The glacier-blue icicle was one of the most straightforward creations that could be made with an Ice Affinity, but it was much faster and stronger than most attacks that came Michael’s way.
Michael could only react in time because Spirit Eyes was active. Prognosis helped him predict the attack early enough to conjure an azure fireball and apply ten Enhancement Layers that focused on enhancing the fireball’s heat.
He lobbed the fireball at the icicle, which instantaneously burst through the azure flames. Without Insert, the azure fireball would have been useless against the glacier-blue icicle. However, with Insert utilized, the searing hot flames invaded the icicle when they touched.
The glacier-blue icicle melted right before the impact.
Katharina Zenovia raised one eyebrow when she noticed that Michael managed to block her initial attack, but she didn’t seem as shocked as the other powerhouses watching the confrontation.
Michael frowned deeply.
‘Is she already a Tier-6 Lord? Even Oliver’s attacks weren’t like that.’
Danny didn’t have a pleasant answer for him. Therefore, Michael had to change his tactic.
‘If I have to fight you to prove my worth, you might as well watch me when I go all-out,’ He thought before intercepting whatever the Matriarch of the Zenovia household was trying to do next, “One second, please.”
Next, he ignored the Matriarch and manifested the Runic Gate. A moment later, Michael disappeared into the Runic Gate, leaving the others alone.
The Matriarch snorted and glanced at Alice, “Your boyfriend is a coward.”
Alice looked at her mother and tilted her head, unsure whether to frown deeply at her or to try convincing her mother that Michael was a good guy. But then again, Katharina Zenovia wasn’t even trying to get to know Michael. She rejected him right away.
“Now you call him my boyfriend? Mother, I don’t understand what you’re trying to do, but is that really necessary? And what is this talk about in relation to engagement? You know as well as I do that there was never an engagement for me. Didn’t you tell me that it was fine for me to get closer to Michael in the first place?”
The Matriarch clicked her tongue, “You are a little fool, sweetheart.
“I allowed you to get close to him, but you never asked me about my opinion of Michael Fang. Hooking up with him was certainly not something I permitted, sweetheart.”
Katharina Zenovia sighed deeply. Her ice-cold expression melted and transformed into a complex expression.
“You know better than anyone that Michael is one of the most important beings in the Tritan Alliance. At this point, being close to him will produce various benefits. Yes, you are dating him right now. But what happens when you break up with Michael later? Everyone with a closely tied relationship with the Zenovia family will evade us. They will be afraid that Michael will blacklist them from future Soultrait Auctions. Everyone would choose Michael Fang over the Zenovia household without thinking twice.”
Alice wanted to say something, but her mother raised her hand to stop her in her tracks.
“Having Michael by our side can be a blessing. However, everyone would approach us because of him, and they would leave us when he leaves as well. Michael would drag everyone who’s already with us along as well. Everything our household worked for in the last few centuries would crumble just like that.
Alice shook her head. She didn’t want to listen to her mother anymore, “Who says that we will break up? What if we’ll be together forever?”
The Matriarch chuckled, seeing how defiant her daughter had become. She was not the woman everyone had gotten to know as Frozen Duchess. Alice Zenovia, standing in front of the Matriarch, was no more than a foolish girl in love.
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to look at me like that. I taught you enough about High Society to know how fragile trust is and that everyone is always scheming. As for love…love is dangerous. Your love might burn fiercely, but the flames will dwindle, and your love will cool down. That might not happen to everyone, but our lifespan is far from short. You might be able to become a Divine Lifeform, Michael certainly will. By that time, you barely age. What happens if your love prevails for a century only to end in chaos?”
Alice couldn’t help but think that his mother was exaggerating. She couldn’t imagine that love wasn’t permanent. It may develop and change over the course of the decades and centuries, but Alice was sure that love would prevail over the course of time.
She had much more to say to her mother, and the same could be said about the Matriarch, but Michael’s Runic Gate appeared before them already. He returned from the Origin Expanse with a faint smile.
The Matriarch cleared her throat and reverted to her eerily cold expression, “The coward has returned. What a surprise.”
Alice’s frown deepened. What exactly was her Mother trying to achieve? If that was her attempt at becoming friends with Michael…she was terribly mistaken. Even testing his love and power like that felt wrong.
The Matriarch winked toward Alice, who could only sigh inwardly.
Katharina Zenovia didn’t have to be friends with Micahel. However, she had to know how much Michael liked her daughter. Was he ready to go up against the entire Zenovia household for Alice’s sake? Would he take responsibility for whatever may happen?
It would be easy for him to oppose the Zenovia household in the future as he ascends to a Higher Lifeform, but he was not a Higher Lifeform yet. His actions as a Lesser Lifeform played a major role in determining whether Michael was the right man for Alice or if their love was nothing special.
[Did she just wink at Alice?] Danny asked Michael, who nodded inwardly. He’d noticed the wink as well.
‘Yup.’
[Either way, beat her up!]
Michael couldn’t hide his smile when he heard his brother. Both knew very well that Katharina Zenovia was a ‘little’ bit stronger than Michael. Of course, that didn’t mean Michael would give up easily.
He raised his left arm where a massive azure tattoo had appeared. The tattoo glowed brightly and dissolved as an azure figure emerged from his palm. The Elemental Empress emerged before Michael. She turned around and transformed into a blazing inferno before coating Michael. A tight armor of compressed azure flames coated Michael.
The azure flames expanded and compressed. They twirled around his fingers and every strand of hair, engulfing everything with deadly precision before stagnating for a second.
“You brought reinforcement?” The Matriarch asked, trying to hide her surprise at the arrival of an Elemental Empress.
Even if she had never seen an Elemental Empress, Katharina Zenovia had heard enough about them to immediately recognize one. She glanced at Michael for a moment only to sense something around him.
“You didn’t expect me to hold back against one of the strongest Lords in the Tritan Alliance, or did you expect that, Matriarch?” Michael questioned behind the Matriarch.
The azure armor before her dispersed, displaying that Michael was no longer there. She spun around and noticed Michael standing next to Alice. He grasped Alice’s shoulder and disappeared once again. Alice emerged far away near the Berserker Chieftain, who’d appeared at some point.
Simultaneously, a pillar of azure flames erupted underneath Katharina Zenovia. She engulfed her body in an ice crystal instead of evading the attack with a simple side-step. It would have been an embarrassing sight to be forced to retreat by a mere Lesser Lifeform.
Unfortunately, Michael was far from normal. He wasn’t an ordinary Lesser Lifeform, and the same could be said about Zenoa. The Elemental Empress’ flames were far from ordinary. They were mythical flames that could burn through everything as long as they didn’t extinguish.
Michael utilized Enhancement on the azure pillar to significantly reinforce the flames’ heat. He emerged before the pillar and released an Extraction Globe coated in azure flames. Insert had also been applied, creating a deadly combination for someone too proud to move aside.
“I hope you don’t hold me accountable for responding to your attack with an attack,” Michael spoke lightly, but the anger in his eyes was apparent.
He was getting a little bit annoyed at parents trying to control their children.
‘I only want the best for you.’– Or do you want the best for yourself?
‘You have to do that. It’s important for your growth.’– Or is that what you wanted to do instead?
‘I only departed you to protect you!’ – Or are you a coward?
Michael realized too late that he projected his parents in Katharina Zenovia.
They were not the same, but Michael could only see their parents in the Matriarch at this moment.
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