Chapter 6: Puppet Ice Men

At this moment, Komer and Rebrí were indeed observing the performance of Karu and Boriz. Their current performance could only be described as mediocre—there was nothing outstanding about it. The Light Shield was a basic weapon used by members of the Light Church to counter offensive magic. No matter what kind of offensive magic it was, it would find it difficult to be effective against this neutral magic, provided that the defender had strength on par with the attacker.

However, Komer had considerable magical power of his own. The dark energy not only launched wave after wave of magical attacks in conjunction with the magic matrix but also carried a chilling force that could cause significant harm to those under attack. This forced the two judges to divert some of their magical energy to resist the encroachment of the dark energy.

Both Komer and Rebrí wanted to force the two judges to show their true skills, so they simultaneously unleashed auxiliary magic to activate the magic matrix on a larger scale. Komer even deliberately transformed wind magic into ice magic, using two small ice spells in succession to trigger the magic matrix and transition it into a larger ice spell.

Karu and Boriz, inside the magic matrix, immediately sensed the change in the surrounding atmosphere. The spinning wind blades slowed down gradually, but their strength grew more intense. Each collision with the magical shield caused slight fluctuations, indicating that the wind blades were becoming more powerful. Yet this was not enough to frighten Karu and Boriz. What worried them more was that the dark energy beneath their feet seemed to surge more violently. Clearly influenced by the changes in the magic matrix, this dark energy kept coalescing, seemingly preparing for a large-scale spell, which filled Karu and Boriz with tension.

The dense cold energy gradually condensed into a mass of cold mist that kept expanding. The icy mist, like thick clouds, lingered around Karu and Boriz, becoming so dense that they could barely see their hands in front of their faces. Communication between Karu and Boriz could only be done through air magic.

“Karu, I think we need to resolve to take counteraction. This can’t go on. Even if our opponent doesn’t harbor deliberate hostility, it seems they intend to test us. If we can’t come up with something decent, it will be hard to satisfy them.” Boriz’s magical transmission carried a strong aura of fury. Being ambushed in such a mysterious way was nothing short of a provocation against the Church of Light. He was certain that the mastermind hiding in the shadows must be that polite little noble lord from the day before. His anger was hard to bear—this arrogant fool truly thought he could bully the Church of Light without consequences if not given a taste of his own medicine.

Karu had also been observing the changes around them. The growing darkness was undoubtedly under human control. The mastermind was surely the owner of this castle. Only someone who knew this castle, as well as the magic matrix and the properties of the Eye of Darkness, well enough could manipulate the intensity of the darkness so effortlessly and integrate the Eye of Darkness with the magic matrix so perfectly. It had to be said that this guy was quite skilled.

As the dense clouds of darkness continued to accumulate, forming a massive atmospheric shield, Karu realized that the opponent was likely about to impress them both deeply. The power of the wind blades grew more fierce, constantly cutting through the Shield of Light. The heavy clouds of darkness kept expanding. Karu knew that once these clouds condensed to a certain extent, they would explode, releasing immense elemental power. He and Boriz, being at the heart of the storm vortex, would bear the brunt of the impact, suffering the greatest force and the most severe damage.

But if they didn’t survive this trial to show their strength, it would be hard to fulfill the opponent’s wishes. Karu understood that the opponent had set up this trap with the intention of testing them. Though he still wasn’t sure of their ultimate goal, it was clearly necessary to establish the Church of Light as absolutely dominant in their eyes.

“Boriz, the opponent might unleash a large-scale ice spell. If we survive this, I believe they’ll reveal themselves.” Karu took a deep breath. “It seems our Shield of Light will really come in handy.”

“Very well, let’s show these guys the strength of our judgment body. Let them understand that any schemes are useless in the face of absolute power.” Boriz spat out these words through gritted teeth. Such an almost insulting provocation had made him nearly unable to restrain his urge to teach them a lesson. Only by forcing them out could he properly deal with these ignorant scoundrels.

