Chapter 28: Schemes and Shattered Ice
It was merely one scene in a larger chaos.
In the space of a single breath, hundreds of Night-Walkers exposed their positions simultaneously, charging toward the Well of Shattered Stars. They were frenzied, utterly heedless of life or death. Their movements were blurred with speed, their strength formidable. In an instant, they had nearly reached the perimeter of the Well.
Leona’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing in her pupils.
"Insolence! You dare draw blood within the Royal Palace?"
As her voice fell, she took a single step forward. Frost erupted instantly, surging outward like a tidal wave. The Night-Walkers leading the charge were frozen into macabre ice sculptures mid-stride. A second later, the sculptures shattered with a deafening crack, and the assassins perished where they stood.
Seraphina was not to be outdone. A scepter appeared in her hand, and she began chanting obscure, guttural incantations. As the next wave of Night-Walkers rushed in, their bodies began to detonate. There was no gore, no spray of crimson; instead, they burst into jagged shards of ice.
The palace guards finally shook off their shock, rallying quickly to form a defensive line.
Just then, a lithe silhouette among the Night-Walkers flickered like a phantom, surging ahead of the rest.
Zip!
A flying dagger, coated in a sickly green glow, hissed through the air. It was clearly laced with a lethal toxin. In mid-flight, the blade split into nine, then eighty-one, fan-spreading across the battlefield. The guards struck by the blades didn't die instantly—instead, their flesh greyed and hardened into solid stone.
"Medusa's Venom!"
Seraphina’s expression shifted. She waved her scepter again, summoning eighteen Ice-Crystal Chains that snaked from every direction, attempting to bind the female assassin.
However, the assassin’s speed was too great for the naked eye to track. In a heartbeat, she had bypassed the chains and appeared directly behind Seraphina.
Blood drained from Seraphina’s face. Her body abruptly burst into a flurry of snowflakes, drifting several meters away before reforming. When she materialized, cold sweat beaded on her forehead. If she had been a fraction of a second slower, she would have been turned into a statue.
The assassin’s strike missed, but Leona’s counterattack was already descending. A massive Frost Sigil manifested above the assassin’s head, raining down an endless barrage of jagged ice spikes. The assassin tried to pivot and run, but a layer of frost began climbing up her legs, locking them in place.
Boom!
The assassin slammed a palm into the ground, shattering the ice around her feet. She transformed into a blur once more, charging straight for Leona.
Leona’s composure wavered. Mages like her feared high-output assassins above all else—especially when there was no one left to peel for her.
History repeated itself. The assassin appeared behind Leona, the poisoned dagger driving toward her spine.
Clang!
A crisp metallic ring echoed. The dagger struck a translucent ice shield. Cracks spider-webbed across the shield instantly before it disintegrated into dust. By the time the shards hit the ground, Leona had vanished.
Having forced Leona back, the assassin didn't bother to pursue. She shifted her focus, darting toward the Well of Shattered Stars. Her primary objective wasn't assassination; it was to shatter the seal on the Well.
"Stop her!" Leona screamed.
In the distance, Seraphina raised her scepter, ready to strike. But then, as if struck by a sudden thought, her hand hesitated. Valerius Geryon’s earlier reaction proved that Leona had somehow managed to wound him. If they stopped these Night-Walkers and Leona actually succeeded in killing Valerius Geryon, it would be a triumph for the Astral Kingdom... but it would be a disaster for Seraphina’s political standing.
After a brief flicker of hesitation, Seraphina intentionally slowed her rhythm, putting on a grand display of "chanting" a massive ultimate spell that never seemed to trigger.
Leona couldn't afford to play games. She understood the stakes perfectly. She had to stop that assassin!
Icy wings sprouted from Leona’s back as she blurred toward the assassin. But she had only covered a few paces when a pitch-black tentacle surged from the shadows, constricting her tightly.
"Dark magic!"
Fuming with rage, Leona detonated the ice elements around her body, forcing her way out of the shadowy grip. But it was too late—the assassin was already upon the two white-robed elders guarding the seal.
The dagger whistled through the air. The two elders remained calm, their expressions indifferent. When the blade was less than a foot from their throats, it jerked to a violent halt.
The assassin’s knees slammed into the ground. An array manifested above her head, exerting a pressure so immense it felt as though a mountain had been dropped on her shoulders. She was pinned, unable to move a muscle.
