Arwen
“Found it! It’s there!” The moment Leylin defeated the Arctic Knight, a hint of happiness emerged on Arwen’s face. He’d been waiting in the castle at the core of this world of ice the whole time.
He pulled out a few pieces of black crystal from his arms, among which one had already cracked quite obviously.
“It's the canyon area that Rose is in charge of!” After discovering the target, Arwen’s entire person blurred into a phantom as he shot towards the canyon area.
Of course, he’d never hoped that his subordinates would capture a Morning Star; that would just be a joke. Those he’d sent out this time would serve as nothing more than a warning.
Once they came into contact with that Morning Star, Arwen who was in control of their spirit sources would know immediately.
Hence, that Duchess Rose from before was just cannon fodder in his eyes.
Arwen who was far away had an indifferent and emotionless expression. In a battle between Morning Stars, it was in fact very extraordinary that Duchess Rose ended up being cannon fodder.
……
At the same time, in canyon area within the hill village of the Arctic Tribe, Leylin looked at Yamos speechlessly as the creature crawled and knelt at his feet, both hands clinging to his boots.
“My Lord! The Arctic Queen is the most evil of demons! She greedily exploited our Arctic Tribe’s resources, and even asked our matured members to become blood sacrifices… She has brought us great suffering and tears of blood. We beg you, Sire must help us with our vengeance! Defeat the Arctic Queen…”
Yamos was over two metres tall, veritably a small giant. For such a creature to kneel before him and cry so hard left Leylin at a loss for words.
The chief of the snow elves, Amos, was also apologising with tears in his eyes, complaining about the Arctic Queen’s evil deeds simultaneously.
“Actually, other than a regular tribute and having your matured members become blood sacrifices, it seems as if this Arctic Queen hasn’t committed any evil?”
Yamos was clearly just one person, but there were different thoughts from two different brains buzzing beside Leylin’s ears continuously, making him feel a little fed up.
However, he still endured it by force of will in order to obtain the information, all the while plotting something in his heart.
The situation in the world of ice also grew clearer to him. From Yamos’ introduction, he learned that the place was very vast, with many tribes scattered across it. They were all being ruled by someone called the Arctic Queen.
This queen seldom appeared in public, and it could be said that she had almost never shown her face before.
All the affairs were handled by her butler, Arwen. The man possessed a formidable strength. The tribes that had been exploited and oppressed had allied together in several crusades but had easily been defeated by him. After a few bloodbaths, there was no one else in this miniature Icy World who dared to go against the Arctic Queen’s regime.
Leylin felt like the tribute this Arctic Queen demanded was still quite mild. It was only her demand for blood sacrifices that was terrifyingly huge.
There were almost no adults other than the chief in the Arctic Tribe. Based on Yamos’ accusations, they had either fled or were sent to the castle to be used as blood sacrifices.
‘It seems like the Scorpion Man’s remains and the female bronze giant’s bloodline are definitely related to the Arctic Queen. They may even be right in her castle!’ Leylin stroked his chin, thinking of something, ‘All these blood sacrifices, could it be…’
His eyes sparkled, and soon after he suddenly lifted his head and looked into the distant sky.
A small black dot grew larger and larger, pressing down like a small mountain. The approaching figure was that of an icy creature who was half human, half scorpion. His upper body was dressed in a butler’s suit, the bloodshot eyes leaving a deep impression.
“It's Arwen! Oh God, Sir Arwen has come personally!” Yamos burst out at a shocking speed, and with a whoosh it arrived at the platform where Yamos had arrived and knelt down. Emotional tears flowed down from all four eyes.
“Sir Arwen, you’re finally here! This criminal has committed a grave mistake, we need you to judge him! Yamos is your loyal servant—”
Before Yamos could finish speaking, a faint blue light enveloped it in a moment, turning it into an ice sculpture.
A web of cracks emerged on this sculpture, covering it up entirely before it shattered into pieces. It sounded like a glass cup had fallen to the ground.
Yamos, along with the ice sculpture, had turned into dust. Faced with such strength, even the Arctic Tribe’s innate ability of symbiosis was rendered completely ineffective.
“Greetings, foreign Morning Star!” After killing Yamos, Arwen pulled out a clean, white handkerchief and wiped his palms, greeting Leylin as if he was an unconcerned person.
“Hello, powerhouse of the world of ice!” Leylin bowed.
