Ronan suddenly opened his eyes, awakening from a dream where he was battling a multi-headed serpent and a giant fiery bird.
His mind was shaken; at this moment, the bloodline inherited from "Hekalto" within him was in unprecedented turmoil. The fragmented memories conveyed by the bloodline finally made Ronan understand why he instinctively felt disgust towards Moriel, and why her fire magic was so powerful—it flowed with the bloodline of the legendary fire beast overlord, the immortal phoenix! It was also the natural enemy of the frost multi-headed serpent!
In ancient times, when the two met, it would always end in a fight to the death.
But none of this mattered to Ronan right now.
At this moment, Moriel's pure and enchanting face was less than three centimeters away from him, her eyes tightly closed, peacefully asleep.
Her lips were covered with small orange-red fragments, as if smeared with some strange lip gloss, and around her face were dense, worm-like filaments.
These filaments were all connected to Ronan, piercing into his flesh, desperately sucking the life force from every piece of his flesh and every cell, the vital energy deep within him rapidly depleting at a visible speed.
As his life force drained away, he felt as if he were a piece of dry wood being gradually drained of moisture. The fire that had been suppressed by frost surged back, and he heard the sound of his own body crackling as it burned.
The legendary immortal phoenix, at the brink of death, would always be reborn in flames!
Clearly, what Moriel was undergoing at this moment was this process of "rebirth through fire."
She was severely injured, seeking to be reborn in flames, while Ronan was unfortunately chosen to be the fuel for this rebirth fire! "Damn it! Damn it all."
The hatred of bloodline enemies, combined with the crisis of having his life force forcibly extracted, gave rise to a primal ferocity within Ronan. At this moment, he wished he could immediately tear Moriel apart, bite into her tender flesh, and drink her blood.
He struggled with all his might, trying to break free from the immortal phoenix's tendrils rooted in his body.
Ronan growled, frantically striking at a mark on his soul.
"Hekalto... you shouldn't let me die like this, dying at the hands of your mortal enemy. Hekalto!!!"
As if hearing his call, amidst the roaring waves crashing against the rocks at the edge of the southern continent, a rolling frost broke through, and a massive black-blue two-headed serpent silently raised its head.
"Phoenix."
Both heads of the giant serpent uttered the same name, and in their crimson, cold eyes, it seemed to reflect the scene of a multi-headed young serpent dying repeatedly under the pecking of a giant bird engulfed in flames.
The serpent's eyes flickered slightly but soon returned to complete calm and indifference.
Without looking back, it broke through the heavy waves in front of it and silently disappeared into the vast ocean.
"Whoosh—whoosh—"
In the boundless wilderness, all traces of frost had completely vanished.
The raging fire had melted the location of the once small village into a lake of molten lava.
In the center of the flowing lava lake, golden-red flames burned quietly, exuding an indescribable vitality.
At the center of the flames, through the crystal-clear fire red, two "entwined" figures could be seen slowly separating.
The girl stretched her form, raising her head upwards, while below, a young man's figure fell helplessly.
Ronan felt his own soul igniting as well.
It was as if he had returned to the moment he broke through to the official wizard level, taking the Soul Ignition Potion.
"Fire and Ice coexist... Fire and Ice coexist."
Ronan's mind kept repeating the words that "Schbiert Alchemist" had once said to him. He knew he wanted to survive in this situation; this might be his only chance.
Under the pressure of the death threat, Ronan entered a state of indescribable wonder.
The two elemental energies of ice and fire transformed into various forms in his consciousness, and a faint connection between them seemed to be grasped by Ronan.
But the time he had to control it was far too short.
Before he could fully capture this fleeting spark of inspiration, his consciousness gradually fell into a blur amidst the ongoing "burning."
His blood seemed to dry up.
The strong physique he had once prided himself on now felt like a parched, cracked earth, covered in scorched soil.
Ronan had faced death countless times before; he was all too familiar with that feeling.
But this time was different from the past; it was not like sinking to the cold, dark bottom of a lake. Instead, he felt as if he had turned into ashes, slowly crumbling and wilting, dying after completely burning out. Just as Ronan was about to lose consciousness entirely, suddenly, "crack—"
The necklace he had worn around his neck for so long quietly shattered.
