"So you must be the Winter Labor that Vastarael killed in the Spire," Adelasta said as she intensified her flames, warming up the other two women close to her.
To their shock, Permafrost's Grasp talked.
"Well, I certainly remember that bastard. We fought for days. I have never flight someone as powerful as him. But now the Frozen God has revived me and made me a God—"
"It's a Temporary Ascension."
They all looked at Peroncerea, who was awfully relaxed.
"Temporary... Ascension?"
As much as Peroncerea didn't want to talk in a battle, she decided to elaborate since even the Labor was confused by it. After all, why rush when you can kill them with ease?
Adelasta and Elyonari turned to Peroncerea, their own curiosity piqued despite the dire situation. Peroncerea sighed dramatically, clearly annoyed at having to give a lecture in the middle of a battlefield. Still, her relaxed demeanor didn't falter, even in the face of the Forgotten Rank opponent.
"Temporary Ascension," she began, twirling one pistol idly as if they weren't standing before a creature capable of wiping out armies. "It's one of three types of Ascension. Let me break it down for you, since you're clearly out of your depth, Big Guy."
She smirked, clearly enjoying the chance to talk down to the massive entity.
"First, there's Normal Ascension. You know, the usual. It's the most stable and long-lasting form. Basic stuff."
The Labor's claws flexed, but it remained silent, clearly intrigued.
"Second," Peroncerea continued, flipping her pistols into her holsters momentarily, "is Reversed Ascension. That's when your Ascension is tied to someone else. You share a connection, like... a bond, or something deeper. When one ascends, the other gets stronger too. But here's the kicker. It's even more powerful because of that shared connection."
Adelasta's eyes widened slightly at the explanation. A faint memory surfaced. Her bond with Vastarael was due to Reversal Ascension. She hadn't thought much of it before, but now... It made sense. Every time he grew stronger, she felt it too, like a ripple in her own essence.
That's why despite being a Third Phase Ascender, her essence amount was extremely high. Because Vastarael had nine pseudo-cores.
"And lastly," Peroncerea said, her tone shifting to something more mocking, "we have Temporary Ascension. Demons love this one, by the way. It's when you forcefully jack up your power for a short period of time. You burn through your energy reserves, and when the clock runs out..."
She paused for effect, grinning wickedly. "Well, let's just say you'll wish you hadn't used it. Sure, you're strong for a while but, it's unstable and leaves you vulnerable afterward."
The Labor's shoulders stiffened. It clearly hadn't considered the limitations of its newfound power. Elyonari exchanged a quick glance with Adelasta. Without saying a word, they both understood the same thing.
This so-called Forgotten Rank didn't fully grasp its abilities.
Before its death, it was only Divine Rank. It was wielding power it didn't know how to control and all they had to do was survive long enough for its Temporary Ascension to expire. The realization must have shown on their faces because the Labor let out a roar of frustration.
"You dare mock me?! I'll freeze your tongues to your throats!"
It raised its arms and the sand beneath their feet trembled. Massive shards of ice erupted from the desert sand, forming colossal constructs: towers, beasts and weapons forged entirely of frost. Each construct moved with unnatural precision, as if an extension of the Labor itself.
"Here we go!" Adelasta growled, her flames roaring to life.
The first construct, a massive wolf made of ice, lunged toward them with frightening speed. Adelasta reacted instantly, launching a searing fireball that collided with its head. The explosion sent shards of molten ice flying but the construct barely staggered.
"These things don't melt easily!" She shouted, soaring into the air using her flames.
Elyonari planted her staff into the ground, summoning a wave of green energy that surged forward, splitting into vines that wrapped around another construct, a towering humanoid made of crystalline ice. The vines pulsed with energy and cracks began to form on the construct's surface, but it retaliated by hurling a spear of ice directly at her.
"Not today!" Peroncerea yelled, shooting the ice spear mid-air with a burst of crimson demonic energy. The spear shattered and the corrupted energy seeped into the humanoid construct, slowing its movements.
Adelasta swooped down from above, unleashing a torrent of flames that engulfed another construct. It was a massive serpent made of interlocking ice shards. The serpent thrashed wildly, its icy body glowing as it resisted the heat, but Adelasta's flames intensified, turning the area into a blazing inferno.
Meanwhile, Elyonari focused her energy on the wolf construct. Her staff glowed as she summoned a barrage of Nature Energy beams, each one striking with pinpoint accuracy. The wolf howled as its body crumbled under the assault, the vines around it constricting tighter until it shattered into a cloud of frost.
The Labor watched its constructs fall one by one, its frustration boiling over.
"You think this will stop me? I'll show you the power of a god!"
With a deafening roar, it slammed its fists into the ground, sending a wave of ice spikes rippling toward the trio.
"Elyonari, shield!" Adelasta shouted.
Elyonari raised her staff, creating a glowing hemispherical green barrier that deflected the spikes. The impact sent her stumbling but Peroncerea was already at her side, firing her pistols at another incoming construct. Adelasta used her flames around the shield to lessen the damage.
"Focus up, ladies!" Peroncerea called. "This guy's throwing a tantrum, but we've got this! We just need to hold on until the Ascension expires!"
Adelasta smirked, flames curling around her hands as she prepared another attack. "Let's melt this wannabe god. And this time, we're going all out."
The battle began with a cataclysmic burst of energy, Adelasta's flames collided with Permafrost's freezing aura in an explosion that rippled across the battlefield.
To the three women, it was a deadly dance, precision and power balanced in equal measure. But to the onlooking Academy students still fighting frozen constructs, the clash was nothing short of apocalyptic. Shockwaves rippled outward, fracturing the sand into ridges and sending shards of melting ice hurtling like shrapnel. Bursts of fire, nature energy and demonic red light streaked across the horizon, illuminating the desert in a chaotic display of raw power.
