Round 48: Fury of Fire
Strings of miniature fire balls erupted from Moriel’s hands, resembling molten metal spheres. They flew in arcs toward their targets, causing continuous small-scale explosions on or near the ice elements, with power even exceeding that of the bomb machine gun used in Round 47. Several already battered ice elements were completely shattered on the spot. Though they were stronger than ordinary elemental creatures and the frigid environment of the Ice Palace within Xuxkell granted them some damage resistance and rapid recovery abilities, they were still no match for such intense magical flames.
The female mage’s precise targeting ensured that her allies were unaffected by the flames and explosions, allowing them to re-form a siege around Kayro.
“Ignorant mortals! Why is your vision always so short-sighted?” Kayro turned gracefully backward, her long dress swirling as she turned the remnants of the destroyed ice elements back into dense mist. The female paladins caught in it immediately heard intense sounds of clashing weapons, as if countless blades were hidden in the fog. “What good does this do for you? What can you gain? Your actions will only lead to greater destruction!”
She drew more energy from the ice flames on the altar and shaped it into a thin, lifeless beam, shooting it at Xinbu, who had just dispersed a large area of mist. The silver flame shield surrounding the Storm Queen was struck by this beam; the flickering silver flames stopped instantly before exploding into countless tiny, transparent ice crystals. Xinbu was also frozen in this glittering ice dust, her flowing hair stiffening like a statue, and her flame-like eyes turning into lifeless ice balls… Fortunately, the pre-set trigger spell took effect immediately. Magical energy was summoned and gathered even as Xinbu was unable to do anything, swiftly and methodically dispelling the freezing energy and warming her body and soul, alleviating the nearly fatal injuries.
Many ice spikes emerged from the floor and walls of the Ice Palace, the smallest of which was over a person’s height, adding to the already dense array of ice pillars in the forest.
Xinbu stumbled to the ground, pale, with signs of frostbite on her fingers and ears. Moriel took out a healing wand from the belt wrapped around her lower leg, touched Xinbu’s body, and recited a spell—abundant positive energy bathed Xinbu, and the frostbite and cuts disappeared, leaving her unharmed once again.
“Thank you,” Xinbu said to Moriel, then turned her attention back to Kayro, who was temporarily on the defensive under the fierce attack of the four female swordswomen. She searched her mind for any remaining spells that might be useful.
“It seems this is Lady Mist’s domain. We can only defeat her by draining the energy she obtained from Xuxkell.” Moriel quickly drew another shorter wooden-wand-style spellstick and fired three magic projectiles at an ice element that was trying to stand up by gripping an ice pillar not far away, exceeding its capacity to withstand them.
“That’s right. Fortunately, your Steel Samurai used up most of them first.” These words brought a hint of concern to Moriel’s expression, but Himb didn’t notice. “But if we push Lady Mist to the brink, this place might really collapse… We need to get ready first.”
Fiona swung her sword at Kayro, but the blade was blocked and pushed aside by the ice shield spinning around her, causing the exhausted holy warrior to lose her balance. Kayro then thrust her staff at her; a sharp ice blade extended from the intricate gemless holder at the top of the staff. Milia blocked this attack from the side. The brilliant light that erupted when her old, ordinary sword touched the staff made even Kayro look away in surprise. Jen and Chloe immediately launched attacks from both sides, while Himb and Moriel behind them prepared for another round of magical bombardment.
“Enough!” Kayro vanished in an instant before reappearing on the altar, supported by the mist. With her furious cry, the ice pillars in the hall shattered and fell. “Very well, I’ll show you what it costs to hinder the gods!”
The star-shaped sapphire pendant on her chest suddenly brightened and seemed to be expanding rapidly. Nebula-like mist swirled and spread everywhere, engulfing everything in illusions and mirages. Pale cold light broke away from the altar, turning into countless brilliant ice strands that rushed toward the center of the mist vortex…
As Kayro’s pendant changed, Himb stopped half of her spells and let a scroll of parchment slide from her sleeve into her hand. The magical runes faintly visible on the edges of the scroll emitted a mysterious glow even in the thick fog that made it hard to see. The secret silver seal covering the scroll shattered like wax at the slightest touch from Himb.
