Chapter 49: Tieflings (Part 3)
The battle raged on; many tieflings were frozen into statues, torn to pieces, or maimed and devoured. Yet, a number of yetis also fell, their bodies sinking into the deep snow.
"Awooooo—"
Suddenly, a loud howl echoed from afar.
The sound was piercing, sweeping across the mountain slope with the cold wind.
Immediately, all the yetis joined in, howling in unison, the eerie sound reverberating over the hills, sending shivers down everyone's spine.
"That's..."
Medrolash slowly raised his head.
At the top of the slope, a towering yeti stood, beating its chest.
Its size dwarfed the regular yetis, standing taller than three men combined, like a snow-covered mountain.
Massive, coiled horns adorned its head, and its enormous fangs looked sharp enough to pierce a human skull. Its eerie blue eyes emanated a frigid darkness, even intensifying the snowstorm swirling around.
"The Great Frost Yeti."
Medrolash took a deep breath, uttering the name that struck fear in every northern dweller.
This yeti, with its towering form, often haunted stories told by mothers to scare their children. Highly territorial and brutally savage, it attacked and devoured any warm-blooded creature it encountered, scattering their bones across the ice.
"Stand down."
The tiefling paladin held back his comrades who wanted to charge forward, stepping ahead alone, pointing his longsword provocatively at the massive beast.
"I'll be its opponent."
The distant Great Frost Yeti let out an excited hunting howl, leaping forward over ten meters, creating waves of snow.
It approached the tiefling, its cold gaze fixed on him, with a magical chill embedded within that stare, as though intending to freeze everything in its path.
"Chilling Gaze!"
This magical stare was more terrifying than any yeti's gaze before.
Immediately, Medrolash felt an overwhelming, bone-deep coldness, as though submerged in ice water. Every inch of his skin, every bone, began to harden, testing his endurance to the breaking point.
"Aura of Protection!"
The tiefling resisted the urge to collapse, his body surrounded by a red aura.
The aura shielded him, warding off the invasive cold magic and allowing him to recover slightly from his frozen state.
"Infernal Rebuke!"
Medrolash pointed his hand forward, igniting a ring of flames around the Great Frost Yeti.
However, the meager flames were insignificant against the massive yeti, which opened its jaws, revealing shards of ice forming in its throat.
"It's using Frost Breath!"
An intense chill, powerful enough to freeze any warm-blooded creature solid, burst forth in a cone shape from its mouth, extinguishing the infernal flames as it surged toward the tiefling paladin.
Medrolash rolled to his left just in time, barely avoiding the breath.
"Huff, huff..."
"What terrifying breath."
Supporting himself with his sword, Medrolash stood up, noticing that his right fingertips, which had been grazed by the breath, were now frozen solid, devoid of any feeling.
Fortunately, the Great Frost Yeti couldn't continuously breathe out frost and needed time to recharge. Now it eagerly charged forward, intent on engaging this small tiefling in close combat.
"If I take a direct hit..."
"I'll die."
The gravity of the situation weighed on Medrolash as he watched the approaching yeti with heightened caution.
Determined, Medrolash advanced with his sword.
"Hexblade's Curse!"
With a fierce shout, a dark necromantic glow enveloped his sword as he swung it at the Great Frost Yeti.
The yeti instinctively raised its thick, strong arms to block.
The impact sent Medrolash flying, but his sword left a cursed mark on its fur, successfully binding the curse.
"Awooooo—"
The Great Frost Yeti stood paralyzed in place.
It clutched its head, letting out pained howls.
Medrolash rolled through the snow to disperse the impact, and despite the pain, he quickly rose to charge at the yeti again.
"Roar—"
The Great Frost Yeti howled again, its body shaking as it pounded its chest, struggling to break free from the curse.
Medrolash knew he had only a minute.
As a former paladin of the Oath of Redemption, his sword once radiated with holy light, as though an angel had descended. Now, as an Oathbreaker, his blade glowed blood-red, like something from the depths of hell.
But that didn't matter; he was only bound to his own will now.
"Sacred Strike!"
With a fierce shout, he leaped high, his longsword enveloped in a crimson, sinister glow.
But just as he was about to strike down, the Great Frost Yeti regained clarity and raised a massive arm in defense.
"Swish—"
With a slicing sound, Medrolash's sword severed the yeti's massive hand.
The beast let out a cry of pain, anger, and fury.
Its other hand lunged forward, grabbing Medrolash mid-air.
"Damn it!"
Medrolash struggled frantically, but under the yeti's overpowering strength, he was immobilized.
The massive jaws inched closer, filling his vision.
He could feel the freezing breath emanating from its throat.
Fueled by the agony of its severed hand, the Great Frost Yeti intended to devour the tiefling whole!
Desperate, Medrolash raised his sword, using his last ounce of strength to block the yeti's bite.
"Clang—"
His sword clashed against the yeti's huge fangs.
The nearby tiefling warriors rushed forward to help their leader.
But their weapons and arrows barely scratched the yeti's thick fur, instead giving the other yetis a chance to counterattack, causing further losses.
Medrolash took advantage of the yeti's distraction from the minor attacks to cast his final Oathbreaker spell.
"Darkness!"
A shroud of darkness emanated from him, engulfing the yeti, blinding it.
But even in the dark, as Medrolash slashed wildly, the creature held its grip tight, refusing to release him.
The yeti continued to roll through the snow, on the verge of escaping the darkness.
"No..."
"I will lead my kin..."
In the darkness, Medrolash's black eyes shone with resolve.
"To survive."
His sword glowed blood-red again, as he struck at the yeti's head.
"Sacred Strike!"