "battle".
From start to finish, it only takes a few seconds.
Of course, this is not because the Ursine too weak.
Rather, it's because...
Lissandra.
Because she is Lissandra. That's all.
"Volibear, this time I won't fail again..."
Chapter Thirty-Five: Aatrox: I'm Yu Yu La!
Chen Ce, Ashe, and the others returned to the Avarosan Tribe camp.
They did not hide the fact that the Ursine were about to launch an attack, and held a meeting within the tribe overnight.