The moment he landed, he scorched everything that was below him, as precaution.
He heard people shouting in shock and fear; judging from the volume and the distance, it appeared that there were just a few people, none of them were too close to be caught in his fire. He landed in the middle of the fire wave he created with his sword, with Mirina behind him. From the corner of his eyes, he saw that Mirina erred a bit when landing, although she was relatively steady enough. You good?
Quite… responded Mirina, her voice a bit shaken.
Can you run?
I think so… but not too fast…
And him?
Don’t worry about him. Focus on dealing with these people.
Right… said Ishar, as he pierced using his sword repeatedly. Bursts and thrusts of pink fire sprayed outward around them, keeping them away. At the same time, he went forward to the exit of the palace, with a moderate speed; he thought about going faster, before he reminded himself that Mirina was not in good enough condition, all while carrying Roven on her back. As far as he could see, they were all mere soldiers, although there weren’t many, all confused, frightened, and overwhelmed by Ishar’s capability. Although no one died by his fire, from the looks of it, he thought that they were at least slightly singed by his fire.
Oh, yeah… this reminds me of back then when you killed the other knights… although they’re still amateurs, to be honest…
Mirina didn’t say anything at first. Where are you going with this…?
I don’t really know them, and… I don’t feel anything, to be honest, when you kill them…
Even without looking back at her and catching her tone, he could tell that she sighed in silence and sadness simply by talking about it. Nevertheless, he continued…
Are you… going to kill others to… to realize a better reign and future…?
Before Mirina answered that, when he realized it, they already had their surroundings enveloped by ice.
The fire from his sword, which was spreading all around the wide corridor and burning the surroundings, died out quickly, replaced by big chunks and thick layers of ice. When he could initially feel the heat from his own fire in his vicinity, the temperature dropped down, extremely and drastically. It happened almost instantaneously, as if the temperature itself was manipulated, he nearly didn’t see the ice moving and spreading all around. When he realized it, they already had their surroundings enveloped by ice.
But before it went too cold, he swung his sword and broke the approaching walls of ice. He noticed that Mirina also broke the walls, using her own thin needle-like sword and the thread. White Pin, isn’t it…? Ishar thought to himself. I’ve always wanted to try using that, at least…
That’s quite powerful manipulation of ice… a knight…? Mirina asked Ishar.
Yeah… and this one is not an amateur.
“Another knight betraying the kingdom… hhhhh… how horrible…”
Do we have a name?
Madam Shica.
A woman walked toward them, from a distance. She simply wore knight armor; there was no weapon whatsoever on the belt, the hands, or the back. She looked to be about thirty years old, and she was yawning when she spoke to them; the way she walked appeared to be relaxed, as if she was talking with ordinary people, under usual daily situations.
Her hand was simply pointed toward them, but ice popped out of thin air, and the temperature dropped down. He could see his own breath coming out from his mouth and nose. In one second, big chunks of ice in the shape of stalactites popped up above them and launched themselves straight down in a fast speed, and in the next second, other big chunks of ice in the shape of big round rocks, about three meters in diameter, hurled toward them from the front and the back, and in the other second, the temperature dropped down, to a point where everything around them froze into thick layers of ice. Even though she looked bored and sleepy, her hand was stretched toward them, casting spells of ice in such precision and focus. The other soldiers were nowhere to be seen around them, he thought that they were ordered to steer away and leave it to Shica.
Ishar’s fire was hot enough to warm their vicinity and melt the ice, but only within his narrow vicinity. Beyond that, the fire dissipated into nothing, overtaken by the ice. The one thing she couldn’t appear to freeze was Mirina’s slicing thread. Despite all the ice chunks going after them, they were sliced into pebbles no bigger than a single nail by the thread, and Ishar’s fire easily melted them. The problem on their end was that Shica, the knight, casted all kinds of attacks all at once, it could overwhelm them.
Yeah… she’s pretty strong, I’ll say… commented Mirina.
Do you have a plan…?
“Seriously, can you just surrender and let me kill you…? I’m still tired, because… I burned midnight oil, and I want to go back to sleep…” said Sicha, while yawning.
Mirina frowned. Sleep? She’s not out there quelling the messes? She’s not distracted…?
She was. She’s just making up excuses, although she usually does burn midnight oil. She’s usually acting irritating, even to us.
So she lies to piss people off…? Sounds shallow and stupid.
I can see that, although —
“It’s no use, anyway. It’s not like you can escape from this place at all…”
MIrina suddenly lifted her right hand. With that, their surroundings, which were already frozen with ice layers, as well as the concrete walls and ceilings, were sliced to bits.
He could hardly see the movement of the thread, surrounding and protecting them, while demolishing everything outside the range. It felt almost as if the reality itself was rewritten, from the entrapment of concrete and ice, into a complete destruction on the corridor, he could actually see the sky outside the palace already turning dark.
