Freon grunted. He had no energy to focus on what happened. His Core was empty now and he drew on his World Energy, his very own lifeforce! World Energy was countless times more powerful, but also more volatile than Magical Energy. It was not something an Arcanist could control. He was truly courting death! However, he intended to do so. He knew the consequences and continued anyways. That showed the extent to which he wanted to kill the emperor! The drain on his World Energy was far stronger than what he did in the Yunyun Stronghold. His cheeks sunk in as the color disappeared from his skin. Blood leaked from his orifices as his senses shut off. Hearing, touch, taste, and smell… The only one left was sight but even that was fading. He was burning away his life!
But he was rewarded for his efforts as his spell coalesced into a beam of energy as it shot across the battlefield towards the emperor. It was a blindingly bright beam with its heat burning the snow into mist. Emperor Lianghu did not hesitate to jump back. He did not dare take the attack head on! Freon smiled. The beam abruptly burst into twelve smaller beams and accelerated to five times its speed before converging on their target! They were already separated by a small distance. Now that the beams accelerated so quickly, it left virtually no time to react. Emperor Lianghu wore an ugly expression. Perception Realm or not, if he could not defend fast enough, then it was meaningless! There was nothing he could do!
Explosions rocked the battlefield as the beams landed, sending a burst of heat and dust in all directions. The shockwave alone was enough to send vibrations through everyone present. Cardinal Hui, Loujin, and Shaolong, their expressions were as dark as night. For the emperor to be harmed under their watch, their killing intent immediately surged to an all-time high. Not even that, but the Imperial Sentinels holding the encirclement also saw everything. They seriously wanted to kill Freon! To face the full brunt of their combined auras, it was hair-raisingly terrifying. It was like a mountain was weighing down on Freon. The Cardinals were about to move when the dust began to settle.
Freon stared with wide eyes. He could not believe it himself! His spell was called Thirty-Six Falling Stars, a high-class spell that High Gaseous Fog Arcanists used. Although he touched upon a mere fraction of its power, with twelve of the possible thirty-six beams, it was still a powerful spell! Furthermore, it was so short-range that the attack was practically unavoidable. He even depleted his Core and used his World Energy! In theory, it was not something someone could face head on and survive. And yet… The outcome was the emperor's figure who remained standing!
Emperor Lianghu's robe was burnt and ruined with bare scraps covering his body. His hair drooped across his face wildly and he was covered in soot. There were countless injuries across his body, though most of them were moderate. The most severe injury was his left arm which was basically cooked. The skin was cracked and torn, blood was dripping everywhere, and bone could be seen. Despite his wounds, he stood strong. The mere glare he gave Freon was bone-chillingly cold. Freon literally could not process the absurdity. That spell was something he poured every bit of effort into! And it amounted to so little? What cruel joke was this?
He failed to notice when the emperor vanished, and his vision began to turn dark. A massive cut appeared on his chest and blood violently erupted forth. Freon was still dazed as he fell into the snow. Emperor Lianghu clicked his tongue in displeasure, flicking the blood off his sabre. Suffering such a massive loss against a child went beyond humiliating! He was the emperor of the Xingyuu Empire! He was going to take his time torturing before killing them. Yet, how could he imagine that those tiny ants could rise against him? The power and potential they possessed… They could not be allowed to leave! Now though… All that was left was a lonely Elizabeth.
"How disappointing," the emperor said to the despondent girl. She was still dazed on the ground, huddling her knees like a child. "I was hoping you would struggle more. What a pathetic showing. Forget it, I'll kill you and get this over with."
Elizabeth was scared! Death and destruction paraded around her, reminding her of that night… That night where she lost everything. The night New Havens fell. The night her family died! How could she forget that night? It was burned into her memories so vividly that she could relive it. Was a person's grief so easy to overcome? That was a pipe dream born from the ignorant. She wanted to disappear… to somewhere, anywhere. She did not want to relive her nightmare! She pleaded quietly for someone to save her! But there was no one around her. No one was left to hear her pleas.
The emperor loomed over her with his sabre like an executioner's blade. Upon seeing his shadow, she lifted her head and saw her friends defeated. Their bodies were sprawled across the ravaged battlefield, bloodied, mangled, and unmoving. For a moment, she was transported back to New Havens where her powerless self was forced to accept reality. She could feel her mother's regret, her father's fury, her brother's desperation, and her sister's fear. She could see their corpses and anguished expressions. She could see their unwillingness to die! That was right… Nothing changed since then. She was the same person since then, and now, the same events were playing out again. History repeated itself. This was the end! Her death was here!
No! She screamed internally. What is this nonsense? I came all the way for this? I refuse! I refuse to accept this! I will not accept this! As the emperor's sabre slashed down, time seemed to slow down. She watched with large eyes as it plunged towards her neck. You slaughtered my family. You killed my father. You tortured Lord Korogin. You hurt my friends. You toyed with the kingdom! You even tried to kill me! But if you want my life, I'll make sure to die with me!
Boundless strength and determination flowed from her very being as her aura abruptly transformed! Even if the sky and earth collapsed, she would make sure the emperor died here! She transformed her fear into fury! Fury against the gods themselves for creating such a story! The world was cruel. The world was unfair. But she would defy them! She would defy the world itself! Her aura exploded like a volcano, bursting with such power and strength that it became visible! Her bow was lightly glowing in a pure white, as if resonating with her resolve. Rainbow-colored lights swarmed her as they shot into the sky. It was the descent of something… something far beyond everyone's comprehension!
It happened so instantaneously fast that no one could react in time. The rainbow-colored lights condensed into liquid, separating Elizabeth from the outside world, as her aura continued to climb. Emperor Lianghu's sabre halted midair, as if it hit thick water. He could not move it further. He was shocked! Everyone on the battlefield also stopped to watch the pillar of light. It was so bright that everything seemed dim in comparison. Everyone felt a mysterious pressure weighing down on them. It was completely unlike anything they felt before! Fear paralyzed everyone stiff. They felt their lives were no longer in their control! Even the Perception Realm experts were no different! All felt insignificant when compared to this unfathomable power!
Benedict and Shirley were roused awake by the commotion. They were on death's door, but the sudden development forced them awake. They could barely believe their eyes when they saw Elizabeth at the center of it all! Freon was possibly the most stunned. He knew some things as Nassandra's brother. The first two Core Levels were known as Gaseous Fog and then Condensed Drop. Those names were not superfluous, they accurately described the purity and density of Magical Energy that the Arcanist possessed.
For example, in Freon's Core, the Magical Energy was as thin as air. It was barely noticeable at all. More advanced Arcanists commanded denser energy, as thick as fog. Nassandra, as a Ten Dawn, was required to achieve Low Condensed Drop. That meant her Magical Energy could literally condense into liquid form, a single drop. Of course, the density of energy meant she was countless times more powerful than any Gaseous Fog Arcanist. This was why they could perform spells like Torrential Blizzard! However, from what Freon could see… The liquid forming around Elizabeth was as plentiful and deep as a river. What did that mean? She was powerful enough to condense energy around her! This meant she surpassed Nassandra! He even had to wonder if she went beyond Condensed Drop!