Destroyer of Ice and FireChapter 165: Another encounter with the God of Death
While the breaking of the water tower sent rumbles resonating underground, Holy Dawn Academy’s residence was in a similar chaos.
"Who the hell is this old man!"
"Why is there such a Draconic arcane master in team Holy Dawn?!"
Two arcane masters wearing patroller uniforms were shrieking in hysteria.
Countless black streams of energy swirled around them.
The black streams transformed the entire surroundings of team Holy Dawn’s lodging into a sea of chaos.
Within the previous few dozen seconds, three of their comrades had already been swept away by the power coming from the black streams.
They were already within thirty meters of team Holy Dawn’s residence, but this distance seemed infinitely remote to them.
"Chris, don’t let anyone inside," an aged voice suddenly said inside the countless black streams revolving around the residence.
An extremely staunch female voice came back from within the residence: "Got it!"
"Boom!"
Almost at the same time, black dragon flames sprayed from the residence, carrying with them a terrifying aura that made one shudder in fear.
"Ah!"
A mournful shout of pain suddenly rang in the previously empty-looking air straight above the residence.
A figure glittering with purple light appeared just in time to be devoured by the black dragon flames. Countless particles immediately sprayed out of that figure. The next second, it had already been sent flying away who knew where.
…
"What a mess, looks real dangerous."
In Holy Dawn Academy’s residence, Stingham only took a couple glances outside the windows before running back to his bed, looking for all the world like he didn’t hear anything, didn’t know anything, like it had nothing to do with him.
"What the hell are they doing, why are they making things so dangerous."
"There are so many people fighting, even though we’re inside the Holy City. There’s fighting going on even everywhere inside the athlete village, plus I don’t have the faintest idea who’s fighting who."
"The end of the world is nigh… It’s really too dangerous. No no no, that won’t do. I better go to the bathroom. The bathroom should be a bit safer."
Lying in the bed, mumbling to himself, Stingham ran like a wisp of smoke to the bathroom and immediately sat his ass down on the toilet bowl.
"Huff… Huff…"
Stingham felt a bit safer now. But just then, he suddenly felt something wrong.
"Ah!"
Along with gurgling gurgling sound, a water column suddenly sprayed from under his butt and lifted him straight to the ceiling together with the toilet bowl, then directly broke him through the ceiling and into the sky.
"What the hell are you doing, it’s like that even in the bathroom! It’s none of my business, you guys fight your own fights, who the hell did I ever anger! My butt!" Stingham shouted, covering his ass in the middle of the air.
"What the hell happened?"
Standing amidst the shadows on the roof, Carter suddenly sweat cold sweat.
The water column spraying out of team Holy Dawn’s residence wasn’t the only one. Inside the whole athlete village, water columns spurted up everywhere like fountains, the tallest of them even reaching sixty to seventy meters high.
…
"Charlotte!"
"Ferguillo!"
Swept and devoured by the tremendous torrent, Ayrin couldn’t distinguish north from south either. After being swept by the current and crashing twice into a wall, he dimly became aware of a silhouette in front of him that seemed to be Charlotte.
"Ah!"
He roared wildly in his mind, desperately stretched out his hand, and grabbed a corner of that figure’s clothes.
In the same instant, he saw an ice crystal swept away above him.
There was a human figure frozen inside the ice crystal. Ayrin was certain it was Ferguillo, whom Audrey had frozen with an arcane spell. But such a big lump of crystal, in such an incomparably violent current, Ayrin had no way to grab it.
"Rumble!"
As though he were sucked into a whirlpool at the depths of the ocean, Ayrin felt all the air crushed out of his lungs.
"I wonder if Charlotte is alright…"
Because he’d trained with Holy Body Ignition already, Ayrin didn’t feel anything too out of the ordinary even in such an extremely uncomfortable situation. He was merely worried for Charlotte and the others.
At least, the only thing that made Ayrin a little happy was that he didn’t feel the world around him fall.
Because it’d mixed with the great amount of sewage water inside the sewers, the previously limpid water had become muddy, reducing his visibility even further.
After being swept along the current for more than ten minutes, an utterly dizzy Ayrin felt as though the flow of water was losing its force, as though it’d reached a relatively large drainage area. The current suddenly quieted down.
Ayrin subconsciously kicked at random. By chance, he happened to kick solid ground. His entire figure leaped from the water.
"Huff…"
After a deep breath, he fell back into the water. He then found out the water was only at waist level now, and still quickly receding. He seemed to have been swept away to some connective hub inside the sewers. It looked like a great hall with many passages everywhere, but two of them had been blocked by a great amount of debris.
