I stared quietly at my own skin, sensing something was wrong. A faint blue hue shimmered beneath the surface, and my body had gone completely numb. Gradually, under the influence of the icy blue light above my head, small protrusions began to form on my skin. With a series of cracking sounds, shards of ice pierced out from my flesh. An unbelievable chill seeped out from within me, starting deep inside my body.
"This is the first time I've seen something like this."
In this world, everything defies common sense. My body hadn't suffered any external attack, yet it began to freeze from the inside out.
Gradually, shards of ice began to pierce out from all over my skin, and clusters of ice flowers bloomed across my body. Apart from the cold, I felt no pain. The pale blue orb of light above my head grew brighter, and the surrounding White Sand Sea turned completely blue.
I didn't rush to move, but soon I felt an invisible force pulling my body upward. The blue light above faded away bit by bit. Suspended in midair, my entire body was frozen solid. I checked myself—there were no signs of any external intrusion. It was truly baffling.
Cracking sounds echoed around me. I gradually realized that the orb above was actually a massive chunk of blue ice, somewhat spherical, with jagged icicles jutting out in all directions. Only at the base of the ice block was there a huge mouth, its black teeth constantly moving, as if eager to grind me to pieces.
I was already being pulled toward this gaping maw. Holding my breath, the moment I reached its mouth, my body instantly turned into light and shadow. The ice that had grown from my skin fell away. I regained my physical form and pressed a hand against the mouth of this unknown Chimera Beast.
"This is Lord Blueflame Warden's territory. What do you think you're doing?"
With a crack, my hand pierced straight through the beast's body. I stood in midair as the Chimera Beast split in two below me, blue blood spraying everywhere. Its massive form plummeted toward the ground. In disbelief, I stared at the creature. In the distance, I saw more of these blue Chimera Beasts, each resembling a ball of light.
The blue Chimera Beast that had just hit the ground was instantly snatched up by black tails reaching out from the earth and dragged into the sand. I suddenly felt a weight lift from my body; the oppressive pressure from before had vanished.
"What a curious world."
I muttered to myself, gazing at the sky around me. These blue ice Chimera Beasts were highly aggressive, though they posed little threat to me. I wondered which direction I should go next—I needed to find a place where the wind blew, but there was no wind in this White Sand Sea.
But just now, that ice-blue Chimera Beast said this was Blueflame Warden's territory. According to the records, Blueflame Warden is an ancient, fearsome beast.
After flying around in the air for a while, I determined that I could pass between two orbs of light, so I took off. Sure enough, flying between those blue beasts, my body was unaffected.
I kept flying at a steady pace, but soon I felt the air around me growing colder. I stopped and scanned the sky—I was surrounded.
It seemed that after I killed that blue beast, the others nearby noticed me. I wasn't sure how these beasts detected enemies in this illusory world, but within a minute, my path was blocked. Pale blue icicles shot toward me.
About a dozen ice-blue Chimera Beasts approached, surrounding me. I raised a hand and made a slight gesture—space around me warped, and the flying icicles twisted and vanished into the air.
"It's good you all came. I don't have time to waste with you."
As I spoke, I slowly extended my hand and spread my fingers. I didn't know why, but I felt I could finish them off in an instant.
These beasts were clearly hostile, wanting to kill me. I could sense they ruled this area—if I didn't deal with them, I wouldn't be able to move forward.
"What do you intend to do to my subordinates?"
An exceptionally furious voice echoed from the sky. The moment I realized what was happening, I instinctively raised my right hand to block.
With a boom, a burst of blue-green light exploded before me. Standing there was a beast with a humanoid form—it could stand upright, covered in blue-green flame-like fur, its small limbs fiery red like a dog's, face almost human, two long tails floating in the air, baring its teeth and roaring at me.
"I just want to pass through here."
It was clear now—the creature before me was Blueflame Warden. Cracks had appeared on my right hand, and the force of the impact kept surging into my body, wreaking havoc. My left hand pointed to the ground.
