Vann stood with his hands on his hips, looking careless on the surface. As a Warrior, his instincts were already running through a third way to attack after only standing there for a moment, but he needed to draw information first. So he let the other side talk for now.
By chance, the other party's thoughts were completely different, and a string of accidents had already made him irritated. First, an Ancient White Dragon had appeared out of nowhere and disrupted the ritual's required sacrifices. Then that third-rate fan creator got into trouble, forcing him to step in and expose himself to Vann, which was an even worse surprise.
Beneath the black robe, shrouded in rolling dark mist, a pair of eyes glanced at Icelis. She was quietly shifting her small feet, clearly planning to slip away. All the earlier problems combined were nothing compared to the appearance of this one.
The day of the ritual was already close, whether it was hiding in the dark or playing games of balance. If this were compared to drawing a Joker Card, it used to mean watching the opponent's face and guiding them through actions and expressions to avoid drawing that card. But Icelis could simply throw herself out together with the Joker Card and treat it as the ultimate move.
She was a second Joker Card that no one had ever considered and should not have existed at all. The accuracy of the ritual was vital, especially at the final stage, where even one extra variable could affect the result. At least he had discovered her early enough to prepare and reduce the effect of this card as much as possible.
The best solution was to hold this card in his own hand, which was why he had acted from the start. Unfortunately, he had still underestimated her. And now, the wolf had caught the scent of blood and arrived as well.
Black-robed Man picked up the trash beside him, half of its body shattered by ice, without saying a word. Strange flames rose in midair and exploded outward. The instant the firelight reflected in Vann's eyes, he struck.
He stepped forward hard, crushing the roof beneath his foot. Sharp as frost and carrying a wolf-like howl, Battle Aura burst out, filled with killing intent colder than snow. His hand moved like lightning, fingers hooked like claws, tearing across nearly a hundred meters in a single strike.
The condensed Battle Aura formed a solid claw that ripped through the thin layer of flame. Then it suddenly detonated as if reacting with something else, sending a shockwave of wind and cold outward. Houses, towers, and stone spires around them were shredded and blown apart, and a pit dozens of meters wide was left at the center.
Did it work?
Of course not.
At the center of the crater, there was nothing but marks like a beast's claw and scattered ice shards. Nothing else remained.
"He dissolved my attack?" Vann muttered.
He realized he had experienced a brief moment of blankness, less than a hundredth of a second. In that tiny gap, the enemy had neutralized his strike and escaped. That should have been impossible.
He was already Gold Rank, and such an error would have been fatal on a normal battlefield. His soul and body had been refined to their essence, merged into a single flawless whole. Thought and movement were synchronized, leaving no room for meaningless hesitation.
That moment of blankness could only be caused by the other side's method.
"Get lost!"
Icelis, who already had one foot out of the battlefield, raised an ice shield to block the incoming flames. A familiar wolf howl seemed to sound near Vann's ear, pulling his mind back to the present. The wolf pelt cloak on his body gleamed with icy light, and a claw-shaped mark appeared on his arm as he drew on a power he normally never used.
Vann burst forward, first chopping with a hand blade that split the flames rushing toward her. His fingers formed claws as he grabbed at the black robe. The moment he tore it open, he felt something wrong.
The sensation was off. It was only a mass of disgusting, writhing black flesh, shredded by Battle Aura and frozen into scraps. A fake, probably made by that revolting man.
He ripped it apart and turned sharply. There was no one there.
"I fell for it."
From beneath the black robe and shadow, a mouth curled into a grin. Ignoring Salva's curses nearby, he had to admit that the man was skilled at this. His ominous hand reached toward the dazed Icelis, once again using that bestowed power to burn away her thoughts.
As expected, she was not at full strength, and her consumption was heavy. Her resistance to him had dropped sharply. This was perfect, he had it.
Black-robed Man smiled.
"You are the one who fell for it," Vann said with an even broader grin.
A wolf howl rang out from the side.
"Awwooooo!"
A massive wolf head formed entirely from Ice Element lunged out of the void, releasing a chilling howl. The head, as tall as several buildings, opened its mouth lined with icy fangs and swallowed the reaching Black-robed Man into its frozen depths.
"What..."
His eyes widened slightly as he could only watch Icelis wave at him.
Vann raised his arm, the ice-blue claw mark glowing faintly. Fortunately, the chaos she had caused in the city earlier had gathered a huge amount of Ice Element, making the summoning far easier than usual. Otherwise, it would have taken much longer.
"Grr..."
The enormous frost wolf head suddenly paused. Burning cracks split from its mouth, fire bursting out as large chunks broke apart. Seeing this, Icelis hurried over to help, directing the gathered Ice Element to forcibly patch it back together.
The black-robed man's reaching hand was bitten back.
"Hmph."
She held grudges, after all. There was also another reason she had stepped in to help. She turned to look at Vann.
She sensed another familiar presence.
"Why do I feel like I have seen you before? No, not you, something on you?" Icelis stared at Vann, having to tilt her head up because of the height difference.
"First of all, it is not a thing. But judging by you, you do not remember anymore."
"Then you know?"
"I only know it from what it told me...!"
Vann suddenly pulled Icelis behind him to shield her. The frost wolf head that had swallowed Black-robed Man was crushed as if drawn into a vortex, and from a pitch-black whirlpool, a figure burst out with ice fragments clinging to his outer robe.
Without hesitation, the black robe stretched like living tentacles into the ruins, dragging out half of Salva's remaining body. He turned back, as if giving one last look.
"We will meet again."
"Stay right there!"
Vann surged forward, tearing through the air as a wolf-shaped frost image appeared behind him. The flames that had been burning his thoughts were frozen solid. But with the wolf's howl and the swing of his claws, he only shattered the ruins even further.
"So that is how it is? That kind of flame rapidly burns away my memories?" he said with a cold snort.
Thinking back, the enemy had escaped during another brief lapse. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Vann turned around. A black-haired little girl had run over, leading Icelis to him, both slightly out of breath.
"Did he get away?" Fei'er Li asked anxiously.
"He ran. Unfortunately," Vann replied, narrowing his eyes as he took a metal flask from his waist and drank. "So later, you will explain everything in detail. You know far more than I expected."
"Alright, but the most urgent thing is to reinforce the city's defenses," Fei'er Li said quickly. "They are going to drive a beast tide to attack the city."
"Pfft! Are you sure? Attack where?" Vann asked, losing his calm.
"Not just one city. Every subsidiary city in your territory, including the main city, will be attacked," Fei'er Li continued. "They seem to be carrying out some kind of ritual, and this is required."
"A ritual?"
"Yes, a very large ritual."
"Wait."
Vann scanned the surroundings. Figures covered in blood emerged from the shadows and gaps, and the one in front leaned close, passing information through a secret method before nodding. He looked back at Fei'er Li and sighed.
"I planned to investigate a dragon, but you brought me something much bigger," he said. "Let us go. And that spirit lady too. Come with me to the main city."
"A dragon?" Icelis popped out from behind Fei'er Li again.
"Yes, a White Dragon. But there are more important things right now."
"As long as it is not a Black Dragon."
?
"So cold…"
It was her again, Feltz. She stood at a corner of the city wall beside the Mage Tower, using the high vantage point and the boost from her Magic Array to pour endless Magic down into the surging Beast Tide below. Her breath fogged as she kept her stance steady against the wind and the constant shockwaves.
In the sky, dense flocks of flying beasts dove together, forming a black curtain that blotted out the light. Only occasional Battle Aura slashes and Magic bombardments tore open gaps, sending blood raining down. Each cleared patch closed again in moments as more monsters rushed in.