Frida expressed her surprise, "I never expected that the two of you have also experienced such difficult situations."
Vale and Frida had shared their stories of what happened after they separated. Vale was shocked to learn that Frida had almost died and was only saved by luck, as Alex and Laura had diverted the Impersonator's attention. If they had arrived even a minute later, Frida would likely have lost her life.
"By the way, I saw your fight against Lily. What really happened in those final moments?" Vale couldn't contain his curiosity.
Frida furrowed her brow, trying to remember what had happened before she passed out during the fight against Lily.
"I don't remember much about it, either. I just felt incredibly light, my mind was working fast, and my reactions were accurate and precise. At that moment, it was as if I could do anything."
Vale couldn't help but wonder, 'Could it be true? Could the human body in this world be different from the human body on Earth?'
After running along the large pipe for about 15 minutes, Vale found himself standing in front of a cave emitting a yellowish-red light. Vale's puppet-like body prevented him from feeling the heat emanating from the cave, while Frida could feel the scorching heat, as if she was standing in front of a roaring fireplace.
Looking ahead, Vale noticed that the cave exit was large and gaping, almost like the mouth of a giant, with jagged rocks protruding in all directions. The rocks were blackened and scorched, evidence of intense heat.
"A volcanic crater?" Vale was surprised to find that the end of the cave was a crater on a mountain in the middle of this dimensional fragment.
Vale looked up and saw the ceiling of the dimensional fragment. The crater was not shaped like a U with an open-top, but more like the letter O with a small gap at the top.
In the middle of the crater was a vast pool of magma. About 15 meters above the surface of the magma pool was a large floating circular platform. The platform was made of dark obsidian stone, shimmering with a faint red light, and was supported by jagged black rock formations protruding from the volcanic lake below.
The only way to the platform was a narrow, winding bridge made of rough volcanic rock. The bridge spanned the swirling magma pool, with molten rock bubbling and hissing on both sides. The heat from the lava was intense, making the air thick and suffocating.
In the center of the platform were four obsidian stone pillars with runic carvings on them. The four pillars formed a square position.
In the midst of four towering pillars, an illuminated formation or magic array hummed, drawing in nature mana from the surrounding magma pool. A crystal ball sat at the heart of the formation, shifting in color in a hypnotic display. Countless threads were attached to the crystal, all originating from a massive pipe which Vale was currently investigating.
The magma pool spanned an area of approximately 200 square meters, with a circular platform located in its center occupying roughly 20 square meters.
Vale turned to Frida, his face etched with determination, and declared, "We must dismantle the formation. This will cut off Lily's mana source. With a little luck, we can defeat her."
Navigating the narrow bridge that leads to the central platform, Vale was acutely aware of the constant threat of falling rocks that rain down from above, causing eruptions when they impact the lava below. Every so often, a sudden burst of flame ignited the air near the edge of the bridge, prompting Vale to reflexively recoil fearing being singed by the intense heat.
Vale remembered that Frida did not have the benefit of a protective puppet's body like he does. He suggested, "Perhaps it would be best if you wait on the sidelines."
Frida was adamant, "No, I'll come with you. I don't feel comfortable leaving something this important solely in your hands. Don't worry, I can manage."
Her unwavering determination convinced Vale to relent. The two of them continued on towards the platform in the center of the crater. Vale was grateful for the safety of his puppet's body, as the environment was sweltering and replete with toxic fumes and low oxygen levels.
Frida, however, began to sweat profusely, attempting to regulate her body's temperature through evaporation. Prolonged exposure to these conditions would inevitably result in dehydration and overheating.
Vale and Frida were mere steps away from the platform when a sudden surprise attack caught them off guard. Vale sensed the danger and leaped forward just in time to avoid the blow.
Something suddenly attacked the spot where Vale had been standing moments ago. The surprise attack had caused the narrow bridge to crack. Vale quickly ran towards the platform in the middle of the crater. Meanwhile, Frida, who had intended to follow Vale, stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that the bridge had been severed due to the recent attack.
"Brother, I'm disappointed in you. You actually tried to kill Lily along with this swordswoman."
Suddenly, a beautiful wooden puppet with a little girl's appearance flew out of the cave, surrounded by a red aura. Although she had a smile on her face, Vale could feel Lily's fury.
This time, Vale didn't pretend. Instead, he responded to Lily with a flat expression. "Are you so lonely, Lily Chakuva? Ah, I remember that your father have passed away after being killed by the Academy."
"You! How dare you to say that?!"
At that moment, Vale turned to Frida and said, "Please hold her for a moment. I will destroy this formation as quickly as possible."
Frida nodded in agreement, "Hurry up."
"This princess can't allow you to destroy that formation." Dozens of red threads created from Lily's aura rushed towards Vale. However, Frida leaped and used her sword to cut those threads.
"Your opponent is me," declared Frida as she pointed her sword at Lily.
"I have spared your life, but you still want to seek death. If that's what you want, this princess will kill you. I don't care if that old man punishes me for killing you."
After saying that, Lily flew towards Frida. She then caught a large rock with her thread and threw it at Frida.
The student from the royal family enveloped her sword with a red aura and destroyed the rock. However, behind the shattered rock, Lily surprisingly attacked Frida. She used her small puppet hand to grip and slam Frida's body onto the bridge below.
"Let me tell you something, talent is not everything in this world. This princess has seen many talented people who provoked jealousy and ended up dead. You will be one of those people. Die."