Chapter 977: Alternate Timeline: The Engagement Ceremony (5)

The transformation occurred instantly.

Before the three guards could even fully move toward her, terrifying cold erupted outward from Kiara’s body like an exploding glacier, and within a fraction of a second, ice spread violently across the entire venue floor with cracking sounds sharp enough to resemble shattering glass while white frost swallowed tables, lanterns, chairs, and even the surrounding air itself.

Guests felt their blood nearly stop flowing.

Breath turned white.

Skin numbed.

The three attackers froze mid-motion.

Xander Cross himself became trapped in ice before even understanding what happened.

Almost everyone inside the venue transformed into frozen statues.

Only Noah and Zion remained unaffected.

Kiara’s expression, however, remained calm. But inwardly, she did not dare relax even slightly.

Two of the guards possessed cultivation at the Elementary Legendary Realm, Low-Eight-star Rank.

The third stood at Peak Seven-star Rank.

Their Ether reserves far exceeded hers.

At best, Absolute Freezing could restrain them temporarily.

Thirty seconds.

Maybe less.

And more importantly...

Kiara refused to depend entirely upon Xander Cross. He was Wester Silver’s cousin. There always remained the possibility he might choose silence, but she hoped he wouldn’t. She couldn’t bear to hit that face of his that resembles her first love from her past life.

So she moved immediately to end this battle as fast as possible.

"Open inventory."

The interface appeared instantly, and a murmur escaped her mouth.

Kiara retrieved an Advancement Potion and swallowed it quickly.

[Ding! You absorbed the Advancement pill (intermediate). Each of your stats is increased by 1 for the next 60 minutes.]

[Ding! Your ether energy temporarily increased to 1 million points.]

[Ding! You consumed the Advancement pill. Amulet of Magic’s effects become null.]

[Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Thunder Shark.]

[Ding! You temporarily received a new summon, Ice Tiger.]

She ignored the new summons completely.

Sixth-Rank beasts were irrelevant right now.

"Activate Lightning Clone."

The moment the skill was activated, violent electricity erupted around her body.

Because of the potion, her basic Intelligence stat first temporarily rose to 6.2.

Then the Amulet of Magic amplified it further by twenty-five percent.

Final result.

7.75.

And since the Lightning Clone existed one full realm above her maximum stat...

The summoned clone emerged directly at Peak Eighth Rank.

Lightning exploded outward as this 8-star rank possessed Clone materialized before her.

Crackling blue-white energy twisted violently through the frozen hall while a humanoid figure formed beside Kiara like a thunder god descending from storm clouds, and merely its appearance alone caused several guests trapped within ice to widen their eyes in terror.

Kiara then looked toward the three frozen guards.

Despite being immobilized, they had already begun moving their eyes and circulating Ether desperately to escape.

She gave her command calmly.

"Kill them."

Then after a brief pause, her voice turned colder. "Rip apart their armor and take their hearts."

Mercy no longer existed inside her mind.

She did not care whether bloodshed during an engagement ceremony brought bad luck.

She did not care about reputation either.

The only thing Kiara wanted now was to show everyone clearly that she didn’t need to depend solely upon weapons to eliminate enemies. It was her choice to use firearms, not her only way out.

Meanwhile, the frozen guards finally began cracking free from the ice. Tiny fractures spread across the frost surrounding them as ether surged desperately from their bodies.

But before they could escape fully... the Lightning Clone moved.

*Boom*

The ground exploded beneath its feet while it turned into a streak of lightning and crossed the hall instantly.

The first guard barely turned his head before the clone’s hand pierced directly through his armor.

Metal crumpled.

The second guard attempted to raise his weapon, but lightning struck him before the motion was completed.

The third managed half a step.

Only half.

However, the clone’s overwhelming strength crushed through their defenses effortlessly.

The attacks happened so quickly that most guests could barely follow the movements themselves.

Then silence returned.

The three guards collapsed lifelessly with large holes remaining through their chests.

Kiara dismissed the Lightning Clone immediately afterward, saving her ether reserves.

The crackling electricity vanished.

For several seconds, only the sound of frost creaking throughout the hall remained.

Kiara then slowly walked toward the corpses.

Originally, she intended to store the bodies entirely for future evidence due to their valuable armor and storage rings, but after remembering Xander remained present, she changed plans instantly. She didn’t want such an ugly side of hers to be seen by him, of all people.

"Zion," she ordered calmly, "take the armor and storage rings as a part of loot."

"Understood." Zion nodded, coming into action.

