City of Desire [Kingdom Building] - Chapter 869: Returned the Favor

Proofread By Thomas F

Leila Silver

I swung my blade, activating Baroness’s Blade and Noble’s Conditioning, while casting Icemoon Cloak, Frostvigor, and Frost Shroud in quick succession.

A beautiful ice-blue cloak flared around my body, looking like it was forged out of thousands of ice crystals, while Icy Blue Strength filled me.

At the same time, icy blue mist covered my blade.

It is bluer than it used to be and much colder. I didn’t have to think about the reason; I could feel the artifact’s power within it.

I didn’t cast the only one spell; I also cast Iceground Wave. Releasing the icy wave that covered the ground around me in an icy floor, while still moving my blade toward the enemy.

Our blades clashed, and a surprised expression appeared on his face, and also on mine.

Usually, when our blades clashed, I had to take at least a step back, but here, I didn’t even tremble.

Unlike his artifact, mine doesn’t offer any physical enhancements. Most pure mage artifacts like it didn’t. We do not need it, since we have spells.

I cast two spells for my defense and enhancement. Ice Moon Cloak; it is a spell I got when I advanced to Lv. 30. It is a spell that focuses on defence.

On the other hand, Frostvigor provides one with complete physical enhancement.

I had used these spells and skills when I had sparred with him, and he would always send me back at every clash, but now he hadn’t even with using the artifact.

The enhancement artifact given to the spell is greater than I had thought.

I might not have been surprised if I had gotten a chance to practice with the artifact, but I had gotten it only an hour before we left the city.

Most of the time I spend on it is trying to control it. So, I wouldn’t freeze to death.

Knowing, I finally have a chance. A grin couldn’t help but appear on my face. It widened when I saw a mist of Frost Shroud covering his blade with icy crystals.

Though they only remained there for a moment, before they would fall. It still made me happy to see my spell affecting Lockridge’s artifact.

He didn’t like it, but he kept his expression under control, and I saw the flash of anger in his gaze before doing so.

“Frostpearl Diadem, it’s indeed a pretty powerful artifact, but be careful, Baroness, it might freeze you to death,” he said, with a nasty grin.

“You should worry about yourself, Baron; this artifact had frozen a lot more enemies than its owners,” I replied and attacked.

I know, very well. He is buying time for the mist to cover the area around us.

I had already activated Baroness Eyes and Ice Sense before casting Elynder’s Mist and Frost Seal Flags.

Both of them are spells that I usually don’t cast since they are heavy on mana usage, but now the burden is shared by the artifact.

Elynder’s Mist is a spell that releases freezing mist, while Frost Seal Flags creates six flags that keep the ice element contained in the circle formed by them.

Our blades clashed as he defended against the attack, but a moment later, he disappeared into grey mist that enveloped me completely.

I had read the information about his artifact and the report General Hiren had written about it.

It’s a dangerous artifact, especially in the hands of someone like him. It suits his style. So, I didn’t dare to underestimate him even for a moment.

A second passed, and then another, but nothing came. I didn’t move from my spot.

The only thing I did was to cast Elynder’s Mist three more times and a spell called Xa’Rane’s Lines.

He attacked at the fourth second; it came from my left at high speed. How do I know it? Well, it’s because of my skill Ice Sense.

It makes me very sensitive to the ice element, and now, with the artifact I am wearing, my sensitivity to it has reached a completely different level.

So, I could sense even the slightest change in the elements around me.

To make it even foolproof, I had cast those elemental control spells like Iceground Wave, Elynder’s Mist, and Frost Seal Pillars.

I have turned the area around me into a world of ice, which gives my senses a significant advantage in addition of making him cold. The temperature is very low here.

Very soon, he will start to feel the effect. Even someone like him is not immune to its effects.

I defended, but he attacked again a moment later, appearing in front of me, and I protected, before guarding against the attack from my back and then to my left again.

He is attacking fast and trying to be unpredictable, but I could sense him.

The heat his body is releasing in my cold domain and the friction of his blade against my icy mist.

Which is getting denser as I keep casting Elynder’s Mist.

He is half-assassin, and some of his skills could mask even elemental detection, but due to the artifact, my sensitivity had reached such a level that he couldn’t hide it.

He kept attacking, and I defended, when suddenly something changed.

He stopped midway in his attack and retreated as Ice Blades materialized in front of him.

The mist not only blocks the senses of people inside but also enhances the senses of the artifact’s host. It’s tough to attack them without them sensing.

It could be done. I had achieved it.

It’s simple: I flooded the area with icy mist, drawing on the power of my artifact. Until it becomes dense enough, it begins to counteract it.

The cold environment also gave me the ability to cast spells whenever I could in a small area.

While he defended, I moved toward him and activated. Noble’s Glide and cast another Elynder’s Mist.

I appeared beside him and attacked, which he defended, but found himself being attacked once more by the Frost Blades. He defended against one.

One is defended by armor, but the second one cuts through him.

I can’t hear or see, but I could feel the heat that blood released as it comes out of the body.

“I will kill you,” he cursed. It is the first sound I heard in the whole fight. He could control what I could sense.

“You have been saying that since we started fighting, and until now, you have not even been able to give me even a scratch,” I replied with a laugh and cast another Elynder’s Mist.

I may have a good amount of mana and support from the artifact, but I am expelling it fast.

I’m also getting tired. It might not seem like it, but fighting every moment against the artifact that wants to flood me with icy energies is a very tiring burden.

