"Found it! Over there!"
The moment Leilin defeated the Frost Knight, inside the ice castle at the heart of the Frost World, Alvin — who had been waiting there all along — showed a hint of joy on his face.
He pulled several black crystals from inside his jacket, and one of them had already clearly developed a crack.
"The canyon district — the one Rose was responsible for!"
After identifying the target, Alvin's entire body transformed into an afterimage and shot toward the canyon district at tremendous speed.
Relying on subordinates to capture a Morning Star was simply a joke! Alvin had never expected that. The subordinates he'd dispatched served only as an early-warning system.
The moment they made contact with that Morning Star, Alvin, who held their soul essences, could know immediately.
Therefore, for Alvin, Duke Rose had been nothing more than cannon fodder!
Streaking through the sky, Alvin wore an expressionless face, his demeanor utterly cold. For a Morning Star battle, the fact that Duke Rose could serve as cannon fodder was actually quite remarkable.
…
Meanwhile, in the canyon district, at the Ice Snow Clan's settlement, Leilin watched in speechless exasperation as Amos Andre prostrated himself at his feet, even clutching his boots with both hands and refusing to let go.
"My Lord! The Ice Snow Empress is the most evil devil! She greedily drains our Ice Snow Clan's resources and even demands our adult clansmen for blood sacrifices… bringing us immense suffering and tears of blood. Please, my Lord, you must help us get revenge! Defeat the Ice Snow Empress…"
At over two meters tall, the other party was already what Leilin considered a small giant, yet now he knelt before him weeping uncontrollably, which left Leilin quite speechless.
The snow elf head, Amos, also tearfully apologized while denouncing the Ice Snow Empress's evil deeds.
"Actually, aside from requiring you to regularly supply certain materials and adult clansmen for blood sacrifices, this Ice Snow Empress doesn't seem to have committed any other evil deeds, does she?"
Amos Andre was clearly one person, yet his two heads held completely different thoughts, chattering nonstop in Leilin's ears, nearly driving him to annoyance.
But to gather intelligence, he forced himself to endure, listening carefully while continuously strategizing in his mind.
The situation in the Frost World gradually began to take shape in Leilin's mind. According to Amos Andre's account, the entire Frost World was vast beyond measure, home to numerous Frost alien races, all under the rule of a being called the Ice Snow Empress.
This empress rarely showed herself, or rather, had practically never appeared at all. All affairs were handled by her butler, Alvin, who possessed extremely powerful strength. The oppressed alien races had launched several allied campaigns against her, but Alvin had easily defeated them all. After several massacres, no one in the entire Frost World dared to defy the Ice Snow Empress's rule.
As for the tributes and offerings the Ice Snow Empress demanded, in Leilin's view they were actually quite modest. Only the blood sacrifice requirements were terrifyingly large.
Within the entire Ice Snow Clan, apart from the clan chief, there was practically not a single adult remaining. According to Amos Andre's complaints, they had either fled as refugees or been taken away to the castle for blood sacrifices.
"It seems the Scorpion Man's remains and the Bronze Giantess's bloodline must be connected to the Ice Snow Empress — perhaps even inside her castle!"
Leilin stroked his chin and made his deduction: "And from the sheer number of blood sacrifices, could it be…"
His eyes lit up, and then he abruptly looked up at the distant sky.
There, a small black dot was growing closer and closer, finally looming down like a small mountain.
The newcomer was a half-human, half-scorpion frost creature, his upper body dressed in a butler's formal suit, with blood-red eyes that were utterly unforgettable.
"It's Alvin! Heavens! Lord Alvin has come in person!"
Whoosh! Amos Andre erupted with astonishing speed, arrived at the platform where Alvin was landing, and prostrated himself, all four eyes shedding tears of excitement.
"Lord Alvin! You've finally come! This sinful subject has committed a grave offense and requires your judgment! And Amos Andre is your loyal servant—"
Pfft! Before Amos Andre could finish, a mote of blue light descended. Ice-blue quickly spread downward, transforming his entire body into an ice sculpture.
Crack! Crack! Threads of fissures appeared on the ice sculpture, spreading like a spider's web in layer upon layer, and then suddenly shattered.
Bang! Like a glass hitting the ground, producing a crisp sound.
Amos Andre's entire body disintegrated into powder along with the ice sculpture. In this state, even the Ice Snow Clan's symbiotic talent was completely useless.
"Greetings! Outsider Morning Star!"
After slaughtering Amos Andre, Alvin pulled out a pristine white handkerchief and wiped his hands, then greeted Leilin as though nothing had happened.
