The leader of the Ice and Snow people who appeared before Leilin was, surprisingly, a two-headed monstrosity. Moreover, its body bore the combined characteristics of both Ice Giants and Snow Elves.
A faint blue light flickered in Leilin's eyes and quickly faded, unnoticed by the opposing leader.
A three-dimensional projection formed in Leilin's memory area, casting out every physical trait of the creature.
It stood nearly three meters tall, its build sturdy yet well-proportioned. A pair of beautiful, semi-transparent wings extended from its back. Most strikingly, atop its shoulders, an Ice Giant's head and a Snow Elf's head sat side by side, both bearing signs of age.
The Chip rapidly displayed the rest of the data.
"Ice and Snow People? (Adult, unnamed) Strength: 55.7 Agility: 41.9 Constitution: 40.1 Spirit: 261.2 Mana: 261 Talents: 1. Twin Birth: An adult Ice and Snow person that has merged all the traits of Ice Giants and Snow Elves. They possess two hearts and two sets of body organs, granting them two lives. As long as the body does not suffer catastrophic damage, they can recover and restore the vitality of the other half.
2. Frost Skin: The skin of Ice and Snow people possesses extremely high resistance to cold radiation. It can even generate natural magical runes, making it an important material for crafting certain frost magical artifacts!
3. Frost Affinity: Ice and Snow people possess frost affinity surpassing that of Snow Elves, and can even develop innate frost magical abilities as they advance in rank.
4. Ice Whirlwind: Dense frost-type energy particles provide Snow Elves with extreme defense, automatically generating an Ice Whirlwind barrier, with effects similar to a
"Judging from the Chip's data, this species of Ice and Snow people is clearly a fusion of Snow Elves and Ice Giants, having completely inherited the strengths of both. Their combat power is quite impressive among third-tier beings!"
A light flickered in Leilin's eyes.
"Hehe... Is our guest surprised by our race's appearance?"
Yamosi Andrei noticed Leilin's astonishment and began to explain: "Our race has two forms in childhood. Only after reaching adulthood, finding our other half, and completing the Ice and Snow Blessing ceremony can we truly fuse together and become Ice and Snow people!"
This time, it was the Snow Elf head that spoke. The voice was more feminine.
"Oh! My apologies!"
Leilin quickly waved his hands. Peering into someone's private matters like that was disrespectful regardless of which world one was in.
"I was simply curious for a moment!"
"Haha... Our Ice and Snow people do look quite strange here. Even creatures from other frost worlds are surprised when they see us for the first time. It's understandable that our guest would react this way..."
Now the Ice Giant head spoke as well. The voice was very hearty.
"Since you are a guest from afar, please come into our stronghold to rest..." the two-headed leader Yamosi Andrei invited warmly.
Woooo...
At that moment, a deep horn call suddenly sounded from the watchtower above the stronghold. An Ice Giant's trembling voice cried out: "Le—Leader! An Ice Legion has been spotted! They're heading right for us!"
"What?" Both of Yamosi Andrei's heads cried out in unison. The Ice Knights nearby actually began backing away, their faces filled with undisguised fear.
"Why would they come here? Is it because of you?"
Suspicious gazes instantly converged on Leilin.
"Oh? I didn't expect that the Morning Stars here commanded quite a bit of power." Leilin rubbed his chin.
But this posture was practically an admission of guilt.
"We don't welcome you here. Leave immediately! Don't bring calamity upon our tribe!" Yamosi Andrei's attitude flipped instantly, and the Ice Knights immediately raised their spears, aiming the tips at Leilin. It seemed that at a single word from their leader, they would launch an attack.
"Could you tell me who these people are?"
Leilin seemed completely unbothered by the aggressive posturing of the Ice and Snow people. Instead, he asked with genuine interest.
"You've already provoked the Ice and Snow Empress, and you're still pretending not to know?" Yamosi Andrei's female head was already on the verge of a breakdown.
"The Ice and Snow Empress is the sovereign here. She is the source of all terror, the origin of disaster and suffering. Everyone connected to her will suffer a curse..."
The female head murmured what seemed to be either a proverb or an ancient saying, but her fear of the Ice and Snow Empress was clearly genuine.
"The Ice and Snow Empress, you say?"
Leilin rubbed his chin. "I'm actually quite interested in meeting her..."
"Outsider, leave quickly! Don't bring disaster upon our stronghold!" Yamosi Andrei's female head shrieked. An elemental storm of ice was already forming in her hands.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dense footsteps echoed out. The Ice Giant head groaned: "Yamosi, it's too late!"
