36 Crossing Sword

In the beginning, it was just a small young sprout.

As the dew dripped down, the silver sprout began to grow gradually. Its branches extended and silver leaves started to unfurl towards the heavens…

Afterwards, the buds of the flowers began to awaken. It, no, she stretched her back and a thin veil began to form, turning into beautiful petals one after another.

Its slow growing phase was completed in just a short few seconds. Unfortunately, the one that bloomed wasn't a true rose but an ice rose on the finger of a young lady.

"Ice Creation, Rose Garden."

Lightly pinching on the branch of the rose, the leaves and flower petals floated away riding the wind. Hidden under the calm tone was explicit killing intent. Behind Elisa's back was an entire garden of silver roses and rewinding just a few seconds, it had been an empty plot of land devoid of life.

Every single rose was exquisite to the point perfection. Every branch and leaf vein seemed to be trembling and breathing, as though it really had a life. Just looking at its silver chilling qualities, it showed apparently that it was a product of magic.

The wind blew… No, the air was still calm, it was just those roses that played the part of being blown by a wind. Countless rose petals floated along the wind, becoming sharp knives in the wind.

"Killing Intent: Dancing with Roses."

This may seem like a serene and beautiful sight, but it was a fatal trap that took away lives. From the start, there wasn't any wind there. Those rose petals that seemed to be floating on the wind were in reality, knives of ice controlled by the Mage.

Every single petal of that ice rose may appear soft and weak, but it was incomparably sharp. It could even cut through plate mails.

Every single ice blade was targeted towards one target… It was that fiery red giant egg.

Countless cold flower petals attacked the giant egg, but the moment it came close to its body, the tiny petals vaporized instantly.

Yet Elisa didn't give up. With a snap of her fingers, another 3 roses bloomed in the air. Frantically absorbing ice mana to strengthen itself, the result of the flower petals gathering the magic was that the ice branches began to mature…. Looks like she was gathering her magic to throw a big one in.

"Sigh, to force out the Little Cradle so fast. Your family's Elisa really isn't simple at all. Compared to the immature Annie, it really is a strength that completely suppresses hers. Did you teach her that? It really is beautiful, I didn't expect you to still have a technique like this. But, if I didn't sense wrongly, her killing intent was real? She really wants to get rid of Annie, huh?"

It was impossible for Little Red to mistake it with her eyes. She was phrasing it this way just to avoid making things awkward for me.

I shook my head. I knew her underlying meaning, how was it possible for my Ice Magic to be so exquisite…

"No. You should now that my understanding towards magic had always been very simple and violent…"

"'Gather magic power and blast them. If you can't destroy them, gather more magic to blast them again. If you still can't get through, blast the outer shell a few more times, then gather firepower aiming at their core.' To tell the truth, your declaration then made me and Margaret speechless. Your understanding towards magic stopped at the stage of a glorified cannon and your understanding towards Elemental Magic stopped at colors. Your control towards element was also so rough and you totally ignore the properties of elements. I really can't comprehend it, how did you ever manage to become a SemiGod Undead Mage?"

'Of course it was relying on the Golden Ring, my system, as long as my strength was there, rank was not a problem!' Fine, I would never utter these kind of truthful words out loud.

The talents of humans tended towards the good aligned arts. Outstanding talent towards the Power of Order (Holy Light, Law were all lower concepts under the Power of Order) and unprecedented swordsmanship talent had already made me easily turn into an ace among the knights. When I converted to the evil aligned arts, I had difficulty grasping the ideas of dark magic. But, Necromancy was obviously a lower concept under the Power of Chaos, nevertheless I was able to comprehend and use it pretty easily, which revealed that my aptitude towards the Power of Chaos wasn't too bad either and this was already very hard to come by.

As for controlling Elemental Magic exquisitely, shouldn't not simply blasting magic power be considered the mistake? The simpler it was, the more basic and powerful it got. Back then, when I invented 'Ice Aeon', which left its mark as an extremely powerful Forbidden Spell in history, its original principle was still merely using magic power to blast the enemy, except that its mana consumption was much more outrageous…

Elemental Magic originated from the Ancient Elemental Gods so going by logic, it should belong to the Chaos faction. However due to its outstanding destructive powers and the low requirements to learn it, it became one of the mainstream magics amongst the 2 factions.

"Hmph, I still consider understanding of other people's view towards Elemental Magic to be the wrong one… Fine, don't look at me like this. I admit that I suck in that aspect, you're a master of Wind and Fire, well recognized Fire expert at least, so please don't bully this Ice Mage rookie."

"No, don't put yourself down. Your skills may suck, but as your mana is pure and your storage capacity humongous, you are, on the contrary, extremely scary when it comes to releasing Forbidden Spell-level magic. But your disciple went with the exact opposite road compared to you. Her control over magic even allows her to carve the veins of a leaf. The rose blades are indeed very creative, but due to its exquisiteness, it's also weak and fragile, so she seems to have gone, too."

