Dancing on the golden ashes-Chapter 212: The Shattered Realm of Ice

I covered the distance in a matter of minutes, moving so fast that almost nothing could compare to my speed. If I wanted, I could probably fly around the world in under an hour. My power had reached a point where time and space seemed almost irrelevant.

When I reached my destination, I immediately sensed that something was off. The landscape around me felt... empty. There was ice, yes, and a massive lake in the center, but it didn’t feel like a place that housed any beasts. The water was so pure, it sparkled with a light blue glow from the very bottom, so clear that I could see all the way through it without a hint of difficulty. But that was not all—it was as if my connection to the world itself was being pushed away here, like something was preventing me from fully perceiving this place.

"I don’t understand..." I muttered under my breath. This entire situation felt confusing, like there was something I was missing. Just where was I supposed to go now?

I looked down at the lake again, my thoughts racing. "Should I dive into this cold lake?" The idea alone made my body shiver. The water had to be freezing. Even with my exceptional resistance to the elements, the thought of plunging into this unknown, frigid water didn’t sit well with me.

Yet, I couldn’t ignore the fact that this world was different. Things that should have been impossible, like liquid existing at temperatures well below freezing, seemed to happen without question. This world didn’t obey the same laws I was used to. Or maybe... were there really any laws? Living in a world where special powers were common, where anything could be possible, made me start to wonder if physics even mattered here. Or perhaps it was that planets like my old world had their own set of rules, unique to their existence.

I had nothing to lose, so I plunged into the cold water. Just as I had guessed, the freezing temperature hit me immediately, and I could feel my body shuddering under the cold. It wasn’t life-threatening, but the discomfort was undeniable. Moving felt like wading through a thick, biting chill, and honestly, I wasn’t a fan of the cold to begin with.

When I reached the very bottom of the lake, my eyes caught something—a small blue light, no bigger than a finger, barely noticeable among the shadows. Intrigued, I pressed my hand against it. The moment I touched it, a sharp dizziness swept over me, and my vision blurred. Then, without warning, the world around me shifted.

I blinked, and when my eyes refocused, I found myself standing in a completely different place. It was a separate world, or at least, it felt like one. I could tell by the sky, it was falling, crumbling at the edges like a shattered glass pane. The entire area was small, no bigger than twenty kilometers, yet its isolation felt... suffocating.

At the center of this fractured world stood a massive creature. It looked like a yeti, towering and imposing, its form frozen in ice. But what really made my heart skip was the sheer aura it gave off. It radiated such overwhelming power that I was stunned. This creature was unlike anything I had ever faced. The pressure in the air itself seemed to shift with its presence. It was more powerful, perhaps, than anything I had ever encountered before.

"It has to be alive, right?" I wondered aloud, my eyes locked on the massive beast. It wasn’t moving, but of course, it was trapped in ice. Still, I had to inspect it. And when I did, the answer was clear.

[Ice Emperor][Demigod level beast][Level 402]

Twice my level, and four times stronger in stats than me... But those stats were just the system’s numbers. Now that I was in the Soul Fuse stage, I wasn’t afraid. Why should I be?

A surge of heat radiated from within me, and as if in response, the very world around me seemed to tremble and begin to melt. My golden flames danced wildly in the sky, their glow fierce and intense. I focused them on the ice encasing the beast, and soon, it began to melt away. But just as I was about to free it, the creature, still dormant in its icy prison, suddenly radiated a powerful aura of ice, pushing back against my efforts. It was as if it were challenging me, resisting my attempts to free it.

I clenched my fists in irritation. How dare this beast make me, the Empress, work so hard?

"Fine," I muttered, my voice dripping with defiance. "Let it be cocky. I can be cocky, too. And I’ll come out on top!"

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With that, my flames exploded in power, a fierce wave of heat and light that consumed the area. The golden fire roared, growing hotter and wilder, until it enveloped the beast completely. The ice melted away entirely, the beast’s massive form crashing to the ground, dropping to its knees from the overwhelming heat.

"Agnia?" Suddenly, a low, air-shuddering voice rumbled from the beast. The sound was deep, resonating like the growl of a storm, and it sent a chill through the air. Continue reading at novelbuddy

"No..."

The beast’s aura exploded in an instant, crashing into me like a wave of raw, frozen power. But I stood my ground, unshaken, refusing to be moved.

"You’re not the Sacred Goddess of Fire... Who are you?" The voice was even more terrifying now, filled with dark, otherworldly authority. The beast’s massive form shifted, and as it turned to face me, I froze.

What I saw was beyond anything I could have imagined. Its eyes were hollow, empty sockets where there should have been life, as if they had been ripped out and replaced by an abyss of darkness. Yet, despite the emptiness, it stared directly at me, its gaze unwavering, like it was challenging me to flinch.

What a nightmare fuel. I laughed in my mind.

"Me?" I replied, my voice cold and unwavering, despite the haunting sight before me. "I’m the one who came to kill you. Nice to meet you."