Adelasta wasted no time switching to her signature daggers, their blades engulfed in roaring flames. She darted forward, closing the distance between herself and Permafrost's Grasp in a blink. With a single motion, she brought her daggers down toward the creature's icy torso.
Permafrost raised one massive claw to intercept her, the impact creating a thunderous shockwave that blasted the surrounding sand into the air.
Adelasta twisted midair, her daggers slicing through the claw as if it were paper. The icy limb shattered into glittering fragments but almost instantly, the shards began reforming, knitting themselves back together.
"Persistent," she muttered, her voice tinged with mild annoyance as she landed gracefully on the shifting sand.
Permafrost swung its other claw at her in retaliation, the massive appendage glowing with frost so cold that the air itself crystallized around it.
Adelasta ducked under the strike with inhuman speed, the sand beneath her feet igniting in tiny bursts from the heat of her flames. She retaliated with a flurry of slashes, her daggers moving so quickly that they appeared as streaks of fire cutting through the air.
Each strike sent more shards of ice flying but the creature's regeneration kept pace, its claws and body reforming as quickly as she could destroy them. Their clashes sent waves of heat and cold rolling outward, creating a stark contrast that left the battlefield a chaotic mix of scorched sand and frost-coated dunes.
Above them, Elyonari took position. Her staff morphed into a sleek white bow with designs resembling blooming vines, glowing with nature's essence. She activated her Ascender Form, pulled back the shimmering bowstring and an arrow of pure green energy formed between her fingers.
She released it, the arrow streaking through the air with a sharp whistle before embedding itself into one of Permafrost's towering ice constructs. The construct exploded in a burst of green energy, shards of ice raining down harmlessly. Without missing a beat, she drew another arrow, this one aimed directly at the creature itself.
Permafrost snarled as the arrow struck its shoulder, the green energy seeping into its icy form and creating cracks that glowed faintly with nature's power.
"Nice shot," Peroncerea called from below, her twin pistols blazing with demonic energy. She fired rapidly, each shot aimed at Permafrost's blind spots. The bullets exploded on impact, leaving scorch marks on its icy surface and disrupting its focus.
Adelasta took advantage of the distraction, darting around Permafrost's legs and slashing at the joints with precision. Her daggers cut through the frozen armor with ease, each strike sending waves of heat that briefly disrupted its regeneration.
Permafrost let out a roar of frustration, realizing that Adelasta's close-quarters combat was no ordinary technique. Her movements were too precise, her strikes too deliberate. It was as if she had fought creatures like him before—no, as if she had perfected techniques from an era even he couldn't recall.
"Your technique..." the creature growled, swinging wildly in an attempt to force her back. "It predates my own!"
"Does it?"
Adelasta replied coolly, sidestepping a massive ice claw and plunging her dagger into its forearm. The blade's flames surged, melting a hole through the limb as she pulled it free and flipped backward.
"I don't keep track of that sort of thing."
Realizing that close combat wasn't working, Permafrost switched tactics. It raised both arms and the air around them dropped to an unbearable temperature. Massive ice constructs began forming around it. One resembled a massive golem, another a serpent coiled protectively around its creator.
Adelasta barely flinched. She tightened her grip on her daggers, their flames roaring to life.
"You think big toys are going to scare me?"
The serpent construct lunged at her, its fanged maw wide open. She sidestepped at the last moment, slashing at its side as it passed. The flames left a gaping wound in its icy body, but it quickly began repairing itself.
"Elyonari!" Adelasta shouted.
"On it!" Elyonari replied, loosing another arrow that pierced the serpent's head. The construct exploded into shards, its icy remnants scattering across the battlefield.
Peroncerea continued her assault, her pistols glowing brighter as she infused them with more demonic energy. She aimed for the joints of the golem construct, each shot precisely timed to weaken its movements. When it tried to retaliate with a massive swing of its arm, she rolled out of the way and fired a charged shot directly at its torso, creating a crater in its chest.
Meanwhile, Permafrost itself was focusing on Adelasta, its claws creating massive waves of ice that surged toward her. She countered with walls of flame, the two elements clashing violently and sending shockwaves in all directions.
Elyonari was the only one with the capability of standing close to them due to her flames.
The air grew colder, the frost biting at their skin and threatening to sap their strength. But thanks to Elyonari's connection to nature, Adelasta's flames and Peroncerea's innate demonic resilience, the three women pressed on, unfazed by the freezing conditions.
Adelasta leaped onto Permafrost's shoulder, her daggers glowing golden-hot as she drove them into its icy torso. The creature howled in pain, its body convulsing as cracks spread outward from the points of impact.
"Elyonari! Now!" Adelasta called.
Elyonari drew her bowstring, pouring every ounce of her energy into the arrow. It shimmered with vibrant green light, pulsing with the essence of life itself. She released it, the arrow streaking toward Permafrost with blinding speed.
The creature raised its arms to block but the arrow pierced through, embedding itself deep within its chest. The green energy erupted outward, spreading through its body and forcing the ice to fracture and splinter.
Adelasta leaped away just as Peroncerea fired one final shot, the demonic bullet striking the arrow's core and detonating in a burst of red and green energy.
Permafrost let out one final, deafening roar as its body crumbled, the icy fragments dissolving into the air. The battlefield grew still, the eclipse above casting an eerie light over the victorious trio.
Adelasta, Elyonari, and Peroncerea stood together, breathing heavily but triumphant.
But...
"Why aren't we getting the notification that we won?"
That's when they heard a chill voice.
"Overwrite, Enhanced Frost Prison!"