Evan Chu knew all too well the bone-piercing chill inside an Ice Crystal—so cold it felt worse than death. Using the Yin-cold from the Ice Crystal against the Flame Serpent King's blazing fire was the perfect counter.
At this moment, the Flame Serpent King saw the Ice Crystal in Evan's hand and instantly retreated, as if facing its greatest fear—its previous ferocity was gone without a trace.
Evan stepped forward and the beast stepped back, leaving Goldwing, who was circling above, utterly baffled. "Boss, why is this thing acting so weird?" he called down.
"It seems terrified of the Ice Crystal in my hand. Now that it's down to one eye, let's mess with it for a bit, Goldwing," Evan said with a grin.
"Sure, but be careful, Boss. Its defense is insane, and those flames are no joke. How do you want me to help you?" Goldwing asked.
"Try to get its mouth open. To kill it, we have to get the Ice Crystal inside—it's the only way," Evan said seriously.
At that moment, the Violet Thunder Fox finished off the last of the Flame Serpents, but her violet glow had faded—she was so drained she couldn't help Evan anymore and could only walk over to Jenny Sima's side.
Goldwing kept flapping his massive wings in the air, raining down countless golden arrows onto the Flame Serpent King. He couldn't really hurt it, but the pain was enough to make the beast suffer.
Evan kept sneaking in Heart-Sword strikes. The Flame Serpent King had already lost one eye and was wary of Evan's invisible attacks—every time Evan lifted his arm, the beast dodged instantly, making for a comical scene.
Both sides were locked in a stalemate—Evan couldn't get the Ice Crystal into the serpent's mouth, and the Flame Serpent King couldn't hurt him. Watching from a distance, Jenny Sima and the Violet Thunder Fox grew more and more anxious.
At that moment, the Flame Serpent King's flames suddenly dwindled by half. Its massive body thrashed in agony, whipping up the yellow sand until it rained down in a shower of grit.
"What's this slippery little loach up to now? Is it about to pull out some kind of ultimate move on me?" Evan muttered, watching the Flame Serpent King's strange movements. He grew more cautious, quickly stowing the Ice Crystal back in his storage ring and relying on Heart Sword alone to threaten it.
The Flame Serpent King abruptly stopped retreating. Its gigantic body coiled into a tight mass, rising upright until it stood three meters tall, its forked tongue flickering out flames in a bizarre, eerie display.
Evan halted as well. This beast was definitely about to attack—but how? Its most dangerous move was its flame breath, and with so much of its external fire withdrawn, was it preparing to unleash something even fiercer?
A harsh, raspy sound echoed from the Flame Serpent King's throat. Its massive head began to sway, and in the next instant, it spat out several fireballs nearly a meter across, hurling them straight toward Evan.
The fireballs shot forward at incredible speed; even before they reached him, Evan could feel the scorching heat. If one of those hit him, he'd be lucky to survive with just his skin flayed off.
He frantically unleashed Shifting Position, leaving behind a blur of afterimages as he darted aside. Maybe he'd underestimated the Flame Serpent King's fireballs—within seconds, it spewed out dozens, blanketing a full thirty-meter radius.
No matter which way Evan dodged, fireballs rained down all around him. The only way to survive was to thread the narrow gaps and hope his timing was perfect.
Goldwing, circling overhead, was caught completely off guard by the sudden barrage. If only he had the Ice Crystal, maybe he could help—but for now, he could only watch helplessly as Evan was engulfed by fireballs.
The temperature around him soared; Goldwing felt as if his own feathers might burst into flames. He beat his wings in a panic, desperately trying to resist wave after wave of scorching heat.
When the Flame Serpent King's fireballs hit the sand, they didn't go out—they erupted into roaring red flames. Dozens of fireballs instantly turned the ground into a blazing sea of fire, and Evan was trapped right in the middle of it.
"Damn it! Trying to roast your grandpa alive?" Evan cursed furiously. He hadn't expected this move, but it was clear the King was burning through its energy. If he could just hold out, the beast would be vulnerable.
Evan stood atop a patch of unburned sand, but the red flames hemmed him in on all sides. The blistering heat made him feel like his body was about to combust, pain twisting his face into a grimace.
"Ice Crystal—how could I be so stupid, stowing it away just now?" With a thought, an Ice Crystal appeared in his hand.
The bone-chilling aura from the Ice Crystal instantly dropped the surrounding temperature. The searing pain in Evan's body faded, replaced by an indescribable sensation of relief.
"This Ice Crystal is a lifesaver! Damn, I was almost roasted alive. Now let's see how you like a taste of ice and fire!" Evan shouted.
A thick fog of steam formed all around him—the product of the Ice Crystal's chill clashing with the surrounding inferno. With the Ice Crystal in hand, Evan no longer feared the fiery trap.
Ice Crystal in hand, Evan shot out from the flames with lightning speed, appearing right before the Flame Serpent King. Frostbane materialized in his grip, and he hacked down at the coiled serpent without hesitation.
Evan moved so fast that the Flame Serpent King couldn't even react. With most of its flames withdrawn, its defenses were weakened. Evan's Chaos-infused Frostbane strike tore through its outer shell, leaving a massive gash in its body.
The strangest thing was, no blood poured from the wound—just a stream of fiery red granules, leaving Evan baffled.
After landing the strike, Evan darted aside. The serpent's massive body was anything but nimble; as long as he timed his attacks right, he could keep landing heavy blows.
That sword strike seemed to hurt the Flame Serpent King far more than expected. Even though the wound wasn't huge, it writhed and rolled through the sand in agony—worse than when Evan blinded its eye.
"What's going on? With a body that big, a little cut shouldn't matter—why's it acting like it's dying?" Evan muttered in confusion.
"Heh, just wait—you'll see, the Flame Serpent King will be dead soon. Believe it or not," Luna's voice echoed from Frostbane.
"No way. That's impossible! That wasn't even a fatal blow. Seriously, who would believe that?" Evan retorted, not just doubting Luna—he figured even the readers wouldn't buy it.
"Just watch. You'll find out soon enough. Maybe that beast's got something good inside, and you might just get lucky," Luna teased.
With that, Luna's voice faded away, leaving Evan more confused than ever. The Flame Serpent King kept rolling and groaning, its raspy cries echoing across the desert...