BXBX NOVEL Chapter 198 197: Prey
When she finally activated it, the spell would be responsible for our easy victory, so we needed to guarantee her safety.
As for the other two, after erecting the giant barrier, Jahi shrouded each of us in her golden light, while Anput summoned a lance, holding it in her left hand.
When my mana reached two thirds remaining, I said "Walls coming down..."
Lowering my palms, I started channeling a second spell.
"Now!"
With a loud crack, the ice wall in front of us shattered, slivers and chunks of crystalline ice erupting towards us as the five Adventurers charged towards us, Eusa the Orc in the lead.
The Human, Tris, continued forwards, uncaring of the giant golden dome, while Euse just narrowed her eyes, pouring more mana into her arms.
However, the other three; the Boarkin man, the Harpy woman, and the Catkin man all faltered, their eyes going wide as they took in the sight.
My palms glowed an ethereal, ghostly blue, and thin sheets of frost started to coat my body as the temperature around me plummeted.
Jahi was almost like a beacon, the light coating her body shimmering and flaring as she lowered her stance, her large blade prepared to meet the Adventurer's charge.
Anput's forearms were silvery, and her lance was reshaping itself, changing from just a straight, basic spear shape towards a poleax, displaying her own advanced magic.
Meanwhile, a giant ritual circle rotated behind us, slivers of red and orange mana flowing from the lava lake up into the spell.
The sight must have been harrowing to see, and yet...
They continued to advance.
Holding back a grin, I asked "Are we allowed to kill?"
Jahi gave a nod, and I held back a shiver, my eyes flickering over to the Human woman.
Since I no longer needed to worry about the Elf and Lizardkin on the ridge, my fingers traced out rune after rune as I layered various spells on myself.
My dagger was coated in ice and surrounded by a sharp gale, enhancing the damage I would deal as well as it's piercing ability.
My arms and legs were shrouded in that same gale, while a thin layer of water coated my entire body, granting me more defense underneath Jahi's light.
Finally, before I prepared to meet their charge, I created an opening volley of icicles, hurtling them towards the Adventurer's as they tried to traverse the spike laden earth.
Dozens of jagged spears of ice flew towards the advancing group, and some were shot down by the two on the ridge, but the ones that weren't...
Watching as the Catkin blocked one icicle with his shield, I chuckled as the ice exploded, shrouding him in a haze of freezing air.
The impact point on his shield instantly froze over, slowly creeping over the shield towards his arm.
As for the shards themselves, they flew back towards his body, clanging against his armor, some even piercing into his flesh.
He screamed in agony as the ice started to freeze his flesh, making him stumble backwards.
Glancing back, Tris clicked her tongue before turning to me, a snarl on her lips.
"Damn bitch! The hell did you do to Nik?!"
She glided over the spikes, her green mana coated body ignoring the stabbing spikes as they glanced off her armor.
Eusa gave the woman a glance before swinging her axe down towards Jahi, while the Boarkin zeroed in on Anput.
The Harpy glanced around before joining Tris, attempting to overwhelm me.
Raising her short sword, she lunged towards me, a gleam in her eyes.
"Such a weak dog, and yet you try to bare your fangs at your betters!"
Frowning, I parried her sword and pivoted away from the Harpy's sickle, flicking my free hand towards her.
From a patch of frost below us, a bullet of ice shot towards the Harpy, who just barely dodged the attack.
Tris swung her blade back towards me again, only to grunt as I blocked her strike, redirecting it towards the ground.
Since the area around me was coated in frost, I tried to encase her blade in ice to slow her down, but her wind mana swirled harder around her body, making me frown.
Sending a kick towards the Harpy, I knocked her away before parrying another blow from Tris, lunging forwards to press my attack.
Slamming my fist into her side, she coughed as she stumbled backwards, only to grunt as I kicked her knee, causing her to fall to the ground.
Before I could finish her off, the Harpy returned, her sickle slicing through the air towards my neck.
Ducking under it, I summoned a dagger made from ice in my free hand and slashed outwards, the ice blade cutting through her mana and chainmail, making her scream as the blade dug deep into her stomach.
"Qia! Damnit!"
The Harpy staggered back and dropped her sickle, using both her hands to try and close the wound.
Her fire mana flared, and she screamed again as she tried to counteract my ice, but...
Grinning, I slipped past Tris' slash and appeared in front of the Harpy, lancing my ice dagger deeper into her midriff.
The woman's pale crimson eyes met mine, and I grinned up at her as fear entered those orbs, making me shiver.
Twisting the blade, I released it and spun behind the Harpy, giggling as Tris' next strike cut into Qia's chest.
The Human woman widened her eyes, guilt and anguish taking over as she realized what she had done.