The gems on the necklace had long melted away, leaving only a deep blue crystal ring, which also shattered at that moment.
From the broken ring emerged a semi-illusory circular mark, quickly sinking into Ronan's brow, followed by a gentle surge of power that enveloped him rapidly.
"Snow and ice... cover the corpse."
It was as if the sound of howling wind and snow, also like a soft sigh in a melodic tone.
A voice gently echoed in Ronan's ear.
In an instant, a mysterious aura quietly blossomed.
Silently.
The flowing lava lake burned quietly, almost solidifying into the shape of an immortal phoenix in golden-red flames. Everything was covered by an inexplicable force in the next moment.
All transformed into a silent, beautiful ice sculpture.
In the distant extreme north.
At the end surrounded by endless ice and snow, cascading ice waterfalls, and the white snow covering everything, towering snow-capped mountains stood like eternal guardians of this isolated land.
Time seemed to freeze here; the years did not flow, only the whispers of ice and wind lingered between heaven and earth.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a loud rumble shattered the tranquility of this world.
From within the snow-capped mountains, ancient beings began to awaken from their slumber.
On the most ancient, towering, cold, and solemn snow mountain, within an ancient white snow temple, a hunched old figure suddenly opened her eyes.
This was an incredibly aged woman.
Her gray-white hair almost covered the entire hall, and the wrinkles on her face and body were more numerous than the ravines of the northern snow mountains.
Her eyes were murky, and her dry lips moved as she continuously called out a name.
"Ailsha, Ailsha."
Before long, a beautiful girl with deep blue hair cascading like a waterfall, surrounded by countless ice flowers blooming, quietly appeared in the hall.
The girl knelt respectfully before the old woman, kissing her hair.
Seeing the girl appear, the old woman stopped calling out, and a faint expression of love and tenderness appeared on her face.
She extended her frail hand, gently stroking the girl's head, and spoke softly.
"I can feel it."
"The other half of the Ice Emperor's mark has awakened; it is calling out to you."
"You are destined to become the next leader of frost."
"Go, retrieve the complete legacy of the Ice Emperor; it belongs to you."
The girl nodded respectfully.
She silently retreated from the hall, and when she stepped outside, her stunning face was filled with nobility and coldness.
Countless snowflakes in the world surrounded her, bowing and singing praises. She seemed like a born ice queen, overlooking all beings.
The girl gently stepped into the howling wind and snow, and immediately a massive ice dragon emerged between the snowy mountains, flapping its wings and swiftly flying towards the vast snowy plains.
Time passed, though it was hard to tell how long.
It felt like just a brief moment, yet also like a century had passed.
"Crack, crack, crack—"
On the snow-covered wilderness, a massive ice sculpture's surface cracked with countless fissures, and finally, with a loud "bang," a tall and slender figure jumped out.
"Whoosh—"
Ronan landed firmly on his feet, exhaling puffs of white breath.
At this moment, he was completely naked, his perfect physique exposed under the sunlight, showcasing the raw masculine beauty.
Ronan's current state was good; his physical strength seemed to have significantly increased, and although the vital energy within him had been somewhat depleted, it was much better compared to the previous state of being nearly "squeezed dry."
But at this moment, Ronan's focus was entirely elsewhere.
He explored himself and sensed a circular mark resembling snowflakes and ice shards shining brightly deep within his soul.
"The Ice Ring of Aelris."
Ronan "gazed" at the mark, murmuring softly.
This item, along with the "Frozen Soil," was inherited from the "Ice Flame Iris" Lanster Family. Although he had always worn it, he had almost forgotten about it.
He had never been able to identify the unique properties of the ice ring; its core rune provided a doubling effect for ice spells, which had gradually become less significant as his strength increased.
Yet he never expected that this ice ring concealed another "secret," no wonder the Lanster Family valued it so highly.
Ronan closed his eyes, and through the mark, he faintly sensed a distant calling.
He carefully felt the icy chill brought by the "ice ring" surrounding him.
It seemed different from the power of the "Hekalto" bloodline, but he couldn't quite articulate how.