Silver threads of magic shot out as the scroll was unrolled. Moriel, Chloe, and the three holy warriors were all connected by one or several of these glowing silver threads. Their bodies quickly blurred and disappeared in the flashing silver light, breaking free from the bonds of the material world. They flew away at high speed through the countless ice blocks crashing down around them.
The ice hall completely collapsed.
Countless indistinct lines danced and twisted before Moriel’s eyes, moving swiftly. It was the howling wind, the material world as seen through the eyes of spirits. The silver threads tied around her waist pulled her downward, toward the earth made up of shifting grayish-white blur patches.
When she touched the ground, it felt as if she were a layer of oil floating on water. The silver threads burst into a small spark before breaking and disappearing. Suddenly, Moriel found herself hanging in midair. Before she could react, a hand grabbed her.
The scenery in the real world became clearer in the female mage’s vision. The linear trails formed by the storm disappeared, replaced by hail and snowflakes rushing toward them. Chloé pulled her hand, guiding her away from the edges of the widening crack, as the collapsing ice rocks tumbled into the unfathomable darkness. After a moment, the abyss, which had mostly taken shape, suddenly closed violently. The two landmasses that had just separated crashed together with a thunderous sound, and hundreds of deep cracks spread instantly across the frozen ground at the junction. Then, under unimaginable force, they were pushed together and crushed, with white clouds rising into the sky as if forming an insurmountable wall between heaven and earth.
Chloé and Moriel tumbled across the ground, and Ximb and the others, who had just recovered from their spiritual state, were not in much better shape. The ground rose due to the impact—otherwise, the flood of ice dust might have buried them beneath the glacier.
They must have escaped far from XuxXuxKler -> Xux Kler’s body and seemingly disrupted Kayro’s plans as well.
The rough glacier continued to lift them upward, transforming from a flat ice field into steep, dangerous slopes. The storm raged on, growing more intense by the moment. Wind and snow lashed at them like whips, with continuous violent shifts in the earth’s crust. In the distance, that massive, dark figure gradually approached amid the howling storm.
“Well now, ladies,” Kayro’s contemptuous voice rang out above them. They looked up to see her floating in the wind atop her staff, her long hair and dress fluttering wildly, yet a faint mist surrounded her, never dissipating. “Should I praise your persistence? Or mock your recklessness?”
“You’ve succeeded in ruining my plans, preventing me from gathering enough power to open the divine realm. Now I’m forced to stay in this crude and vulgar material world…” She stared coldly at Moriel and the others. “But what can you do to me? Kill a goddess to prove your foolish, stubborn, and meaningless determination?”
She pointed toward XuxXuxKler -> Xux Kler, which was approaching. “Look, it’s about to break free from its frozen prison. Without my restraint, nothing can stop it—you insignificant mortals! Now I’ll see how much courage you have when faced with its power.”
At that moment, XuxXuxKler -> Xux Kler paused slightly, as if observing something. Its icy gaze pierced through space, causing everyone to shudder inwardly. It spread its arms as if to embrace the entire vast glacier, tilted its mountain-like head back, then thrust it forward—its devastating icy breath and terrifying roar tearing through the ground. Icebergs hundreds of feet tall were lifted up like dust, and even the wide high ground they stood on trembled and shook, struggling to hold firm in the storm.
Air and ice mixed into a destructive wave. The spherical force field barrier resisted stubbornly. Since the duration of this spell had been extended, it might hold on a little longer.