"Greetings, strong one from the Frost World!" Leilin nodded in acknowledgment.
The other party's form was somewhat similar to the Scorpion Man he had encountered before, but with significant differences — his body was far smaller, and he lacked the ancient creature's brutal aura, something Leilin, who possessed the Komoin Giant Serpent bloodline, could easily discern.
But just seeing the other party appear here, along with this appearance, meant he was definitely connected to the Scorpion Man.
"On behalf of my mistress, the Ice Snow Empress, I invite you to the castle. Would you honor us with your presence?"
Alvin bowed humbly and extended the invitation.
"I've long admired the Ice Snow Empress, but what if I were to decline?" A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Leilin's lips.
"That would be truly regrettable!" Alvin shook his head, as if lamenting Leilin's irrationality.
In an instant! His eyes shot out blood-red radiance — as though the sky was collapsing and the earth splitting apart, thunder roaring. His entire being shifted from stillness to motion in a heartbeat, as if breaking through the boundaries of space and time, arriving before Leilin.
Whoosh! A translucent emerald-green needle, its tip gleaming with dazzling light, thrust rapidly toward Leilin. Connected behind the needle was an articulated tail — unmistakably the stinger of a scorpion!
But Leilin, who had long known from ancient memories just how formidable the Scorpion Man's body was, would never let him succeed!
Almost the instant the tail stinger appeared, a small round shield materialized and blocked its path, the engraving of the Komoin Giant Serpent writhing and hissing upon its surface.
Pfft! The emerald needle pierced through the center of the Bloodline Shield and reached Leilin.
"Komoin Scales!" The instant-cast innate defense immediately manifested across Leilin's body. After his constitution had surpassed the 100 threshold, this first-tier innate wizard ability seemed to have undergone even more wondrous changes — not only had flame patterns appeared on the scales, but they also shimmered with a dazzling radiance.
Crack! A white mark appeared on the black scales. Leilin's figure retreated rapidly, and simultaneously the crimson crescent-moon attack emitted from the scarlet pendant above his ear slashed across Alvin's chest, scraping against the suddenly materialized translucent frost armor with blinding sparks.
"High-grade magical equipment?"
Alvin looked at the massive crack on his chest armor, a hint of wariness crossing his face. A large amount of white frost mist condensed, repairing the damage.
"After reaching the Morning Star level, you can't afford to have any weaknesses in any aspect!"
The earlier exchange had been incredibly swift and fraught with extreme danger. Although neither had employed the spell abilities that Morning Star wizards were most proud of, the mere clash of physical strength and constitution still sent chills down Leilin's spine.
Alvin's earlier attack had been extremely bizarre. Had Leilin's constitution not surpassed the 100 threshold, and had he not been a Warlock with bloodline enhancements, he might have suffered a serious disadvantage in such close-range combat.
"Morning Star powerhouses from other worlds don't necessarily specialize in spellcasting! Therefore, you have to be careful in every aspect!"
After creating distance, Leilin regarded Alvin, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.
"You're the first person to dodge my '
"Your sister, is there even a third Morning Star in this entire Frost World besides you and the Empress?" Leilin silently rolled his eyes.
Because there was no frost radiation in the outside world, even after advancing to the Morning Star level, Alvin had presumably rarely ventured out. To guard the Ice Snow Empress, he had probably seldom left the castle at all.
With Morning Star strength, bullying the natives of the Frost World — and still putting on the airs of some grand master. Though inwardly exasperated, Leilin still regarded his opponent with caution. According to
Defeating him would require considerable effort.
A brilliant starry sky suddenly materialized behind Leilin, illuminating a sea of blood below.
Facing Alvin, Leilin unleashed his Morning Star domain. The terrifying bloodline-pulling force continuously drew upon Alvin's own bloodline, even causing a flush to appear on his face.
As a bloodline Warlock who had also obtained ancient heritage, the Morning Star domain Leilin had awakened was naturally related to bloodlines.
"So this is a wizard's Morning Star domain? In our Frost World, this is called 'Mighty Presence' — or rather, 'Life Force Field'!"
As Alvin spoke, a frost domain materialized behind him, neutralizing and canceling out Leilin's Morning Star domain.
The two enormous domains collided with each other, causing the void itself to ripple. Countless illusions shattered, producing the sensation of worlds being destroyed.
Yet Alvin's frost domain was clearly suppressed beneath Leilin's, causing Alvin's expression to change.
"Did you know that the most terrifying thing about wizards is still their spells?"
Leilin smiled at Alvin, and the smile sent shivers down the other's spine.