Esdeath rushed towards Abel, so fast that she only left a residual image. In just an instant, the two were within arm's reach.
Esdeath aimed her blade towards Abel's neck. Just as it was about to touch Abel's neck, his body suddenly disappeared from its original spot.
A hint of surprise flashed in Esdeath's eyes.
Without hesitation, she turned and slashed horizontally.
Clang!
A deafening sound echoed throughout the entire area.
The Empire's soldiers covered their ears, but some of the closer soldiers bled from their ears and then fainted.
The powerful airwave generated by the collision swept out, and dust flew everywhere.
Esdeath looked closely and saw that Abel had blocked her blade with a small knife, his relaxed demeanor making her full-strength attack seem like child's play.
Crack!
Esdeath's sword broke in half and she felt a pain in her abdomen. Her entire body flew backward, crashing to the ground.
At this moment, the surviving soldiers all showed expressions of disbelief.
Their General was so easily sent flying by someone else?
She was the strongest person in the Empire!
However...
"Form ranks! Protect the General!"
"Enough!" Esdeath stood up from the pit.
How long had it been since she had experienced this feeling of being completely overwhelmed in terms of power?
The soldiers looked at their General in confusion.
"General!"
"I said enough!" Esdeath shouted impatiently.
The Empire's army stopped their actions and made way for her.
Esdeath discarded the broken sword and walked towards Abel.
With Esdeath as the anchor point, everything she looked at was frozen.
Esdeath's Teigu, Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract, activated.
"You are worthy of witnessing the power I possess." Esdeath smiled.
"Then let me see it properly." Abel said.
A large number of ice thorns rapidly enveloped Abel.
Abel looked at the incoming ice thorns with a slight smile. He walked forward while waving the small knife in his hand. Those ice thorns instantly turned into tiny ice crystals, creating a very beautiful sight.
"An interesting fellow." Esdeath said, her expression beginning to turn serious.
Since the ice thorns were shattered, then what about this?
Esdeath raised her hand and a chunk of ice floated into the air and smashed down towards Abel.
With one hand, Abel unleashed a slash toward the ice chunk, splitting it into two from the middle.
Looking at the man in front of her, the excitement on Esdeath's face never diminished. She was very much looking forward to his next move.
Ice Cavalry!
As Esdeath used this move, she effectively became an army of one. One by one, half-human, half-horse warriors formed from ice appeared behind Esdeath.
"Legion battle? Then I'll join in too."
"Deceased Undead, appear, dedicate yourselves, and achieve victory for your King!"
One by one, the Undead descended anew.
Numa, whose life had been taken by Abel earlier, was also among them. They had their own consciousness, but Abel's command was supreme.
The Ice Cavalry and the Undead Legion collided, emitting roars.
The Ice Cavalry wielded ice blades, while the Undead used their pre-death abilities to crush their opponents.
Esdeath watched this scene, her eyes full of excitement. The guy in front of her was giving her more and more surprises. Moreover, he seemed to be her other half, given to her by heaven.
The situation with the two of them made the surrounding Empire and Northern Tribe troops dare not move, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.
Esdeath walked towards Abel, and Abel did the same. The surrounding battle seemed to not exist in their eyes.
Esdeath said, "Don't you dare die, or I'll be very sad."
Abel chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't die so easily."
"That's for the best."
As Esdeath spoke, she raised her hands and crossed them.
"Mahapadma!"
The swirling snow, the flags fluttering in the wind, and the Ice Cavalry and Undead Legion all had their time stopped.
This was Esdeath's ultimate technique, a skill that could freeze time.
Esdeath looked at Abel, whose time was stopped, a smile on her face.
She clenched her hand, and a sword made of ice appeared in her grasp, then she walked step by step towards Abel.
Esdeath had already planned how to deal with him. She would put a collar on him, attach a chain, and make him her man alone. However, she had to defeat him first.
Esdeath's Mahapadma possessed time-stopping capabilities. But as a devil with the power of time and space, how could Abel be stopped by this power, especially since he also possessed the power of the World Will?
Therefore, Mahapadma could be said to be ineffective against Abel.
Watching Esdeath approach him with an ice sword, Abel rubbed his neck.
This action made Esdeath pause. Soon, ahe became even more excited.
He had equally powerful strength, equally powerful legion skills, and could still move when time was frozen. Her was absolutely the other half bestowed upon her by heaven.
"Become my person. I will give you everything you desire."
Listening to Esdeath's words, Abel stretched lazily. "Sorry, I'd rather you become my person."
Esdeath smiled. "If you want me to submit, then show me your strength and convince me."
"Since that's the case, then watch closely."
As Abel spoke, he clenched his hand, and the previously stopped time shattered, beginning to flow again.
Looking at the confident Abel, Esdeath said to the soldiers behind her, "My soldiers, run! Run far away, escape from here! Don't die!"
She knew that the final part of the battle was about to begin.
The Empire troops obeyed her command and turned to leave.
The Northern Tribesmen, however, were confused.
Abel ascended and pointed a hand towards the sky. The sky turned fiery red, and the blizzard stopped abruptly.
"I hereby declare that all living beings are equal. Whether sinner or saint, ordinary or hero, pure child or their mother, all are treated equally as fuel for the flames. Behold the moment of the birth of the fiery purgatory, the Kingdom of Fire!"
From the sky, the Fire of Condemnation descended.
The Empire's soldiers ran even faster upon seeing this scene, while the Northern Tribesmen knelt on the ground and looked at the sky in despair.