Tiana softly chanted the incantations of water magic. Suddenly, snowflakes swirled through the air, ice formed on the land and in the sky, and everything froze.
It was common knowledge in the magical world that the more powerful a spell was, the longer it took to cast. Seeing how long it took Snow Celestial Tiana to cast the spell, and the changes that took place as the space around them slowly transformed into a world of ice and snow, Han Shuo knew that this spell of Tiana's was unusually powerful.
Unlike when he had to deal with Ice Celestial Corey, all Han Shuo had to do was get close to Tiana as quickly as possible. Once he was close enough, she would either be dead or as good as dead!
Mages were only mages - their fragile bodies were their eternal weakness!
Cold wind whistled as all the water elements between Earth and Heaven quickly gathered. Before Han Shuo could get close to Tiana, five crystalline water dragons suddenly formed in the sky, each over ten metres long and incredibly lifelike.
Using the water element to materialise objects and use them to attack were feats of water magic that any journeyman mage could accomplish. But to create dragons of water that looked like the real thing, as Tiana had done, and five of them at once, was undoubtedly an amazing feat.
As a necromancer, Han Shuo had a thorough understanding of magic - be it water, fire or earth magic, all were able to use the elements of water, fire or earth to materialise and shape objects. However, the larger the object, the greater the amount of elemental energy required. Therefore, controlling these objects would become increasingly difficult.
If Tiana had been able to form five water dragons of such size the last time in Tarrag Canyon, Han Shuo was certain that he and Stratholme the old monster would have had a much easier time. From the looks of it, Tiana's strength had increased greatly after her soul had fused with the Water Origin Crystal.
Once Tiana's soul had fused with the Origin Crystal of Water, her affinity for sensing and controlling the water element instantly soared to new heights. Not only could she create five incredibly lifelike dragons, but she could also command them with her soul's energy and attack them as she pleased.
Such an accomplishment could more than hold a candle to Kelly in his ape form!
As three of the dozen metre long water dragons rushed towards the transformed Kelly amidst the blasts of icy wind, Kelly exclaimed in amazement, "Tiana, since when have you possessed such powerful strength?"
Even as Kelly said these words, his hands were already moving. Having just repelled Ice Celestial Corey, Kelly struck out at the three water dragons with a palm the size of a small mountain.
Kelly, well over ten metres tall, stood like a towering behemoth. The three water dragons, while matching his height in length, did not appear nearly as massive due to their slithering movements and lack of girth. To him, they looked like a trio of large pythons.
Under Tiana's control, however, the three water dragons were incredibly agile. She could not deny that Kelly, in his Ape form, possessed astonishing brute strength and did not dare to make it a direct battle of brute force between him and her three water dragons. Instead, they glided around him in an orderly formation, acting in concert with Ice Celestial Corey as he fought Kelly.
Orchestrating this required Tiana's full concentration, and with Han Shuo bearing down on her with an unholy glint in his eye, she had no time to talk.
Of Tiana's five water dragons, three were used to attack Kelly, and the other two were sent straight for Han Shuo, their jaws snapping shut.
Tiana seemed to be aware of Han Shuo's extreme speed, for as the two water dragons flew from her side to attack him, they moved to keep him at a distance. Their bodies coiled in such a way that Tiana was in the middle, only striking at Han Shuo with stretching strikes, making sure to block the paths he could take to attack her.
These water dragons formed from water elementals might not have been the real thing, but their movements were even more agile than real water dragons, without a hint of stiffness or sluggishness.
For elemental materialised objects to reach such a level was truly incredible!
From the looks of it, with the fusion of her soul with the Water Origin Crystal, Tiana's control over the water element had certainly entered the realm of perfection.
Seeing how easily Tiana was able to block all paths of approach with just her two water dragons, allowing her to hide within their protection and continue chanting other magical incantations undisturbed, Han Shuo could not help but frown. In his mind, he pondered the methods he could use to deal with her.
If the Water Elite Zombie had finished digesting the power it had previously absorbed from the Ice Goddess statue, Han Shuo was certain that he could use his innate power with it to completely disintegrate the five water dragons. However, just like Little Skeleton, this was a crucial time for the Water Elite Zombie, and he could not be disturbed.
"Hmph! Don't think you can stop me with just a few water dragons!" Han Shuo snorted. He began to move his hands in a circular motion in the air, as if he was doing Tai Chi.
