For a second, Zaroth wondered if it was going to be a good idea to reveal Nightshade, as he had yet to use the beast in the arena.
But he shook off the thought, he had enough hidden cards already. It wasn’t smart to be limiting himself too much.
The air around him seemed to get heavier, and a second later, a black panther with golden eyes materialized next to him.
On the other side, a giant wolf with silver fur and two sets of teeth materialized as well.
And four other wolves appeared behind him.
In the same moment, Aiden summoned his beasts as well.
A two-meter, white-furred leopard with frosty claws appeared. The beast’s fur was whiter than the snow itself.
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Zaroth knew immediately, the moment his eyes landed on the beast, that it was a Rare creature.
Aiden wasn’t done, however, as a giant tortoise with a blue shell appeared as well. Even from a distance, Zaroth got goosebumps as he felt how cold the air got just from the beast’s appearance.
Another Rare beast.
Finally, after the sparks settled down, a sleek, emerald-green snake with golden eyes and smooth scales appeared. Its body was covered in faint patterns that glowed.
The beast was wrapped around Aiden’s shoulders and neck.
He wasn’t sure about the snake, but by the appearance, it seemed that the snake was an Uncommon beast.
Before anybody could react, Aiden raised his bow, knocked an arrow from his quiver, and shot it straight at Zaroth’s face.
The arrow moved so fast that Zaroth almost missed the fact that the moment Aiden let go of the arrow, it warped as it turned into pure ice.
Managing to rotate his head in time, the icy arrow missed his face by a hair’s breadth.
Zaroth wasn’t sure if he should feel happy or sad.
His opponent had turned out to have formidable beasts at his disposal. But at the same time, Zaroth was pretty sure that he understood—or at least partially understood—his opponent’s blessing.
From the way Aiden’s beasts looked and the fact that his arrows turned into ice when he let go of them, it was clear that the man’s blessing was connected with ice or cold in some way.
Zaroth’s eyes narrowed like a hunter’s as he felt his heart rate increase.
Before he realized it, there was a menacing smile on his face.
Because, at that moment, he realized that while his opponent was proficient in using cold, he could control fire to some extent.
Or in other words, he could counter him easily.
Digging his right foot so deep in the ground it cracked, Zaroth charged towards his opponent, who was preparing to let go of another arrow.
His beasts were at his side, and thanks to the work that he and his beasts had spent improving the harmony between them, Zaroth didn’t need to waste precious moments giving commands, as they now were able to grasp what their master wanted them to do.
Nightshade was running full speed ahead towards the Snow Leopard, accompanied by two wolves. Even though the two cat beasts were of the Rare tier, Nightshade was proficient in hunting in the dark, not in the open. To make up the difference, two of the wolves had joined her.
Silverfang, on the other hand, was already lunging toward the Frost Tortoise, accompanied by the other two wolves. Zaroth wasn’t sure how dangerous the tortoise would be, but he didn’t want to risk it, so the other two wolves had caught up with Silverfang.
That meant that he was now charging toward Aiden and the snake on his shoulder, alone.
It was certainly a cocky decision to face the man with his snake alone, but Zaroth felt confident enough in his close combat skills.
Of course, he hadn’t forgotten his plan to focus all attacks on one of Aiden’s beasts, but this would prove too difficult at the moment, as Aiden’s beasts were too strong. Letting them run free could pose the danger that he would be attacked from the back.
His thought process was interrupted as Aiden let go of the second arrow.
This time, Zaroth was prepared and used his right dagger to parry it to the side.
Even though the ice arrow touched his dagger blade for less than a second, he felt the whole weapon getting colder.
He grimaced as he realized that being hit even once by these arrows would make him immobile, and dooming him to lose.
His eyes shined as a second later, he let go of a fireball toward Aiden, aiming at the man’s chest.
Aiden seemingly wasn’t surprised by that move, changing the trajectory of his next arrow and hitting the fireball, dispersing it in an instant.
"You cunning fucker," Zaroth cursed with a smile as he approached his opponent even more.
There were now less than twenty meters separating them, meaning Zaroth would soon have the advantage.
Or that was the plan until Aiden’s Frost Tortoise’s shell seemed to get even colder.
At the same time, the Snow Leopard opened its mouth and let out an ear-piercing roar.
Zaroth shuddered as he felt the temperature around him drop even lower, below the freezing temperature of water, and an giant ice globe began to form around the battle, caging Zaroth and his beasts in it.
The sun was blocked by the ice sculpture, and while some light rays managed to penetrate, the inside of the globe remained mostly dark.
Aiden smiled as armor made of ice appeared around his body, and the arrow that he had loaded became even more menacing.
It seemed that Zaroth’s opponent was much smarter than originally thought.
Most likely, this was how Aiden had reached so far in the tournament. He would make his enemies believe that he was weak in close range, making them rush toward him.
Once they did, he would trap them in the ice globe, where the temperature was very low, and so was the visibility.
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And yet, rather than showing despair on his face, Zaroth widened his smile even more as his eyes shined.
After all, how could Aiden know?
That Zaroth had demonic skills that would make him stronger in the dark?