Arwen’s form was slightly similar to the Scorpion Man he had previously seen. However, there were also major differences. His figure was smaller and did not carry the fierce aura that came with the bloodline of an ancient creature. Having the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Bloodline himself, Leylin could easily identify it.
But seeing how he had shown up here, and also his appearance, he was related to the Scorpion Man.
“I represent my master, the Arctic Queen, in inviting you to her castle. I wonder if Sir is willing to accept her invitation?” Arwen bowed humbly.
“I’ve admired the Arctic Queen for a long time. But what if I refuse?” A mocking smile emerged at the corners of Leylin’s lips.
“That would be a great pity!” Arwen shook his head, as if he was feeling sorry for Leylin’s irrationality.
A blood-red light shot out of his eyes in a flash. As if the entire earth was shaken, thunder roared and his entire body jumped into motion from his stationary state, coming before Leylin as if he had broken through the boundaries of time and space,
*Swoosh!* A long and translucent dark green needle rushed towards Leylin, a bright, dazzling radiance at its tip.
A tail was attached to the long needle. It was the tail section of a scorpion!
However, Leylin already knew about the Scorpion Man’s strong body from the Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor’s memories. How would he let Arwen get his way?
A small round shield emerged to block the stinger almost the same moment it rushed forth, blocking the unavoidable strike. Giant Kemoyin Serpents moved around on the shield’s surface, hissing on occasion.
The dark green needle broke through the center of the bloodline shield with a snip, arriving in front of Leylin.
“Kemoyin’s Scales!” Instantaneously, the innate defence emerged on the surface of Leylin’s body. After his vitality surpassed 100, this rank 1 innate spell seemed to have undergone an intriguing change. Not only was there an additional layer of blazing stripes on the scales, they had even grown dazzling.
*Ka-cha!* A small white dot emerged on the black scales and Leylin’s figure retreated. At the same time, the red crescent of light from his earring swept across Arwen’s chest. Dazzling sparks flew out as it collided with a translucent icy armour that suddenly appeared.
“High-grade magic artifact?” Arwen looked at the huge crack on his chestplate as a trace of apprehension appeared on his face. Large amounts of white, icy fog solidified, mending the damage to the armour.
‘There are no weaknesses to exploit in a Morning Star!’
The confrontation just now had occurred very quickly, and was very dangerous. Although the spells that Morning Star Magi took most pride in were not used, the mere confrontation in strength and vitality created a lingering fear in Leylin.
Arwen’s previous attack was very strange. If not for his vitality breaking past 100 and the addition of his bloodline, an attack at such close quarters would have probably injured him severely.
‘Morning Stars from a foreign place may not excel in magical abilities! Hence there’s a need to pay attention to all aspects!’ After opening up some distance between them, Leylin directed a cold gaze at Arwen.
“You’re the first person who was able to escape my ‘Breath of Doom’!” Arwen looked at his own stinger, his face seeming a little regretful yet gratified.
“Damn you! In this world of ice, is there another Morning Star apart from you and your queen?” Leylin secretly rolled his eyes.
Because the outside world did not have any icy radiation, it was very rare for Arwen to go out even after he advanced to Morning Star. In face, because he had to protect the Arctic Queen, he probably even rarely left the castle. He used Morning Star strength to bully the aboriginals of the world of ice, yet he still had the nerve to act like an expert.
Although he felt a little speechless, Leylin still looked at his opponent carefully. Arwen would rank as a Four Star Morning Star according to Sky City’s rankings. If his body’s special abilities were included, his strength would probably even reach Five Stars.
A certain amount of effort would be needed to take down such an enemy.
A splendid starry sky suddenly emerged behind Leylin, illuminating a sea of blood. Facing Arwen, Leylin emitted his own Morning Star domain. His terrifying pull on bloodlines attracted Arwen’s own, making his face flush slightly red.
With him being a Warlock with an ancient bloodline who had also received that bloodline’s legacy, Leylin’s Morning Star domain was naturally connected to it.
“So this is the Morning Star domain of a Magus… In our world of ice, we call it the ‘Power Aura’ or ‘Vitality’s Forcefield’!” A realm of ice emerged behind Arwen as he spoke, offsetting Leylin’s Morning Star domain.
The two huge domains collided, making even the void vibrate. The illusory walls shattered, creating the feeling as if the world being destroyed.
However, Arwen’s icy realm was evidently suppressed by Leylin’s domain, causing his expression to change.
“Did you know the most terrifying thing about us Magi is still our spells?” Leylin’s smile made Arwen’s hair stand on end…