Countless whirlwind gusts pushed against and struck the shield from outside, but for now they couldn’t penetrate Xinbu’s spell. An irregular ice block as large as a small chapel rolled and floated in the storm before drifting over like a piece of paper. Sudden black lightning struck it like a divine sword, shattering the ice into countless fragments and plunging deep into the ground, creating an invisible chasm. Moriel instinctively stepped back two steps, and the same tension was visible in the eyes of the others. What appeared to be lightning was actually a dimensional rift caused by the collapse of space—given its intensity, it would be just as difficult for the force field shield to block it as it would be for a dwarf to voluntarily shave off his beard. “The space that imprisoned Xuxkell is beginning to overlap with the main material world…” It was unclear what defensive spell Kayro had used, but such a massive storm seemed to have little effect on her; only the pendant on her chest glowed brightly, likely due to the energy drawn from the Abomination protecting her: “The emergence of a divine abomination can easily destroy a nation, or even an entire world. How does that feel? Girls, it’s time to play the saviors!” “Shut up!” Fiona snapped at her. “Evil goddess! It’s you who caused all this! The Lord of Glory will not stand by while this happens; under his light, all evil will vanish!” Kayro let out an uncontrollable laugh, her body on the staff trembling slightly. “I caused all this? How amusing—you mortals always blame everything on gods! You kneel before those meaningless statues, pretending to pray devoutly when you need them, and forget them completely when you don’t. When things go wrong, you blame the gods for failing in their duties… Isn’t that exactly what your humble race always does?” “If you hadn’t been so arrogant, this abnormal winter would have been just one season! Even Xuxkell might have slept here longer due to my weakening of it! But now? It’s your constant obstruction that has provoked this Abomination, causing it to head toward the main material world! Admit it, mortals—your sins are the reason for the disasters befalling you!” “You—” “Don’t argue with her,” Moriel said coldly. “In front of the Goddess of Lies, there are no facts or reasons that matter. She can certainly shift all blame onto us while keeping herself clean. Let’s focus on finding a way to stop Xuxkell!” “Oh, Sister Moriel.” Kayro floated to the other side of the force field shield, with dark dimensional lightning flashing above her from time to time. “Have helping this little girl become a secondary concern for you now?” She placed her hand on her chest. “She’ll be sad! Things have come to this, and you bear undeniable responsibility! You know? I wasn’t very satisfied with this body at first—she’s too ordinary, not even fully developed… But now that I think about it, she’s the catalyst that brought about this global catastrophe! Is such a being worthy of being a vessel for a god?”
Kairo suddenly clapped his hands as if remembering something: “Oh, I’m sorry, Sister Moriel. You’ve also suffered a great loss! Your Steel Warrior is now forever buried deep within XuzxXuxKler -> Xux Kler’s body! I’m not lying to you—this is a fact! It’s a shame; I used to believe that brave knights could indeed defeat dragons and win the princess’s heart!” Seeing that Moriel and the others could no longer pose a threat, Kairo began to mock and slander those on the Glacier Highlands in retaliation for the defeat they had inflicted on him.
As XuzxXuxKler -> Xux Kler drew closer, space became increasingly unstable. Black lightning that tore through space grew more frequent, and storms gathered, paving the way for it to leave this place…
“Lady of poor taste, I can sense the silver fire bestowed by the Goddess of Magic within you… But what use is that? You’re the strongest among these people. You’ll be the main force in a moment—keep it up! Well, actually, if Sister Moriel’s Steel Warrior were still here, I’d give him a better chance! But since I’m here, come on, make a wish to the gods. Maybe he’ll suddenly appear—”
Without warning, XuzxXuxKler -> Xux Kler suddenly stopped, with visible flames emanating from its body. Then, a magnificent explosion occurred in its chest, spewing out massive amounts of steam and scorching flames like a volcano.
XuzxXuxKler -> Xux Kler let out a deafening roar. Numerous burning fragments were ejected from all parts of its body, destroying anything in their path—one of them brushed against the force field shield, releasing a blinding burst of light and fire.
Following the swirling white smoke and fragments were two meteors. One had a faint star-like blue hue, its cold tail flame tracing a blade-like path across the sky, while the other emitted incredibly hot flames so intense that just looking at them seemed to burn one’s eyes.
Coincidentally, both meteors arced downward toward the highlands where the group was located, growing larger by the moment—if they hit directly, the entire area would likely be leveled.
But that didn’t happen. A shadow of shifting light covered their heads. A figure resembling an archangel spread its perfect six pairs of wings, with pure blue light flowing along the edges of its sharp steel feathers, converging at the tip of its massive metal spear, embodying the meaning of “power” with an awe-inspiring grandeur.
