Chapter 23: Battle of the Abyss (Five)
With two full-powered releases, no holds barred – it was a direct hit!
I firmly believe that no matter how powerful or terrifying a monster is, as long as it falls within the realm of biological creatures, extreme cold will severely damage it. Even the legendary dragons, with their robust physiques, would turn hard and brittle when frozen. Just give it a hefty smack after that, and poof! It’s shattered into tiny bits!
Now, when you’re facing off against something crawling out of the Abyss, the most terrifying yet effective attack – that black smoke gobbling away at us? Yeah, it’s useless against each other.
And my Frost Power? Well, let’s just say it’s as useful as a chocolate teapot against a BOSS. Ice Mist works wonders on the little critters, but when faced with the big boss, it’s like trying to tickle a bear – utterly ineffective! The Abyss is known for devouring everything, including freezing mist, much like I can gobble up a barrage of fireballs. Even if I unleash the Frost World right here, it wouldn’t make a dent in that monster’s day.
Oh, and now I’ve lost my weapon! Just relying on the hardness of ice? Not gonna stab through that thing’s defenses.
Unless I can unleash a massive burst of energy, cutting it off before it has a chance to spew out enough black smoke to nullify the impact.
Or wait till it runs out of steam.
“Ha—ha—”
After two energy-draining attacks, my little chest was heaving like a hamster on a treadmill.
Black mist and ice crystals swirled around like they were having a dance-off.
Am I dead?
As this thought popped into my head, a big hand suddenly stretched out of nowhere and grabbed my delicate little neck.
“Roar—!!!”
An angry roar erupted. Chilly blue smoke was wafting off its armor, which looked even more wrecked, as it tore through the black smoke and lifted me up like a used paper towel.
“Gah—cough cough, cough…”
Being choked felt downright miserable! My tongue flopped out of my mouth, and my legs were flailing in the air like they were auditioning for a Saturday morning cartoon.
I desperately wanted to unleash freezing mist again but was shocked to find I lacked the strength.
Two seconds later, and I couldn’t even cough anymore. The grip around my throat tightened, making it impossible to breathe.
Struggling with the last ounce of my strength, I conjured a sharp ice shard and jabbed it into that skinny black-boned arm three times.
It barely broke the skin, doing nothing at all.
“Crack.”
The ice shard shattered. My hands drooped helplessly, and drool started trickling from my mouth – I was already rolling my eyes back.
“Roar—!!!”
Suddenly, a roar from Big White mixed with a gust of wind rushed in from behind. Those massive claws swiped at the monster.
“Roar—”
The monster ducked back, narrowly avoiding the lethal swipe, then tossed me into the air like yesterday’s trash, sending me flying toward Big White.
Clearly, Big White posed a bigger threat!
“Whoooosh—whoooosh—”
A roaring sound filled my ears, and I couldn’t tell if it was the wind or my cloak flapping. The brief brain oxygen deprivation made my thoughts scatter like confetti, all I felt was my body suddenly lifted off the ground and ascending, slower and slower, until after a moment of suspension… I started to fall.
Great… I need to do something!
With that thought, my limbs felt like they were made of jelly, completely useless.
Down I went.
“Boom—!”
After a third fall from the sky, everything went dark.
I don’t know how long it was before I opened my eyes again.
Buzz—
Ringing in my ears mixed with dizziness had me shaking my little head for quite a while before I finally cleared my foggy brain.
“Uh… cough cough, cough… ugh.”
My mouth was full of dirt. I spat out some bl**d. My hair was plastered to my face in sticky strands, and when I lifted my hand to push it aside, it was covered in crimson.
I must’ve hit my head when I fell.
I trembled, trying to get up, but a stab of pain shot through my leg at the slightest movement.
“Huff—, huff—”
I lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
What a disaster, I thought.
But… I have to k*ll it here.
Struggling to lift my head, I saw the battle unfolding in the distance: the monster and Big White were locked in a heart-pounding brawl. The sheer force of their blows shook the ground, and the mix of flying debris and black smoke was occasionally lit up by a burst of scorching white light.
Big White, clearly the powerhouse in this exchange, appeared to be tearing the heavens apart with its paws. In contrast, the monster was only the size of Big White’s head, seemingly squishable under a single foot, yet it danced around with remarkable agility, diving at Big White from above without a hint of a melee and continuously releasing torrents of black smoke.
While Big White seemed to have some resistance, over time, it was being seriously eroded, with patches of white fur falling off to reveal sore, rotting flesh underneath – truly a ghastly sight.
Despite Big White displaying high fighting spirit, clearly not fatigued yet, the situation was rapidly deteriorating.
“‘Abyss Tongue’ Execution.”
The moment I heard that voice again, my heart tightened – I knew the blade was coming.
