A surge of fury rose in Ethan's chest, his expression hardening. "Unbelievable. Erald Castle's power is more than enough to make any enemy think twice—and they still dared to treat us like that?"
Feylora quickly stepped in front of him, raising a hand to stop him. "Master, we shouldn't act rashly. That frozen world… it's not ordinary. Their queen is on a whole different level. She can freeze entire stretches of space with just a flick of her finger."
Ethan paused, eyes narrowing.
He knew Feylora didn't throw around praise lightly. If she was calling soone a supre existence, then that queen was no joke.
But even so, Ethan didn't back down.
It didn't matter how powerful the enemy was—if they provoked Erald Castle, there would be consequences. No one got to walk away unscathed.
He took a deep breath, steadying his pulse, his gaze sharpening with resolve. Without hesitation, he summoned Namyanna and ordered a full-scale mobilization.
Within hours, Erald Castle's forces were assembled—an army vast and disciplined, ready to move.
They marched out in force, a tide of steel and energy surging toward the unknown.
Ti blurred as they traveled, until they reached a strange, silent plain. On the surface, it looked unremarkable—flat, still, almost eerily calm.
But Ethan's instincts flared.
Sothing was off.
He narrowed his eyes, raised a hand, and gently pressed his palm into the air ahead.
Instantly, a surge of energy rushed into him, wrapping around his body like a vice.
The air began to hum violently. Space twisted in his senses, warping like it was about to tear apart. A small vortex ford in midair, spinning faster and faster, until the ground beneath them trembled.
Ethan didn't hesitate.
He unleashed his power, channeling it into the vortex, forcing it open. The swirling rift expanded rapidly, stretching into a wide, stable portal.
On the other side—another world entirely.
Without pause, Erald Castle's army charged through.
In the blink of an eye, they crossed over into a realm of ice and snow.
The cold hit them like a wall.
Even Ethan felt it—sharp, biting, cutting straight through his defenses. He shivered, just slightly, then quickly summoned energy to form a protective barrier around his body.
The others weren't so lucky.
Despite their best efforts to shield themselves, the cold gnawed at them. Frost clung to armor. Breath ca out in thick white clouds. So staggered, already struggling to adapt.
Ethan frowned. He should've brought more subordinates skilled in ice-based energy. This environnt was brutal—far worse than he'd anticipated.
As he weighed their next move, a massive figure appeared in the distance.
The mont it stepped into view, the entire landscape seed to shift. The air grew heavier, the pressure spiking until it was hard to breathe.
Ethan's instincts scread.
"Battle stations!" he barked.
The army snapped to attention, weapons drawn, energy flaring. Tension crackled through the ranks.
The figure drew closer—and Ethan finally saw it clearly.
A giant white bear.
But this wasn't so wild beast. The cold radiating from its body was so intense it froze the air itself. Ice crystals ford midair, drifting like snowflakes made of razors.
Its eyes glowed with a piercing ice-blue light.
And then it moved.
A flash of blue—and a blizzard exploded from its body.
The storm roared across the sky, a tidal wave of wind and snow crashing down on them. The sheer force of it threatened to bury the entire army in an instant.
Ethan's pupils contracted sharply. The mont that white bear unleashed its aura, he knew—it was far stronger than he'd expected.
"Fall back!" he barked, voice cutting through the howling wind.
He imdiately triggered a system scan, pulling up the creature's data panel.
The results made his chest tighten.
—Target: Frostborn Behemoth
—Tier: 29 (Mid)
A mid-29 Tier monster.
Even if he went all out, there was no guarantee he could take it down quickly. Worse, many of the troops he'd brought weren't specialized in ice-elent combat. In this environnt, their power would be severely suppressed.
If a full-scale fight broke out now, the odds were stacked against them. The risk of a total wipe was dangerously high.
Ethan's gaze sharpened like a blade.
This wasn't just a threat—it was an opportunity.
That thing was a walking battery of pure ice energy. If he could bring it down, it would be the perfect fuel to boost Namyanna's power.
He inhaled deeply, steadying his breath, and shifted into combat mode.
"Idra. Auri. With ."
In a flash, the two responded, their energies fusing into his body. A surge of raw power exploded from within him, lightning-fast and overwhelming.
Ethan shot forward like a bolt of thunder, energy coalescing into dozens of radiant spheres that launched toward the white bear in a relentless barrage.
Boom!
The first impact shook the sky. Shockwaves rippled outward, tearing through the air in layered waves. Each blast slamd into the bear with crushing force.
The Frostborn Behemoth staggered.
It hadn't expected such a ferocious assault. Its massive fra reeled back several steps, a rare crack in its otherwise unshakable presence.
Ethan didn't let up.
He pressed the attack, each strike more focused, more brutal than the last—aid directly at the bear's chest.
He'd already analyzed the data. That spot was its weakest point. If he could hamr it hard enough, he might pierce its defenses—maybe even rupture its heart.
But reality didn't bend so easily.
The bear's body was absurdly tough. Even its "weak point" was like trying to punch through a mountain of steel. His attacks landed hard, but they weren't breaking through.
Ethan's brow furrowed. At this rate, he'd burn through his energy reserves before the bear even started to bleed.
And the bear was done playing defense.
Its aura flared violently. Energy surged through its body, condensing into a massive sphere of pure frost power. With a roar, it hurled the orb straight at Ethan.
His eyes widened.
He could feel the destructive force packed inside that thing. It wasn't just an attack—it was a kill shot.
He bolted backward, body flickering into lightning, trying to outrun the blast.
But the energy had locked onto him. The bear charged after him, the frost orb chasing like a guided missile, closing in fast.
Then—
Namyanna rose into the air.
Her eyes glowed with a piercing icy light.
She raised her staff, and the temperature around them plumted. Frost spread like wildfire, coating the air itself in shimring crystals.
With a graceful sweep of her staff, she carved a glowing arc through the sky. Ice energy surged, condensing into a majestic phoenix made of snow and frost.
The Ice Phoenix spread its wings and launched forward, colliding head-on with the bear's energy sphere.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Each impact sent shockwaves tearing through the battlefield. The sky cracked. The ground trembled. Space itself began to warp, fissures opening in the air like shattered glass.
Ethan stared, stunned.
He hadn't expected this.
Namyanna's current power… it was unreal.
According to the system, she was only mid-28 Tier—still a full Tier below the Frostborn Behemoth. But the ice energy she was wielding wasn't just comparable—it was overwhelming.
She wasn't just holding her own.
She was pushing it back.
Ethan's mind raced. The gap in Tier should've been decisive. But Namyanna's mastery over ice, her affinity, her control—it was on another level entirely. She wasn't just resisting the bear's power.
She was dominating it.
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