Ulturion tossed aside the corpse he was holding in his hands.
Aude watched him warily. He had witnessed their battle against the lion and knew full well their chances were slim. Yet, he had to try.
Letting out a fierce cry as he charged forward, he shouted:
"EVERYONE, WITH ME!"
Followed by the other cultivators, he rushed toward Ulturion.
"At least you'll die knowing you tried… in vain, of course," Ulturion murmured.
He began moving his hands theatrically. Upon closer inspection, one could see his fists were clenched tightly.
The group following Aude was only ten meters away when Ulturion unclenched his hand and, with a simple flick of his finger, unleashed his attack.
Spears erupted from the ground, piercing through the group.
"A hundred cultivators, then two hundred spears will rise from the ground.
Five hundred cultivators, then seven hundred spears will rise.
A thousand cultivators, then two thousand spears will rise," Ulturion whispered.
Instantly, behind Aude, where the bulk of the troops stood, two thousand spears surged from the ground, impaling everyone.
Only the strongest or most cunning survived, but they were gravely wounded.
Aude, pinned to the ground by a spear through his foot, gazed at the devastating scene. His body bore multiple cuts from the spears he had tried to dodge.
"Damn… Damn… How can he unleash such an attack after the fight he just had?" Aude growled, only to realize Ulturion was standing right in front of him.
"You're complaining about something so trivial, Aude?" Ulturion remarked with a mocking smile.
Refusing to be overwhelmed, Aude lifted his head and retorted:
"It doesn't matter. That was just a group of a hundred cultivators. Don't forget, there are still a thousand left!"
Hiding a smirk with his hand, Ulturion pointed behind Aude and said:
"Are those the ones you're calling future victors?"
Sensing the amusement in Ulturion's expression, Aude quickly turned his head and was struck with horror.
Over a thousand men and women, all impaled like trophies. Some had survived, but for how long? Ribs shattered, abdomens pierced, solar plexuses crushed… Only those hit in the legs or arms had a chance to live.
But against a monster like Ulturion, this felt more like a judgment than a battle.
"You see, Aude, even your two fleeing princesses, accompanied by Li Vêt and a few cultivators… Verna's speech was only meant to motivate you to throw yourselves into a hopeless cause. It's quite sad, Aude. I thought you'd figured out your princess's true nature. But, against all odds, no. You've lived longer than her, yet you were so easily fooled," Ulturion exclaimed, raising his eyes to the sky.
"But, as I said, only two princesses fled. The one who truly earns my respect stayed, didn't she, Dola?"
Dola, accompanied by Ji-Li, Hirina, and Chiva, hovered in the air.
"Tell me, how are you flying? You only possess the water card," Ulturion asked, tapping his temple in thought. "Ahhh, of course! Hirina has the air card. She's reached such mastery that she can now make others fly," he declared.
Looking at Ulturion, Dola spoke in a low voice:
"Listen, I'm only after Rieze. So let us pass, Ulturion."
"Sorry, but that's not going to happen," he replied.
Unable to hold back any longer, Chiva shouted:
"Why are you protecting him, huh? Is he your new master?"
"Fortunately, no! I'd never accept a master. Maybe a sensei, but a master? I'd rather die!" Ulturion retorted.
"Enough! If he won't listen, we'll force our way through!" Hirina declared, unleashing a violent gust of wind toward Ulturion.
A smile crept across Ulturion's face.
"You see, you're not paying close enough attention. Otherwise, you would've noticed."
Hirina's wind froze in mere moments, halted by an invisible force.
Dola tried to control the ice, but the instant she did, she felt something invade her mind, like a chilling breath. The pain was so intense that she lost consciousness on the spot.
"Come, gather around me!" Chiva cried, holding Dola in her arms.
Ji-Li and Hirina joined the forming circle. Flames erupted around them, enveloping them like a protective orb.
But it didn't stop the ice, which gradually froze the flames.
Feeling her flames solidify, Chiva dug deep within herself to produce even more fire. Miraculously, the number of flames grew outside the orb: for every flame that froze, five more ignited in its place, melting the ice.
"Oh, I see. She's pushing her limits," Dono murmured. "But I, too, can do whatever I want with my ice."
From the ice he exhaled, Dono formed a giant hand and struck the fiery orb so violently that it was hurled out of the city.
Crashing to the ground, Dono stopped exhaling.
Sitting in a lotus position, he channeled all the ether within him, directing it to his muscles.
Sigh, sigh.
"Here we go," he whispered.
Dono made his muscles tremble with ether, tricking his body into thinking it was exercising. In mere minutes, his body warmed up. His face remained tense: he might be rank nine, but he still felt pain and could die if his body dropped to a critically low temperature.
He also noticed his hair had turned white.
Sigh.
"That's it. I'm not using this again until I reach the Immortal Realm," Dono vowed, before sensing an enormous wave of ether, vast as a sea.
He turned toward Rieze and saw the orb spinning in the air. He could clearly feel the massive wave of ether emanating from it.
"So, it's begun," he murmured