"This power can directly extinguish the 'rebirth fire' belonging to Moriel's immortal phoenix bloodline. Even compared to the ancient overlord of frost, the bloodline of the frost multi-headed serpent is not inferior."
Ronan felt a stirring in his heart and planned to ask Soraya about the "Ice Ring of Aelris" when he returned to White Stone Fortress.
"Crack, crack—"
At that moment, a sudden sound of ice cracking echoed behind him.
Hearing this sound, Ronan's gaze instantly turned cold, and a fierce killing intent surged in his eyes.
He almost vanished from his spot at the moment the sound rang out, and when he reappeared, "Boom!"
On the frost-covered wilderness, a massive ice sculpture shattered with a loud crash, and amidst the rising ice dust, Ronan stood tall, his robust and handsome physique resembling a towering ice mountain, his long hair billowing, one arm raised.
With his fingers gripping tightly around a girl's neck against the outline of the sun.
"Hiss—"
Ronan's right hand locked onto Moriel's throat, while his left hand formed a blade with his fingers. The revived Ithium and frost coalesced into a sharp edge between his fingers, cold and ruthless as he reached for Moriel.
She struggled violently, letting out a piercing shriek, her hands moving as she displayed impressive close-combat skills.
But under the immense power disparity, Moriel's resistance was as insignificant to Ronan as a baby in the hands of an adult.
"Crack—crack—"
With two crisp sounds, Moriel's delicate arms fell limply, and Ronan quickly broke her legs, then coldly aimed for Moriel's brow.
If he struck true, her beautiful little head would explode like a crushed watermelon.
Having faced life-and-death crises twice, Ronan's killing intent towards Moriel had reached an unprecedented level, not to mention the bloodlines of their ancient enemies flowing within them.
He had a hundred thousand reasons to kill Moriel on the spot!
However.
"Buzz—"
As Ronan's fingertips touched Moriel's brow, a mysterious and complex rune suddenly illuminated her smooth, full forehead.
Ronan felt a sudden heat radiating from his own brow.
Immediately, a sharp pain surged from his forehead.
As he exerted a bit of force, the pain intensified, as if he were stabbing Moriel's brow while simultaneously stabbing his own!
"Boom!"
An inexplicable force erupted, sending both of them staggering backward.
"Drip, drip."
Ronan extended his hand to catch the drops of blood falling from his forehead, looking at Moriel with an incredulous expression, seeking answers.
"What is happening?"
At this moment, he could sense an incredibly strange bond tightly connecting him and Moriel.
They could feel each other's most subtle emotional changes, fluctuations in thoughts, and even tactile sensations.
As if they were one, like some twins born with a shared mind, sharing everything.
With the closest relationship in the world.
Within this connection, there was also a mix of the bloodlines flowing through them, the animosity of mortal enemies, and the grudges born from their intersections—extreme intimacy, yet extreme hatred.
These two extreme and contradictory emotions intertwined, leaving Ronan momentarily unsure how to deal with Moriel before him.
And Moriel, clearly, felt the same way.
She stood dazed for a moment, then suddenly lunged at Ronan as if in a mental breakdown, shouting and roaring like a crazed beast, flailing her arms and even using her mouth, wanting to fight him to the death.
Ronan snorted coldly, continuously countering her attacks.
This time, however, it was no longer as easy as before. Ever since the strange rune had illuminated their brows, no matter what harm he inflicted on Moriel, he would also suffer the same pain.
Neither of them was willing to back down, engaging in the most primal and savage close combat on the frost-covered plains, forgetting their identities as wizards.
Until dusk fell, the stars scattered across the sky, and a crescent moon rose from the horizon.
The "wounded" two finally ceased their struggle.
"Whoosh—whoosh—"
Ronan sat on the newly sprouted grass, slowly calming his breath, mobilizing the vital energy within him to quickly h
eal his injuries.
Meanwhile, a few meters away, Moriel appeared disheveled and lost.
Suddenly, she smiled bitterly, looking at Ronan, and murmured in a tone of "disillusionment": "How could I... form a 'symbiosis' contract with you, this guy."
(End of Chapter)