So, I will need to finish the battle soon, and I will. I am close.

A moment later, I had sensed something that made my expression serious. The Baron had activated his Aura; it does not affect temperature, but there is a certain extent to which it reacts with it.

It’s easy to sense, once one knows what to look for.

I didn’t hesitate and activated my own aura, pushing it into my skills. I didn’t dare move it into the artifact; that is something I should not do until I get at least a basic control over it.

I was given a list of do’s and don’ts that came with the artifact.

Though I cannot infuse the aura into the artifact, I can infuse it into my spell. My aura had improved by leaps and bounds in the past few months.

I had been instructed by many from the Greltheaven, including Remus’s mistress, when she came to the baronies.

I was expecting the attack immediately. He didn’t; he began to destroy the flags. One after another, I could move to stop him, but I didn’t.

Instead, I had cast another Elynder’s Mist.

If he had done that before, it might have worked, but now it won’t. The spell Xa’Rian’s Lines took complete hold. Now, he will have to destroy the whole area to eliminate this icy domain.

“It’s not going to work, Baron,” I said with a smile.

“You are as wily as your bastard brother. It’s a good thing, I am going to finish one of you today.” He replied.

The next moment, I felt the attack and turned back, swinging my sword. His voice had come from the front, but was attacked from behind.

He had seemed to made massive progress in aura as well. His speed and power increased significantly.

Suddenly, my expressions changed, and I quickly retreated, with Nobles’ Grace and Haste, but the next moment, I saw my skin split open and a large cut appearing across my arm.

That wasn’t the worst of it; the worst is the energies, they want to tear my hand apart.

“Frost Fire Balm,”

I cast a spell, and frostfire covered the wound. It clashed against the energy and at the same time, covered the wound with ice.

Without the artifact, ice wouldn’t have been strong enough to deal with the artifact’s energy, but it is now.

“You are impressive, Baroness, not many would deal with it as quickly as you did,” he said, and I opened my reply, but his attack came from the front, and I moved to respond, along with casting Frost Blades to stop him or at least slow him down.

He dodged them somehow as I felt like my skin was opening and a cut was appearing across my chest.

His sword carefully avoided my armor, giving me a cut. If not for retreating to the right, the cut would have been much deeper. I dealt with it immediately with Frost Fire Bomb.

I just did that when he came at me; instead of using my blade, I cast the Frost Wall, but he avoided it and gave me another cut across the back.

In a few seconds, more cuts appeared across my body. I tried to dodge and defend, but I couldn’t.

It isn’t just the speed; he is likely using the abilities of his artifact, which helps him hide his attack really well. If I couldn’t properly sense it, I wouldn’t be able to defend against it.

“Give up, Baroness, and I will give you a clean death. If you struggle, things will be excruciating for you,” he said and attacked before I could reply.

His giving me a choice is just to make himself feel great.

“Kill me, if you can,” I replied, casting another Elynder’s Mist and sealing the wound on my neck with Frost Fire Balm.

“As you wish,” he said, laughing, and a second later, another cut appeared on my collarbone.

‘This will not do,’ I thought. I am nearly ready with my preparation. Three more casts and I will be, but those preparations would be useless if I couldn’t detect him.

I am doing everything I can. I am pushing more aura into my spells and skills.

‘There is one thing I could do,’ I thought to myself.

Artifact.

I have been actively resisting it, not only the energy it wants to flood into me, but also affinity and sensitivity.

If I could open myself to it, I would be more sensitive, and my affinity would increase further, but doing that would be extremely dangerous.

I could break the dam open, and the energies flood into me. Freezing me like they did many of its owners.

Another cut appeared across my leg, and I made my decision. It may be extremely dangerous, but if I didn’t do anything, I would suffer the same fate.

So, I might as well do it.

I didn’t waste any moment and focused on the artifact. As I did, the energy volume increased suddenly. If not for my casting, Elynder’s Mist, four times to disburse it. It would have frozen me.

I wanted to give up immediately. Seeing how close I was to being frozen.

I did not give up and tried again, while getting cut on my back. It affected my concentration and flooded me with more energy, which I cast out through the spell.

‘Fuck!’

I am injured, I am tired, and I keep getting attacked, but I have to do it.

So, I focused once more, and this time the energy increased, but not to the same degree as before, since I pushed myself and reached the two points.

I wanted to reach only the sensitivity, but I am glad to have affinity as well.

A gasp couldn’t help but come out of my mouth as the whole new world opened in front of me.

I could see everything, sense every particle of ice element. Nothing is hidden from me, nothing could hide from me.

My elemental sensitivity had reached a completely different height. I could sense everything, not only in this immediate area, but also beyond it.

As for the affinity, I believe I didn’t even need to silent cast the spell. As long as I have a clear comprehension of the spell, it will materialize.

I now also feel the attack clearly and understand how he was able to strike me every time. If I hadn’t done this, I really had no chance.

That artifact is too suitable for him.

I pushed those thoughts away and responded. A moment later, my blade struck his for the first time in a while.

I cannot see his face, but I could feel his shock. This is nothing compared to what is about to come; I have made the preparations, and it’s time to reveal them.

I am a little nervous; it’s not something I have tried before. It was too mana-intensive for me.

“You have given me quite a lot of injuries, Baron. It’s time I returned the favour to you,” I said and cast Frost Dome, the last spell of Dimaron Sequence.

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