Chapter 741: Cold and Heat
Before the words even faded, the Frost Giant slowly drew from his waist a colossal Ice Crystal Battle Axe—its length stretching dozens of meters. With a thunderous roar, he swung it through the air.
Whoosh—
The Great Axe unleashed a torrent of freezing wind, swirling with jagged ice shards, howling through the jagged peaks of the glacier. A terrifying blizzard erupted, devouring everything in its path, lifting, freezing, and rending all that stood before it.
In an instant, over a thousand Devil Soldiers were swept into the storm’s fury—reduced to a storm of shattered ice fragments, scattered across the sky.
“Run!”
“No, no—!”
“Lord of the Nine Hells! This damned blizzard is too fast! There’s no chance to escape!”
Panic gripped the Devils. They flapped their wings frantically, trying to flee backward, but the storm’s merciless grip was already sealing their fate.
“Koscherci!”
Kai Xiusu’s bellow sent ripples through space itself. The Dragon Crystal embedded in his chest flared with blinding light, unleashing a surge of overwhelming energy.
“Your throne will melt in my Dragon Flame! Today—your death begins!”
Kai Xiusu surged skyward, his long, resonant roar echoing across the heavens as he spread his vast wings. His towering form cast a monstrous shadow over the ground.
“Holy hell… that Arcane Pulse!”
“That’s…!”
Onlookers stared in awe.
The edges of the Red Dragon’s wing membranes shifted from pale beige to a deep, burning red—like iron forged in fire—emitting thick white smoke that warped the air around him.
Boom—
The explosion of air cracked through the sky.
From the wingtips, a torrent of Dragon Flame erupted—spreading like extensions of his wings. Hundred meters. Kilometers. Ten thousand meters.
The Dragon Flame became a sea of fire that burned through the sky, turning half the heavens crimson. It stood defiant against the cold wind emanating from Koscherci.
The Red Dragon hovered high above, the Dragon Crystal in his chest blazing with a light ten thousand zhang in intensity—his body nearly blurred, visible only as a silhouette glowing within the radiance.
At this moment, Kai Xiusu radiated an overwhelming heat. He was like a blazing star—unrestrained, reshaping the environment around him, even altering the local World Laws unconsciously.
Behind him, the air grew scorching, distorted. The last traces of moisture in the soil evaporated instantly, leaving behind cracked, barren earth—a desolate, ash-covered wasteland.
Devils, creatures who thrived in heat, were drenched in sweat. Their skin burned. Those too close saw their iron armor melt into liquid metal.
Even Bair—whose body could endure magma baths—was stunned. He felt the air thick with raw Fire Element, muttering in disbelief:
“Is this… an Elemental Lord? Where in the Abyss did this greedy Home fellow get such strange powers?”
Bair cursed inwardly. His respect for Kai Xiusu deepened.
In their hearts, the Devils swore never to provoke this reckless, powerful beast unless absolutely necessary.
In a flash, the wasteland split into two stark realms: one half frozen under endless Frost Snow, the other scorched under a relentless sun, a blazing Ashen Wasteland.
Two worlds, diametrically opposed, each radiating immense strength, now hurtling toward collision.
Boom!!!
The clash of forces exploded with cataclysmic force. At the boundary, flames melted the snow, and superheated water vapor exploded outward—rolling in thick, white clouds that blanketed the wasteland.
Freezing gales met scorching winds, converging at the epicenter into a whirlwind spanning tens of thousands of meters. The storm swallowed everything within its radius, creating a world-ending disaster.
The ground trembled. Rocks and sand melted instantly under the intense heat. Scorching magma surged from below—but moments later, the cold wind froze it again, forming porous black lava, dusted with a thin layer of white frost.
But the battle between fire and ice raged on. Heat and cold alternated, shifting control back and forth. Frost thickened into dense white fog. Rock melted once more. Meteorites fell from the sky in blazing trails.
Even the earth itself was ravaged. The creatures upon it were utterly destroyed.
“Shit! This storm’s reaching me!”
“Damn it, run!”
“Watch out—meteorite! Don’t go into that steam cloud—it’ll burn you alive!”
Hundreds of players, just moments ago watching the spectacle with excitement, now panicked and fled. Screams rang out as they dodged and zigzagged—but still, many lost their Life Force.
