Volume Two, The Devil’s Game Chapter Thirty-Six: The Frozen Guardian

“Ha ha, truly exhilarating.” The guardian laughed heartily, raising his right hand. Streams of water swiftly converged upon it, and soon a massive sphere of water formed in his palm.

The guardian gently pushed the water sphere upward, and it floated alongside him in the air.

The surrounding water currents grew larger and stronger, gradually causing the once colorless, transparent sphere to take on a faint blue tint. The color deepened rapidly until it became a pitch-black orb.

“Captain, run!” Seeing this, Huayang Hui immediately shouted to Ge Wendong, “He’s going to finish you off!”

“Boss, run!” Yang Tonghua also yelled loudly.

Sweat continuously oozed from Ge Wendong’s forehead. Facing such a powerful attack, he knew he couldn’t block it. But even if he ran, what then? Would turning his back to the guardian guarantee his escape? The answer was clearly no.

Seeing Ge Wendong remain motionless, Yang Tonghua hurriedly urged, “Boss, please run now! And Yuqi, don’t waste your spells—saving your life is more important!”

The guardian chuckled lightly. “Are you ready? I’m about to strike.”

Ge Wendong’s arm muscles bulged instantly. He lowered his body slightly, taking a defensive stance.

“Ze Guo.” The guardian smiled faintly as he uttered the two words. With their sound, the black orb seemed to undergo some change.

Ge Wendong and the others felt a heavy pressure, as if facing the guardian’s ultimate attack once again.

Yang Tonghua began to struggle frantically. “Captain, run! You don’t have any tools left to save your life.”

The guardian sneered coldly at the three of them, but Ge Wendong remained unmoved.

The guardian was momentarily stunned, then scoffed, “Boring. I didn’t scare you at all.”

With a wave of his right hand, the black orb slowly dissolved. The guardian grinned and slowly descended to the ground. “Since you didn’t run, I’ll keep my promise—not to use such a wide-range skill.”

“As expected, if the captain ran, the guardian would have unleashed that skill,” Huayang Hui said in a low voice.

“What! How can this guardian be so sinister?” Yang Tonghua flailed within the water sphere.

“There’s nothing sinister about it. He’s just stronger than us all. We’re merely fish on the chopping block,” Huayang Hui said calmly.

“Well said.” The guardian clapped his hands, then looked at Ge Wendong. “Are you ready?”

Seeing Ge Wendong nod, the guardian raised his index and middle fingers, drawing a circle in the air. A transparent sphere of water quickly formed.

“Wang Ge, watch carefully. If the guardian strikes, you must warn us in time,” Yang Tonghua muttered anxiously over the team channel.

The guardian stretched out his hand, virtually holding the water orb, which instantly vanished from everyone’s sight.

“Concealed water orb?” Huayang Hui exclaimed.

The guardian still held his hand aloft, his red eyes narrowing slightly, as if smiling.

Alarm bells rang loudly in Ge Wendong’s mind. His fists were enveloped in a radiant glow as he suddenly unleashed a powerful strike at a point.

Water splashed everywhere, soaking Ge Wendong and causing his gear to materialize momentarily. His expression shifted dramatically as the water orb pushed him backward relentlessly. His feet dragged deep furrows into the ground.

Eventually, Ge Wendong could no longer withstand the water orb’s force. He was blasted back, slamming heavily against the wall behind him. The orb disintegrated after a prolonged clash, with the scattered droplets leaving tiny holes in the wall, as if hit by a shotgun.

Ge Wendong groaned as he slid down the wall.

“Tsk tsk, what a pity. I thought you could withstand it,” the guardian teased, shaking his head. “Now, I’ll start the timer: 10, 9…”

The guardian counted deliberately, “3, 2…”

At that moment, Ge Wendong struggled to his feet, trembling but standing firm. He smiled at the guardian. “I did it.”

“Congratulations, congratulations.” The guardian clapped mockingly. “Since that’s the case, I won’t execute those two. You can watch with them.”

As the guardian finished speaking, a curtain of water suddenly enveloped Ge Wendong.

“What! How could this happen?” Ge Wendong’s face was filled with shock. Unlike Yang Tonghua, who was down, he had gotten back up—how could the guardian trap him now?

In fact, the Wind Chaser squad had arrived late. Had they reached the bell tower earlier, they would have seen Lu Yi unharmed, not even engaging the guardian in combat before being trapped in a cage.

Seeing that would have made clear that the guardian was never helpless, unable to act once confined.

Just as the water curtain was about to completely enclose Ge Wendong, a female voice suddenly rang out: “Extreme Cold Wave, Condensing Ray.”

A blue beam struck the guardian directly. At the same time, Deng Yuqi swung her staff, releasing icy circular waves that spread outward. Wherever the waves passed, a layer of frost formed on the ground.

“You.” The guardian turned his head, but his body was quickly covered in solid ice.

Under Deng Yuqi’s assault, the water curtain about to trap Ge Wendong shattered, and Ge Wendong stepped back, leaning against the wall.

“Yuqi, well done!” Huayang Hui cheered loudly.

Seeing Yang Tonghua’s puzzled expression, Huayang Hui quickly explained, “To freeze a guardian of such size, ordinary minor spells won’t work. We have to lower his temperature through the environment first, then use magic together to have a chance.”

“Now I understand why the captain agreed to the guardian’s request—it was all to buy time,” Yang Tonghua suddenly realized.

“Heh. You think this faint cold could freeze me?” The guardian’s disdainful voice came from beneath the ice. As he spoke, the ice cracked loudly, and jets of water shot out from the fractures.

The streams of water split into two, each about two meters wide and several meters long, rushing swiftly toward Deng Yuqi.

“You took so long to prepare, and this is all you’ve got? I’m disappointed. What about that previous move?”

The two water streams crossed in the air, then split into several smaller streams—some attacking Deng Yuqi head-on, others flanking behind.

“You want to test that move? Fine.” Deng Yuqi smiled slightly. “Elemental Summon: Freeze.”

She slammed her staff into the ground.

Immediately, a halo appeared at her feet, radiating waves of energy outward. A fierce wind mixed with snow howled around her, blowing fiercely in all directions.

Still uneasy, Deng Yuqi activated several pieces of equipment in quick succession, even sacrificing a skill-bearing ring.

Amid Deng Yuqi’s carefully prepared barrage, the guardian’s water form could not hold for long. It was swiftly frozen and collapsed to the ground.