Was this the true form of the “Divine Armament”? Before Moriel could look up closely at the steel woman floating slightly above the ground, burning ice and snow nearly submerged the force field shield.
Millennia-old ice and snow that had never melted were swiftly burned to ashes, and something rose amidst the steaming vapor. Everyone who saw it, though knowing it should be on their side, couldn’t help but gasp in shock. It was a terrifying figure, like a demon god under a torn sky. Taller than the brilliant steel angels, its appearance differed as sharply as the difference between the peaks of the Seven Heavens and the deepest depths of the Nine Hells. It was a human-shaped being entirely composed of massive, roaring metal machinery, its body covered in steel armor studded with sharp, twisted spikes like swords. It had four thick arms, whose “muscles” were made of fine gold fibers and energy coils; one of these arms was fully transformed into a giant mechanical cannon, its long barrel lined with rows of spikes like teeth. The other two arms held a chainsaw sword and a multi-bladed whip, with countless sharp teeth moving rapidly on these terrifying weapons. The remaining arm was empty, but its complex power fist alone was terrifying, like a giant hammer.
It took a step, its entire weight resting on its demonic, giant claws. The ice field beneath it cracked loudly under the pressure. Unsteady flames burned on its body and in the gaps of its armor, with some burning metal fragments still clinging stubbornly to its shoulder spikes. The air around it trembled like water waves due to the intense heat…
Kairo flew upward like a frightened rabbit. Even the gods couldn’t help but exclaim at such a sight: “This is impossible! What exactly are you?”
“Here’s a hint!” The steel monster swung its whip—a serpent-like whip that drew a burst of expanding flames in the air, instantly pulling Kairo down.
Though Kairo rose again as soon as she touched the ground, the mist protecting her had been burned away. The developments clearly defied her expectations, forcing her to ask a series of unanswered questions: “The flames of Phaethon? Did you get the scroll that sealed Phaethon’s blood? No, how could you control these flames! How did you do it? Even gods can only become fuel in Phaethon’s flames!”
The multi-headed whip coiled around the ground, crushing ice walls erected in haste to trap Kairo, forcing her to dodge desperately. The cold mist touched the whip and vanished instantly, as if poured into lava: “What a valiant last stand. Giving up such a promising job as Little Red Riding Hood just to become a big bad wolf?”
Amid the swirling dust caused by the coiled steel serpent, a sword of purple lightning flashed through—Moriel and her group had taken the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot!
The scythe-like barbs on the whip’s edge torn Kairo’s staff into several pieces, which scattered into mist dotted with ice crystals. Ignoring the amount of energy she would lose teleporting in such a chaotic environment, Kairo grabbed the pendant at her chest and raised it above her head. Glowing mist flowed from her fingers, quickly enveloping her slender body.
Another emerald-green glow barrier enveloped Kairo entirely. Morriel didn’t remember the two spells that prohibited dimensional teleportation, but she used another powerful spell to recall them and cast them. The dimensional barrier flickered upon contact with the divine mist and was neutralized, disrupting Kairo’s teleportation as well.
“You…!” Before Kairo could finish her complaint, she was forced back beneath an ice rock by Milia and Fiona. Zhen, hovering in midair, flipped away effortlessly, dodging the whip that struck down like lightning and shattering the ice rock in an instant.
Kairo fell to the ground, her grip on the pendant loosening slightly, though it remained in her grasp—until an invisible magical hand suddenly took it away. Kairo cried out in anger and shock, but a hand wreathed in silver fire silently pressed against her shoulder. Her protective shield was already extremely fragile, and the spell prepared by Xinbu was incredibly powerful. Thus, Lady Mist also let out a desperate scream under that heavy strike, falling into eternal stillness.
“Make a wish?” Morriel smiled weakly. “If I’d known it would work this well, I would’ve worshipped you long ago.”
A pure, flawless beam of light illuminated the sky. The six-winged metal angel had already launched an attack on Xuzexker while Morriel and the others were attacking Kairo. The spear of light focused its intense energy on it, causing another explosion and roar—dozens of ice meteors were hurled at it like shells, delivering a thorough bombardment.