It took him a while to realize that she was apparently aiming to attack Shica as well, because the ice and temperature attacks had already stopped. The range of her attack itself reached all the way to where she stood. At first, he thought that she actually sliced her to bits as well, before he saw that Shica apparently jumped backwards to avoid it.
No, not jump… she slid backwards with her ice control… corrected Ishar. And fast, too…
No. She didn’t dodge the thread. Responded Mirina instead. I knew it when my thread cut anything. I know that she’s cut.
Then… how…?
She controls ice, right?
So…?
What else does she do…?
As far as I know, that’s all…
It could be a dummy body made of ice… or —
“Okay. So you’re Mirina, the holder of White Pin…?” said Shica.
The froth from the ice resided a bit. That was when he got a clear sight to take a look at Shica.
Considering that she actually stopped attacking…
She turned herself into ice, so she wouldn’t die after being sliced.
“That’s very powerful…”
What stood in front of him, within quite a distance, was a light blue statue made of ice. Although it was dark, with only lights from the distant lanterns of the corridor, he could see that the statue did have Shica’s face, as well as its own movement.
She turned herself into ice, so she wouldn’t die after being sliced.
“I hate you.”
This time, Ishar knew that they were getting into a dangerous situation. He casted a fire slash, a really hot one, by piercing his sword down onto the ground, to protect themselves against the incoming coagulation, and just in time.
“IHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOU…!”
When there was previously a big hole on the corridor and fresh night air, it turned into ice and cold air in a blink, completely blocking their sight and path, and it appeared to Ishar, somehow, that it intended on grinding and smashing them flat to the ground, instead of simply freezing them to death. The only thing that stopped the extreme coagulation from touching them was Ishar’s fire, constantly emitted from his sword.
Seems like a psycho. I think she’s screaming “I hate you” so many times…
She is… particularly because I cast fire slashes…
Oh, so she hates fire and anything related to it. That’s even more deranged.
Enough about that. What’s the plan, now? Can you do that thing with your thread again…
She could do that because she had to take my energy, and that alone cost plenty, even for me… Roven joined their telepathy network, although it didn’t shock him. Even if I gave her, it wouldn’t be enough…
Doesn’t have to be the whole place. At least just big enough to open a path for us to escape… do you think you can do that…? Said Ishar.
Oh, so we’re escaping…? Said Mirina. It wouldn’t be a big one, but I think it’s manageable…
Take my energy. That’s the least I can do to help. I don’t think I can run in this current condition… said Roven.
Will you be able to run, Mirina…? Asked Ishar.
Run fast…? I don’t think I can do it for now… but I can try to use my thread to carry myself… think I can tug on you…? With my thread, on your waist…? But only if you don’t mind…
Okay. If you’re certain that you can hold onto me, do it now.
And then, with a swing, he casted a big wave of fire, directed toward where she previously was. It was hot enough to melt the coagulation in an instance, although it cost him a significant lot of energy. What resulted was hot steam, blinding his sight for her, as well as her sight from his. At the same time, from the corner of his eyes, he saw Mirina stretching her hand to the right, having her thread slicing the walls of ice, just enough for them to escape. Like before, he could hardly see the thread’s movement when slicing; before he knew it, on his right, there was the same big hole in the corridor and the night sky, with only pieces and shrapnel of ice on the floor.
So it requires a lot of energy… Ishar made a note for himself. To a point where Roven nearly runs out of it… but it takes others’ energy…? Not her own…?
He then ran through the gap Mirina created with her thread. At first, he thought that something was stuck on his waist, slightly slowing him down, before he recalled that Mirina tugged on him by his waist, using her thread. He could tell that there was a sort of rope on his waist; it definitely felt thin, as if it would snap, but even when he increased his speed, he still felt the burden of his pull. The thread remained there, wrapped quite tightly on his waist, but he was certain that the thread wouldn’t snap, nor would it actually cut him in half.
With the extreme steam, caused by his fire and her ice, he used the opportunity to escape. Considering that there were no more ice attacks, and that he didn’t feel the killing intent from her, he thought that she was shocked by Ishar’s massive attack. Because of that, he used the opportunity. Normally — no, supposedly, we would fight her… but on this current situation…
He turned his head back for a second, and saw Mirina holding onto her thread, wrapped around Ishar’s waist, while Roven, looking unconscious, was well-bound onto her back. Despite his speed, which was close to his maximal limit, it didn’t snap at all.
Are you doing well…? Asked Ishar.
Don’t worry about us…! Answered Mirina.
I’d worry about that crazy knight… commented Roven.
Seems safe for now… let’s not ponder about it further…
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