I couldn’t help but sweat for Big White.
In the next moment, the floating monster raised both arms high above its head, invoking visions of evil cultists sacrificing hearts to dark gods.
All around, black smoke began swirling toward its head, and the black sun appeared once more.
“Buzz… buzz… buzz…”
Big White lifted its head, opening its mouth wide.
“Boom—!!”
A fierce blaze shot out.
At the same time, the black sun erupted like a firework, turning into countless smoke balls shooting toward the ground.
“Boom boom boom boom boom—”
The smoke balls collided with the floor, bursting into brilliant black puffs, and numerous bizarre shapes emerged.
“Clang—, scratch—”
The little monsters using the blades as limbs twisted and surged toward Big White from every direction.
The monster twisted midair, narrowly missing the light beams shooting from Big White, and along with the summoned little cuties, charged in to inflict new wounds upon Big White.
“Roar—!!”
Big White, incensed, swung its massive claws, each strike sending off many tiny monster limbs as if they were confetti. Every stomp crushed multiple monsters into fine ash. Yet, more and more monsters were sill creeping closer in the chaos, overwhelming Big White with sheer numbers.
I stared wide-eyed at the scene, feeling like an ant trying to shake a giant.
Big White couldn’t go down now – if it didn’t act soon, it would be too late.
Clenching my teeth, I stretched my right hand out, spread my fingers, and then clenched them into a fist.
…Frost World.
The air turned icy in an instant.
A thin mist began to envelop my body.
In the next moment, everything in sight – plants, rocks, and those previously raging monsters – were all wrapped in a layer of fine frost.
The world turned a stark white.
As the temperature continued to drop, more ice crystals floated down, shining a soft ice blue, speckling the pure white realm like stars.
The entire process didn’t take more than five seconds.
Those monsters surrounding Big White? Their fierce attacks suddenly dulled, their movements stiffened until they were transformed into glittering ice sculptures.
I did it.
“Ha—ha—”
A wave of fatigue hit me as a warning of my energy depletion, and my eyelids began to droop.
“Roar—!!!”
Big White shook off the remaining shards of ice, emerging from the icy prison and exhaling a great cloud of white mist.
Thank goodness, all’s well!
I sighed in relief.
This move was a gamble, betting on whether Big White could withstand the frost’s power. The first time I had seen it, I accidentally used ice shards against it, and it had zero effect, validating my faith in Big White’s defensive capabilities. It couldn’t be worse than that monster.
I won my bet.
Now, as long as Big White could hold off the monster a little longer, I’d have a chance to strike it down with my last bit of strength.
Sadly, plans rarely go as expected.
“‘Abyss Tongue’ Execution.”
The whoosh of cutting wind echoed in the air again, and the black blade sliced over Big White’s head, heading straight for me.
I rolled to the side with all my might. At that moment, my body felt completely numb; the pain faded substantially.
Curse it! Are they trying to take out the weaker me first?
I looked up – and sure enough, the monster abandoned its deadly glare at Big White and sped directly toward me.
“Roar—”
Big White attempted to intercept the monster, but it couldn’t match its speed, quickly getting left in the dust.
I wobbled to my feet, my black eyes fixed on the impending doom.
The monster spun around in the air, revealing its sharp claws.
“Swish—”
But it missed!
I leapt into the air, reaching out to grab the monster’s antlers, flipping over and landing steadily on its back.
Gotcha!
Ice Mist erupted in a flurry.
“Roar—!!!”
Countless tendrils instantly wrapped around me.
In the next moment, a storm of ice shards erupted, encasing half the monster in ice.
The monster jolted midair, its height dramatically plummeting, nearly reduced to a low-flying drone, struggling fiercely to shake me off.
Not a chance!
Clenching my teeth, I hung on for dear life to its horns, pouring all my power into the Frost.
The monster’s struggles weakened, more and more of its body becoming enveloped in frost. The rich scent of the Abyss was fading – was it finally running out of juice?
Gradually, it couldn’t release even a wisp of black smoke anymore, and it began to descend with me still hanging on.
“Boom!”
Dirt and rock, mixed with jettisoned ice shards, exploded in all directions.
At the moment of landing, the monster’s frozen limbs and right arm shattered dramatically, sliding forward for quite a distance due to inertia before collapsing into stillness.
…Finally, it’s over.
Sunlight pierced through the dark clouds.
bl**d dribbled down my cheeks, staining my dress brightly red.
Where the heck did I fall… Looks like I landed in a village?
I looked around but didn’t see Big White anywhere.
Man, I really flew a long way!
I stepped off the monster, limping forward a couple of steps.
Just when my legs felt like they were giving out, a pair of soft hands caught me.
…Who was it?
Lifting my dazed eyes, I saw a face crumpled from crying.
“Aili…”
