Like a tiny ripple suddenly breaking the surface of a dark, calm water.
Ronan's figure vanished in a flicker of silver light, and then instantly appeared in another location.
His tall body lunged in one direction, black-blue frost forming fiery streams of light around him.
The shadows that enveloped him seemed to thicken and become viscous all at once. His five fingers crackled as he continuously tore through layer after layer of darkness until, at last, he touched something.
"Ha—"
Ronan stopped, his form half-submerged in the black-blue frost, and turned to meet Anglie's gaze not far away.
Anglie remained in his original posture, his figure unmoving, as if he had never changed position.
Ronan slowly looked at his right hand, where a small piece of black satin was pinched between his index and middle fingers.
Frost wrapped around it, and fragments of the Wizard Robe crumbled away, slipping from his fingers.
He was so close to "grabbing" Anglie.
"You are smarter than I expected."
Anglie glanced at the small gap in the hem of his Wizard Robe, a hint of surprise flickering across his face.
He looked at Ronan, the relaxed and carefree aura around him gradually receding, and spoke, "But the same trick won't work next time."
"That's no longer necessary."
Ronan replied calmly.
In that moment, as he was incredibly close to Anglie, Ronan suddenly discovered a simpler way to find him than provoking an emotional response—
The wondrous connection between ancient bloodlines.
With one percent of the Ancient Frost Hydra bloodline fully activated, Ronan's perception of Anglie became crystal clear.
It was like the words he had used to try to elicit an emotional response from Anglie.
Ronan was unsure if the name Ancient Fallen Crow appeared on Hekalto's recipe, but the instinct to strengthen oneself through devouring was inherent to all ancient beings.
At this moment, the Bloodline Crystal embedded in his heart trembled continuously, and the one percent of Hekalto bloodline flowing within him stirred restlessly, constantly conveying a thirsting desire.
This "hunger" that reached deep into his soul transformed into a primal instinct to "feed," with the ancient frost surrounding him becoming Ronan's antennae to sense his "prey," the shadows around him peeling away layer by layer, revealing Anglie's form hidden within, gradually becoming clearer.
"Ha—"
Ronan took a deep breath, his dark blue hair rising without wind, an evil, ancient, and dominantly powerful aura radiating from him.
The phantom of the Ancient Frost Hydra behind him writhed, and Ronan dashed through the void.
The same ice magic reappeared around him, but unlike before, the colors of these spells shifted from pure white or ice blue to a deep, dark blue, carrying a hint of mysterious ancient aura, and the Spell fluctuations released became much more obscure and profound.
Without an increase in the resonance realm of the law domain, the power of these Spells was significantly enhanced, thanks to the ancient empowerment from the Hekalto bloodline.
"[Ancient.Extreme Frozen Weapon]!"
A massive ice blade, entirely dark blue and interwoven with countless black patterns, slowly rose from the dark blue snow vortex, exuding a rich ancient aura.
Ronan raised his hand to grasp it, making a horizontal slashing motion.
Wherever his gaze fell, large swathes of "night" were cleaved apart by the ice blade. He suddenly caught a glimpse of a blurred phantom, raised his hand, and a multitude of black-blue auroral veins rapidly extended toward that direction, shattering the shadows in their path.
The snowflakes slowly falling from the sky turned dark blue, each one becoming heavier and more ancient.
Anglie's night domain was rapidly collapsing, and what now ruled this battlefield was the ancient cold!
"Boom!"
Ronan raised his arms, swirling frost forming a black-blue Ice Flame in front of him, quickly spreading outwards.
Under the erosion of the Ice Flame, large chunks of black crumbled away, and the platform space, which had previously been almost entirely shrouded in "night," began to reconnect with the light from above, dark blue becoming the new base color of this space.
As the scene within the platform space once again became clear to everyone.
All saw Anglie, his wings merging with the night, occupying the high ground of the platform, while below him stood Ronan, surrounded by countless dark blue frost.
The battle seemed to have returned to its initial point.
The two faced each other silently, one above and one below.
Ronan took a gentle step forward.
"Boom—"
Beneath his feet, the frost trembled, and a "new" snow kingdom was constructed.
However, this time, the snow kingdom did not descend from above; instead, it seemed to burst forth from the ground.
Countless black-blue frost veins intertwined beneath Ronan's feet, forming ancient and mysterious patterns. If viewed from above, one would find that these patterns closely resembled the multi-headed serpent phantom behind Ronan.
And Ronan stood at the very center of that multi-headed serpent pattern.
"The snow kingdom, the ancient snow kingdom..."
"This should be called...[Hekalto's Frosty Domain]."