Clenching my bloody hand, I made the dagger explode in Qia's stomach, the Harpy stiffening as dozens, of not hundreds of shards of ice wriggled around in her torso, before she slumped forwards.
Her tanned skin was turning slightly blue, and patches of frost coated her body.
Tris cried out, no words forming as she let out a sound of raw hate.
Grinning at her, I spoke, my sing song voice entering her ears.
"This weak dog still has sharp fangs~! Sharp enough to hunt a pathetic bird~!"
Slipping under her next stab, I slammed my palm into her stomach again, deciding to toy with my prey.
As she stumbled back, coughing, I glanced over towards the others.
The barrier was still up, much to the Elf and Lizardkin's anguish, and they were hurling spell after spell at it, hoping to break through it.
Anput was clashing against the Boarkin still, but the large man was covered in cuts.
The Jackalkin had sheathed her sword and was wielding a giant scythe, and she nodded as she swung it around, forcing the Boarkin back.
She looked more like she was sparring than fighting in a life or death battle.
As for Jahi, she tossed the limp body of the Catkin towards Eusa, the mans neck at an odd angle as he fell to the ground beside her.
Glaring at Jahi with hatred, she renewed her attack, and I watched as the Demoness grunted under her powerful swings.
Before I could see where that would go, I heard Tris scream again, her expression twisted with remorse and hatred as she charged at me.
"You bitch!"
Raising her blade, she tried to slam it down towards my head, only to grunt as my foot collided with her stomach.
Feeling the crunch of one of her ribs, I stared at the woman as she whimpered, holding her side as she fell backwards.
"I thought this would be-"
Crouching in front of her, I grinned as I encased her limbs in ice.
"More of a challenge. And yet, you're all weak. So pathetically weak."
Saying so, I glanced over at the dead corpse of Qia, adding "The bird even more so; I mean, even with a two on one advantage, she died after just a few exchanges!"
Seeing Tris' face twist in rage, I giggled as she roared "Don't you dare mock her, bitch!"
Raising my dagger, I let the blade dig into her cheek as I said "I do believe that is a derogatory term, used for someone weaker, no? And yet, here you are, below me, chained."
Dragging the blade across her face, I grinned as she writhed, making the cut jagged and uneven.
Clicking my tongue, I stood up and glanced at the two on the ridge, who were staring down at the battle with horror.
"Leone, are you almost done~? If not, can I kill those two~?"
Peeking over my shoulder, I saw the Vampire sigh, the ritual circle complete.
"Really Kat? I go through all this work, and you want to leave me with nothing? Of course I want them."
Chuckling, I nodded as I returned to Tris, the woman staring at Leone in horror.
"Did it finally settle in? The fact that you all should have listened to my Mistress when she gave you a way out?"
Dropping all my spells, I left her chained up before glancing over at Jahi.
Grabbing Tris' chin, I wrenched her head towards the Demoness and Orc, saying "She gave you ample warning too; did you think a Knight of Cinder and Saintess would let their child be weak? Of course not; especially not the Asmodia Family, who protects this Empire from the Labyrinthian."
Next, I turned the woman's head towards Anput, who was now wielding a Bo Staff.
"As for her, she was raised by the Sultana, someone who is slightly weaker than the Empress. You should know, if you did any research on her, that she was trained to be the Sultanate's next Sword, the woman who would be an army of one, meant to deter the other nations from even glancing at the Sultanate."
Finally, I made her stare at Leone, who was finishing her spell.
"Last, but not least, you have the Empress' daughter. That alone should have made you turn around, to pray she didn't report you for just verbal threats. And yet, you ignored that. Someone born from that woman's seed will never be weak, not when her own harem are among the strongest women to have ever lived. That pedigree rivals my Mistress's..."
I made her watch as Leone sent to small orbs hurtling towards the Elf and Lizardkin, who were frozen with fear as they approached.
Colliding with their chests, I chuckled as the orb entered their bodies, making the two start patting their chests, wondering what had just happened.
However, that patting turned to pounding and clawing, their skin glowing red as a flame erupted inside of them.
Screaming in pure agony, they collapsed, fire leaking from their orifices.
Tris trembled in my hands, and I turned her back towards me.
Leaning forwards, I grinned at her as I whispered "Finally, you didn't dig too deeply on me; Unlike them, I won't grant you a quick death. You should have followed us, just once, inside these caverns. You see..."
Taking my dagger, I released her chin and moved towards her hand, raising the blade.
"I just LOVE~ the way screams sound~!"
And with that, my blade fell down, removing a finger from her hand.
As I set to work, my grin grew twisted as her cacophony of anguished, pained screams entered my ears, only for her eyes to shine with fear as I healed her back up.
There was no method to my madness, just pure, unadulterated sadism, targeting what I thought would hurt the most.
And so, she screamed.