“Get away from here! War calls for women to stay back!” Forty-Seven swung his terrifying chainsaw sword, splitting a meteor heading straight for him in two. It exploded instantly, and icy shards clattered against his armor, but Forty-Seven paid no attention. After speaking those words, he headed toward Xuzexker, ice chips flying under his heavy footsteps.
“There’s no need to fight it!” Morriel sensed the chaotic magic network and shouted at Forty-Seven, “The dimensional rift here is already unstable! The portal could collapse at any moment! As long as we keep Xuzexker here, this world itself will bury it!”
As she spoke, huge gray-white light masses began to descend from the sky—followed by paths of utter darkness behind them. Morriel was right; the intersection of the realms was collapsing.
The ice and snow storm intensified once more, and this time, the howls of giant beasts could be heard within the hurricane. Several dragons appeared on the icy winds, their massive wings flapping, their bodies gleaming with cold light.
They were no longer ordinary white dragons; their entire bodies, even their wings, were covered in ferocious ice. The ice dragons split into two groups—some attacking the metal angel in the sky, while the rest dove toward Forty-Seven.
The six-winged angel suddenly disappeared from where she stood and reappeared above the flying dragons like a ghost. Several flickering lights flew downward—insignificant compared to the glow on the spears—but when they landed on an ice dragon turning upward, their true nature was revealed: a death net woven from extremely thin, high-strength metal wires, each thread razor-sharp. The dragon caught in the net immediately erupted in bursts of ice dust. Once the net wrapped around its prey, it began to tighten. But instead of waiting to see whether the dragon would die or the net would break, the angel dove down and pierced it with her spear, pushing the howling giant dragon downward along with several pursuers.
Forty-seven’s heavy cannons fired, unleashing molten-like energy that scorched and destroyed a vast conical area ahead. The lead ice dragon took the brunt of the attack; its ice shell, scales, and muscles were almost completely stripped away, leaving it as a bloody mess that crashed onto the ice field in front of Forty-seven.
Then Forty-seven leaped high using what was left of the dragon. His giant sword, longer than a small sailing ship, swung down, severing half of the second dragon’s wing and one of its front limbs. Pools of blood splattered—some evaporated in the remaining flames in the air, while others froze on the ground. His metal whip lashed hard against another dragon’s head, its hook cleanly pulling out its eyeballs.
He transformed into a far more ferocious steel dragon to fly, passing between two ice dragons breathing cold breaths at him, treating it as a cool breeze. His strong dragon tail wrapped around one of the dragons’ necks, and with a deafening mechanical screech, it was pulled up by the whip, spinning in the air like a windmill and using its heavy momentum to knock away any ice dragons it encountered. It then lost the struggle against the whip’s grip, its entire head being torn off.
An attacking intruder bit Forty-seven’s arm holding the sword, only to be sent reeling by a powerful punch. The ice layer on the dragon’s back shattered, and the iron fist buried in its belly underwent some unknown transformation, triggering a series of explosions that created large holes in its back. Clumps of flesh and bone flew into the air like fireworks.
Beyond the shattered ice dragons, Forty-seven once again took dragon form and rushed at XuzxXuxKler -> Xux Kler, which was moving through the ice and snow, enveloping its head in blazing dragon breath.
The steel angel also broke free from the swarm of ice dragons and joined Forty-seven in attacking the enraged Hate.
The destruction caused by their battle among the three accelerated the upheaval of the realm—the sky cracked like a broken eggshell, with more and more space fragments falling, gradually forming a black-and-white striped sky.
“Wait a little longer… We have the best chance if we leave at the exact moment the dimension collapses,” said Xinbu, holding the third and final arcane scroll while still maintaining defensive barriers to protect a small area around them. “Morriel, it’s best if that guy responds to your call. There won’t be a second chance. If he’s even slightly slow, he’ll probably be buried here forever with XuzxXuxKler -> Xux Kler.”
Morriel nodded, focused her mind, and locked onto Forty-Seven, who was flying amidst thunder, flames, flashes, and storms. Almost suddenly, the sky changed from a mix of black and white to a suffocatingly dark abyss. Only two or three pale streaks, like comets, flashed by in an instant.
