Chapter 385

Chapter 385: Boom Boom Boom

The arena shook with two deafening explosion sounds once more.

At the final moment, Ice Hand activated his ultimate technique, barely managing to destroy the two Exploding Flame Orbs in sequence.

Yet that split-second delay allowed the blasts to creep dangerously close. This time, it wasn’t mere scorching wind brushing his face – searing heatwaves carrying high temperatures threatened to consume his physical form.

Two simultaneous Exploding Flame Orbs had dragged Ice Hand into their lethal blast radius.

Forced to react, Ice Hand summoned an ice shield to block the explosion’s shockwave.

He’d expended three magics to counter two of his foe’s spells while being suppressed.

The problem lay in Midi casting both spells simultaneously, whereas Ice Hand had to cast sequentially, leaving him scrambling.

When Ice Hand finally weathered those two devastating orbs, he discovered no opening for counterattack.

Two new Exploding Flame Orbs already glowed upon Midi’s dual swords.

As Ice Hand broke free, the fresh orbs fully formed. Without allowing recovery time, Midi released his blades, launching twin sun-bright fireballs.

Then came the chain of massive explosions.

Two more followed…

Then another pair…

Midi maintained relentless Explosive Flame Wave Sword attacks, firing Exploding Flame Orbs like continuous dual-sword strikes.

Against this onslaught, the control-focused Ice Mages with weaker lethality could only desperately defend.

Though disadvantaged, Ice Hand hadn’t lost all hope.

Demon Swordmen ultimately drew power from demon gods rather than pure magic. Even magic-using ranged types like Asura couldn’t match true mages’ magic efficiency or conversion rates.

Moreover, Demon Swordmen possessed smaller magic reserves than mages – faster exhaustion, limited storage. Midi’s bombardment would eventually drain his magic.

Then would come Ice Hand’s counterattack!

Provided he survived that long.

Initially, Ice Hand intercepted Midi’s orbs mid-flight with ice spears. As he adapted to Midi’s rhythm, intercepting grew easier.

But just as Ice Hand relaxed slightly, Midi’s attacks abruptly accelerated.

The formerly slow, imposing Exploding Flame Orbs now streaked like gunslinger bullets – meteoric trails blazing through air.

Precision interception became impossible. Ice Hand was a mage, not a reflex-enhanced roaming gunslinger. Worse, his ice spears now lagged behind the orbs’ speed.

Gritting his teeth, Ice Hand resorted to another skill.

An enormous ice sphere materialized between his palms, swelling until dwarfing its caster.

Murmuring intricate spells, Ice Hand pressed both hands against the frozen orb.

In an instant, countless icy fragments erupted from the ice sphere like frozen rain, hurtling toward Midi. The surrounding air plunged into subzero temperatures, snuffing out all arena torches in that moment.

Ice Mages skill, Ice Shard Barrage.

Each vibrating ice shard possessed terrifying sharpness, capable of piercing through steel. In the Sea of Clouds, this attack could shred a Tiger Shark or Unicorn-class Skyship to pieces. Yet here, it barely managed to stall Midi’s relentless assault.

Ice Hand gritted his teeth, pouring more magic into his defense. Though costly, Ice Shard Barrage required less energy than Midi’s dual Explosive Flame Orb volleys. Just hold on a bit longer, he thought, and the counterattack chance would come.

He was wrong.

Midi’s Exploding Flame Orbs mutated again under the icy onslaught. Channeling thicker magic streams into the projectiles, their flames burned hotter. Ice shards now vaporized mid-air before reaching their target. Explosion after explosion turned the arena into a furnace, melting frost and stifling ice magic itself.

Faster. Stronger. This wasn’t the dark elves’ familiar Explosive Flame Wave Sword, but an enhanced variant radiating destructive potency. Ice Hand realized with dawning horror that even if he blocked these strikes, each defense drained him dry. Worse, Midi kept evolving the attack.

After enduring endless bombardment, Ice Hand finally admitted defeat in this clash of raw power. Rage and humiliation ignited his killing intent. A glacial gale erupted around him as indigo runes bloomed across the arena floor – a spreading frostflower magic array. Twin tornadoes of ice shards and mist spiraled upward, their fury contained only by the cavern’s protective barriers. Deadly suction pulled at everything within the icy hellscape.

Ice Mages skill, Ice Dragon Dance.

His ultimate trump card, reserved for life-or-death missions. Not even championship matches against Zaknavan warranted this exposure. Yet here he stood, forced into desperation.

Across the arena, Midi answered with crimson flames. Serpentine fire tongues erupted beneath his feet, painting the battleground in hellish light.

Ghost Cry skill, Nether Flame Array.

The demon array amplified his dual swords’ Exploding Flame Orbs to blinding intensity. Shadows seeped into the flames – traces of the mysterious demon god’s power merging with infernal heat. No longer mere Explosive Flame Wave Sword, this hybrid technique deserved a new name: Demon Fire Wave Sword.

"BREAK!" Midi roared, unleashing twin orbs veiled in darkness.

The projectiles tore through the icy maelstrom. Upon impact, normal flames first erupted… then corrupted into black fire under demonic influence. The frost tornadoes crumbled like rotten wood against this corrosive onslaught.

Impossible! Ice Hand’s eyes widened. Pure elemental clash he could handle, but this shadow-tainted fire bypassed conventional defenses. Midi’s spear had shattered his shield.

Before Ice Hand could react, fresh orbs streaked from Midi’s blades. Desperate, the ice mage triggered another Dragon Dance without incantations, magic backlash scorching his veins. Useless. The black flames devoured his last defense, then himself.

When the inferno cleared, only Midi remained. Demonic winds whipped his hair as he stood triumphant, glowing embers framing his silhouette. To the stunned spectators, he resembled nothing less than an incarnate war god.