Amelia sensed the anomaly in Kael's condition, a flicker of hope igniting within her. If he didn't awaken soon, she truly couldn't hold on any longer.
Even now, the knightess clung to consciousness through sheer willpower, teetering on collapse. The relentless assault from Yuri's trio was no jest—while Amelia could confidently defeat any one of them in single combat, their combined onslaught left her survival chances at zero.
As Kael neared awakening, Yuri's group pivoted toward his location, abandoning their assault on Amelia to instead strike at the defenseless mage.
A logical tactic—yet Amelia lunged faster. Her combat aura erupted once more, intercepting all three attackers.
"She's truly courting death!" Sebastian, the most aggrieved of the trio, scowled. The idea of such a peerless beauty throwing her life away for this brat rankled him deeply.
Though she blocked their strikes, Amelia's body became a canvas of fresh wounds. Her silver armor lay in tatters, blood staining her battered form.
——
Within Kael, mana surged like an unstoppable tide. After devouring a fraction of the Ice Essence's energy, a delicate equilibrium formed between his magic and the glacial force. Finally regaining control of his mana, Kael teetered on the brink of consciousness.
The Ice Essence's power fused with him, reforging every cell. His body underwent seismic transformations, each inch tempered by the essence's relentless refinement. Yet for now, he could harness only a sliver of its vast reserves—a mountain of power he'd need years to fully digest.
"Amelia's at her limit… Faster. Break!" With a final push, Kael shattered the last restraints. Light flooded his vision as his eyes snapped open.
The scene before him: a ravaged battlefield, Amelia alone holding off Yuri's trio.
She stood on the verge of collapse—teeth gritted, brows furrowed in concentration, her body a mosaic of blood and bruises. Strands of hair plastered to her face, armor reduced to scraps, yet her striking features still shone through. Never had Kael seen the genius knightess so battered, this woman who'd always gleamed like starlight.
Every wound she bore… was for him.
An unexpected pang of tenderness struck Kael's heart.
The sight of this girl—steadfast beneath the trio's savage onslaught, her eyes unyielding even as attacks crashed like tidal waves—wrenched Kael's heart. His gaze turned glacial as it shifted to Yuri's group.
"Hellspawn—he's awake!" Yuri barked, having monitored Kael's movements. Marcus's eyes locked onto Kael, murderous intent blazing. Of the three, Marcus bore deepest hatred—Kael had slain his son Damien. "Perfect," Marcus snarled with venomous laughter. "I'll carve you to ribbons!"
Abandoning Amelia, Marcus lunged at Kael. In his mind, Kael remained the Level 5 mage he'd faced before—manageable despite some tricks.
But Kael was now Level 6.
As Marcus charged, Kael's eyes narrowed, lethal intent mirroring his foe's. Last time, letting Marcus escape had bred disaster. This time, there'd be no mercy.
"Venomous Fang!" Marcus roared. Combat aura twisted into a viper's maw, crescent fangs materializing—a strike carrying serpent's venom in its essence.
Kael responded with an icy smirk. His staff flickered as he intoned the incantation with measured precision, syllables blending and accelerating unnaturally.
"Flameguard." A defensive choice, but necessary—Amelia was collapsing. Crimson light erupted, enveloping both Kael and the knightess in searing wards. The shield absorbed Yuri and Sebastian's strikes, its surface merely rippling under impact.
"What?" Yuri's brow furrowed. His spell should have shattered lesser barriers, yet this shield only warped slightly.
Marcus's fang-clash fared no better—the Flameguard trembled but held firm.
"Sixth-level mage? In mere days?!" Marcus seethed, equal parts fury and disbelief.
Seizing the opening, Kael activated Stellar Steps—a constellation's grace in his movement—and darted to Amelia's side.
When Amelia saw Kael approach, her eyes brightened. Tension drained from her features as if she'd found an anchor amidst the storm.
She'd long passed her limits.
Her combat aura was spent, her stamina depleted. Dozens of wounds—some shallow, others gruesome—laced her body, making even slight movements agonizing. The sight sharpened Kael's hatred for Yuri's trio to a lethal edge.
Yet this indomitable girl managed a faint smile. "You're here…" No reproach, no self-pity—just three simple words that struck Kael's heart like a warhammer.
Relief loosened Amelia's final thread of will. Her body sagged limply, but Kael caught her against his chest.
Enveloped in his warmth, exhaustion washed over her. She yearned to close her eyes, to surrender to oblivion.
As consciousness faded, Kael's voice reached her—soft yet ironclad. "Rest. I'll handle this now."
Though spoken calmly, those words kindled profound reassurance in Amelia's soul. She yielded completely, sinking into dreamless sleep.
Kael lowered her gently to the ground before rising. His glacial gaze swept over Yuri's group, murderous intent radiating like a predator's aura. Even Sebastian flinched, an instinctive dread prickling his scalp.
"Fear what? He's just a Sixth-level mage, same as us three! Why cower?" Marcus barked, though unease prickled his instincts.
While Kael had absorbed part of the Ice Essence's power, his cultivation remained at Sixth-level—albeit now mid-stage. The essence didn't directly elevate cultivation; its true value lay in refining one's physique and purging bodily impurities. Ownership of the Ice Essence would grant Kael purer mana affinity and accelerated growth, but those benefits would manifest gradually.
Marcus's words snapped Sebastian back to reason. Right—the brat's still Sixth-level. What's there to fear?
"Let me rip his head off myself!" Marcus sneered, features twisting viciously. "A Sixth-level mage with tricks? Still prey."
"Truly?" Kael's voice cut cold and clear. Raising his Emberflame Staff, he summoned flames that billowed outward—not crimson, but cerulean flames luminous and otherworldly, their hue mirroring the Millennium Ice Essence's pristine glow.
"What…what is this?!" Sebastian gaped dumbly.
Even Yuri paled. Blue fire? Such magic defied all known principles.
Kael watched them icily. The cerulean inferno radiated crushing pressure—a fusion of his mana and the Ice Essence's power, his trump card against three Sixth-level foes.