Following the leader's lament, the Ice Guards who had been inside the castle had already surrounded the area, led by a knight mounted on a giant horse.
The knight atop the ice giant horse was clad entirely in heavy blue armor. In its hands was a massive semi-transparent sword wreathed in cold flames.
Two pale, cold soul fires blazed from behind its mask. It first swept a frigid gaze over Yamosi Andrei and the other Ice and Snow people, then focused all its attention on Leilin.
"The great Ice Knight — Lord Rose Duke! You are the most dazzling star amid the ice! No icicle flower could match even a ten-thousandth of your beauty!"
At this moment, Leilin watched with considerable exasperation as the Ice and Snow people all dropped to their knees before the Ice Knight, launching into loud praise that made him want to roll his eyes.
"What absolute nonsense. A creature whose soul fire is leaking out — there's probably nothing under that mask but a skull. You're just asking for trouble..."
But somewhat to Leilin's surprise, the Ice Knight seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it: "You wretched sinners! How dare you associate with the Empress's prisoner! But seeing as you didn't let him enter the stronghold, I'll spare you this time..."
The Ice Knight swept its great sword in an arc but did not follow through.
"Oh! Lord Rose Duke! Your mercy is as vast as the ocean of the starry realm..." Both of Yamosi Andrei's heads shed crystalline tears that fell to the ground like glass spheres, producing a crisp clinking sound.
Listening to the exchange between the two sides, Leilin felt goosebumps rising all over his body.
"As for you, outsider! Come with me to the castle! The Ice and Snow Empress wishes to see you!"
Whoosh! A large number of giant guards leveled their spears at Leilin.
With their physical prowess and frost resistance, a single squad of them would give a normal third-tier Wizard a hard time.
But Leilin was completely unconcerned, asking with some amusement: "Is capturing me the Empress's order?"
"It's Steward Alvin's order! But his word is the Empress's word!"
The Ice Knight clearly had no interest in chatting further with Leilin. It mounted its giant horse, preparing to escort Leilin away.
"Then... did he not tell you to be careful, and to immediately send a signal upon seeing me — especially not to face me alone?" Leilin chuckled lightly, and a sudden sense of foreboding washed over the Rose Duke.
"Be careful—"
Almost the instant she spoke, several black sparks appeared on the surrounding Ice Guards.
BOOM! Over a dozen pillars of black humanoid flame roared to life. The Ice Guards — who were even more terrifying than Ice Giants and possessed greater constitution — were reduced to ash in an instant.
"You wretched sinner!" The Rose Duke roared. Her ice giant horse leaped into the air, and the Duke atop it swung the massive semi-transparent sword, its flames surging暴涨, slashing down at Leilin with devastating force.
CLANG! The unstoppable great sword, carrying terrifying power, was stopped by a single finger and could not advance even half an inch further.
"If we were to classify your power by Wizard world standards, you'd be at the third-tier crystallized level — and purely through physical strength at that, which is all the more impressive. But I'm afraid none of that matters..."
Leilin spoke as if sighing, his finger sweeping in a划.
BZZZT! A crescent arc of light sheared through the Ice Knight's armor, carving open a massive gash and sending the entire figure hurtling backward like a freight train, plowing a deep furrow across the solid ice that stretched far into the distance.
Even the ice giant horse beneath the knight shattered under the tremendous force, scattering into a shower of crystalline fragments.
"..."
Silence. A deathly silence fell over the scene.
Yamosi Andrei swallowed hard, staring at Leilin in utter disbelief.
By the Ice and Snow Empress above, what had he just witnessed? The Ice Knight known as the Rose Duke — who was famous for her strength and feared by all the sinners across the entire frost world — had been defeated by this mysterious Wizard with a single finger?
Not only Yamosi Andrei, but all the other Ice Giants and Snow Elves wore looks of blank stupor, almost believing they had fallen into some kind of illusion.
"So? Do you still welcome me now?"
Leilin turned around and flashed a smile at Yamosi Andrei. But to Yamosi Andrei, that smile looked nothing short of a devil's grin.
Several timid Snow Elves had already darted behind the Ice Giants in terror, as though Leilin were some ancient, malevolent beast.
"O-of course!"
The Ice Giant head of Yamosi Andrei nodded vigorously: "Please forgive Yamosi's earlier rudeness! Noble lord! You are the savior of our frost world! And our new sovereign!"
Leilin rolled his eyes inwardly, feeling thoroughly speechless. He had completely given up on any expectation of dignity from these Ice and Snow people.