341 The Ice Phoenix
Panic and dread sliced through the spectators like a searing knife as the explosion shook the battlefield, making the invisible barrier groan under the immense force of the blast. It set the battlefield ablaze, the sky, ground, and surrounding area consumed by the inferno.
As the smoke dissipated, the audience watched with bated breath, subconsciously expecting both to have died. Therefore, the sight that met their gaze was unexpected.
Unscathed, Evalyn strode across the battlefield in unmarred, black tactical gear.
Ice spread from her boots as she stepped onto the scorched grass, creating an icy fog as steam froze and fell back to the earth, enveloping Harper's charred and blistered form. With each step, the eerie atmosphere intensified.
Kiera sensed the conflict's deeply personal nature, so she silenced Larkin, whose twisted excitement shook him like a possessed kettle. Their silence was a testament to the development's gravity.
As Harper watched Ice General Skye walking to her, she saw the woman she saw in her dreams — the Ice Phoenix. It was unmistakable. She had the eyes of someone who had slain a million people in her 336 years. Eyes like that had no business being in the Mortal Realm, let alone on a teenager from a peaceful country.
"It is you..." Harper wheezed, fighting the pain to look up. "My dreams were true, after all."
Evalyn stopped walking, "Does that mean that my dreams were true, too?"
Everyone held their breath, confused about the context of the conversation.
However, the contempt in the air was palpable, so they kept silent.
"Hah, how the fuck am I supposed to know?" Harper spat. "They're fuckin' dreams. I can't remember them as much as I feel'em like it's my destiny to kill—." Her rant was cut short by searing pain, her soul pact cautioning her against emotional threats.
"Destiny?" Evalyn mused, her lips curved in a sinister smile. "Tell me, Harper Reed — do you find comfort from your nightmares thinking you killed me?"
The cultivator's eyes trembled in shock, "You had a fucking hole in your chest. Don't act like that didn't kill you!"
"Oh, but it didn't, Harper," Evalyn smiled, taking a step forward.
CRUuUNNNNNCH! The ice cracking was dramatic, beginning a hypnotic cadence that sent waves of terror through everyone. "My dreams span centuries, and the nightmares never come."
Harper gulped, trying to process the icy woman's statement, fear coursing through her veins.
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
"I only dream when there is a parallel," Evalyn said, melodic and haunting. "And I'm fortunate to have someone who keeps my negative dreams locked away."
Crunchl!... Crunch!...
The Ice Phoenix's steps echoed in the dead silence, masterfully pacing to magnify the cultivator's fear, "That's until I met you."
An icy chill crawled down the spectator's spine, feeling they might bare witness to an execution.
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
"Whenever I look at you — I remember," Evalyn smiled. "My instincts take over, and I become the Phoenix who sees a Tyrant."
CruuuUNCH!
Harper trembled when Evalyn stopped a few feet from her charred and blistered body. "W-What are you doing?" she asked. "Finish it already!"
"Oh, no," Evalyn grinned, lifting her combat boot high. "Our journey has only just begun, Tyrant of Rorewell."
CReeeAaackk!
Harper screamed in pain when her hand's bones cracked in unison.
"Submit and dedicate your life to Immortal Skye," Evalyn ordered.
"Fuck off, bitch! I'd rather die than—" Harper resisted but stopped when she felt the Ice Phoenix's heel grinding her broken fingers. It left the crowd silent, shocked and horrified.
"Oh, no — death isn't an option," Evalyn chuckled, lifting her boot from the blonde's mangled hand. "If you don't submit, I'll break your limbs and cut out your tongue to prevent suicide."
CRAaaaaCCK!
Gasps rang out when General Skye stomped the woman's wrist with a level of force she shouldn't possess, making the cultivator's wrist and forearm snap in a V.
"J-Just... kill..." Harper hyperventilated, disoriented from the pain.
Crunch!!... Crunch!...
"It's not a discussion, Harper," Evalyn smirked, lifting her foot from the woman's arm and walking to her elbow. "And I'm not going to ask again."
CRAaaCK!
The spectators' faces contorted when she stomped on the cultivator's elbow, shattering it without warning. It left them petrified, traumatized by the sight unfolding.
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
Evalyn walked to Harper's charred legs without giving her time to recover. "If you have breath to scream, you can voice submission," she asserted, lifting her boot above the woman's ankle. "I suggest you do before you become a cripple."
CRAaaaaCCccckCkK!
Harper screamed when the Ice Phoenix stomped her ankle and twisted her heel.
The spectators covered their ears, too shocked to breathe.