Ayrin was certain these were where he came from. These stones were certainly the debris from the broken water tower.
"Charlotte!"
He shouted loudly the moment he fully recovered his clearness of mind. He was worried the safety of a Charlotte whose clothes he’d he’d clutched.
"Ah!"
But the next second, he started screaming as though he’d seen a ghost.
The one he’d grasped was no Charlotte at all. Instead, it was Sea Gale Academy’s Chirade, the one who’d still been in a struggle of life and death with them moments ago!
And what made Ayrin even more speechless was, Chirade also seemed to have regained his clearness of mind moments ago, struggling to open his eyes and look at him. He also had the expression of one who’d seen a ghost.
"Evil Flaming Eye!"
Ayrin leaped backward and immediately shot an Evil Flaming Eye.
"Ah!"
Chirade hadn’t had time to catch his breath yet. He could only cross his arms in front of himself and protect the vital spots on his face that the Evil Flaming Eye already struck him.
With a miserable yell, his body flew away in the water.
Ayrin immediately chased after him and struck him with another Evil Flaming Eye, loudly shouting at the same time, "What about Charlotte!"
"How would I know where’s Charlotte!
"You’re the one who pulled me here, why are you asking me?!" Chirade desperately shouted in indignation. He didn’t have any strength left to retaliate, and felt he was soon going to be beaten dead.
"Oh, that’s right…"
Ayrin stared a second, but he immediately shouted again, "Isn’t it because you and your freak pal Lotton broke the water tower together? I wouldn’t have lost sight of Charlotte otherwise!"
"I…" Chirade directly passed out before even regaining his breath.
"Ayrin…"
Just then, a weak voice said, "I’m here."
"Ah?"
Ayrin looked around. He saw someone struggle to stand up in the water not far away from one of the passageways blocked by debris.
Overjoyed, Ayrin shouted "Charlotte!" then dashed in her direction.
"Charlotte, why are you here?"
He loudly shouted again after reaching her.
"…" Charlotte was suddenly speechless.
Ayrin’s words were simply nonsense. Apart from being swept by the current, how else would she find herself here?
"What about Ferguillo and Ivan and the others?"
"How would I know where they’ve been swept off to!" Charlotte was almost going to become crazy. But then she remembered Ayrin was shouting for her and making a fuss moments ago, then remembered that she had always been the one Ayrin called first. Her heart suddenly felt sweet.
Ayrin suddenly chuckled, a little embarrassed. Then he quickly turned around, and gestured at her with his back to her.
"What?" Charlotte was very confused.
"Hehe, you’re a bit exposed," Ayrin said, a little embarrassed.
Charlotte subconsciously looked down. Whoosh! She suddenly blushed. Her clothes were totally soaked. That in itself outlined her great figure, and on top of that, the force of the current had caused her neckline to appear a bit too low.
She immediately straightened her clothes.
Around them, the water accumulated on the ground had entirely receded by now.
"Eichemalar didn’t fall. Ayrin, we did it."
Charlotte suddenly seemed to realize something. She shouted, her voice very strange.
"That’s right. We’re brave warriors after all… Heheheheh…"
Ayrin kept laughing foolishly, proud of himself.
"Ayrin, I think there’s someone there!"
Charlotte exclaimed just then.
She saw someone apparently "stuck" on the wall near the exit of a tunnel diagonally opposite them, not moving an inch.
"Is it Ivan? Joyce?"
Ayrin’s eyes widened.
"I think it’s Lotton!" Charlotte followed after Ayrin and had walked two steps forward when even her teeth started clattering.
"Lotton?!"
Ayrin also froze all of a sudden.
"I think it’s really Lotton!"
His eyes had adapted to his surroundings by now. He also clearly saw the Hellfire Academy’s uniform on that person stuck tightly to the wall!
"Don’t be afraid, he looks dead!"
He carefully went forward a couple steps; it was indeed Lotton. Only, he saw that Lotton wasn’t moving even a finger, his head hanging low.
"Dead?" Charlotte’s voice was still quivering somewhat.
Lotton’s power was really too frightening. In the previous battle, he’d pinned down Audrey, Ivan, and Joyce almost by himself. Also, he’d dealt serious damage with a sneak attack to Ferguillo, the one who might have had the greatest influence on the battle otherwise.
"He should be dead!"
Ayrin nodded, looking very sure of himself. "Look, his face is already pale, and he’s not moving even like this. I think he’s not even breathing."
"Is that so?" Charlotte didn’t seem so afraid anymore.
"Ah!"
But just then, goosebumps appeared all over her skin. She jumped close to Ayrin in spite of herself and almost hugged him.
Because just then, the immobile Lotton suddenly lifted his head.