The moment she was suppressed, another figure burst from the Night-Walkers. Shrouded in a shifting black mist, the figure moved with an erratic, ghostly gait, lunging for the Well.
Leona let out a frustrated roar.
"Frost: Call of the Ice Maiden!"
She thrust both hands toward the sky. Instantly, a blizzard swallowed the area. Everywhere the snow touched, Night-Walkers were frozen solid. Even the flickering shadow was encased in a block of ice.
"Seraphina, do it now!" Leona urged.
She had frozen the shadow, creating the perfect opening for Seraphina to land a finishing blow.
Seraphina’s face darkened. She hadn't expected Leona to be so desperate that she would burn her Primal Essence. If she didn't act now, her sabotage would be too obvious to ignore.
Rumble!
A Glacial Vortex erupted beneath the feet of the assassin who was already pinned down by the elders, swallowing her whole.
Leona’s heart sank. The assassin was already neutralized by the Array Mages. The correct target was the shadow reaching for the Well.
But Leona had no more time to think. The shadow had already shattered its icy prison and was diving toward the Well of Shattered Stars. Leona was too drained to follow up with another attack.
The two Array Mages hadn't expected Seraphina to target the already-captured assassin. At this distance, they couldn't weave a new seal fast enough to stop the shadow.
Leona clenched her fists. She knew there were other powerhouses of the Astral Kingdom lurking in the shadows, but they weren't showing themselves. They could simply claim they weren't on the scene. After all, Seraphina wasn't the only one who wanted to see Leona fail.
Before Leona’s return, the factions within the Astral Kingdom were clearly defined. If Leona rose to power, everyone would have to reconsider their loyalties. The safest path for most was to ensure she never rose at all.
Leona’s eyes thinned, a dangerous light flickering within. She had anticipated this.
Do I have to use my trump card?
A violent, ancient power began to resurgent within Leona’s dantian. If no one else stepped in at the final second, she would expose her secret to stop that shadow.
"Insolence!!"
A thunderous roar shook the air. A female general, clad in frost-armor and wielding a blade of pure ice, plummeted from the sky. As she landed, a wave of frigid air exploded outward. Ordinary Night-Walkers caught in the blast were flash-frozen and shattered into millions of ice crystals.
The shadow, seeing the newcomer, reacted like a rat seeing a cat and tried to flee in terror.
It was useless. The general swung her ice blade, sending a crescent of freezing energy that sliced the shadow in two. The halves turned into ice sculptures mid-air, which the general then shattered with a precise thrust of her sword.
Having ended the threat, the general’s gaze swept coldly over Leona and Seraphina.
"All you do is scheme for power and profit. Look at what your strength has become!"
Rebuked by the general, both Seraphina and Leona instinctively lowered their heads.
"Sister, I will work harder," Seraphina muttered.
Tiana scoffed. "Seraphina, explain yourself. Why did you use your ultimate on an assassin who was already restrained? You think you're clever, playing your little games and internal politics? I’m reporting this to Father. You'd better have a good explanation ready."
With that, Tiana turned to leave.
Seraphina panicked. "Sister, wait! I—"
Tiana didn't give her a second look, disappearing into the distance.
Once Tiana was gone, Seraphina’s face twisted with resentment. "Always acting so holy," she hissed under her breath. "She just wants an excuse to remove a rival. I don't get it. If she hadn't stepped in, Leona would have been finished. Why help her?"
No sooner had the words left her mouth than a ghostly voice sounded from behind her.
"Seraphina, you’ve been a fool."
Seraphina spun around instantly. "Mother."
Queen Fiona sighed. "Seraphina, this is the Royal Palace. Even if neither of you had raised a finger, did you really think these Night-Walkers could have caused any real damage?"
Seraphina’s face turned pale as the realization hit her.
The Royal Palace was teeming with masters. Why hadn't they intervened the moment the Night-Walkers appeared? Was it because they couldn't, or because they were ordered not to?
It was clearly the latter. Even if some factions were hesitant, the King’s personal guard should have moved. They didn't.
This was a test of character orchestrated by her father. The roar of Valerius Geryon had made Seraphina fear Leona would actually succeed in the kill. In her desperation to see Leona fail, she had forgotten the most basic logic. Targeting the assassin instead of the shadow was a move so transparent it was practically a confession of treasonous intent.
"Mother, what do I do now?" Seraphina asked, her voice trembling.
Tiana’s influence was already reaching its peak. If Leona rose now, and with Seraphina’s performance today being reported to the King, her dreams of the throne were effectively dead.
