The Ice Empress's Power and Pride

A Soul Emperor and five Soul Kings fled the forest at full speed, flames burning across their bodies that they could not put out.

Charizard's Ultimate Fire had grown strong enough to threaten even Soul Kings.

"After them! Don't let them escape! Kill that fire dragon first, then kill his master while you're at it!"

The Soul Emperor leading them sounded anxious. Huo Yuhao had already begun to flee, and he was their main target.

If they failed, the White Tiger young master would not spare them.

"Charizard, use Air Cutter! Greninja, Night Slash!"

Amid the chaos, Chi Hong pointed out a target and ordered both Pokémon to attack together.

Charizard beat his wings fiercely, sending invisible blades of air toward a Soul King.

"A thousand-year Soul Beast dares challenge a Soul King?"

The Soul King scoffed and prepared to use a Soul Skill to defend himself. Then a chill touched his back, as though something sinister had brushed past him.

He faltered.

Hum~

Greninja appeared silently behind him. With his Dark typing, Greninja was exceptionally good at hiding in the night.

Professional as these assassins were, their mission and the sudden flames burning them kept them from watching their surroundings closely.

And to a ninja like Greninja, that lapse was a fatal opening!

Whoosh—

Dark purple claws formed around Greninja's hands, and he drove them into the Soul King's back.

A chill ran through the Soul King. His pupils contracted sharply, then widened.

The Air Cutter struck him from the front.

[Greninja used Night Slash on a wild Soul King. Critical hit! Charizard used Air Cutter. Super effective!]

[Wild Soul King has died.]

[Greninja and Charizard gained a large amount of experience.]

In just a few seconds, Greninja and Charizard had worked together to kill a Soul King before he could use a single Soul Skill.

That was what made Soul Beast assassins so terrifying.

Soul Masters did not fear Soul Beasts with powerful, wide-ranging attacks. They could counter those through teamwork.

What they feared were underhanded Soul Beasts that gave them no chance to use their Soul Skills.

"Watch out for that humanoid Soul Beast! We've already lost one!"

A Soul King who had witnessed his companion's death shouted the warning.

Greninja's attack had frightened him so badly that he immediately unleashed his strongest Soul Skill.

Greninja left a Substitute in his place and dodged it perfectly. Then he vanished into the darkness again, waiting for another opening.

The remaining Soul Kings grew tense.

The Soul Emperor leading them was unafraid. His body had long since reached the level of a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast. An attack from a thousand-year Soul Beast did not worry him.

He fixed his gaze on Chi Hong.

"Hmph. Don't panic. Kill that Soul Beast's master, and the humanoid one will have to show himself."

The other Soul Kings took the hint. The four who remained rushed at Chi Hong, their faces twisted with malice.

Chi Hong tipped down the brim of his hat. An Advanced Poké Ball rested in his hand.

"Sorry, Ice Empress. I'll have to ask you to step in."

The Poké Ball dropped, and a flash of emerald light swept through the air.

A bone-deep cold spread outward. The Solar Fire raging through the forest went out in an instant.

A thin layer of ice covered the ground. Tiny shards of frost clung to the branches and leaves, while freezing mist filled the air.

The Ice Empress slowly emerged from the mist. She wore a white-and-gold uniform, and her emerald scorpion tail curled behind her.

Her golden eyes looked down on everyone. A fierce, imperial presence radiated from her entire body.

"Are ants like these worth this empress's effort?"

The Ice Empress's indifferent voice carried the authority of a sovereign of ice.

The moment she appeared, the approaching Soul Emperor slowed drastically. His Soul Power turned sluggish, and he could not even stay airborne.

He fell straight to the ground with a smack.

Worse, his body would not stop trembling. He could not tell whether the cold had seeped into his bones or whether the imperial girl before him had filled him with boundless fear.

Perhaps it was both.

The other Soul Kings fared even worse. They fell to the ground, and their legs buckled beneath them.

"Senior, could you spare our lives? I'm willing to serve you for the rest of my life."

The Soul Emperor could not hide the tremor in his voice.

He could sense that none of them could withstand the cold she wielded. Even the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast he had once seen had not possessed such a terrifying aura.

The other four Soul Kings could barely move their frozen throats. Unable to speak, they could only croak out pleas for mercy.

The Ice Empress could not be bothered to look at them.

Her golden eyes slid toward Chi Hong.

"See how well they know their place? The moment they met this empress, they knelt and pledged their loyalty. What about you?"

Chi Hong met her gaze with a smile.

"I'm the master here."

She nearly lost her icy composure at that. The cold around them intensified.

"What did you say?"

She stamped her foot.

The icy mist suspended in the air burst apart. Fine crystals became countless sharp needles that swept toward the men kneeling on the ground.

They moved with blinding speed.

"Aagh!"

They had time for nothing but a scream. Their final thought was, Why are we dying when he's the one who provoked you?

In the blink of an eye, ice needles pierced every assassin's body.

[The Ice Empress killed four wild Soul Kings and gained a massive amount of experience.]

[Charizard gained a large amount of experience.]

[Greninja gained a large amount of experience.]

"Hm?"

The Ice Empress was surprised. Killing them had slightly increased her strength. The gain was only equivalent to a few thousand years of cultivation, so it had little effect on her overall power.

But that made no sense.

When had increasing her cultivation ever been this easy without absorbing rare treasures?

The Ice Empress looked at Chi Hong. He was the only explanation.

"Hah. Killing people makes you stronger. You really are an evil Soul Master by nature."

Chi Hong raised an eyebrow.

"Don't say I'm killing people. You just have to win the fight. You're the ruthless one."

He was in an excellent mood. The experience from one Soul Emperor and five Soul Kings had raised Charizard and Greninja to the equivalent of eight thousand and six thousand years of cultivation respectively.

The Ice Empress said coldly, "And humans hunting Soul Beasts isn't ruthless? How many Soul Beasts have you killed to grow stronger?"

Chi Hong nodded.

"You're right about that. But I don't do it. Haven't you noticed? I get Soul Rings by taking Soul Beasts in, not killing them. Just look at how well Charizard and Greninja are doing."

Chi Hong reached out to stroke Charizard's head. Greninja gave Chi Hong's face a firm lick with his tongue, earning a look of disgust.

The Ice Empress paused. She really had not considered that. She had been too angry and humiliated by Chi Hong forcing her to become his pet.

She had failed to notice that, to Soul Beasts, this human was an exception. Perhaps even a friend.

The Ice Empress snorted.

"Hypocritical human. All you do is threaten Soul Beasts into serving you. Who knows how many more will fall into your clutches?"

[Ice Empress's affection +7]

Chi Hong stared at her, baffled.

"You attacked me first, remember?"

The Ice Empress closed her eyes.

"You humans always have an excuse."

[Ice Empress's affection +5]

Chi Hong looked at the information floating before him in confusion. Why did her affection keep rising while she berated him?

The little twin-tailed scorpion flicked her tail and returned to the Poké Ball on her own, leaving him with one last remark.

"Summon this empress sooner next time. These Soul Emperors are ants to me, but they're still deadly to a weak human like you... Your only use is to let me kill them and increase my cultivation. Understood?"

Chi Hong hesitated, then asked curiously:

"Are you worried about me?"

"Get lost!"

[Ice Empress's affection +9]