Chapter 11: Corridor of Death
Lucas, who had done his homework, recognized Chad the Treant and knew well the deadly moves he was proficient in.
Ahead, two berserk members of the Axe Gang, controlled by Chad, charged. Veins bulged on their heads from the neural toxins.
At the other end of the corridor, a cheetah raced towards them at breakneck speed. Its front limbs had been replaced with mechanical parts, three blade-like claws extending with each step, leaving deep marks in the floor.
Lucas exhaled softly. A mist dispersed before him.
The main act was about to begin.
The approaching cheetah pounced, while roots shot up from the ground behind Lucas.
And Lucas vanished amidst scattered ice crystals.
Two curved swords in the air transformed into spinning ice wheels, shredding the cheetah and the roots into pieces like a grinder.
When Lucas reappeared, he stood behind the two berserk gang members.
With a sweep of his hands, the spinning ice wheels flew into his grasp, effortlessly decapitating the gang members along the way.
Headless, under Chad's control, the gang members turned and swung their axes at Lucas.
Gripping the returning curved swords, Lucas slashed downwards, leaving deep marks on the floor. Chad's roots were severed, and the headless gang members finally fell.
Frost spread where Lucas stood, and once again, beautiful ice mist bloomed in the air.
Meanwhile, over a dozen roots pierced out from the walls and floor around him.
The Ice Dance Garden released at level 80 was beyond comparison to the level 60 release in power.
Instantly frozen, the protruding roots were gently split in half with a touch of the sword.
Moisture and intense cold stirred up a blizzard in the corridor, mixed with blooming ice mist blowing towards Chad.
The invasion of cold, corpses of death, and expanding ice layers in the corridor made Chad realize the vast difference in strength between himself and the intruder.
Watching the elf swiftly glide towards him on the ice, Chad tried to retract his feet, but his roots were all frozen in the floor and walls.
Unable to move, Chad could only swing his vine-turned arms, hurling axes towards Lucas.
Gliding on the ice, Lucas moved along the wall's ice layer, slid from the ceiling, then down another wall.
Evading the axes and vine arms, he appeared beside Chad in a blink within teleportation range.
The short knives in his hands extended into long knives enchanted with ice. The left blade severed Chad's vine-turned arm, while the right blade cut off his rooted feet.
Turning around, he gathered strength and swung a blade, a massive ice blade grazing the ice layer on the wall, spraying ice and debris towards the Axe Gang members appearing at the other end of the corridor.
Following through, each stroke sent a blade of ice slashing through, nearly covering every angle in the narrow corridor, leaving the charging Axe Gang members nowhere to hide as they were crushed in succession by the three ice blades.
Screams echoed, body parts scattered. Blood rapidly solidified into various states of splintered ice.
Having dispatched Chad, Lucas advanced down the corridor, hearing the sounds of battle ahead where reinforcements of the Axe Gang were arriving.
These hardened warriors, accustomed to bloodshed, roared and charged forward upon seeing the elf invader who had slain Chad and many others.
Behind them, a staircase led to the castle's second floor, the mandatory path to the Jumu's Bedroom.
Lucas pushed back against the charging Axe Gang members.
He released the dual swords, which turned into ice wheels swirling around him.
Then he drew a broad-headed cleaver from his backpack.
The dual swords, now named Radiant Starshine, were flexible and versatile to use. Ice-enchanted, they significantly boosted ice attributes' power.
The broad-headed cleaver, named Ancient Blue Rock, wielded immense force and power. Holy-enchanted, it significantly enhanced holy skills' power.
Lucas gripped the cleaver, and a glow emanated from his right arm through the black long-sleeved glove, radiating outwards.
A burst of light from the released holy skills.
[Extraordinary divine power] [Swift movements] [Sacred Flames]
The ice dance garden surged forward, and frost blossomed among the charging Mad Axe gang members, instantly freezing them in their damp state.
The freezing intensified, contorting the movements of some gang members.
Lucas's speed increased again under the influence of swift action, leaping into the midst of the Mad Axe gang.
The ice wheels churned, stirring up a haze of limbs and blood.
He gripped his blades tightly and struck down heavily. Erupting holy flames demolished the walls, turning several into ash with each swing.
The holy flames splattered in all directions.
Those suffering from frostbite were then scorched by the intense heat, their skin and muscle suffering severe double damage.
As new frost blossoms unfolded, the freezing resumed. It was a true clash of ice and fire.
The two ice wheels continued to churn...
In the narrow corridor, there was simply no room to dodge. Most Mad Axe gang members didn't even get a good look at the intruder before becoming wraiths.
One wave of Mad Axe gang members was wiped out, and another surged forward.
The newly arrived gang members saw the littered bodies and towering ice sculptures and couldn't help but show hesitation.
Driven by the advancing chill, they quickly retreated. But their chests were immediately pierced by sharp blades.
"If you back off, then be prepared to die!"
A figure leaped out from the heads of the Mad Axe gang members.
His movements were incredibly swift, gliding effortlessly between walls and ceilings. Those with poor eyesight couldn't even catch his form.
He was fast, seemingly unaffected by the ice dance garden's freezing effects.
Lucas charged forward with his blade. The ice wheels rolled towards the newcomer.
He got a clear look at that guy.
Gnome [Bernie], the three-star hero.
Except for his head and torso, his waist down and both arms had all been replaced with mechanical parts.
Bernie had a low center of gravity and high speed, his special foot structure allowing him to move vertically on surfaces.
He was the Mad Axe gang's dedicated assassin.
At this moment, Bernie's hands turned into cone-shaped blades. Utilizing his agility and advantage of being small and nimble, he swiftly closed in on Lucas.
Despite the damp and freezing effects affecting him, he had to eliminate the intruding elf at the fastest speed.
Bernie maneuvered between walls to dodge the flying ice wheels, then landed and swiftly charged forward.
Close quarters!
Bernie was very confident in his close combat abilities, while his opponent wielded a heavy cleaver.
In such a distance, speed determined who lived and who died.
Seeing the elf swing the cleaver downward, Bernie felt that the "slow" cleaver gave him enough time to consider whether to stab her throat or heart.
The blade, burning with holy flames, descended, but Bernie smoothly dodged...
Huh?
'I clearly dodged!'