Forty-Seven received Morriel’s most intense mental message. It was not just an order; it carried emotions of concern, worry, and a complex mix of feelings that were hard to define. Without hesitation, he flipped away from Xuxker’s sweeping claws and flew full speed toward her, transforming from a steel dragon into a metal monster before shrinking rapidly—taking on the form of a humanoid steel warrior—as he rushed toward the oval magic portal standing alone on the ruined land.
Strangely enough, the Steel Angel was only slightly slower than Forty-Seven. She also set aside her hatred, even discarding the glowing spear that had broken on its head, and followed Forty-Seven, one after the other, leaving two brilliant trails in the overwhelming darkness as they plunged into the gray vortex surrounded by silver flames.
Heaven and earth collided. The shattered portal failed to produce even the slightest spark amid this massive destruction; the broken void was filled only with Xuxker’s roars.
The group was flung out of the portal by the energy surge, and even the most agile Chloe couldn’t maintain her balance. They tumbled onto a square platform several dozen feet across. Himb and Morriel couldn’t get up for a while—they were utterly exhausted. Milia protected Kairo, who was paralyzed by magic, taking the brunt of the impact.
Only Forty-Seven and the Steel Woman quickly rushed to the edge of the stone platform and looked into the depths of the canyon. The mist had dissipated, and the profound darkness seemed to pulse like a heartbeat. The chaotic space had stabilized, with the towering black icebergs on both sides collapsing one after another. Peaks that reached the heavens shattered into countless huge rocks due to dimensional vibrations, crashing into each other and falling into the endless abyss—the indescribable roar shook the entire canyon, causing even the flat peaks where they stood to tremble.
The world before their eyes suddenly rippled. Something strange was happening at the end of destruction; it seemed as though a giant hand was tearing at the space there, causing the entire canyon to twist slightly.
The Steel Woman’s blue eyes flared brightly, and she was about to teleport through the glow—but failed when Forty-Seven knocked her over with an elbow.
“Long hair, short sight!”
He leaped high, releasing countless miniature mechanical parts to assemble a massive structure. Numerous gears and bearings were riveted together and covered by heavily angular armor. A perfectly structured geometric device formed a cold-looking main body, supports, and base. Engines capable of providing infinite power were assembled in arrays, either built into or attached to the parts of this terrifying creation where they were needed… But what was most shocking was still the black cannon barrel at the front of Forty-Seven’s body—its shape, caliber, and length were utterly terrifying.
It was a super cannon that inherited Forty-Seven’s style from his past life.
First, an energy beam aimed at targeting was sent into the turbulent darkness in the distance, after which the cannon mouth became a miniature erupting volcano. Even the Strike of the Gods was nothing compared to this—its power completely erased Xuzexker’s chance of tearing open a dimensional rift. The earth-shattering explosion created a sun composed entirely of intense heat flames—red, orange-yellow, dark green, blue-violet—flames that expanded while changing colors, devouring and melting everything in their path, including space itself.
After forty-seven fell, everyone was still stunned, staring at the terrifying sea of fire spreading between the mountains and valleys. The steel-willed woman, having taken a severe hit, didn’t move at all; the blue light in her eyes flickered erratically as she stood quietly aside.
“It’s finally over,” Xinbu said reluctantly after a long while. “Let’s find a way to get out of here…”
“What’s that?” Chloe’s eyes were sharper than others; she spotted a faint metallic glint on a mountain cliff behind them amidst the raging flames.
“Simon? How did you get out?” When they arrived there, they were surprised to find the battered Punishment Ship stuck among jagged rocks, along with Simon Havalian, looking disheveled on the deck.
“How did I get out? How did I get out!” Simon waved his arms and shouted frantically, rubbing his eyes. “Of course I got out by sailing this damned ship! I knew you never cared about me at all!”
But the Shocking Heaven Transformation Plan was finally completed! And for those who like tentacle monsters… the long-absent Chain Whip has made its reappearance—barely qualifies as a tentacle, but still! The first to be trained: little Kairo LOLI!