Surrounded by vast expanses of black-blue frost, Ronan whispered softly, then looked up, his blue-golden serpent eyes fixed on Anglie, whose smile had vanished from the sky. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he spoke softly, "Anglie, our game is just beginning."
"Boom!"
Everyone focused intently on the battle taking place on the platform, with little noise, only the occasional low murmurs and discussions buzzing.
Whether it was Anglie's combat power, which completely surpassed that of ordinary top-tier geniuses, or Ronan's "breakthrough" methods, they exceeded all expectations.
The two on the stage seemed to possess some ancient and powerful bloodline, a battle that was entirely from another realm for ordinary low-level Wizards.
And the source of Ronan's strength seemed to have a good explanation at this moment.
"Ronan Damien's ice magic strength does not come from his inheritance, but from his bloodline."
"What bloodline could possibly control ancient frost, like a ruler standing at the top of the food chain in ancient times?"
"But how could such a legendary bloodline flow within a single person?"
The onlooking Wizards were shaken and amazed. On the Life Court side, Moriel had already stood up, seemingly in a bad mood as he fiddled with the red lotus staff in his hand.
"No wonder I found this guy so annoying the first time I saw him; it turns out he carries the disgusting multi-headed worm's bloodline will."
The dormant bloodline within Moriel continuously transmitted various feelings of disgust and irritation to her, a sensation akin to encountering a natural enemy.
She had sensed this feeling during the last encounter at the Mechanical Heart, and now, it had become exceptionally clear.
In the crowd, Lin Di Si squinted at the struggle between shadows and frost on the stage, suddenly asking the figure in the black robe beside him.
"I remember that the south had been preserving half of an Ancient Fallen Crow's heart..."
"Yes."
The figure in the black robe replied softly, "The person on stage is a piece that the previous generation of the New Moon valued highly, and the Fallen Crow's heart was also his proposal for transplantation onto the opponent."
"Once this matter is over, bring this kid back."
Lin Di Si spoke lightly, "He has integrated well with the Fallen Crow's blood; this kind of special talent has always been what we lack."
"Mm."
The figure in the black robe responded.
"As for him..."
Lin Di Si's gaze shifted to another tall figure surrounded by ancient frost, his eyes flickering, not continuing to speak.
He seemed to be contemplating, with some thoughts undergoing subtle changes.
"Boom!"
The two figures collided fiercely at the boundary of black and blue.
The dark blue frost condensed into spear-like shapes, clashing with the shadows, piercing out long, serrated forms.
With Ronan's Ancient Frost Hydra bloodline fully activated, Anglie's concealment methods completely lost their effect before him.
Anglie seemed to choose not to hide any longer, instead opting to engage Ronan in a true head-on confrontation.
"Hiss—"
In the dense shadows, something seemed to surge rapidly, as if a terrifying sharpness intent on slicing the soul in half shot out from the shadows.
A massive, blade-like black wing silently swept toward Ronan's neck.
The speed of this wing was astonishing, spreading alongside the shadows, with no warning and nothing to obstruct it.
"Is this how Jupiter and Wei Nu Er Si were injured?"
Ronan's mind raced, taking a deep breath as endless frost converged toward him.
After the activation of the Hekalto bloodline, Ronan's control over ice energy reached an unprecedented height.
He no longer needed incantations to mobilize it, nor did he require mental energy to guide it; the instinct of his bloodline talent allowed him to manipulate the cold of the world as if it were an extension of himself! Moreover, this frost, summoned by the power of his bloodline, was denser and more powerful than ice formed purely from Spells, extending the cold power into deeper realms.
It could withstand Anglie's Ancient Fallen Crow power.
Only the ancient could combat the ancient! "In my hands... the snow kingdom!"
His dark blue hair rose high, and Ronan clasped his hands together, the long, enchanting body adorned with Ithium glowing with numerous serpent-scale-like runes.
The vast snow kingdom began to contract, [Hekalto's Frosty Domain] rapidly converging toward his body.
Those extraordinary Domain Powers, the foundation, bones, and veins of the entire realm, formed layers of dark blue solid ice around Ronan's body, ultimately creating a beautifully exquisite massive dark blue ice sphere that enveloped him entirely.
Compared to the first time he cast [Snowy Kingdom in Hand], this time, although the compression was not thorough enough to meet the requirement of condensing it into a single palm, the entire compression process was much more perfect.
Within the [Snow Kingdom], the law domains interlocked like gears, forming an indestructible absolute defense realm, firmly holding against the blade-like black wings before they could strike.
"Crack crack—zzzz—"
The black wings sliced through the ice sphere, and halfway through, they encountered tremendous resistance, producing a sharp, ear-piercing sound akin to metal grinding.
