Chapter 164: Long Night, Dark Fire (Eleven)
Boom—bang!
Frost, flame, dust, and light shattered into pieces, white ice flakes scattering everywhere, and amid the tremendous roar, it felt like the entire forested mountainside was shaking.
A petite young woman dashed between ice and fire, her steps lightning-quick, her skirt shredded into strings, burning holes everywhere. Her left shoulder was nearly completely exposed, and her slender collarbone glimmered under the flickering light. But she paid no mind, wielding two gigantic, ornate ice spears with a serene expression and eyes shining brightly as she dodged a few incoming fireballs, letting out a soft breath before hurling one of the spears at a nearby monster soaring low in the air!
Whoosh—
The whistling wind felt like it could tear eardrums apart, as the extreme cold long spear dragged a dazzling trail of icy mist while cutting through the night sky with unstoppable force, speeding directly toward the monster. In an instant, it was upon it, the massive creature twisting like a swimming dragon as it suddenly darted toward the ground.
The ice spear grazed its long red fur and vanished into the dark behind it, the chill radiating from it spreading across the monster’s body, only to be melted away by fire. The next moment, the monster roared to the sky and swiftly shot toward the young woman at an almost ground-hugging height, its gigantic arms swinging suddenly, unleashing a barrage of blazing fireballs that gathered in the air, forming a colossal infernal fire meteor, illuminating the sky as it roared and smashed down toward the girl, raining hell upon her!
Boom—!
The moment the scarlet explosion erupted, the shockwave spread out in all directions, the blazing infernal fire melting away the frost beneath, rising into the night like a fiery mushroom cloud. Black smoke billowed forth, with sparks scattering sideways in the chaos, leaving a sunken crater in the ground.
Just then, the girl shot up from the rising flames, leaping high, still wrapped in the remnants of fire, exhaling pure white mist, her eyes a deep shade of bl**d-red. Although it wasn’t obvious in the dark, thin tendrils of black mist swirled around her, perhaps even unnoticed by her.
She violently threw the other spear at the monster while her petite form cut a graceful arc through the fiery sky. With her palm bursting forth icy mist to adjust her landing position, she stomped heavily onto the monster’s back as it dodged the ice spear. With the force of a human pile driver, she slammed the flying monster into the ground, producing a massive boom that sent dust and rocks flying!
“Roar—!”
The monster let out an earth-shattering roar at the moment its body was embedded in the land. Its arms twisted violently, grabbing the girl in its palm. The surrounding scarlet fire, previously pushed back by the shockwave, surged like it had been given life, gathering like crashing waves, engulfing the girl in an instant.
Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot…
“Ahhh!”
The temperature of the infernal fire around me was so high that I couldn’t condense any extreme ice weapons. The icy frost swirling around me disintegrated, and the monster’s grip was so tight that even after I broke its arm with two punches, those fingers didn’t loosen—if anything, they tightened, making me feel like my ribs would snap. The pain and inability to breathe forced me to muster all my strength, punching its arm and head repeatedly, boom, boom, boom, the shockwaves dispersing in all directions.
From the moment the battle began to now, only a very short time passed, but the unprecedented exhaustion and every blow being nearly full-powered had worn me out a bit. My ice mist was fading, and the strength in my punches was no longer what it used to be.
Most importantly, ever since I devoured Nero’s ring, I hadn’t felt it until now—the intense, unbearable hunger had returned.
I want to eat…
I want something to eat more and more.
Captain Gray, Osmelure Cake, almond cake, honey fruit pie, roasted lamb leg, roasted deer leg, even a bowl of pea soup… anything would do, just something to eat… something to eat to regain my strength…
“Infernal… fire… power?”
The monster below suddenly spoke again: “This is… the power of the Goddess of Sin… Why… you are not afraid of flames, so that’s it… what have they done to you…”
“Worry about… how to live through this… first…”
Flames crackled in my vision, the super high temperature consuming the oxygen in the air. I was tightly squeezed in the giant hand, unable to breathe. Grinding my teeth, I spat out short replies, my eyes shining even redder than the surrounding infernal fire. Thin strands of black mist surged from my mouth.
In the next instant, I smashed my fist against the monster’s neck, finally sensing a slight loosening in its gripping fingers. I raised my hand to start prying them apart—snap, snap, snap—three fingers broke cleanly, and I managed to break free, stepping on the monster’s back as I executed a Moon Step, darting rapidly out of the sea of flames. With a loud thud, I pushed the monster deeper into the earth again.
“Ah-ha—”
The moment I emerged from the inferno, I took a deep breath, the icy cold air rushing into my lungs, and my mind instantly cleared up a lot. I staggered on the grass for dozens of meters, and in front of me, that monster crawled out of the crater again, its entire body engulfed in blazing infernal fire, its scarlet eyes flickering like two ghostly lanterns in the flames.
d*mn monster…
It’s not even that strong, so why can’t I k*ll it… why!!
The black birds that once filled the sky had quietly vanished without me noticing, and I scanned my surroundings intently, but didn’t spot any sign of Goat Cheese.
