CRACK… CRACK-CRACK…
A visible wave of pure white cold erupted from the shelter's center, expanding in a perfect ring. Everything it touched froze solid—dust, blood, flame, even the agitated energy particles in the air. All was suspended under a thick layer of ice.
The dark hand meant for Lin Yuan's head froze solid a mere foot from his forehead, a terrifying black ice sculpture.
A bone-deep chill made Long Xiaotian whirl around.
In the center of the shelter, the ice sculpture that held their hopes was splintering. Shards fell like diamond dust, revealing the figure within. Su Qingxue slowly opened her eyes. Her pupils were no longer their familiar dark hue, but the pure,幽 blue of a glacial heart.
She took a step forward, ice lilies blooming under her feet. The moisture in the air danced around her, weaving itself into a gown of shimmering ice crystals. Her aura was no longer B-Rank. It had transcended, reaching A-Rank, matching Long Xiaotian's… and something more, something ethereal.
"Touch him," she said, her voice quiet yet carrying the weight of a royal decree, "and you die."
Long Xiaotian's face darkened. "Another fool seeking death!"
He abandoned Lin Yuan, forming hand seals. Black energy surged around him, taking the form of a dark dragon, scales distinct, eyes burning red. It roared, charging Su Qingxue, devouring the very light in its path.
Su Qingxue remained calm. She elegantly raised a slender hand and closed it into a fist.
"Absolute Zero."
There was no cataclysmic collision. The fearsome dark dragon slowed as it entered a ten-meter radius around her, as if moving through invisible sludge. Then, ultimate cold took hold. Starting from the head, freezing spread down its body until the entire dragon was a frozen statue in mid-lunge.
"Shatter." The word left her lips.
The ice dragon obeyed, exploding into a cloud of glittering powder that vanished into nothingness.
Long Xiaotian grunted, a trickle of blood escaping his lips, his eyes wide with disbelief. His ultimate technique, dismissed so effortlessly!
"Now!"
On the ground, Lin Yuan, seizing the moment, channeled his remaining strength into Xiao Yue. Empowered, the war-hound shook off its pain, threw back its head, and howled. Dozens of crescent [Wind Blades] erupted from him, a storm of death shooting towards Long Xiaotian!
At the same time, Lin Yuan mustered his last dregs of power, focusing the remnants of his Golden Scales into his fist. He became a golden meteor, shooting up from the ground.
Pinned between Su Qingxue's arctic domain from above, Xiao Yue's razor storm from the front, and Lin Yuan's desperate strike from below, Long Xiaotian was truly cornered.
He frantically layered dark shields around himself.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The Wind Blades shattered shield after shield. In the moment between the collapse of his defenses and his attempt to raise new ones, Lin Yuan's golden fist arrived.
BOOM!
The blow landed squarely on his chest. The penetrating quality of the scales and the raw force of Frenzy poured into him.
Long Xiaotian flew backward like a ragdoll, his chest caved in. He hit the ground with a sickening thud, twitched twice, and moved no more.
Seeing both their leader and vice-leader slain, the remaining Black Dragon forces shattered. Their will broken, they fled in panic, their cries filling the air.
The shelter held.
Su Qingxue descended from the sky, her ice gown dissolving into starlight. She walked to Lin Yuan, her eyes tracing his pale face and numerous wounds. The ice in her gaze melted, replaced by a deep, watery tenderness and concern.
She reached out, her cool fingers gently touching a cut on his face. A soothing, icy energy flowed into him, easing the pain.
"I'm back," she said.
Lin Yuan grabbed her hand, holding it tight, as if afraid she might be a dream. A thousand words condensed into a single, relieved smile.
"Welcome back."
The setting sun cast its glow on the embracing couple, on the cheering survivors. Hope, it seemed, had finally dawned.
Yet, as Lin Yuan looked toward the horizon, a deeper unease stirred beneath the joy. The look in Long Xiaotian's dead eyes had seemed to say… this was far from over.