‘Your bloodline ability doesn’t block the spells. There is no such a convenient ability, it simply makes the water element go awry. That’s why dimensional magic was blocked while things like fusion magic and shapeshifting are not affected by Frost Soul.’
‘They use the internal elemental energy of the caster instead of the world energy.’ The Horseman said.
‘I get that you understood it already but how could Jirni do the same and why did you get such a backlash from King’s Wraith? It uses darkness, not water.’ He asked.
‘She must have had a great teacher or she has the brain of Dragon.’ Night shrugged. ‘As for King’s Wraith, you can’t just take an element and discard the rest. All spells except Spirit Magic require conjuring the world energy inside your body and using your core as a filter.
‘That’s why I got affected by Frost Soul. You had me swallow a crapload of world energy! Now shut up and let me heal.’
Jirni had actually discovered Frost Soul’s limits by performing a few cantrips. The Royal Fortress armor could use all kinds of low tiered spells and she had noticed how only those which had an external manifestation were affected by Orpal’s ability.
Using cantrips dealt so little damage to the Davross that not even Life Vision could detect them, but the armor’s internal interface did.
Jirni’s offensive was relentless, forcing Orpal to retreat until his back hit a wall. Gold-veined marble was not only one of the most durable materials on Mogar, but it was also magically resistant.
With Frost Soul active, the Dead King had no way to break it with his pure physical prowess.
“You know, you are not bad for an amateur.” Jirni said to throw him off his game as more and more of her attacks reached their target.
“I’m not an amateur!” Orpal roared while deflecting Skywarp and performing the complex attack sequences that he had mastered under Night’s guidance. “I’ve learned spearsmanship from the greatest master, pouring into it my blood, sweat, and tears for the past one and a half years!”
Yet Jirni blocked and dodged them all, even countering them at the smallest mistake he made.
“Really? I did the same ever since I was six.” She replied with a sneer. “I’ve done this for 36 years now, my dear amateur. Yours is nothing but a hobby!”
Jirni had learned her martial mastery from both the Myrok and the Gernoff households. Centuries-old Awakened had practiced Oghrom’s techniques, evolving and perfecting them over time.
Her masters weren’t as skilled or as talented as Night, but the gap in battle experience and practice was abyssal. The Horseman was but one flaky warrior whereas hundreds of people from both households had practiced and exchanged techniques their whole lives.
With each successful attack, Jirni’s advantage grew. Orpal used darkness fusion to stop the pain, but she aimed specifically for the weak points of the Black Rose armor. By damaging his joints, she also crippled his movements.
Even though Orpal felt no pain, the wounds were still there and his damaged tendons slowed his reaction time.
He swallowed his pride, admitting to himself that without Night he had no way to win that fight. He canceled Frost Soul and then Blinked atop Moonlight, taking Jirni by surprise.
The power of the steed coursed through the Dead King’s body, healing both him and Night.
Jirni had no Life Vision and failed to notice that the bloodline ability was no longer in effect. When Orpal disappeared from her sight, she just put her back against the wall and assumed a neutral guard stance while looking around, ready to react.
‘Why didn’t just make Moonlight come to us earlier?’ Night asked as the ice melted and the hole in her crystal closed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
‘To what end? Moonlight boosts our mana, but we had plenty. It also empowers our spells, but I had none at the ready. If I brought it along, I would have just offered Jirni an even bigger target and you know we can’t afford Moonlight to be damaged.’ Orpal replied.
‘Excellent point.’ Night nodded, glad that her partner wasn’t as dumb as he looked.
Fear and pain had clouded her judgment but Orpal had managed to keep a cool head and admit his limits. Even though he had yet to defeat Lith, he was growing as a warrior and a mage at an outstanding speed.
If not for his twisted mind and his unbridled ego, there was no telling how high his obsession might lead him.
‘Can we switch?’ He asked.
‘I need more time.’
‘Got it.’ At a wave of his hand, more Chosen rushed inside the house and against Jirni.
Skywarp could Blink, not Warp. He had to slow Jirni long enough for Night to recover.
“Your brother sends you his regards!” A white crystal card with an emerald cube at its center came out of Jirni’s left armguard.
“Meln!” Lith’s hologram said while unleashing the tier five Spirit Spell, Primordial Roar.
Now that Lith had reached the light violet, his power had further improved and he could cast Scarlett’s spell without Solus’ help.
The mix of cold and vibrations slowed down the undead’s movements while the ice, light, and earth aspects of the spell conjured spikes that pierced through their bodies, pinning them to the walls while the darkness element devoured them.
More and more undead came through the broken wall. Jirni could feel the hair on the back of her head stand up. She didn’t need a mystical sense to know that Orpal was growing stronger by the second, her instinct was already screaming that at her.
The Royal Fortress armor also enhanced her eyesight, allowing her to notice how all the cuts on the Black Rose armor were repairing, the bleeding had ceased, and Night’s crystal was no longer visible through the cut in the metal.
“Out of my way! I have no time to lose with small fries!” Jirni took the vial of Void Flames out of her dimensional amulet and removed the stopper.
Black flames flooded the corridor, eating everything and everyone on their path. The Chosen activated the prisms in their chest to conjure the darkness element and protect themselves, but to no avail.
The blast incinerated them and the only result of their effort was stopping the Void Flames before they reached the Dead King.
‘I’ve healed enough. Now let me show you how it’s done.’ Night’s crystal was almost whole again and she took over Orpal’s body, fusing with him. ‘Shattered Moon is all about delicate movements.
‘You must be like the spring rain, not a raging river.’ Thorn moved through the air, and countless strings of runes appeared in its wake as the Blade Tier spell took form.
The Horseman had fused her mind with her host. Orpal could sense every minute movement of her arm and the magical runes flowing through their being while Night body cast the spell as if he was doing it himself.
Once he reached the deep violet, that knowledge would come in handy.
Jirni cursed when the flask ran out of Void Flames and more Chosen charged at her.
“Shouldn’t we help her now?” Faluel tried to get out of the hiding spot, but both Jiza and Feela stopped her.