Komer observed the two judges enveloped in the dark aura with interest. So far, they had remained very calm, showing no unusual reaction even when they sensed the changes in the dark airflow. Of course, Komer knew his opponents would understand what those changes meant. Their excellent mental resilience already proved their strength, and now he needed to further test just how powerful they really were.

When the dark energy reached a critical level, a strange phenomenon finally appeared. Intense ice elements gathered to form a massive ice giant. This was because Komer had deliberately mixed puppet magic with the ice elements—a somewhat risky move. In ordinary people’s eyes, puppet magic is often confused with dark magic. On the continent, professional puppet magicians tend to use dark magic as the core of their puppets, as only dark magic can maximize the power of puppet magic. Other magicians, even if they know a little about puppet magic, are quite superficial and amateurish.

Komer knew that ordinary methods would hardly dispel his opponents’ doubts. So he did the opposite—showing off his “honesty” by using puppet magic in front of them. With lightning magic as the initial impression, this reverse approach actually made it easier for them to trust him. They would think that his willingness to use puppet magic in front of them meant he had nothing to hide, thus reducing their suspicions. Of course, this only worked if they weren’t too stupid. Komer believed in the intelligence of the two of them.

The furious ice element giant, controlled by puppet magic, became extremely fierce. Its arm, like a giant pillar of ice, swept wildly toward Karu and Boriz. A shrill howling sound, accompanied by the howling wind, filled the air as the entire magic matrix was enveloped in thick cold mist. Its foot, as big as a basin, moved slowly and clumsily within the magic matrix, each step seemingly causing tremors.

Karlu and Boriz never expected that the accumulation of dark energy would give rise to such a monster. They hadn’t anticipated that the immense power of ice elements would manifest in the form of puppets. The puppet ice men, with their massive palms resembling uprooted trees, chased after the two, who struggled to move through the icy wind. The shield of light was utterly unable to withstand this combination of magical power and physical attacks, forcing them to desperately evade this unprecedented assault.

Fortunately, the countless pillars in the magic matrix provided them with opportunities to hide. They also noticed a peculiar phenomenon: whenever the ice men’s palms came close to the matrix pillars, they would instantly melt away. Although the ice elements would quickly reassemble, this at least prevented direct strikes from the ice pillars. It was this unique feature that allowed Karlu and Boriz to catch their breath for a moment.

Komer also discovered the weakness of the puppet ice men—their enormous size made it difficult for them to maneuver swiftly within the matrix to track the two. After casting a spell, the massive bodies of the puppet ice men collapsed and shattered into three smaller ones. Though these three still were much larger than ordinary people, their movements became far more agile, and their power increased significantly. Under Komer’s control, the three puppet ice men quickly coordinated their tactics and began surrounding and pursuing Karlu and Boriz.

Karlu and Boriz immediately realized the crisis was upon them. The three puppet ice men moved nimbly through the matrix, with each part of their bodies able to break off autonomously to launch attacks. After each attack, they could quickly regenerate using ice elements. The broken ice fragments struck the shield of light, instantly turning into white ice mist. The intense cold seemed capable of freezing anyone solid on the spot. Karlu and Boriz realized the deadly power of this misting ice—although not the largest in scale, it was extremely powerful in a small area. Especially when enhanced by dark energy and transformed into ice fragments, its power surpassed that of ordinary ice elements. It could reduce anything to extremely low temperatures in an instant, causing it to become completely brittle—even a slight impact could turn a person into countless pieces of flesh.

Karlu threw the silver object in his hand into the air with a strange gesture. Almost at the same time, both Karlu and Boriz raised their hands in a devout prayerful posture, gazing at the silver object spinning in the air. A clear chant emerged from their mouths.

“The Divine Grail pours the infinite power of the God of Light upon the world, allowing the divine grace to envelop all existence. May the gods be with all people!” An expression of immense glory and pride appeared on both Karu and Boriz’s faces as their eyes gently closed.