Tianqi Sanluo, right before the eyes of hundreds of AST members, killed the first unfortunate one who had charged at her.
"Damn it!!!"
The AST captains gritted their teeth in hatred but signaled for their subordinates to cease attacking. They couldn't afford to keep sending people to die. The members who had been frozen into ice sculptures were still in uncertain condition — possibly alive.
In the past, even though there had been casualties during battles, rarely had there been such a one-sided slaughter — and this time, it was clear the Spirit was holding back.
Humans are afraid of death.
Though the remaining AST members still numbered in the hundreds, the hands gripping their laser swords were trembling.
Yes, they all hated Spirits. But that didn't mean they were fearless.
"What's wrong? Afraid already?"
Seeing these girls in strange mechanical suits hesitate, Tianqi Sanluo's face showed a look of boredom.
She had hoped they could at least provide some entertainment.
Maybe she hadn't provoked them enough?
Thinking this, Tianqi Sanluo walked over to one of the frozen AST members whose face still held an expression of hatred and whose body was locked in a charging pose. She gently tapped the ice statue with Polar Ice Burst.
In the next second, the statue — along with the AST member sealed within — shattered into countless fragments, scattering across the ground.
Seeing this, the remaining AST girls hesitated even more.
From what they could tell, the comrades frozen in ice were still alive for now — at least, not dead yet. But the Spirit was executing them one by one.
If they wanted to stop her, they had to charge in and fight head-on.
The problem was — their ranged weapons were completely useless against her, as the earlier exchange had proven.
And if they rushed her, with their current power level, they would only become the next ice sculptures.
"What's wrong? Still trembling in fear?!"
Tianqi Sanluo smiled, swung Polar Ice Burst, and shattered another frozen AST soldier.
At that point, the ASTs could endure no more.
"All units! Charge!!"
Each AST captain shouted the same order.
"Yes, Captain!!"
Fueled by hatred for the Spirit and guilt for their fallen comrades, hundreds of AST members roared as they charged at Tianqi Sanluo, laser swords raised.
"Haha, that's more like it."
A twisted smile appeared on Tianqi Sanluo's face — almost identical to the one she had worn when watching the blazing fires before AST's arrival.
Now that they were charging, the frozen ones were no longer needed as bait.
She recalled Burning Immortal Flame, gripped Polar Ice Burst with both hands, and spun it in a wide circle centered on herself — the tip of the ice spear tracing a brilliant blue ring. Instantly, a violent localized blizzard erupted.
"Damn it!!!"
Just like standing beneath a collapsing snow mountain, the ice crystals in the storm cut like knives. Even with advanced CR-Unit equipment, the AST members were slowed by the freezing winds; their flight systems malfunctioned, and many fell from the sky.
But Tianqi Sanluo's blizzard wasn't aimed solely at those in the air.
The swirling ice crystals replaced the spear's tip, smashing all the frozen statues on the ground and sweeping their shattered remains up into the storm — to wander with the snow and ice.
Having achieved her purpose, Tianqi Sanluo lowered her spear. The blizzard faded instantly.
When the AST members reopened their eyes, they were stunned — every ice sculpture on the ground had vanished without a trace.
As Tianqi Sanluo deliberately withdrew her spirit energy from the spear, the scorching heat returned, replacing the chill. Ice crystals on many AST faces melted into droplets.
And then—
"Ah!!"
One AST member raised her hand to wipe the moisture from her forehead, only to realize — the liquid wasn't clear water, but blood.
That was precisely Tianqi Sanluo's intent — to make them feel the blood of their comrades all over their bodies.
"AAAAHH!! I'll kill you!!"
Unable to bear the taunting any longer, one AST captain screamed, raised her sword, and charged despite her teammates' protests.
"That's better. A fight's no fun without someone willing to play."
As a reward for her bravery, Tianqi Sanluo thrust Polar Ice Burst straight through the captain's body — a swift, merciful death.
The woman's lips quivered, but no blood came out. The extreme cold had frozen every drop of fluid inside her body.
When Tianqi Sanluo withdrew the spear, no blood stained its blade.
"Well? Who's next? Anyone else want a quick death?"
She looked around.
Aside from the fallen captain's subordinates glaring at her with murderous intent, most of the AST members hesitated, too afraid to move — some even preparing to retreat.
"Forget it. I'm bored. You've lost your value."
After a full minute without anyone daring to act, Tianqi Sanluo's patience ran out.
"Burning Immortal Flame."
She summoned another angelic weapon — one of fire — and then made it collide with the ice of Polar Ice Burst, two opposite forces clashing violently.
With her spirit power surging, flames erupted from the ground in every direction for several miles.
"Not good!!"
Fortunately, just before the flames spread, the ASTs' flight systems came back online. Most managed to take to the air — buying themselves a few more seconds of life.
But Tianqi Sanluo had no intention of letting them escape.
The flames didn't stop at the ground — they erupted upward like a volcano, engulfing everything within three hundred meters, including all the ASTs still in the air.
They couldn't dodge. The fire swallowed them whole.
Yet, strangely — though the flames were blazing hot and composed of pure spirit energy, hot enough to instantly destroy their CR-Units — they did not immediately kill the ASTs.
"What… what's happening?"
"I'm… fine? I don't feel anything?"
They were more shocked than they had ever been in their lives.
Tianqi Sanluo, of course, was not so merciful.
As confusion spread among the AST, a horrifying sight followed—
Even though they were engulfed in flames, their bodies suddenly began to freeze rapidly, turning to ice from within. Within seconds, they became crystal sculptures — unable even to think before losing all bodily control.
Worse still, they remained conscious.
They could only watch helplessly as their frozen bodies began to melt in the burning flames — not only the ice, but their flesh as well, fusing and dissolving into the fire.
There was no pain, but the suffocating helplessness and despair were real.
A twisted version of "ice and fire" — an experience they would have only once in their lives.
Within mere tens of seconds, every AST member had vanished, their bodies consumed along with the flames, leaving no trace behind.
"..."
But after wiping out the entire AST force, Tianqi Sanluo showed no joy. Instead, she stood silently, head lowered, as if in deep thought.
Then—
"Heh heh heh…"
She raised her head.
Her face contorted — the once-delicate features twisting into something monstrous.
"Ahahaha!!"
She covered her face and laughed madly, tilting her head back toward the sky.
Her entire being was overflowing with the thrill of power — the ecstasy of domination. When mixed with the despair and tragedy of her previous life, the result was an intoxicating chemical reaction. It was maddening, irresistible — like countless ants crawling beneath her skin, itching, urging her for more.
However—
Just as she was about to unleash her power again, a sudden weakness overtook her.
It felt as though an invisible force was pulling her away from this world.
Her consciousness faded into chaos.
Tianqi Sanluo — lost consciousness.
...
After that battle, Tianqi Sanluo finally earned her place among the Spirit records.
Designation: Genie (Asura)
Threat Level: SSS