Within this maelstrom of energy, even spells failed. Not even a Spatial Teleportation Scroll could save them from the storm’s wrath.
Langli BaiTiao stood atop the Bronze Fortress, perched on the city wall, grinning wildly as he watched the desperate players struggle in the storm.
“Hahaha! I knew someone would die there! Not a single newbie worth their salt would pass up a chance to loot from a boss fight—good thing I mentioned it in the Newbie Guide!”
Ah, it was just his mischievous fun.
The veteran players had long since vanished—ten thousand li away. They’d survived countless deaths in the aftermath of Red Dragon battles. Losing a single life for a show? Not worth it.
And that “Newbie Guide Post” he’d posted? It had already been torn apart by players killed in the aftermath—thousands of angry replies, still raging, still growing.
“The Beast Must Die!”
“I almost believed him! This Home fellow isn’t just a beast—he’s cruel and insane!”
“They deceive people, and the horses die.”
“Wandering Beast preys on newbies—deserves death. Heavenly justice must be served!”
The catastrophe wasn’t limited to the immediate area. Even distant regions felt the ripple. Within hundreds of miles, the weather spun into chaos—howling winds, flying snow and ice; rolling heat waves, spitting flames.
If this had occurred in the Material Plane, it would have destroyed a small mortal kingdom.
And yet, all of this stemmed from nothing more than a mere provocation between Kai Xiusu and Koscherci.
They weren’t even at war. They were testing each other’s limits, shaping conditions to favor themselves, probing for weaknesses—searching for the perfect opening.
“Such a powerful Elemental Control Ability… even I’m beginning to feel outmatched,” Kai Xiusu muttered, his brow furrowed as he felt the icy wind pressing against him.
“Then let’s play a little more.”
Roar—
The Red Dragon roared, stretching its neck forward, its bloody maw wide open. A blinding light pulsed from deep within its throat. The Dragon Crystal in its chest surged with magical fission, crackling with energy.
Primordial Breath!
Boom!
A colossal column of flame tore through the sky, splitting open the heavens. The outer flame burned orange-red; the core blazed a dazzling, blinding white—painting the horizon crimson.
The flame column pierced through the storm, shattering the wall of energy at the collision point, and surged toward the Frost Giant like a weapon of divine wrath.
“Foolish beast,” Koscherci sneered, calmly raising his thick palm. His gray skin glowed with ancient runes.
Instantly, a torrent of freezing wind gathered around him, coalescing into a massive, impenetrable wall of ice—like a fortress of ice, suspended in the sky.
Boom!
The flame column struck the ice wall. It shattered the outer layer instantly, melting the ice—only for the water to vanish into vapor before it could fall. A vast, pale-white curtain of mist spread across the sky.
But Koscherci’s Ice Wall was infused with the Divine Power of Frost. Even the Holy Flame of the Sun couldn’t melt it easily. The two forces were fundamentally unequal—fire versus eternal cold.
Koscherci rose from his Frost Throne, lifting the Great Axe. He laughed mockingly.
“Pathetic! Do you really think a flicker of flame can challenge me? Crawler, let me show you—the gap between a Mortal Entity and a Semi-God!”
Kai Xiusu’s goal was never to kill the Frost Giant. It was to disrupt.
With a roar, he plunged downward, wings churning the storm winds. His dragon roar shattered the ice cliffs. His massive body moved like lightning—crossing hundreds of meters in an instant, even leaping over the ice wall.
Spines—!
With a deafening bellow, the golden divine claws—radiating pure holy power—ripped through the mist, aiming straight for the Frost Giant’s throat.
“Die!”
Koscherci raised his left arm—muscles coiled, ice-blue runes blazing across his skin. The Great Axe flew through the air, meeting the attack head-on.
Boom!
A shockwave erupted, shaking the space around them. The air roared. Within a hundred meters, the force was overwhelming—ripples in reality itself.
The sound of cracking ice armor and shattered scales filled the air. Indigo-black blood from the Tanalir Giant and golden-red blood from the Azudai Red Dragon splattered across the ice, hissing as they met the cold.
Kai Xiusu’s claw was cut, half of it frozen solid. His body was torn apart and flung hundreds of meters through the air.
But Koscherci’s shoulder bore a deep, horrifying gash. Golden light surged from the wound, black smoke rising from his flesh with a hiss.
