Ice Princess (1)

Making his way through the pack of boars, Otto swung the silver hammer with unmatched ferocity as every swing pushed back a boar on which thought they had a chance of tanking a head-on blow.

As usual, the red hue which surrounded his body flared whenever a particularly stubborn boar refused to die from his hands. The bloodlust which was exuded from his figure sharpened with every monster he killed.

Every time he felt that a boar's life ebbed away beneath his hammer, his smile became more and more feral.

Working in tandem with Kang, every time Otto pushed a boar back due to one of his mighty attacks, his taciturn partner would follow up with a lightning-fast strike, decapitating the head of their enemy with alarming swiftness.

This was extremely efficient, as Otto and Kang slaughtered around 10 boars in the span of fifteen minutes. Exhaling a turbid breath, Otto swung with his hammer once again, causing the tusks of the boar in front of him to crack into minute pieces.

Capitalizing on the opportunity, Kang's daggers flashed a shade of green as they sliced the boar's skull in two. Brain matter and blood fell to the ground as the boar's corpse joined the ever-growing pile, which littered the path the duo was travelling on.

'Alright, this pack should almost be fully slaughtered.'

Meanwhile, Finn and Astrid were using their mental energy to initiate the casting of their spells as the pressure surrounding their bodies increased, which displayed that they began to activate their offensive spells.

After a casting time of about a minute, the duo were ready to unleash mayhem on the remaining boars as they simultaneously chanted.

"The eternal flame of light, the never-ending star, the bearer of destruction, I summon thee. Fireball!"

"The sharpest of gales. The embodiment of nature's wrath, the judgement of the heavens, I summon thee. Tempest!"

The ambient mana in the air was disturbed as a huge fireball appeared above Finn, who commanded it to stay in place using his mental energy.

Astrid, however, used her mental energy to release the tempest straight away as she would have had a high chance of losing control of the spell if she didn't release it immediately.

As the tempest picked up speed, the blazing mass of flames above Finn moved as it accompanied the sharp gale heading toward the enemy monsters.

The swirling behemoth of wind alongside the bright orange flames which were hurtling forward provided a harrowing sight greater than a pack of monsters attempting to devour you.

Feeling an intense sense of danger, the boars shrieked in alarm as they attempted to retreat. However, their fates were sealed the moment they attacked the Fanged Wolves.

Destruction and death ran amok as the blood of the boars dyed the ground red with their bodies covered in lacerations, as those boars who experienced the full might of the fireball became nothing more than ashes fluttering lightly in the wind.

With the spells from Finn and Astrid taking out most of the remaining boars, Otto, Kang and Evan had an easy time vanquishing the rest of the pack.

Regaining their breath, they lay their tired bodies on the floor as the other two mercenaries kept watch for any unexpected attacks from nearby threats.

Each chugging down a potion to replenish their stamina, the trio silently recuperated as they were each occupied with their own thoughts.

Particularly Evan, who now, after the battle had finished, had a chance to process the words spoken by that time-worn voice which came from the azure ball.

'That being mentioned the words river of fate and that it is not omniscient. Does that mean at a high enough level one is able to fool even fate? Also, he called me a mortal, which, although true, suggests that he has reached such strength where he could be a divine being. Another thing was the mention of the Yivris. Who exactly are they? Are they a group of beings with extremely potent supernatural abilities? Also, what is the azure ball and where did it come from?'

'I'll investigate the azure ball when we return to the outpost.'

Having endless questions yet no answers, all Evan could do was to place them at the back of his mind as he focused on the present.

Getting too preoccupied with the future was a negative thing, as one would be unable to appreciate what they currently possess.

Similarly, if one was too preoccupied with the past, the quality of their life would drastically decrease and all their ambitions and goals would fly out the window.

Thus, making them nothing more than lifeless husks of their former selves.

Sighing at how complicated his life had just become, Evan joined the rest of the squad in travelling back to the outpost to recover from the strenuous battle. Along the way, he decided to strike up a conversation with Astrid.

"Do you have any other spells apart from the tempest one?" he asked, as a hint of curiosity betrayed his usually indifferent voice.

"Yes, however, the tempest spell is my first choice, as it is the easiest to cast out of all of them and has the least mana consumption."

'In the novels before the Apocalypse, weren't ice princesses portrayed with extreme indifference? How come the one in front of me is actually responding to me?'

Taken aback by the fact that Astrid actually replied to him, Evan couldn't help but have this thought.

As a result, he ended up staring at her, gaining a chance to study her features in greater detail.

With the twilight glow of the firmament present as a backdrop, it covered her shiny blond hair in the fiery orange glow, which strangely seemed to make her more attractive.

In addition to the porcelain white skin beneath her mask, which accentuated her dazzling appearance.

As he found her striking emerald eyes gazing back into his, Evan felt his breath get caught in his throat.

Cursing himself inwardly at his inept social skills, he looked away to the side, coughing slightly as a slight blush crept its way onto his cheeks.

Clearing his throat, Evan composed himself as he continued the conversation, which suffered an awkward pause all the whilst he intently surveyed the surrounding scenery.