Chapter 538: Quite Rude
Everyone froze, their faces a study in disbelief. So, the mysterious figure who appeared was just a young, beautiful woman? Of course, in a place like this, no one ordinary would dare show up. The moment she arrived, a dangerous aura radiated from her, prickling at their nerves. Thorne Merlin, never one to let his guard down, barked out a demand, his grip tightening on the Crimson Flame Greatsword as he fixed her with an icy glare.
There was something about her. Power, yes—but not the kind that needed to be announced. It pressed down on the room, silent and absolute.
She had only just sauntered in, barely said a word, yet Thorne Merlin felt a pressure so real it might as well have been a physical force. Every step she took stretched his nerves tighter, as if daring them to snap.
Cold sweat trickled down his face before he even realized it. Some warrior.
“You people are ridiculous. You barge into my home and then ask who I am...” The young woman swept in, shrouded in thick white mist, stopping about ten meters from the group. Her icy gaze swept over them, and her pale cheeks twisted with deep disgust. "Do you even realize how rude this is...?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a surge of terrifying magical energy erupted. The white mist churned violently, and after a cold snort, the young woman began chanting long, complex incantations. Almost immediately, a howling wind swept up endless frost, turning everything white. In seconds, countless weapons made of ice and frost formed, engulfing Leon and the others.
No one expected such a pretty young woman to have a temper like a thunderstorm—she lashed out without warning, no preamble, no mercy. Negotiation? Not in this lifetime.
“Damn it...”
As the frost-forged weapons roared toward them, someone in the group spat a curse, but there was no time for complaints—they threw themselves into battle. The ice weapons weren’t especially powerful, maybe the force of a third-rate spell, but there were so many that it felt like the sky itself was falling.
Still, after a brief panic, the squad of Title Archmages quickly showed their formidable strength. Spells collided fiercely, filling the air with magical explosions.
After a short-lived confusion, the team of Title Archmages revealed their overwhelming combat power. Fierce clashes erupted, and spells flew in every direction.
Thunderous explosions echoed all around...
“This isn’t a place you should have come to, but since you’re here, you’ll have to pay the price...” The young woman strode through a world of ice and snow, flakes swirling everywhere. Her face was expressionless as she looked at the group; her own cheeks seemed covered in a layer of perennial frost, and her chilling gaze made everyone shudder inside.
“Who pays the price is still an open question...”
At that moment, a booming voice echoed through the palace. Simultaneously, a towering figure hovered in midair, wielding a massive crimson greatsword wreathed in flames—the blade radiating intense heat, as if it could burn away everything. The newcomer was none other than Thorne Merlin, a Fifth Rank Sword Saint, his Grandmaster blade raised high and ringing sharply...
In an instant, a surge of sword energy ripped through the air, carrying a wave of terrifying heat, aimed directly at the young woman below.
Yet, in that split second, the young woman remained eerily calm. She simply looked up, and countless silver-white runes emerged from her body. With a casual gesture, the runes danced in the air, instantly forming walls of ice—fortress-like barriers protecting her.
Then came a deafening boom...
Thorne Merlin’s Crimson Greatsword unleashed a torrent of flames as it came crashing down, colliding fiercely with the ice walls. Sparks flew in all directions as massive chunks of ice were hurled into the air. With the greatsword in hand and battle aura blazing, Thorne Merlin looked every bit the war god—breaking through more than ten ice walls with a single sweep, the sound of cracking ice echoing constantly.
“It looks like you’ll be the one paying the price...” Thorne Merlin sneered, his expression twisted and grim. He raised his greatsword high, its overwhelming force poised to strike again.
At this moment, he was convinced the battle’s outcome was certain. His earlier onslaught had destroyed more than ten ice walls, leaving only three between him and the young woman. He was confident that in the next second, he’d break through all her defenses—maybe even the shockwave alone would leave her completely incapacitated.
Such confidence came from his own overwhelming strength...
The young woman’s power was formidable—her spellcasting and mastery of ice magic were terrifying—but close combat was always a mage’s fatal weakness. All he needed to do was break through her last defenses; even if he couldn’t kill her, he could seal off the entire area...
“Not enough...”
The young woman’s voice rang out. Her silver-white figure suddenly burst from behind the ice walls, slowly extending a hand. Instantly, white mist boiled around her arm, forming a thick layer of ice armor. She collided with Thorne Merlin’s Crimson Greatsword head-on...
For a moment, time seemed to stop. Silence fell, the scene frozen as if suspended in air.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, a scream shattered the eerie silence. The young woman, still expressionless, had not only repelled Thorne Merlin—a Fifth Rank Sword Saint—but sent him flying. With uncanny speed, she left a trail of afterimages in the air, grabbed a Frostlance from afar, and struck the still-stunned Thorne Merlin.
Thorne Merlin screamed as he was sent flying, a thumb-sized hole torn through his chest, blood pouring out...
The others in the distance were all dumbfounded by what they saw...
What did that even mean...?
With nothing but a Frostlance as a weapon, the young woman had sent a Fifth Rank Sword Saint like Thorne Merlin flying—and more importantly, she’d wounded him.
That meant the young woman was relying purely on her physical strength.
But in the earlier fight, the young woman had demonstrated terrifying spellcasting ability—her mastery of frost magic was nearly at the level of an ice master.
Everyone had assumed she was a powerful mage.
But now, it seemed she was more than just a mage. Her overwhelming physical strength, combined with her terrifying spellcasting, reminded people of the Caucasus Battlemages.
Could it be that the young woman’s true identity was a Caucasus Battlemage?
But how could she possess both martial skill and magical prowess—a true magic-warrior dual cultivation?
For a moment, a heavy fog of confusion settled over everyone...
"Cough, cough..."
A faint coughing broke the silence. Thorne Merlin, now pale as a ghost and coughing up blood, stared at the silver-white figure in the distance, his expression one of utter disbelief. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t accept that the young woman had beaten him at his own specialty.
What shocked him most was her sheer physical strength—it was terrifying enough to crush a Fifth Rank Sword Saint...
At the same time, her spellcasting was at least equivalent to a Sixth Rank Title Archmage.
This wasn’t just a simple case of one plus one equals two...
The perfect fusion of martial skill and magic—just thinking about it made everyone’s skin crawl. It was downright terrifying...
“This is unreal...”
Just then, Thorne Merlin cursed under his breath—he’d spotted a figure wreathed in flames, streaking through the air like a comet, heading straight for the young woman. The magical aura was unmistakable: it was Matthew Merlin!
This was far too reckless...
Of everyone present, he was the only one who’d personally experienced the young woman’s strength. Seeing the young mage rush forward, his heart sank and his face turned pale.
At this moment, the young mage should have retreated immediately...
Only if all six members of the squad joined forces against the young woman would there be any hope of turning the tide...
Though the young mage’s power far surpassed his own—he’d even slain the chieftain in the Forgefire Clan’s sacred ground battle—how many were present then? There were over ten Title Archmages, including two Black Tower Councilors: Councilor Weiss, a Sixth Rank Title Archmage; Councilor Suville, a Seventh Rank Title Archmage; and himself, a Fifth Rank Sword Saint...
But now, the young mage was all alone...
And the enemy was even more bizarre—a true magic-warrior dual cultivator, perfectly blending martial skill and magic.
He desperately wanted to stop the young mage, but knew it was too late. Just as he looked up, he saw the young woman—master of both martial skill and magic—flash a cold smile. Instantly, white mist billowed and frost rained from the sky. In less than a second, hundreds of Frostlances appeared around her. With a single word, they shot out like a gale, and she herself grabbed one, giving it a slight shake. The terrifying force split the air with a crackling sound.