Frozen Soul

The battle in Marina continued to rage on.

Kirana and Brook confronted Azazel, who was becoming increasingly fierce and powerful.

The Demon General of Abyss was seething with anger after being severely injured by Brook's [Fire Slash] attack – the only Rank 10 attack the Vice Captain could unleash.

After that attack, Brook was limited to providing Kirana with support by using [Ice Arrow] from his Ice Wand.

Kirana herself was finding it challenging to keep up with Azazel's movements. She could gain an advantage if she uses the power of Muni's soul (the Moon Rabbit within Moonice).

However, upon further consideration, Kirana grew anxious about the more terrifying figure in the distance. What if that figure arrived?

Kirana was convinced that if that entity came, all the humans in Marina would perish.

Thus, she chose to risk using her sword techniques and skills to fight Azazel. At least she could still hold her ground.

Kirana believed she could defeat Azazel without playing her trump card. However, if the situation grew dire, she wouldn't hesitate to use her full strength.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kirana and Azazel continued exchanging blows for the next few minutes. Neither of them could land a fatal strike on their opponent.

Kirana herself was growing increasingly anxious. She could still sense the presence of that distant figure. She feared that the terrifying entity might suddenly descend upon Marina before the evacuation was complete.

Clang!

The clash between the two continued as they collided with their weapons once again.

Kirana was sent flying quite a distance. She quickly turned the area of the ice wall she was about to crash into into water. As a result, when she collided, Kirana didn't feel pain; it was like landing on a soft mattress.

She then manipulated the water, forming it into a water dragon and carried Kirana on its back.

"Haa… haa… haa… What is the current evacuation situation?!"

Kirana exclaimed, wanting to know about the situation at the northern gate.

Brook, who was always positioned on top of the ice wall, received reports about the progress of the evacuation from soldiers on the city wall. He quickly relayed the information to Kirana.

"Captain! The estimated percentage of citizens successfully evacuated is only twenty percent!"

"…This is going to take a while. Should I use it now? What do you think, Muni?"

<Kyuuuu!>

"Heh, so you're eager to get into action too. Alright then, let's show them the power of your—!"

Clank! Clank! Clank!

Once again, a sound echoed from the sky. But this time, it wasn't a crack; it was a sound reminiscent of metal scraping against metal.

Kirana felt a suffocating aura enveloping her, piercing her skin and seeping into her soul.

Unlike the previous terrifying aura, this one didn't feel frightening; rather, it felt more lethal. Kirana sensed that death had placed its scythe around her neck.

She could only fall silent, without words. There was only one thought that crossed her mind.

'I'm going to die!'

Not only Kirana but Demon General Azazel also felt the same way. He froze, seeming resigned as he allowed the aura of death to approach him.

In truth, this wasn't the first time both Kirana and Azazel had heard the sound of clinking metal in the Kastian sky.

A few weeks ago, they had heard the same sound. However, there was a slight difference. Back then, the aura of death emitted wasn't as strong as it was now.

Currently, the aura of death above seemed to be competing with the aura of evil emanating from Lumiere. The two auras stood opposed, glorifying themselves.

On the other hand, while the majority might not have recognized the sound of the chains in the sky, the Huntara knights who had been living in Death Valley were fully aware.

Brook, hearing the sound of the chains, instinctively looked up despite his trembling body.

High up in the sky, it was challenging to see clearly, but Brook managed to make out a faint thin black line stretching across the sky.

He believed it to be the black chain. He knew who was at the end of that chain.

"That chain... Lord Millard..."

Brook's murmur was faint but audible to Kirana, who was floating on the water dragon in front of him.

Kirana, frozen in shock, immediately turned towards her Vice Captain.

"What do you mean by Father? Ah! Hela's curse!"

Kirana recalled her father's story about being cursed by Hela and being able to be pulled back by her chain if he stayed away from his shop for too long.

Cien had also shared his story from Mandora, where he was pulled by Hela using a chain.

However, it was only now that Kirana realized that the sound of clinking metal in the sky back then was Hela's chain pulling her father.

"Hm? Being pulled?"

Kirana was momentarily stunned. Because if the chain was present, it meant her father was being pulled. If he was being pulled, there were only two possibilities.

First, because Cien had stayed away from the shop for too long. Second, when Cien's life was in danger, just like what Hela did in Mandora.

Kirana wasn't sure if her father was being pulled because he had stayed away from the shop for too long. That means the second possibility is most likely the case.

"Father is in danger!"

Kirana immediately grew anxious, especially since she could also feel the ominous aura from the south. Somehow, she could imagine a connection between the appearance of the terrifying figure and her father.

"Captain!"

