Chapter 155: 155:I Can’t But She Can

The ice field was full of panic.

Screams echoed from every direction as people ran, slipping and falling on the snow-covered ground. Ice crystals sparkled around them, but there was no beauty here—only fear. The cold was sharp, cutting into their skin, and the wind howled like a monster’s cry.

Up ahead, the Bony Dragon—massive and terrifying—was being held down. Its giant, skeletal wings flapped weakly as more Ice Titans pressed down on it. Dozens of them had surrounded the creature, grabbing its limbs and neck, trying to pin it to the frozen ground.

The dragon thrashed and roared, its breath turning the air into storms of ice. But slowly, its movement started to slow. Its wings dropped lower. The light in its eyes began to dim.

Bishop Polly stood on a platform of ice, eyes glowing with excitement. He clenched his fists and laughed, the sound wild and echoing.

"FINALLYYYY!" he screamed. "HAHAHAHA!"

His voice was filled with madness.

This was what he had worked for. For this moment, he had destroyed cities, spilled blood across the north, and spread fear of the Ice Devil. He used the flute artifacts to call monsters from the deep and painted the land in terror.

He forced people to flee. He made them abandon their homes. That was the plan all along.

Why? Not for some ancient relic. Not for power alone.

He wanted the Ice Dragon. Not just its body but something more. Something hidden deep inside it.

The Ice Dragon, known as the Visioner, was a beast of legends. It had once fought churches. Rumors said it had stolen a piece of divinity, a sacred energy that no beast should have. And the Serpent Fang wanted that. They needed it.

Bishop Polly raised his hands toward the sky.

"Haha! The sacrifices! The long wait! The pain! All of it... finally paying off!"

He turned toward the frightened crowd still trying to run. Their faces pale, clothes torn, eyes wide with terror. Many thought this was the end. Some had stopped running, staring up at the dragon, hoping it would fall soon so they could be saved.

Polly pointed up at the scene, screaming out loud, "HAIL THE ABYSSAL LORD!"

But just as the crowd thought it was over...

BOOOOOOOM!

A sound like a mountain breaking filled the air.

The front two Ice Titans—those holding the dragon’s neck—were suddenly smashed together. The force was brutal. Ice exploded in all directions as their bodies cracked into pieces and crumbled into dust.

Gasps and cries filled the air. People froze on the spot, staring in disbelief.

Then, a long, sharp whip of pure ice flashed through the snowstorm. It cut through the air like lightning and struck another titan from behind. The creature screamed before its upper body burst into fragments.

The dragon’s eyes flared—bright blue flames burning in its skull-like face.

Its bones cracked loudly as it stood up on its back legs, towering above everything around it. The wings stretched wide, throwing off chunks of ice. The force of that single motion shook the entire battlefield. Even the ground trembled.

Snow flew into the air, swirling around like a storm. The cold grew sharper, cutting through skin like blades.

The Bony Dragon let out a roar so loud that many nearby fell to their knees, covering their ears in pain.

With one heavy push, it launched itself forward, smashing through the titans like they were made of glass.

CRACK! BOOM! CRUNCH!

Ice Titans flew into the air, their limbs twisted and broken. Some were split in half by the dragon’s tail. Others were thrown against ice walls that shattered on impact.

The battlefield became a storm of destruction. Shards of ice and bone flew everywhere. Screams were drowned out by the roar of the dragon. Blood stained the snow. The air itself felt heavy, as if the world was about to fall apart.

People tried to run again, but many tripped over each other. Some looked back and fell to their knees, their eyes wide with hopelessness. They thought it was over before, but now they saw what real power looked like.

A beast that could not be stopped.

Bishop Polly stopped laughing. His smile faded. He stepped back, eyes still wide, unsure if what he saw was real.

"No... No, this isn’t possible..."

But it was.

The Bony Dragon was rising, wild and full of rage.

And the battle was far from over..

The air was still, heavy with tension. Then a voice broke the silence.

.....

"Now that was an interesting scene," Kael said with a twisted smirk. "Really a good show. But sadly... it’s come to an end."

His words hit Handel like thunder. His eyes widened. His body froze, twitching in shock.

He turned his head and saw Kael—the one who had been lying limp on Lyria’s shoulder—slowly opening his eyes. That same smirk was now stretched across his face.

"You... you’re not unconscious?" Handel whispered, his voice low and filled with disbelief.

Something clicked in his mind.

It had been weird from the start.

Kael just dropped unconscious in the middle of the fight... something felt off. Handel had doubted it, even thought about checking, but Kael’s face had gone pale, his skin cold like death. It looked real. Like he was dying or sick.

But it was all an act.

"A trap..." Handel realized, his face twisting in anger. "You...You were pretending... Just to expose me."

He clenched his fists, his body shaking. "Damn it... I fell for it."

He wanted to punch himself for being so stupid. If he had known it was fake—if he had just poked a little deeper—he might have been the one to kill Kael then and there.

No, je just exposed himself without achieving anything.

Handel took a deep breath, his face dark. His hand gripped his sword tightly. He stepped forward, eyes burning with rage.

"I don’t know what the hell is going on," he said coldly. His eyes shifted between Kael and the silent Lyria standing behind him. "But if I can kill you now, that’s all that matters.With so many things going around, no one would give a damn."

Kael laughed. A loud, sharp laugh.

"Pfffffttt... HAHAHAHA!" It was wild. Crazy. He looked like a man who had lost his mind.

"You can’t kill us," he said with madness in his eyes.

Handel’s face changed. "Why not?"

"You’re near B-rank, I’ll give you that," Handel said, grin still wide.

"And her—" he pointed at Lyria, who stood still like a frozen doll, her face blank, eyes cold, "—whatever’s happening to her... bloodline or something else, you’re done."

"I know," Kael said.

But instead of being scared, he grinned even wider. His eyes looked insane.

"I can’t stop you,"Kael said and looked up.

"But she can."

"He wha—?" Handel stopped mid-sentence.

A chilling wind hit his back.

It was sharp and cold Like death itself. His body shivered.

He slowly turned his head, heart pounding.

And what he saw made him scream.

"WHAAAAATTTT!"