RiilliiEEEEEiilINK! THUD! THUD! THUD!
The tense atmosphere dissipated when the emergency microphone crackled to life, followed by three taps. Evalyn's foot halted mid-air, just above the cultivator's calf.
"Ahem," Kiera coughed, cute and reserved. "While I'm not necessarily opposed to this development, can we seek clarity regarding the competition, mayhaps?
Misunderstandings may arise. Thank you."
The crowd held their breath in anticipation.
"The moment Harper Reed threatened to kill an Immortal Skye leader, this trial ceased to be a mere contest," Kaze declared, watching from above. "The severity of her declaration takes precedence and must be addressed with haste."
A sharp silence sliced the spectator's lungs, processing the verdict amid Harper's screams.
"Therefore, it will continue," Kaze declared. "While it is distressing, do not look away. A time will come when you realize that cruelty cannot coexist with purpose. Only then will you understand the significance of what you witness here today."
The crowd reluctantly returned to Evalyn, her boot still poised above the woman's calf. She looked to Kaze with a complex glance before turning towards the watchtower.
"Ahem. Thank you for the clarification," Kiera coughed, realizing they were waiting on her. "Please, continue the Lord's work."
CRAaaaCK!
Evalyn stomped Harper's calf without a moment's pause, shattering her tibia.
"Submit, and I will heal your wounds, build your strength, and give you a purpose to live," she declared, unyielding to the cultivator's screams. "I'll shelter your family and accept those who follow me."
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
The spectators held their breath when the Ice Pheonix walked to Harper's thigh.
She didn't have a healing technique in her past life, so her actions were nearly permanent.
"Dedicate your life to Immortal Skye, and you will rise from the ashes stronger than before," Evalyn boomed, allowing all to hear her words. "Refuse, and you will never walk again.
Choose carefully, Harper Reed, for my dreams extend a century beyond killing Andrew Killian. If you cling to hope, you'll wait for salvation in vain, seeking clemency that will never come."
An icy shiver crawled down Harper's spine, her lungs constricting with the onset of a panic attack. At that moment, she truly grasped the essence of fear—
a fear so potent that it overwhelmed her senses, rendering her numb to pain.
"I-1..." she stuttered, her voice raspy and raw. "W-Will you... truly... g-grant me a f-future?"
"Yes," Evalyn affirmed. "l fight to eradicate purposeless conflict, creating a world where people reserve violence for defending our people. Immortal Skye seeks to recreate the prosperity we knew on this plane. Those are the purposes you will fight for."
Her words pierced the cultivators' hearts as they spoke directly to their struggle.
"Now choose, for this injury will determine your destiny," Evalyn cautioned, her expression somber yet resolute.
"D-Do I have to like you?" Harper hesitated, swallowing hard.
"You are submitting to a cause, not a person," the Ice Phoenix explained. "As long as you dedicate yourself to Immortal Skye's causes, you can loathe me until your dying day."
"T-Then I will do it..." Harper said, her breaths shallow. "I'll devote my life to you... you cunt."
Evalyn chuckled, turning to Kaze. "Will you help solidify my message?"
"But of course," Kaze smiled, waving his hand toward the battered and burnt Harper, enveloping her in a purple light.
CReeeaCccc!
Harper's body contorted and snapped in a gruesome chorus as her bones realigned, her nerves reconnecting and healing every last injury.
Despite the miraculous recovery, the sight and sound were chilling. Kaze wanted to etch the image into everyone's memory, demonstrating the terror of defiance and the wonders of surrender.
When Harper's skin mended, she rose unsteadily, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Is it okay to cheer again?" Larkin asked. "Oh, fuck it. THAT'S WHAT I'M FUCKIN' TALKING ABOUT! EVALYN FUCKING SKYE, EVERYONE!"
The jester's strange enthusiasm was infectious, rousing the crowd until the Immortals roared in approval, and the stands erupted with baffled applause.
Though they didn't fully comprehend why they were clapping, they could feel the moment's gravity, sensing its significance without entirely grasping it.
"Since we healed Harper Reed despite her declaration, you can participate without fearing severe injuries," Kaze smirked. "However, I implore you to disclose any unusual dreams or reservations. This was a serious matter between leaders; I will not tolerate anyone putting their emotions or intentions before the battles. Now, let's begin."
After an awkward pause to process and accept the intense event that initiated the day, the soldiers and Immortals entered queues and commenced their matches. These continued throughout the day between meals until dusk and persisted over the next two days.
On the fourth day, the match-ups concluded. Exhausted after the grueling week, everyone eagerly anticipated the upcoming task—the treasure harvest.
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