"Let’s go. Your sister was right about one thing—you are weak. Far too weak."
As she spoke, Queen Fiona’s gaze drifted toward Leona. Her eyes were deep and inscrutable, as if she were trying to peel back Leona’s soul.
"Mother," Leona said, forcing a polite smile.
Fiona was not her birth mother. In fact, her own mother’s departure from the palace was rumored to be Fiona’s doing. If they weren't standing in the middle of the Royal Palace, they likely would have been at each other's throats.
"Leona, my dear daughter. You’ve suffered so much out there all these years. Why don't you visit me at the Pluvius Palace when you have the time?"
Leona bowed respectfully. "I certainly shall, once I’ve finished the tasks at hand."
With the pleasantries over, Queen Fiona swept away, taking Seraphina with her.
Leona let out a long, slow breath. Facing the Queen was more taxing than facing the King himself.
Outside Black-Wind Stronghold.
Liam finally arrived. He had accepted the quest Leona gave him, but there was another reason he was here.
Hidden within Black-Wind Stronghold was a secret quest that rewarded a permanent increase to the Luck State (LCK).
Luck was a hidden stat. In the early to mid-stages of the game, most players ignored LCK, but Liam knew better. LCK was vital. It influenced crit rates, drop rates, and the proc frequency of skills like Chain Lightning or Death Cycle.
These benefits weren't explicitly shown on the stat panel, which was why most people overlooked them. Furthermore, certain high-tier unique quests required a specific LCK threshold just to trigger. Without the stats, even with a walkthrough, you’d find nothing.
Black-Wind Bandit (Normal)
Level: 28
HP: 3,680 / 3,680
Attack: 251
Skills: Chain Slashes, Upward Slash
Liam sighed. These stats were pathetic. He loosed a single arrow.
System: You have killed a Black-Wind Bandit (Level Gap Bonus). XP +476.
System: You have killed a Black-Wind Bandit (Level Gap Bonus). XP +476.
One arrow.
It triggered Thunder Leap, and the lightning jumped through the six bandits guarding the entrance, killing them all instantly. He gained 3 points of Max HP from the kills.
The efficiency was great, but the HP stacking felt slow. He wasn't worried, though. The Second Chieftain of Black-Wind Stronghold was a pure tank-type boss with a massive HP pool. He could use him to farm plenty of stacks.
After the six guards fell, the heavy gates of the stronghold slammed shut. No more bandits appeared. As humanoid mobs, these bandits were quite intelligent. Seeing the damage Liam had just dealt, they knew they couldn't win in a fair fight.
"Who goes there? State your name!" a head popped up over the battlements and shouted.
"I'm your ancestor," Liam replied, letting an arrow fly.
Boom!
The sheer force of the impact punched a hole clean through the thick timber of the gate. Seeing this, the bandit on the wall stammered, "Hey, kid! We’ve got no beef with you. No need to be so aggressive, right?"
Zip!
His only answer was a cold shaft of feathered death.
One arrow, two, three... holes continued to appear in the main gate.
"You’re pushing it too far!"
"Brat, you really think Black-Wind Stronghold is a pushover?"
As the shout faded, bandits lined the walls, drawing bows to rain arrows down on Liam.
"An archery duel?" Liam smirked. With over 400,000 HP, he was the last person they wanted to trade shots with.
One arrow, two, three, four!
In a single second, the bandits on the wall were wiped out. Liam had triggered Chain Lightning twice in that span.
With the ramparts cleared, Liam went back to demolishing the gate. Before he could break it down, however, it was kicked open from the inside.
"You little sht!!"
"There’s a path to Heaven you won't take, so you crawl through the gates of Hell! Today, I’ll show you what Black-Wind Stronghold is made of!"
A burly, bald man led over a hundred bandits charging out of the fort.
The Third Chieftain (Black Iron Boss)
Level: 30
HP: 375,000 / 375,000
Attack: 1,998
Skills: Whirlwind Slash, Five-Stage Cleave, Berserk Twin-Blades, Unstoppable, Berserk, Flicker Slash
Liam raised an eyebrow. Behind the Third Chieftain were a dozen Elite-grade bandits and nearly a hundred commoners. He wasn't even slightly concerned. These stats were just too weak.
Zip!
The arrow left the string, and a massive damage number erupted over the Third Chieftain’s head.
CRITICAL!
-28,384!