No one would have expected that Angelie, the least noticeable and most mediocre among the eight participants and only there due to sheer luck, harbored such terrifying hidden strength.
With the body of an Intermediate Level 3, he instantly killed Winners from the First-tier Group in a blink, leaving not even Winners’ soul to escape, as it was devoured completely.
On the shadow-shrouded platform, thick as the curtain of nightfall, Ronan felt the Bloodline Crystal lodged in his heart pulsate slightly.
Fragments of memories embedded in Hekarter’s Bloodline continuously flowed into his mind, recounting the notorious Ancient Fallen Crow, a detestable creature that fed on fear and chaos and was infamous for its cunning and schemes.
Ronan inhaled lightly, his mind flooded with interactions with Angelie, pulling forth many unexplained emotions.
Eventually, a portion of these emotions was frozen and sank to the bottom of his heart, while the rest transformed into molten magma, igniting a blazing inferno that ignited every bit of Ronan’s will to fight.
"I have indeed...been looking forward to this."
Ronan looked up, his eyes abruptly shifting from a deep blue to a bewitching blue-gold.
His white hair, cascading down his back like a waterfall, dramatically lifted as churning icy currents gushed from beneath his silver-black Magic Robe, quickly crystallizing into vast tracts of Ice Frost around him.
For a moment, it seemed as if the shadow of an Ancient Frost Multi-Headed Snake rose from the darkness behind Ronan, its chilly eyes fixing on the barely visible silhouette of the Fallen Crow in the sky, issuing a majestic growl befitting an overlord of Ancient Magical Beasts.
Facing all this, Angelie’s lips curved up as he raised his hand in the most graceful and composed manner, gesturing a salute like a noble, his tone poetic as he exclaimed,
"Through the frosty night...
To my dear—Ronan Damien."
In the next instant, Angelie’s dark wings fluttered gently, and he seamlessly melded into the deeper-than-night darkness.
The moment Angelie’s figure vanished, a flash of white light surged in Ronan’s eyes, weaving an eye pattern on his forehead.
His spiritual power had completely lost track of Angelie, unable to detect even a trace under the scrutiny of the [Eye of Truth].
"Is it the invisibility power from the Ancient Fallen Crow bloodline?"
Ronan frowned slightly, then decided not to concern himself with Angelie’s whereabouts, shifting his focus to sequentially summoning the Magic Anchors necessary to establish the Ice Cold Domain.
With each Ice Magic spell he cast, the stacking of the Extraordinary Magic Realm thickened, and the heavy Ice Frost spread swiftly across the platform from Ronan, swiftly reaching its edge, and then climbed over the void.
At that moment, a dense "Nightfall" descended, touching the Ice Frost without any impact, silently gliding over it bit by bit, devouring every shred of light within Ronan’s sight.
"I still remember..."
Suddenly, Angelie’s voice came from behind him.
The voice was so close to Ronan, almost as if Angelie was whispering intimately in his ear.
Expressionless, Ronan’s entire right arm took on a titanium sheen, forming a blade’s shape, verdant Flames of Break Magic emanating from the silvery blade, as he swiftly struck back towards the source of the voice.
The titanium blade tore through the void, emitting a sharp howl, shattering a vast shadow with the intertwining silver and green edges, abruptly cutting off Angelie’s voice.
the voice came from ahead of Ronan.
"... back then you were still a child, in the Corpse Garden."
With black wings unfolding behind him, merging seamlessly with the shadows as if one, Angelie stood smiling less than ten meters in front of Ronan, reminding Ronan of fallen angels from Western mythological films, who forsake the light for dark.
Though Angelie stood right before him, to Ronan’s spiritual power, it seemed as though there was no one there, just emptiness.
Instead, a strong sensory pulse from the left captured a few unusual fluctuations.
Ronan’s eyes flickered, his consciousness commanded several Ice Magic spells collected at the Second Stage Magic Domain Resonance, shooting rapidly towards the source of the fluctuations.
The fierce Ice Frost Cold Stream broke through layers of shadow, sounding like it struck something with a heavy thud.
Ronan shifted his gaze, ready to follow up with an attack, but suddenly a "panicked" voice emerged beside his right ear: "Bad...you’ve actually discovered me!"
Without any prior indication, the hair on Ronan’s back almost bristled.
Threads of Power of Spatial Stasis spread out from him instantly, the medium being the Titanium after [Space Silvering].
The Surrounding void under the influence of the Spatial Stasis turned into a smooth and clean "Mirror", and Ronan vanished swiftly, using the ability of Short-distance Space Transmission to move rapidly to another position.
The moment he landed, a brilliant deep blue burst flourished between his palms.
At this instant, all previously "buried" Magic Anchors activated, and the Snow Country descended!
Exquisite snowflakes fell from the black "Nightfall", and layers of Ice Spur and Ice Flame blossomed like flowers around Ronan.
A light laugh sounded, like a crow flapping its wings swiftly through the cold night sky.
Ronan clenched his teeth, speaking coldly: "[Winter Mirror]!"
In an instant, the recently formed Snow Country was frozen, countless ice flowers solidified in their "blooming" state, filling the platform’s void with the terrifying Power of Spatial Stasis, forming the magnificent "Winter Mirror."