With a boom, I retreated. Instantly, a massive pit opened in the ground, and the white sand began pouring into it like water.
"Get out of here! You're no match for him."
As Blueflame Warden spoke, the ice-blue beasts around us quickly fled. Blueflame Warden hunched over, standing on two feet, and wiped its mouth with a forepaw.
"You seem very strong. It's been over a century since I've met a formidable opponent."
"I don't want to fight you. Can you tell me where I might find wind in this place?"
As soon as I finished speaking, Blueflame Warden lunged at me, swiping a claw across my body. With a moment's hesitation, my body was split into three parts. I stared at Blueflame Warden in disbelief as he roared furiously, his blue-green fur bristling and emitting streams of violet-black energy. In an instant, the air around us was filled with swirling, vividly colored currents, interwoven and spinning chaotically.
The moment my body rejoined, I realized I couldn't move. Blueflame Warden stood before me, staring intently.
"Either defeat me, or die here—those are the rules in my domain."
"Heh, your rules really are a headache!"
With a hum, as my mind stirred, my body radiated dazzling light. Golden rays scattered the swirling, vivid currents. Blueflame Warden clutched his head, blasted away by the sudden brilliance. Smoke trailed from his feet as he steadied himself midair, then burst into laughter.
"Shouldn't there be a reason to fight?"
"I want to eat you. Is that reason enough?"
I nodded with a grunt, no longer intending to be polite with this creature.
With a boom, I struck first, rushing up to Blueflame Warden and landing a punch. He crossed his arms and instantly crashed into the White Sand Sea, leaving a huge depression in the sand. I moved down after him, feeling his cold gaze on me, but I held my ground.
With two swift sounds, I twisted my body in midair to dodge as two invisible currents sliced past me. Blueflame Warden was already in front of me, pressing both claws down as I raised my hands to block.
My powerful punch just now hadn't affected Blueflame Warden at all. He stared at me coldly, his claws gripping my fists.
"You're strong, but if this is all you've got, I'll devour you today."
"Maybe so."
With a tremendous force, I was flung into the air. As my vision cleared, I saw a twisting blue-green beam shooting toward me from the sky. The moment Blueflame Warden appeared before me, I steadied myself and, half-crouched, thrust out a palm.
With a bang, Blueflame Warden sent me flying again. After regaining his balance, he hunched and leapt toward me. Cracking sounds rang out as my palm split open—his attack was so powerful it surprised me.
With two consecutive bangs, I deflected Blueflame Warden's claws. He launched a frenzied assault, forcing me to defend myself as powerful impacts battered my body. Explosions echoed all around, and I could only use my hands to fend off the crushing force.
"What's wrong, not fighting back? That punch just now was pretty good."
I smiled faintly, still unmoving. Blueflame Warden's speed was lightning-fast, but I found I could keep up—even if I hadn't adapted at first, now I was completely used to it.
Suddenly, after deflecting Blueflame Warden's claws, he agilely leapt above me, standing upside down on my head. I switched direction immediately, but he had already clenched his claws, which turned red and slammed down with earth-shattering force.
With a thunderous crash, Blueflame Warden easily crushed my raised hands into pulp. His fists pierced my chest, and I fell into the sand, coughing blood. The attack nearly knocked me out. The sand surged up like a tsunami, rushing outward in all directions as Blueflame Warden hovered above, staring coldly at me.
"How dull—so brief?"
Bit by bit, I floated up from the sand. After landing, I gasped for breath, staring at my missing hands and the two bloody holes in my chest, and laughed helplessly.
"Blueflame Warden, what are you trying to do?"
A clear, melodious shout rang out. As I turned, Eugenia was already standing behind me, her face filled with anger.
"So it's you, Eugenia. It's been so many years since you came to my domain. I want to have a proper fight with you—a battle to the death."