Neither side won. It was a perfect even match.
“His physical strength… is not inferior to mine!”
Both beasts thought in unison—Red Dragon and Frost Giant, two titans of brute force, ruthless and unyielding, finally meeting their true equal.
The Frost Giant’s expression grew grim. His mind raced. In that instant, he felt something… unnatural. A sense of facing his Natural Enemy?
That moment of hesitation cost him. The Red Dragon’s claw tore open his left shoulder.
It was like a rabbit confronting a Giant Eagle, a mountain goat facing a Dire Wolf, a human encountering a Demon.
But such feelings—should not exist—in a Lord of the Abyss! Especially not in a Semi-God Demon with his own Church!
How could he fear a Mortal Entity?
Rage burned hotter in Koscherci’s heart. The desire to kill Kai Xiusu intensified. Once, he’d seen the Red Dragon as nothing more than a disposable mortal. Now… he was a threat. A true danger.
He had to be destroyed.
He was a curse. A blight that would hinder the Great Cause.
Koscherci did not know—facing a System-Granted [Frost Giant Killer] trait, even the God of the Frost Giants, Solem himself, would have felt the slightest disruption.
“Kai Xiusu… today is your death day!”
The Frost Giant leapt into the air, Axe raised high. With a thunderous swing, dozens of massive ice blades—each over a hundred meters long—pierced the sky, blocking all space.
Whoosh—
Kai Xiusu flared his wings sideways, dodging with lightning speed. He found a gap between the ice blades—only to realize Koscherci had predicted his trajectory. The Frost Giant leapt forward, delivering a sweeping slash.
And as Koscherci swung his Battle Axe—known as the Heart of Winter—a wave of chilling energy surged outward. The space around him seemed to freeze. Kai Xiusu’s movements slowed. Even simple motion became agonizing.
Spatial magic? Useless.
This was the Divine Power of Frost.
At this level, even matter itself would be frozen—so complete, it felt like Time Stop.
Facing the descending Frost Giant, Kai Xiusu poured every ounce of effort into himself. He cast multiple spells, then executed a forward somersault through the narrow gap between ice blades.
Though his roll was fast, the Axe still shattered his scales, carving deep into his back. The Frost Divine Power froze vast stretches of flesh.
But Kai Xiusu drove his entire body’s strength downward, using the momentum of the roll. He whipped his Dragon Tail—firing a burst of silver-white Order Flame—striking Koscherci square in the shoulder.
Unprepared, the Frost Giant was sent crashing down a thousand meters.
Seeing the opening, Kai Xiusu didn’t hesitate. Ignoring the wounds on his back, he tightened his body. Flames erupted from his wings like a comet’s tail. He plunged forward like a meteor, chasing the fallen giant.
Boom!
The Frost Giant landed on one knee. The ice beneath him cracked like a spiderweb, forming a massive, bottomless pit. His shoulder bore a deep, charred wound—burned by the Order Flame.
Koscherci staggered to his feet, eyes blazing with madness, cruelty, and fury. Abyssal Power radiated from his entire body, swirling in ominous black mist. Bone spikes sprouted from his back. Black blood dripped from his mouth.
Now, he was not just a Frost Giant.
He was the Master of a billion demons.
The Lord of Wrath of the Bottomless Abyss.
“Crawler… I will rend you into pieces!”
With a roar, Koscherci slammed his fist into the earth. The glacier erupted. Shattered ice fragments flew upward as countless massive ice spikes—like mountains of ice—burst from the ground, shooting toward the Red Dragon.
Roar—
The Red Dragon roared, flapping his wings desperately to rise—but the sky above was instantly filled with a crushing Ice Storm. His wings were trapped. The Frost Divine Power at his wound contained his movements.
The King of the Frost Giants leapt into the sky, reaching over a thousand meters, Axe blazing with Polar Gales, descending toward the dragon’s head.
But Kai Xiusu suddenly unfurled his wings. A soft violet glow enveloped him. With fluid, elegant motion, he spun several times—breaking free of the Ice Storm’s grip in an instant, ascending rapidly.
It was the Tenth-Ring Dragon Spell—Eternal Freedom!
The Frost Giant’s Axe missed. But he landed on a raised glacier, then leapt again—dragging cold wind behind him, chasing the Red Dragon into the sky.
(End of Chapter)
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