Ronan's eyes flickered as he pushed his hands outward, the condensed ice sphere shattered, and all the fragments transformed into a dark blue torrent, smashing through the wings and rushing toward a certain point in the void.
It was as if an ice river that had not melted for millennia had broken apart, the void becoming fragile paper, revealing large, shattered traces under the terrifying ancient cold aura.
After being rapidly "washed," Anglie's figure emerged.
Facing Ronan's strike, he showed little expression, calmly folding his outstretched wings in front of him. "Boom—"
The rushing ice river crashed violently against the wings, completely engulfing Anglie's form.
When all noise subsided, a nightfall unfolded, and Anglie emerged unscathed from the center of the energy turbulence.
"That's enough, little Ronan."
Anglie spoke softly, his expression calm.
At that moment, all the shadows enveloping the sky surged toward Anglie.
He was entirely wrapped in "night."
When the darkness thickened to a certain extent, a hint of crimson bloomed.
Large swathes of shadow slid off Anglie like the finest black satin, revealing exquisite armor adorned with flowing blood-like runes beneath the shadows.
At this moment, Anglie resembled how Ronan first saw him.
Black hair, crimson eyes, armor, cloak, the phantom of the Ancient Fallen Crow swirling around him, he appeared like an evil, twisted black sun, exuding a terrifying aura that could drag souls into despair.
"To sow a seed, the most wonderful part is waiting for it to sprout and grow, and finally, the moment of harvest."
Anglie raised a hand, his fingers long and fair, looking more beautiful than a woman's hand.
As he spoke to himself softly, he gazed at his nails, where a hint of black light was slowly blossoming.
In an instant, all the light in this world seemed to be drawn into that point.
The sky rapidly darkened, and in the ruins of Fairy Ancient City, the energy streams that had been coalescing seemed to lose all color, the sun's rays quickly dimming.
In the blink of an eye, this world seemed to transition from day to night.
The change in the heavens moved countless people, and at this moment, the Spell Anglie was accumulating was so terrifying that it almost surpassed the [Endless Vortex of Schbiert] that Ronan used to defeat Evaque.
A familiar terrifying aura flowed from Anglie's fingertips, clearer and more intense than what everyone had previously felt.
"Another prodigy touching the edge of taboo."
In the void, the Dawn Wizard of the Life Court trembled in disbelief, sighing, "What has happened in the south? This land, known for its barrenness and backwardness, how can it continuously give birth to such level of genius?"
"To what extent has this guy integrated with the Ancient Fallen Crow bloodline?"
The black light at his fingertips blossomed larger and larger, resembling a twisted black sun, slowly being lifted by Anglie.
All light was seized by it, casting Anglie as the true lord of the night.
"Thank you for bringing me this final pleasure before I leave the south, Ronan."
Anglie looked down at Ronan, a peaceful and serene smile on his face, "Say goodbye to this world.
As a reward, I will preserve a fragment of your residual soul, safely sealed."
With that, Anglie, like a high and mighty monarch, gently tossed the black light from his fingertips toward Ronan with a gesture of compassion and charity.
The twisted black sun silently pressed toward Ronan, carrying the terrifying aura of devouring and dragging everything into despair.
At that moment, countless memories of Anglie flashed rapidly through Ronan's mind, the old shadows and the current crisis quietly overlapping.
Ronan stared at Anglie's figure transforming into an endless black curtain, as if to completely obscure his entire world.
He dazedly extended a hand, fingers spread wide.
As if speaking to Anglie, yet also to himself.
"I"
"I have always been looking forward to"
"this moment."
As the murmured voice quietly fell.
Ronan seemed to emerge from his brief daze, his entire being radiating an unprecedented immense calm.
Various extraordinary law domain energies surged from him like smoke, rapidly merging together.
The ancient frost surged upward! Sketching out a massive, ancient, and fierce multi-headed form, completely merging with the soul phantom manifesting behind Ronan, indistinguishable from one another.
Among them, a gigantic serpent head almost fully materialized, every scale, every pattern, every ancient mark vividly alive, as if the true frost overlord had descended.
When that nearly solidified massive serpent head suddenly opened its tightly shut eyes, an unprecedentedly intense sense of taboo was released.
A thick, branch-like dark blue thunderbolt suddenly fell from the sky, the ancient overlord "awakening" from the river of time, opening its mouth wide and fiercely biting at the twisted black sun, as if to swallow the entire sun in one bite! After three years.
The fusion of three law domains' [Hekalto's Death Gaze] underwent a transformation. Now, this was the fusion of four law domains—[Hekalto's Ancient Devour]! (End of Chapter)