Chapter 7: Chaos in the Midst of the River

A cold wind blew gently along the calm river, creating small ripples on its surface. The ice bridge previously created by Lily still stretched solidly over the water, although cracks began to appear from the recent battle. The sound of Thalassius and Selene's heavy breathing was clear, full of vigilance, as they stared at Raka with inescapable intensity.

Thalassius: (Muttering to himself, his gaze full of annoyance) "Damn, even with my echolocation power, I can't detect the shockwaves from that movement. What kind of power does this guy actually have?"

Selene: (Standing slightly behind Thalassius, warning in a low voice) "He's very dangerous now."

Thalassius: (Snorts, trying to stay calm) "I know that."

Raka: (Standing tense, raising his index finger towards them, his eyes full of determination) "You should know when to give up."

A bad feeling immediately gripped Thalassius and Selene. Their eyes widened as Raka began to move his finger subtly. His four Gears launched with incredible speed, attacking them with sharp and unpredictable maneuvers.

The Gears attacked relentlessly, keeping Thalassius and Selene busy parrying attack after attack. The clanging of weapons clashing echoed loudly in the air. However, amidst the chaos, they didn't realize something strange was happening to their feet.

Thalassius: (Looking down, his eyes widening) "What is this? My feet..."

Selene: (Feeling the same thing, her voice starting to panic) "This!"

From a distance, Lily smiled smugly, her hand outstretched towards them.

Lily: (In a calm tone, reciting a spell) "Fractal."

In an instant, Thalassius and Selene's bodies were encased in strong ice, rendering them immobile. Raka's Gears hovered above them, ready to strike.

Raka: (Moving his index finger down, saying in a cold tone) "As you wish."

In an instant, the four Gears quickly launched, hitting them both, destroying Lily's ice bridge in the process. The ice cracked and shattered, river water splashing everywhere. Thalassius and Selene's bodies were thrown down hard, sinking beneath the ice rubble.

On the other side Raka drifted by the river water due to the destruction of Lily's ice bridge, but was rescued by Lily and took him to the river bank.

Raka: (Falling to a sitting position, his breath ragged, speaking softly) "Haah... I thought we were going to die."

Lily: (Hitting Raka's head in annoyance, her eyes narrowed) "Whose fault is this, huh?!"

Raka: (Smiling weakly, apologizing) "Sorry, sorry... But now I need your help. Help me get the Mana Potion from the bag, Lily. Otherwise, I might not be able to stand again."

Lily: (Looking at Raka for a moment, wanting to ask something, but finally nodding) "Alright, wait a moment."

She approached Raka's bag and began searching for the potion. However, before she could retrieve the potion, a flash of bright light suddenly appeared from the direction of the collapsed bridge.

Raka: (Shouting in panic, moving his Gears to protect them) "Duck!"

In an instant, a burst of extremely hot flames enveloped them, scorching the air for almost a full minute. Raka's steel Gears, tasked with protecting, began to melt under the intense heat.

Raka: (Whispering to himself, sweating profusely) "Damn... What is this?! Whose doing is this?"

From behind the blazing flames, two figures with very strong auras emerged.

The first figure was a woman from the Dragonkin race. Elegant curved dragon horns adorned her head, while on her chest a flame continued to blaze—a symbol of the pure fire power she possessed. A dragon tail that glowed at its tip added to the terrifying impression.

Beside her stood a Beastman man. His appearance was as gallant as a male lion. His golden hair sparkled under the firelight, his sharp golden-yellow eyes giving off an impression of unparalleled strength.

Raka: (Swallowing hard, his gaze uneasy) "They... are much stronger than Thalassius and Selene."

Lily: (Her eyes full of anger, her voice trembling) "What are you doing huh!, you deserve to be destroyed!"

Raka: (Trying to restrain Lily, pleading) "Lily, wait! Don't get carried away! Why are you suddenly angry?"

However, Lily was no longer listening. She raised her hand, summoning extraordinary cold energy.

Lily: (Shouting with emotion) "Absolute Zero!"

Instantly, ice enveloped the entire area in front of Lily. Even the air felt frozen. However, the dragon woman only smiled slightly.

Dragon Woman: (In a calm tone, raising her hand) "Inferno."

Pure fire erupted from her palm, destroying Lily's ice in an instant and bouncing back towards Lily, burning her in the process.

Raka: (Shouting, trying to save Lily) "Lily!"

He launched his Gears, but the Beastman man appeared before him with a large, glittering sword.

Beastman Man: (Swinging his sword, his voice full of power) "It's useless!"

A loud explosion was heard, and everything went dark.

{You have died.}

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[To be continued]