Chapter 182: The Fall of Winter (Part 2)
Cassius watched the Frost Giant charging toward him with overwhelming momentum, yet his heart brimmed with excitement.
This was a rare chance to interact with divine-level power. While gods faced strict limitations in the Material Plane, powerful deities always found ways to exert influence.
But a racial deity like Solem, who had been slumbering for tens of thousands of years, was different. Cassius's only concern about retaliation came from the dwindling Giant lineage, which didn't even include benevolent Cloud Giants or Storm Giants.
In his past life, Cassius had heard rumors of a Frost Giant in Anzeta who rose to prominence, wielding unimaginable frost powers seemingly linked to a deity. However, by then, most players had left Anzeta, and the subsequent developments went unnoticed. Now, he could confirm that the Frost Giant before him—Kasa—was that very figure.
Thus, Cassius had been waiting for this moment—a chance for Kasa to reveal his trump card.
The red dragon roared and suddenly flapped his wings to pull away.
"Is this the source of your courage? Just a fragment of power left by some buried relic of the past?"
Enhanced by Draconic Grace, the spell energy on his wings distorted space with each movement, allowing him to push Kasa back dozens of meters in an instant.
As the battle progressed, the spells enhanced Cassius's attributes further. His agility now reached an astonishing 24 points, comparable to legendary rogues who disappeared like shadows. But what made this terrifying was that such speed existed in a massive dragon.
Kasa, riding the blizzard, could barely be considered flying—it was more like being carried aloft. Even ordinary red dragons struggled to match his speed, let alone Cassius.
Realizing this, Kasa roared skyward, attempting to provoke the red dragon's ire.
"Fight me head-on!"
"Are red dragons cowards who hide behind spells?"
"What about the close combat your kind prides itself on?"
Cassius's speed allowed him to circle the Frost Giant multiple times, staying well out of reach. Yet, he carefully maintained an appropriate distance and launched timely attacks.
"Son of Winter! You're a joke in the skies. This is no place for your clumsy kind!"
"If you want a direct confrontation—"
Cassius taunted.
The red dragon suddenly flipped and flew backward, facing Kasa head-on, as if to grant his wish for a direct fight.
But Kasa did not receive the melee brawl he expected to end in dragon slaying.
Cassius's chest began to glow as his circulatory system worked at maximum capacity, pumping fire elemental energy throughout his body.
With a vicious grin, he gathered intense energy in his throat. It had been a long time since he had unleashed his full-powered breath attack.
"As you wish!"
With those words, the red dragon unleashed his fury.
"Boom—"
A searing pillar of fire erupted from his mouth, instantly evaporating the surrounding air, carving a blazing rift through the sky.
The terrifying fire tore through the blizzard, streaking straight toward the Frost Giant's head.
Kasa raised Winter's Roar horizontally, placing it in the fire's path.
The seemingly fragile crystalline axe, which looked ready to shatter at a touch, absorbed the overwhelming power of the enhanced breath attack like a black hole, leaving only a few imperceptible droplets of water.
"Red dragon, your fire is powerful,"
"but it cannot melt the ice of my father!"
Kasa swung the axe, sending three massive ice blades slicing through the air.
Imbued with the power of the god of frost, the ice blades would slow any creature they struck, ultimately casting them into eternal frost.
However, Cassius, with his agility further enhanced, casually maneuvered his vast form through the narrow ten-meter gap between the blades, evading the attack effortlessly.
"Too slow, Frost Giant!"
Cassius mocked.
It was his genuine thought—Kasa's movements felt sluggish as the effects of time magic wrapped tighter around him.
All the while, Cassius carefully led the Frost Giant, maintaining his distance yet never fully disengaging.
Cassius's agility approached 30 points, signaling that his spells' durations were nearing their end.
"Everything is proceeding smoothly,"
"It's time to finish this."
Cassius decided.
Oblivious, Kasa roared with glee:
"Red dragon, such spells cannot last forever!"
"You dare mock me? You'll pay for your arrogance!"
Kasa swung Winter's Roar, expanding the blizzard's reach to envelop Cassius. The power of the god of frost caused everything within to slow, freezing even the swiftest movements.
Gripping his axe tightly, Kasa awaited the spell's expiration, eager to rush forward and use Solem's divine power to kill the dragon.
Yet Kasa failed to notice the flicker of excitement in Cassius's eyes.
Cassius suddenly slowed his movements, no longer pulling away. Instead, he calmly turned to face the Frost Giant.
A foreboding sense gripped Kasa's heart. In such a precarious situation, the cunning red dragon must have a plan.
He had fallen into a trap!
And indeed, he had.
"Winter, your time is up,"
Cassius declared. This was the area he had long designated as the Frost Giant's grave.
[Kingdom Domain: Suppression]
An invisible field expanded, granting Cassius control over the surrounding elements. All magical energy within became his subjects, even the Weave itself under his command.
Instantly, the surging magical power fell silent.
Even divine power bore a magical essence.
Cassius had long realized that this domain possessed a unique repellent effect on divine power. It was this ability that erased the mental brand Tiamat had left upon him through her illusions. If it worked against the Dragon Queen, then it was more than sufficient to counter Solem's remnants.
"This... this—"
Under Kasa's incredulous gaze, the crystalline battleaxe began to melt, disintegrating like ordinary ice.
The winds surrounding the Frost Giant vanished in an instant.
Kasa fell from nearly a hundred meters, tumbling multiple times before barely managing to brace himself, surviving only thanks to his formidable physique.
He looked up at the godlike red dragon towering above.
Reaching for his axe, he realized with despair that the divine ice crystal had already been claimed by Cassius, now held firmly in the dragon's claws.
"It's over... everything is over..."
Kasa lowered his head in resignation, muttering in despair.