In the distance, toward Stag Town, lights still flickered, the red glow in the sky was gone, and the threat of the fiery meteor had dissipated. I could faintly hear voices coming from that direction—chaotic and noisy. It must be a lot of people, whether from the church or civilians, keeping an eye on the battle outside the town right now…
What should I do…
Could it be that I really have to use the power of the Abyss…
“Abyss, sin… Silvya, do you have any more secrets? d*mn it, I can feel my heart racing, do you hear that sound? Do you hear… ahh ha ha ha! It’s been ages since I felt this excited… thank you, thank you…”
The monster in front of me fixed its gaze on me, speaking in a strange tone, rambling like a lunatic: “It can’t just end like this, I can’t… I have more fun ideas… Silvya, I have my sights set on you; I think I’m in love…”
It opened its mouth.
Like a prehistoric crocodile with a terrifying bl**d-stained maw, the corners of the monster’s mouth nearly split down to its neck, with magma-like power surging forth. Inside its mouth, the energy condensed and gathered, forming a gigantic swirling fire vortex, its scale surpassing its own body. The extreme heat ignited the ground, and the terrifying pressure made the already cracked earth sink again, the surging flames coalescing into an enormous, dazzling scarlet sphere, then the roaring energy formed a thick beam of light, crashing down like a raging wave!
Mother of heaven…
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—
In just an instant, the massive light surged toward where I stood, scorching winds and waves of heat engulfing everything, instantly shattering the swirling ice mist in the air, the pressure unprecedented and nearly suffocating. My hair whipped back and my eyes could barely open, instinctively wanting to duck. The moment I shifted my feet—
No, if I dodge, the little town just behind me to the left will suffer unimaginable backlash…
I can’t dodge.
“Ahhh!!”
In the next moment, the petite figure froze, taking a horse stance, fierce light in her eyes, the Frost Power bursting forth to re-encase the ground beneath her feet. I pushed my palms forward, blue light erupting from my hands, meeting the incoming beam of light head-on!
Boom buzz—
The roar of energy and turmoil instantly drowned out the monstrous howls. The terrifying, scorching force made my palms feel unbearable pain the moment they contacted, surging mist erupting like a fountain before being incinerated by the high temperature. The incredible impact buried my feet deep in the ground, plowing through the hardened dirt and throwing me back dozens of meters.
So heavy…
So painful…
It’s too heavy!! Ahhh!!
I opened my mouth wide, but my cries couldn’t be heard over the cacophony, the red light before me slowly losing its shape, crashing out to a distance. Light trails and vibrations spread through the air, and with a loud bang, I crashed into the giant stone behind me. Intense pain radiated from my spine, while the pressure kept bearing down on me, bending my arms. The glaring flames nearly cascaded onto my face.
Mother of heaven…
Mother of heaven—!
My sleeves were shredded, sparks igniting my skirt. I poured every ounce of strength into one final move, pushing off the stone at my back just as the light beam was about to engulf me, suddenly sliding down, my hands thrusting upwards, redirecting the blast’s trajectory, sending it roaring into the night sky like a cannonball, disappearing into the darkness!
Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss…
In my ears, only a buzzing remained, left with the residual sounds of the forceful clash. The rising smoke enveloped me, the ground beneath burned bright red, the scorching dust choking me into coughing fits as I barely stood upright, taking two deep breaths as I moon-stepped away, dodging out for dozens of meters. Once I escaped the smoky darkness, I inhaled greedily.
My hand was shaking…
My palms were so sore… I must have been burned, but it didn’t matter; I would recover quickly… I turned to look back at the monster’s previous location, stepping forward to prepare for a counterattack… Huh? It was gone.
All that remained was a smoking pit.
Where did it go…
I heightened my vigilance, scanning left and right, glancing up… Nothing. There wasn’t a trace of the monster anywhere nearby. Where had it run to? The town!!!
I suddenly jolted awake and turned to run toward the direction of the town, and just a few steps later, I caught sight of a meteor-like fireball streaking through the dark sky, racing over here rapidly!
That’s…
Boom!
An explosion suddenly erupted in the sky.
That meteor seemed to have collided with something, exploding in the night like an intercepted missile. Flames scattered and its light was blinding, making me involuntarily stop running, hand shielding my eyes.
What happened… Is that… a person? Coming from the town?
After a moment, it seemed someone fell from the explosion, landing twenty or thirty meters away on the bare ground. I clearly heard the “thud”… that was definitely a person… with red hair…
Moon Step propelled me forward, the winds whistling, and in the blink of an eye, I was five or six meters from the figure, seeing who they were.
…It was the Jester.
He had transformed back into human form.
Now, he lay there completely n*ked, sprawled on the ground, his body charred all over but seemingly unharmed, his eyes open and even blinking. Then he saw me and smiled.
“Hi.”
“……”
You hi your m…
Whoosh—
In the next moment, a flash of fire appeared before me.
Silver-white hair, a red dress, deep blue eyes.
She stood beside the Jester, her hair and clothes dancing in the wind, sparks flickering from her, just a glimpse of her silhouette made one feel she stepped out from a painting—a celestial being. I instantly recognized her.
…It was that woman.
Miss Meiser.
She had arrived.
