With the queen's defeat, the remaining Snow Spirits were suddenly left like dragons without a leader.
Lin Xi took a deep breath, recalled Artoria and Emiya, and gave Melusine a wry smile.
"Sorry for the trouble, but I'm counting on you for the rest."
This was the first time in two years that he had encountered such a powerful enemy. All three of his Command Spells were gone, and he had less than thirty percent of his Soul Power left. For the time being, he could no longer sustain the mana consumption of Emiya and Artoria, both of whom were mana guzzlers.
At times like this, Melusine was less trouble. Not only did she excel at close combat, which consumed little mana, but she could also replenish her own mana, greatly easing the burden on Lin Xi.
Melusine broke into a delighted smile.
"Mm, leave it to me. I am the strongest, after all!"
With that, she charged out, brandishing her lance. Her beautiful form made her look like the true spirit of ice and snow.
In less than five minutes, nearly all the Snow Spirits the queen had gathered had perished beneath her lance. Only a handful fled in a panic.
Once he was sure there were no other threats nearby, Lin Xi found a reasonably clean spot, sat down, and began absorbing the Soul Ring.
The Heroic Spirits took turns standing guard beside him, so that a passing Soul Beast wouldn't pick off his helpless body.
The sky darkened, then brightened, then darkened again. A full day passed before Lin Xi opened his eyes once more.
He wiped the cold sweat from his brow and let out a long breath, his heart still racing.
He had to admit, an eighty-thousand-year Soul Ring lived up to its reputation. Absorbing