BOOM!
The temple exploded, blasting the hand into nothingness and shaking the entire monastery. The explosion was so powerful that the ground and some buildings around were all reduced to rubble. However, not even a single monk was hurt.
When the dust and icy mist settled, From the ruins of the temple, Fruity stood up, looking coldly at the chaos around him. His eyes are now dark, with a hint of icy mist exuding from them.
“Devouring Ice: Demon Staff!”
A powerful ice pillar rose from the ground and when it was up in the air, it exploded. From the explosion, a 3-meter-tall staff hovered before Fruity. He grabbed it, and with his cold gaze, he muttered another spell.
“Annihilation Devouring Chaos Ice: World in Ruin!” At once, the whole monastery froze, stopping all fights. The intruders were instantly restricted, stripping them of their strength to even move.
Fruity looked toward the grandmaster monk and the Ancient monks and muttered,
“Thank you for your sacrifice Grandpa’s, but fate and the heavens cannot dictate my life. I live and die on my own accord. So are the people I care about.
Take care of my uncles for me; one day we will meet again.”
“Ice World: Open!” He jammed the staff into the ground again, and the space exploded. From the explosion, a door formed, and through the door, one can see a magnificent world made of crystal ice. Without saying anything, every monk vanished into the door, which closed when the last one entered.
Fruity, with his now pale face, looked at the people around him. They all stared back at him with shock, fear, and anger, however, no matter what, they couldn’t move. It felt like their strength was being devoured whenever they tried to break free.
He took out the Nameless Token and smiled. “Peaceful souls, huh… well, I hate peace; I want problems always.” With that, he jammed the staff into the ground.
“Devour!” In an instant, the thousands of warriors around him were reduced to nothingness. The white token in his hand suddenly turned black instead of white, exuding a powerful aura.
Fruity looked in a certain direction and muttered, “I will be back.” With that, a dark portal opened and swallowed him, leaving the ruined monastery behind.
======
Far from the monastery, atop an ice-filled mountain, two beautiful ladies stood gazing back at it. On the face of the one with blue hair, tear marks that seemed to be frozen in place could be seen.
“Stop crying, Tasha. He is safe now,” the silver-haired lady said, comforting Tasha, or as Fruity calls her, the Ice Princess.
“But sister, he has gone to that place. I am not sure he can survive there,” Tasha said, worry etched on her face. She and her sister Aurelia had been present from the beginning of the battle, ready to swoop in when things didn’t go as planned.
They knew that showing themselves would only bring doom to those around them; however, for some reason, they didn’t want to see him dead. They had been secretly keeping an eye on him all those years he was in seclusion.
Even without the monks knowing, the two ladies had ensured the monastery stayed safe during the past two years while Fruity was in seclusion.
“I know, but he has made his choice. You know how he is; he never listens to anyone, especially arrangements made by anyone aside from her,” Aurelia said.
“Plus, he said he would be back. We have to get ready for when he returns; after all, we don’t have much time,” she added.
“I know; it’s just that this is too painful. First, his mother and family, and now his second family. He must be devastated right now,” Tasha said.
“He was bound to remember someday, so it’s best he knows now. As for what happens next, at least he sent them to the Ice World; we can always check on them and ensure they are in good hands,” Aurelia said.
“Okay, sister, I will listen to you,” Tasha replied before waving her hand. The two vanished, erasing their presence from that place for good.
***
A while later, space cracked at the ruined monastery, and seven people with powerful auras walked out. The moment they appeared, the space, although in ruins, shimmered, turning rubble into dust.
“How is this possible?” one of them said, looking at the destroyed place. They could sense the residue of the energies present on the battlefield. The people who died left their energies, so without anyone telling them what happened, they knew their entire fleet had been annihilated here.
“It’s the Annihilation Ice,” one of them said, picking up a small stone from the ground.
“So he is still alive. How disappointing,” one of them remarked. “We should have sent the others. Now things have become complicated, and we don’t even know where he has gone. I cannot sense his death qi at all,” he added.
“Maybe he has gone to the Ice Palace,” one of them suggested.
“I doubt that. That place wouldn’t accept someone like him. He has awakened a forbidden Ice; nobody would accept him. Doing so would call calamity upon themselves.”
“You both are wrong,” suddenly, a figure with no presence at all walked toward them. He was a middle-aged man with handsome features.
“Who are you?” one of the seven individuals asked, their alertness rising. The fact that they couldn’t sense this man’s presence until he spoke was enough to tell them he was dangerous, and they had to be careful.
“No need for hostility, Elders. I am Newman, Second Prince of the Ice Empire. I sensed three forbidden Ice used here and came to investigate.”
“What do you mean, three?” one of the elders asked, narrowing his eyes at Newman.
“The Annihilation Ice you sensed is one of them,” Newman explained, his tone steady and calm.
“The other two are the Chaotic Frost/Ice and the Devouring Ice. Each of these forms of ice is forbidden for a reason; they bring about chaos and destruction.”
The three elders exchanged looks as if trying to validate what the man had said. He stood there, smiling at them.
“Well, whatever, he is long gone now, so I guess all of us were late,” one of the seven elders said, shaking his head.
“I beg to differ,” Newman replied.
“What do you mean?” frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
“Well, two portals were opened here—one leading to the Ice World. From what I know, in the entire world, only two people could do that, and neither of them was present here. So it’s safe to say the forbidden Ice wielder was able to open it, but he didn’t enter.”
“Then where is he?” the elder asked.
“Like I said, two portals. The second was a portal to the last place anyone would want to go: the Tormented World,” Newman explained, and the elders frowned.
“The Tormented World?” the elder asked.
“Yes, a world of darkness, pain, and suffering. From what I know, only demons go there. So either he entered there mistakenly or he chose to go there. Either way, if you want to catch or kill him, you can go there,” Newman said before vanishing.
The elders were left standing there with puzzled looks. They knew it was unlikely they would be able to get the Ice Princess or the Wood Queen to open the gate to the Ice World for them, so their best bet was to go to the demons.
But the question was, were they brave enough to go to such a place? After all, the Tormented World was said to house some of the most vile beings in the universe. After contemplating things for a while, they opened a space rift and left, leaving the ruined monastery behind for good.