"!"

Kirana snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Brook.

"Azazel!"

Brook yelled, preparing to unleash his skills with his Ice Wand. He was ready to expend all the mana in the Mana Core piece of his weapon, gambling on killing Azazel in a single strike.

Kirana, now fully awake, turned her gaze to Azazel, finding the Demon General of Abyss frozen in the air. Kirana immediately understood what Brook meant.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Kirana immediately attacked with one of her strongest sword techniques combined with the [Absolute Zero] ability.

Moving as swiftly as lightning, she stabbed Azazel, leaving a trail of pale blue light in her wake.

Swooosh!

"[Frozen Soul]."

"!"

Azazel immediately regained consciousness after being pierced by Kirana's rapier in the heart. He saw a large hole had formed there, which began to freeze, and the ice spread to other parts of his body.

The issue was that Azazel didn't only feel his body wounded. There was something else that significantly diminished his strength.

At that moment, hundreds of ice arrows shot out and struck Azazel, who was already weakened.

Brook's attack managed to bring Azazel down to the ground, causing the demon to lie injured in front of the demon forces.

But the demon army still froze like a statue, they were still in shock, not in shock over their leader's condition but silenced by the overwhelming aura of death and evil in the atmosphere.

Kirana, breathing heavily, felt her energy drained.

The [Frozen Soul] technique wasn't extraordinarily complex. After all, it was just a stabbing motion with the tip of her rapier.

However, for some reason, it was her most energy-consuming and mana-draining move. Moreover, Kirana had never failed to defeat her opponent with the [Frozen Soul] technique.

She hadn't been able to perform this technique before because Azazel was too strong, never giving her the chance to prepare her sword technique.

Kirana turned her gaze towards Azazel below, her expression grim when she noticed the Demon General still moving.

He seemed to be trying to stop the effects of the [Absolute Zero] skill that would freeze him.

"Bastard!"

BOOOOOOOM!

Unexpectedly, in the next moment, Azazel detonated himself. The explosion was massive, akin to an atomic bomb. It eradicated both the human forces on the wall and the demons nearby.

As for Kirana herself, she managed to protect herself using the [Frozen Counter] skill from her Moonice scabbard.

The flames from the explosion froze around her, turning into ice statues. Kirana was stunned, then she looked behind her.

Brook was safe, positioned not far behind her. He stood atop the remains of the ice wall, which now resembled a fragile pillar.

Behind Brook, there were remnants of a wall that also looked like pillars, with the surface showing severe cracks.

Atop the wall, there were only three people left. They were safe due to Kirana's protection. The rest... were dead.

About a quarter of the southern part of Marina was also destroyed. No one could tell how many lives were lost.

Kirana was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events. She didn't anticipate that Azazel would detonate himself so abruptly.

In truth, had Kirana not employed the skill from her sword scabbard, the resulting devastation could have leveled the entire city.

However, the [Frozen Counter] skill managed to freeze most of the explosion, preventing a massive shockwave. Nevertheless, casualties were still incurred.

Brook, still in shock, felt his heart racing. He had believed he was going to die, but he unexpectedly survived thanks to Kirana.

"Haa… haa… you damned demon! Such a coward!"

"What did you say? Cough!"

""!!!""

Kirana and Brook immediately fell silent upon hearing the familiar voice of the Demon General who should have been dead after detonating himself.

Both of them turned their attention to the source of the voice, not far from them. The figure emerged through the dust and debris from the explosion.

Azazel, reduced to his upper body with a hole in his chest, a single hand, and one large wing, was still able to float in the air. His pale and wrinkled face displayed intense anger.

Kirana observed as Azazel's destroyed body parts began to regenerate, albeit at a slow pace.

She never anticipated that Azazel would survive, let alone halt the freezing effect of the [Absolute Zero] skill.

Kirana clenched her teeth, preparing to use her trump card with Moonice. She was frustrated with Azazel's tenacity and worried about the black chain still hanging in the sky, as well as her father's safety.

However, it didn't take long for Kirana, Brook, and Azazel to be astonished once again.

The chain's presence in the sky suddenly disappeared. Then, about twenty meters away from where they were battling, an area in the sky abruptly transformed into night.

As they all looked up, they were shocked to witness a massive pillar descending from the sky. It struck the ground with tremendous force, causing Marina and its surroundings to shake violently.

BAMMMMMM!

A strong gust of wind blew, revealing a colossal wooden pillar that seemed to reach into the sky.

Kirana, upon seeing the pillar, fell silent for a moment before recalling that she had seen the same phenomenon not long ago. Specifically, during her battle against Fenrir with her father.

"Woodbelisk?!"