"She's a Fire Elemental Demon after all. Even after she has studied Ice Magic for nearly a century, but the amount of Ice mana that she can accumulate is limited. You should also know, the only Ice magic that I was proficient in were those big magics. Though they aren't difficult to grasp, but they all have a high requirement on the mana capacity. She was unable to utilize the higher-level magic and Forbidden Spells, so she spent a lot of effort on Ice Creation and related magic which I don't specialize in. But the results seem to be quite good."

Little Red and I chatted while at the same, keeping our guards up to be ready to strike out at any time to prevent any serious injuries from occurring.

Initially, Annie had already decided to venture out to gain some experience in real battle. When she discovered that Elisa was also a Gold-pinnacle Mage, Annie challenged her and the sight before me was also within expectations.

They may both be Gold-pinnacle but with the accumulation of a hundred years of experience, Elisa had an overwhelming advantage over her and very swiftly, she forced Annie into the Little Cradle stage.

"Pah!" With a snap of her fingers, the 3 roses which had gathered sufficient magic power burst open and the fragments, as sharp as knives, rotated as they went towards the giant egg.

"Aoooooooooooooo!!!"

Before the ice fragments hit it, following a roar, the giant fire egg burst open and the flames spread in all directions. At the same time, a 3-meter big Phoenix flew to the sky.

"The Little Cradle absorbs and stores its power until its limit before exploding into a Phoenix Strike, Adam's classical shameless battle strategy. In the Fire Phoenix form, Annie's high body temperature can easily melt any ice, the incompatibility in elements is too obvious. Looks like your student Elisa is going to lose."

I smiled in reply. "She won't lose. Why don't we bet something, like that red gem defence accessory from your treasure vault?

Little Red also smiled, "I'm not betting. After so many years, has there been a single bet you lost?"

I tried my best to recall and realized that that it was true I haven't really lost a bet… Without a 100% chance at victory, I refused to bet. Even if I were to be forced into it, I would definitely cheat and if I were to really lose, against all odds, I would probably refuse to pay up.

Little Red's had decided not to bet but the scene that unfurled before her eyes made her regret her decision a bit.

The Phoenix reached the highest point and after a sharp roar, it started swiping down. At the same time, Elisa didn't stop her attacks but in the face of the burning Phoenix, the countless ice splints, ice spears and ice awls melted into water even before they could touch her.

Facing immense danger in front of her, Elisa remained extremely calm. Both her hands twirled around in the air and the water vapor that was gathered earlier instantly solidified and countless ice threads tied the Phoenix in place.

"You, cannot tie Annie down!!"

Following Annie's declaration and burst of strength, the ice threads kept melting and Elisa could only continuously form new threads to seal the Phoenix's motion. It has already come to the critical period of their duel, it was the harmony of Fire and Ice, a dance between the two young ladies.

When Elisa finally finish weaving her web, sealing Annie within, a familiar call of the Phoenix rang out and fire began to burst in all direction before returning into a Fire Phoenix which began its charge once more.

"A second Cradle? Little Annie sure learns fast."

This time, after the formless web of water vapor was gone, Elisa no longer had any methods of stopping her.

When magic became ineffective in stopping her, facing Annie who was charging in at high speed, Elisa had nowhere to retreat to.

"The Warrior had closed in on the Mage, Elisa has lost. Ahhhhhh, I knew I should have bet with you. Were you just faking it just now?"

"No, if you really bet with me, you would have lost. Guaranteed!"

Little Red was on the verge of asking something but the next scene left her in shock.

Towards the charging Phoenix, Elisa actually took in a deep breath of air and opened her arms, getting ready to catch her.

"That charge of that Fire Phoenix Transformation is the God Sword Blessing of the Phoenix, she's seeking death!" Little Red was intending to terminate this duel but I stopped her. "Don't underestimate Elisa."

"Tssssssssssssssss!" That was the familiar sound of meat being grilled on a metal plate. Most probably, both hands had already been charred but Elisa, seemingly feeling nothing, threw away her staff, pulled in her stomach while sticking out her chest, drew her right hand behind and punched!

"Dang!" This fist actually gave a sound like the metal pole hitting the bell1.

While everything was still shaking, the Elemental Barrier of the Phoenix scattered and a red-haired young lady who was turning her head around appeared from within…

What happened afterwards could only be described as a one-sided slaughter.

"Arm lock, throwing techniques, grabbing the enemy's hand while hugging their leg, sending a hook, metal plate crush, neck-pulling and the Hell's great rotation… Aren't these those weird fighting techniques2 of yours?

"Please call it self-defence skills of a Mage. These are precious fighting techniques that came from another world."

Un, calling it wrestling techniques wouldn't be wrong either…

At this point, Annie's arm had been locked in a triangle hold position and could only pat the ground to surrender. The winner has been determined, and it was Elisa's complete victory.

"So that's how it is, half-demon huh? What fearsome brute strength."