Noah, even without being ordered, stepped forward, "Big Sister, let me help too."

Kiara nodded.

Roughly forty seconds later, Xander Cross finally shattered free from the ice. Cold mist escaped from his body while he staggered slightly, visibly speechless.

Although frozen earlier, he had witnessed everything clearly.

Every movement.

Every death.

And what amazed him most was how easily Kiara accomplished it.

Twenty seconds later, Wester Silver also escaped.

The difference in his expression was dramatic.

Gone was the earlier arrogance.

Gone was the hatred.

Only fear remained.

Pure fear of this girl.

He had personally chosen those experts, knowing their strength beforehand.

Yet Kiara slaughtered them effortlessly.

While he was wondering what to do now, Xander suddenly turned toward him furiously. "Wester Silver!" he roared. "What the hell was that?!"

But Wester could not answer. His lips trembled slightly while staring toward Kiara, and the latter simply stared back coldly.

Another minute passed.

Finally, the ice melted away naturally.

Guests immediately began shivering violently after regaining movement, their bodies still numb from the horrifying cold, while several servants nearly collapsed from weakness.

Arceus himself hugged his arms tightly, visibly pale.

Only then did Kiara begin walking forward slowly.

Step.

Step.

Each footstep echoed clearly throughout the silent hall.

"Wester Silver," she said coldly, "I spared you three times already. The first time, you insulted my origins. I showed you that a noble’s arrogance can backfire on them."

She took another step. "The second time, you were the one who challenged me in front of His Majesty and all the people. You were too arrogant and wanted to show off your 7-star rank power. I humbled you, showing that I possess an aerial vehicle that can destroy you, regardless. I hoped that you would learn your lesson, but you didn’t."

The minister’s body stiffened.

Step.

She took another step and continued to speak. "The third time, I even brought forth an 8-star rank Beast King to your own doorstep to show you that even if you have a powerful ancestor, I still had the means to fight. If not for Arceus asking me to spare you that day, I wouldn’t have simply talked, but clearly show you why enraging me will only backfire on you."

"Even earlier today," Kiara continued while approaching steadily, "I warned you directly. I clearly indicated to you that I knew your plan and asked you not to do something that you regret."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"But arrogance and anger blinded you completely. And now you have finally crossed the limits of my patience."

Wester lost balance suddenly and grabbed the chair beside him desperately for support while glancing fearfully toward the corpses once more.

Kiara stopped only several steps away from him.

"You dared collude with the Church of Doom," she declared coldly, "and attempted to assassinate me."

The moment those words fell, Xander Cross’ expression changed violently.

"Church of Doom?!"

She stood only a few meters away from Wester Silver now.

Close enough for him to clearly see her face.

Close enough for him to feel the terrifying pressure radiating from her body.

And yet...

Despite being a Seven-star Rank Spirit Warrior himself, Wester no longer possessed even the courage to lift a finger toward her.

His confidence had collapsed completely.

But honestly, it was not strange.

Not after what he had just witnessed.

Even while trapped inside the frozen state, his consciousness had remained awake. He saw Legendary Realm experts die as though they were nothing more than paper figures standing before a storm.

How could he possibly still believe he stood a chance?

Until today, Wester stubbornly refused to accept that Kiara possessed enough strength to kill Cerberus personally. In his mind, every victory she achieved until now came only from relying upon strange puppets, mysterious weapons, and unfair tricks beyond normal understanding.

Even during their previous clashes, he had lost to Kiara’s bizarre creations rather than to Kiara herself. The first time, she used the Battle Tank. And the second time, she used Attach Helicopter. The most recent time, she used the manticore to pressure him. In all of these attempts, she never used her own strength.

And because of that belief, he convinced himself of something dangerous.

That Kiara without her puppets...

Without her store...

Without her territory...

She could be killed like a chicken.

That confidence became even greater after gathering two Eight-star Rank experts and one Peak Seven-star rank assassin for today’s attack. Even considering the presence of Xander Cross nearby, Wester believed victory remained certain.

Still...

He deliberately waited until Emperor Alexander departed.

Because if something happened to the Empress or Princess during the chaos, House Silver itself would be buried alongside them. Moreover, Magnus Phoenix is also an headache that he doesn’t wish to confront head-on.

Xander stayed behind, but with 8-star rank experts on his side, he was confident in pressuring him to be neutral. After all, they were cousins and family. How could Xander fight Wester or his men anyway...

Yet the final result struck him harder than any weapon ever could.

Now Kiara stood before him calmly while he struggled even to breathe properly.