Black bolts of electricity exploded from between his hands and a small vortex formed in front of Han Shuo's torso alongside his hand movements. A terrifying, devouring force was quickly generated, and the small vortex seemed to be pulling on some strange force in the world, growing larger and larger until it formed a terrifying grey vortex.
Han Shuo continued to channel energy into the giant vortex, and the all-consuming power of the demonic arts was fully revealed within. The air and cold winds were instantly drawn in by this terrifying power and violently sucked into the vortex.
The sky, which had been frozen but clear, instantly changed as sand and rocks filled the air, and it became dark all around. The gigantic vortex was like a mythical beast that had waited for eons at the bottom of the abyss before finally emerging and opening its titanic mouth as if to devour the entire world.
The land was in a state of desolation, and it seemed as if nothing could stop this terrible devouring force. The air, the cold winds, the stone pillars reaching for the sky - all were drawn into the vortex by the force and sent helplessly spinning.
Even the bodies of the squadron of knights that Kelly had embedded in the earth were violently torn out and sent high into the sky, flying into the gigantic vortex along with their armour, weapons and warhorses.
The larger the object, the greater the pull on them. The five water dragons were similarly affected by the pull of this force and could no longer maintain their agile state. All five were pulled away from their original positions and towards the gigantic vortex high in the sky.
At this point, even Tiana, who had fused the Origin Crystal of Water with her soul, could no longer maintain her control over her five water dragons. She could only watch helplessly as they flew into the centre of the gigantic vortex. At the moment she tried to control them with her mental power, she felt an unstoppable force rushing towards her and almost lost control of her own body, falling into the vortex as well.
The towering form of Kelly's ape body swayed unsteadily, but then he suddenly let out a great roar, stomping both feet on the ground with tremendous force and sinking his hairy legs deep into the earth. He was like an ancient, sky-reaching tree that had stood in the world for millions of years, unyielding in the face of all that was raging around him.
It was worth noting that Kelly's strength was indeed formidable. All large objects had been drawn into Han Shuo's vortex, all but the giant Kelly, who could remain unmoved by simply sinking his feet into the ground.
Chaos had broken out in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, the Ice Shrine had previously evacuated everyone in the area, so there were few casualties apart from the Ice Shrine disciples who had come to capture Kelly.
In the midst of the raging winds, Han Shuo suddenly stopped and pressed his palms together. A loud, destructive boom was heard from the vast vortex as ice and water mixed with pulverised rock and human corpses began to rain down.
At that moment, Han Shuo lunged forward, speeding towards Tiana at lightning speed. With a flick of his hands, the demonic blades unfurled like a peacock's tail. The coldest light shone from within, striking fear into the hearts of those who saw it.
Oh shit! Shocked, Tiana began to retreat quickly without a second thought.
As a mage, Tiana was well aware of her weaknesses. She knew that the moment she allowed Han Shuo to get anywhere near her, she would have little chance of escaping a gruesome death at his hands, and so she desperately tried to escape his attacks.
As she ran, she also built up layer upon layer of defences. Wall after wall of flat, shimmering ice formed in the direct path between Han Shuo and herself.
Crack crack crack!
With a single blow from Han Shuo, the mirror-smooth ice walls gave up as if they had been nothing more than dried leaves, and he continued his relentless pursuit of Tiana without the slightest sign of slowing down.
"Retreat!" Tiana shouted as she ran.
The Shrine of the Ice Elites, led by Ice Celestial Corey and Snow Celestial Tiana, had utterly failed in their joint attack on Druidic Order leader Kelly, all because of Han Shuo's sudden appearance.
It had not only been a failure, but a reversal of roles. Kelly, who was supposed to be the hunted, had reversed the situation with Han Shuo's help and become the hunter instead! Ice Celestial Corey of the Ice Shrine, on the other hand, had been forced to flee on his own turf.
They were all demigods, and although Kelly's power was greater than Ice Celestial Corey and Snow Celestial Tiana, it was still very difficult to fight one against two. But with Han Shuo going after Tiana, the one who posed the greater threat, Ice Celestial Corey was left to deal with Kelly all by himself. With Corey having been injured by Han Shuo earlier, Kelly had a definite advantage.
The defeat had come so quickly and suddenly, and the tables had turned in an instant. Han Shuo and Kelly, each with their sights set on the top two leaders of the Ice Shrine, began their deadly pursuit within the borders of the Kasi Empire!
Report Chapter Comments