"Yes, her brute strength's sufficient to compete with DemiDragons. You haven't seen her sweep yet. With just a light sweep, she can send the entire sofa flying. Then, takes my secret money stash and treats it as the wages that I owe her… "

Fine, seems like I accidentally exposed something but this wasn't the main point now.

"She hasn't demonstrated her battle prowess in mid to near range combat when she gathered all of her steel wires mixed together with ice wires. Have you forgotten that she was a fire element half-demon? She has astonishing immunity towards fire damage. Also, couple that with her ice magic that's effective against fire magic and her outstanding close combat skills, she truly can be considered Annie's nemesis."

"You appear to be very delighted?"

"Of course I am delighted. My disciple just beat Adam's disciple. She might have certain advantages due to the clashes in their attributes, but doesn't this prove that my ability to teach is above that of Adam's? "

"Hah, but isn't she a shared disciple between you and Margaret?"

Finally, after watching the entire battle from the side, Lilith couldn't take it any longer and interrupted.

"Madam Lorci's envoy has already waited for 2 days. May I ask when does my Lord have the free time to meet her?"

"No hurry, Dark Elves all have cheap bones. If you try talked to them nicely, they won't listen to you. Leave her be for 2 days, until she understands her situation."

Hearing that, despite the fact that I was obviously slandering her own brethren, Diana and Yawen who were standing beside Lilith nodded their head vehemently.

"I heard that it is a Matriarch from a middle-class family, so it's more unlikely for them to interact with us obediently. In my opinion, we should at least leave her waiting for half a month."

It wasn't the first time I was trying to communicate with the Dark Elf Nobles so I was quite experienced. If these female nobles belonged to Lorci's Priestess, that would make them even more difficult to deal with. In the eyes of Lorci's Priestesses and Dark Elf Matriarchs, there were only 2 types of males no matter the race. A slave with a master and a wild-born slave that was temporarily without a master…

I don't even have to see her to know that the envoy will immediately use a tone as though she was gracing me with her presence, choking people to death the instant she opens her mouth.

"Males, may the light shine upon your head (This was one of the most venomous curses of the Dark Elves), our female goddess has sent her will and you must…"

Basically, socializing with Dark Elves could only end in a one-sided affair of them giving orders. It was one thing if you agreed, but it was straight to war if you refused. This kind of eccentric socializing method made it highly possible for discussions to fall through… However, Dark Elves basically didn't need to socialize. They spent most of their time fighting. In a way, being able to socialize meant that the other party had recognized your strength. At the very least, fighting would not be beneficial.

I could even guarantee that the Dark Elves thought that we owed them a favor… Why? Back when the 2 Underground Autarchs attacked us, by not joining in and stabbing us in the back, by the bizarre values of the Dark Elves, just by not causing further harm, it could already be considered as an outstanding act of kindness.

This situation was sort of like a test. If the proud envoy still managed to get VIP treatment, this meant that you had something to plead them for. Then, they would propose absurd conditions in exchange.

So, to interact with Dark Elves, time and patience couldn't be lacking. Whoever took the initiative to negotiate was at a disadvantage right from the start.

But, if we were competing in terms of patience… Hehe, I was a very patient person. It was best to wait until the envoy of the last Underground Autarch was here, so that everyone could start the haggling together.

In this instant, from the other side of the field, a group of Dark Elf Justice Knights ran over. They were wearing thin shirts and were barefooted. Yet, they carried a heavy chain mail and were shouting fearsome chant as they walked past us…

What you feel like the scene was a bit familiar? That was how I punished Diana from the start.

Seeing my questioning eyes, Diana replied slightly embarrassed.

"The punishment was tough but after I reached my limits, I felt like my powers reached a new peak. This kind of carrying weights barefooted drills is very effective in training one's will and pushing one's body to the limit. Thus, I promoted this sort of training method in the team. Two comrades who had been stuck at Silver pinnacle broke into the Gold-rank right after their first try."

Gratitude could be seen from her beautiful eyes but I didn't feel the happiness. Instead, I asked worriedly.

"I was not asking about this, your chant…"

"Oh, that, 'one two one two, train hard, three four three four, catch Roland, five six five six, boil Roland to soup, seven eight seven eight, save our dowry'. That has been created by the lass Momo, reminding us that we must remember our goals."

"The others are still okay but dowry? Are you all in such a rush to marry someone? Then why did you all reject the advances of the Knights in the city?"

"Oh, you are misunderstanding something. This dowry is a slang word we use. You see, we, Dark Elves, don't have the same concept about marriage as other races. Finding a companion, isn't it just marrying a man? In our slang, 'dowry' refers to 'marrying a man's money', which should be equal to your so-called treasuring a wife for money."

Speechless, my head swayed.

"I respect the customs of different tribes, so I still can accept it. But, isn't Roland…"

Before I could finish my words, the Dark Elves Captain's faces was full of rage…

"Two times! Our house, our salary and properties that took us so much difficulty to accumulate. Lord, just this thing, I can't give it up. I must account for my sisters!!"

Alright, there was nothing more to say. Looks like this crime was mine to carry.