The battlefield trembled under the pressure of gods in mortal flesh.
The girl with silver hair also started slowly levitating until she was on the same level as old Bai and the arrogant young man. As she stood there waves of cold air started radiating from her body covering the whole bai village in chills.
She took a step in front of old Bai and at the same time a huge ice spear was lanched at the speed of sound towards the young man who just as quickly waved his hand launching a fire ball, meeting the ice soear head on. However the young frowned as he quickly waved his hand again launching another fire ball to finally manage to stop the ice spear.
As he looked at the silver haired young women hos frowne deepened, "You—" before he could speak another ice spear was launched at him before he could finish.
The young women looked at him coldly leaving him no space to speak, it was obvious from her behavior that she didn't come to exchange words, she cane to end the fight, quickly.
The air was thick with heat and ice, each wave of their clash reshaping the very sky above Bai Village.
Her descent was like divine judgment. Her silver-white robes fluttered, untouched by the chaos below. Her long silver hair trailed behind her, bound in an icy ribbon that shimmered like moonlight. Her eyes were calm, unfeeling—glacial. As she kept raiseing her hands, the very moisture in the air crystallized, launching one ice spear after the other.
A storm of ice swept through the sky, colliding with a wall of roaring flames.
Her opponent, the young man, impossibly youthful in appearance, perhaps even younger than Adam himself. His robes were crimson and black, swirling with dancing embers. His aura radiated arrogance and cruelty, as though the world itself should bow before his fire. Yet, behind that arrogance was a terrifying pressure, one that eclipsed even the mightiest of warriors below.
Their clash was cataclysmic.
Ice and fire exploded midair. Each collision unleashed shockwaves that cracked the clouds and sent tremors racing through the land. The villagers below stopped fighting—not from awe, but because survival became their only instinct. The sky was no longer a ceiling; it was a battleground where existence itself was being rewritten.
Adam stood among the wreckage, his breath caught in his throat. The scene felt unreal. He had seen death, fought beasts, survived desperate odds—but this was beyond him. These weren't battles. They were calamities.
The girl's control over ice was terrifying in its precision. Each movement summoned glaciers, spears, froststorms that howled like vengeful spirits. She never flinched, never hesitated, her figure always calm, always elegant. But beneath that serenity was fury. It burned colder than her ice.
The young man laughed through the chaos. Flames wrapped around his body, forming a massive phoenix that shrieked and surged toward her. His fire was wild, alive, constantly shifting, like it wanted to consume the world.
She responded with silence.
Her ice dragon roared into being, mouth wide open, clashing with the phoenix in a blinding storm of steam, embers, and sleet. The sky dimmed. The ground cracked. Bai Village, already ravaged, seemed on the brink of disappearing.
Then came a familiar voice—hoarse, panicked, terrified.
"Run, Meiyue! It's a trap!"
Old Bai's voice cut through the chaos like a dagger. He hovered nearby, blood streaming from his mouth, his robes tattered and burnt. His usually composed face was twisted with desperation.
Meiyue faltered for a fraction of a second.
Her brows drew together, confusion flashing in her icy gaze. But before she could respond—before the meaning behind Old Bai's words could register—four new figures appeared in the sky.
They didn't descend. They materialized.
Draped in long, flowing robes inscribed with glowing runes, their faces obscured by veils and shadows, the newcomers raised their hands in unison. Their lips moved silently, too fast to follow.
Then the sky ignited.
A massive seal bloomed above Bai Village, glowing red and violet. Chains of light fell from it, encasing the entire village in a fiery sphere. The air inside grew thin. Heat surged. The sky vanished, replaced by walls of burning light.
Meiyue's eyes widened. She threw her arms wide, summoning a dome of glittering blue to shield the village.
The fire clashed with her ice.
The ground shook violently. Houses were reduced to rubble. The already-suffering villagers fell to their knees, coughing blood as the temperature surged beyond reason. Children screamed. Elders collapsed. The flames didn't just burn flesh—they consumed hope.
Old Bai cried out in rage. "I told you to run! You shouldn't have come!"
But Meiyue didn't reply. She focused all her strength into reinforcing her barrier. The temperature inside the dome plummeted as she poured everything into it. Frost formed over villagers, cooling their skin even as they gasped for air. Her body trembled. Blood trickled from her lips.
Still, she held.
But it wasn't enough.
The spell wasn't meant to protect. It was meant to kill.
The fire pushed harder. Runes etched along the barrier flared brightly, growing fiercer with each moment. Meiyue cried out and dropped to her knees in the sky, her arms shaking. She had to choose—protect the entire village and burn herself away… or protect only one small corner.
She chose the latter.
With a pained shout, she focused all her remaining energy into a smaller dome around herself and Old Bai. The village outside the dome was left exposed.
Then the screams began.
Adam watched in horror as flames devoured his world. His legs refused to move. His arms felt like lead. He could hear the villagers—people he'd known, worked with, lived beside—screaming as fire consumed their homes, their bodies, their lives.
Children he'd helped gather water. Old men who'd taught him how to harvest. Women who'd fed him on cold nights. All of them burned.
His eyes locked on Old Zhang—the kind old man who had trained him in the fields, taught him how to hold a hoe. Old Zhang had revealed his power only a few hours ago, fighting with the force of a grandmaster. But now, his clothes aflame, he shielded a group of children with his body, his back charred and blistered.
A blast of fire swept them away.
Adam's heart shattered.
He looked around in desperation. Lin Kuan, Madame Yue, the instructors—none of them could reach them. They were trapped behind a wall of fire or struggling to stay alive. Even Lin Kuan, with his monstrous strength, couldn't pierce the barrier.
"Why?" Adam whispered. "Why can't I do anything?"
The air grew thin. His vision blurred. The fire pressed in from all directions. He dropped to his knees as the ground seared beneath him. He could smell his own flesh cooking. All around him, bodies fell.
Still, the laughter echoed.
The four floating figures hovered above the flames, their voices cutting through the chaos.
"Slaves should remain in chains. This is mercy."
"They tasted hope. That was the mistake."
"Let them all burn!"
Adam's fingers dug into the dirt. He wanted to scream. To rise. To fight. But there was nothing he could do. He was a speck caught in a storm meant for giants.
Then he heard Old Bai's voice again—this time a scream unlike any he'd heard before.
Not of anger.
Of grief.
"NO! NOOOO!!"
Adam raised his head, eyes meeting the old man's. Behind Meiyue's shrinking shield, Old Bai pounded his fists against the icy wall, blood spilling freely. His pupils trembled, watching his home, his people—everything he built—vanish.
"You bastards! I'll kill you all!" he howled.
Meiyue grabbed his arm, trying to calm him. But she, too, was trembling. Her face was pale. Her lips moved silently, eyes brimming with unshed tears.
Adam tried to crawl forward. Just a few more feet. Just a little more—
The fire surged.
His eyes melted.
His skin cracked.
His blood boiled.
And then came the darkness.
It seeped in like old ink spilled across a canvas. It swallowed the fire, the screams, the village. It stole the pain, the heat, the sorrow.
And the last thing Adam heard… was the sound of laughter.
And Old Bai's scream of utter, helpless rage.
Then nothing.
Only silence.