Asura in Arknights

Li Ang wouldn't be so idle as to explore the inside of someone else's body; such behavior is rather perverse when you think about it. So he had no idea what had just happened to Simone.

However, this is probably just a minor incident for Simone; she's probably already used to it.

She paused, then continued, "When we entered the location of the final test, an accident occurred."

Simone looked somewhat bewildered as memories of that time gradually surfaced in her mind. In truth, she didn't quite understand what had happened. In just a moment, her most trusted master had turned into an ice sculpture and lost all life in an instant.

It's truly not a funny thing that someone who controlled the power of ice and snow their whole life ended up dying because of the very power they were best at.

After that, boundless cold air engulfed the entire mountain range.

Because Simone was the weakest among them, in addition to carrying everyone's luggage, she required a lot of extra protective measures. It was precisely because of these measures that Simone barely survived.

Therefore, during her journey out of the mountains, Simone's mind was in a mess, and she unconsciously lost many things. The pendant she had just given to Adele was one of the things she brought back.

“That’s all I know,” Simone said calmly. “I’ve been here for a year and haven’t seen anyone come out of the mountains… Please accept my condolences.”

Simone was only brushed against by that sudden chill a few times, and it left her with troublesome aftereffects. Not to mention those who were completely engulfed by the chill, who are probably already in grave danger.

"……I see."

Having prepared herself mentally, Adele appeared much calmer now, but looking at Simone, she suddenly asked, "So, my parents are still there?"

Even the tower sorcerers only learned of the deaths of the Naumans and found some of their belongings, but did not discover their bodies. According to Simone, her parents' remains might still be deep in the mountains.

Upon hearing this, Simone's expression froze. She nodded stiffly and replied, "That should... be correct."

"But let me explain. It's not that we don't want to retrieve their remains, but the last stretch of the mountain sacrifice route is a bit special. There's a huge lake there, and what it contains might not be water, but some kind of unknown liquid."

“That huge lake only freezes during the coldest part of the year,” Simone explained. “If you miss that time, you’ll have to wait until next year to try again.”

This also explains why Professor Nauman chose this time to travel to Sami.

"I see."

Adele did not blame Simone; she knew Simone had done her best.

She had a general understanding of the situation from Simone's account, which did not change Adele's mind, but only made her purpose in going to the deepest part of the mountains clearer.

From investigating what kind of external network their parents had encountered to bringing their remains back for burial.

The only remaining question is what Professor Nauman used as leverage to persuade Yuki, and what his true intentions were.

Unfortunately, Simone was also unaware of the specifics; the only person who knew the truth had long since perished deep in the mountains along with Professor Nauman.

"This question... I think I might be able to answer it."

Li Ang suddenly spoke, and the other two looked at him with surprise.

Maybe they're just foreign aid they brought in?

This is understandable. The tradition of the Snow Ritual is, barring any unforeseen circumstances, another 'technical black box'. The Sami people can only use the methods passed down from ancient times directly. Even if there are problems with the ritual, they cannot fix them. Otherwise, they would not have been unable to find the problem for more than 20 years.

Professor Nauman may have been invited to solve this problem.

Now that Simone and Adele's conversation had come to an end, just as Li Ang was about to ask Simone something, a figure suddenly entered Li Ang's perception range.

“…Someone’s a guest has arrived,” Li Ang murmured.

After a slight pause, the other person strode towards Simone's residence; his destination was undoubtedly there.

Li Ang had a feeling that the other party had ill intentions. After considering for a few seconds, Li Ang decided to go out and check the situation.

"You all stay inside, I'll go out and check the situation."

After saying that, Li Ang got up and walked outside.

However, as soon as Li Ang stepped out of the room, the person who arrived launched an attack without saying a word, giving Li Ang no chance to explain.

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P.S. I'm experiencing a bit of writer's block, it's really frustrating.

PS2. I've also included a power level chart for the storyline, which I got from a forum. It's basically the same as what I expected, and it's quite intuitive to look at. There are only a few exceptions, but they're not a big deal.

Chapter Sixty-Seven Misunderstanding

The moment Li Ang stepped out of the house, a thin veil of ice mist was draped over his head.

Upon seeing this, Li Ang immediately held his breath and lightly touched the ground to the other side of the icy mist.

This icy fog doesn't seem very dangerous; even if you went straight in, you'd probably only suffer a little frostbite. But the trouble with this little spell isn't there.

The most troublesome thing is that if you underestimate the power of this ice fog and accidentally inhale even a tiny bit of it, it will cause considerable damage to the human respiratory system.

If the lungs are injured, even if you have a lot of strength, you probably won't be able to use it.

In short, this is a very insidious spell, and one can get a general idea of ​​the opponent's character from this move.

Li Ang covered his mouth and nose to avoid inhaling the nearby icy mist and shouted, "Who are you?!"

The opponent remained silent, focusing on wielding the staff in his hand. One sharp icicle after another emerged from the ground and surged towards Li Ang. The speed was neither fast nor slow, and the power was somewhat unsatisfactory. However, the opponent clearly did not intend to subdue Li Ang with this move.

He just wanted to force Li Ang to leave his current position.

"You don't want to answer... Never mind, it doesn't matter." Li Ang shook his head.

Without even needing a reply, Li Ang could guess the other person's identity. Simone had just said that she was a reserve Snow Priest, so who would come looking for her at a time like this? Naturally, it would be another Snow Priest.

However... Jingzhe had previously told him that it should be half a month before Xuesi arrived in Sami. This information was obviously wrong, as Xuesi actually arrived in Hammerforst ahead of schedule.

Before Jingzhe could even settle the affairs of the Dali Temple, Xuesi arrived, which made things a bit complicated.

However, upon further reflection, Jingzhe was, after all, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review of Yan Kingdom. It was unlikely that such important intelligence would be compromised. Following this line of thought, it was highly probable that this Xuesi had secretly come here to discuss something with Simona, the Xuesi reserve officer.

Since that's the case... then let's just subdue him.

The perception field contracted instantly, and most of the attention was focused on the snow priest. The snow priest felt a strange chill run through his body, and even the movement of waving the staff in his hand quickened a bit.

Following the other party's wishes, Li Ang also moved away from the room where Simone was. Adele was also inside at the time, and neither of them wanted to affect that place. This became a tacit understanding between them.

Simone's residence was in a very remote place, making it a perfect location for action.

Sure enough, as soon as Li Ang withdrew from the area of ​​that house, Xue Si's attack immediately became more intense, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and the surrounding environment began to subtly change around Xue Si.

It was as if the environment here was actively cooperating with Xue Si to launch an attack on Li Ang. The amount of Originium consumed did not increase, but the power of the spell increased by three points out of nowhere.

As expected of a nation's top combat force, they truly possess unique strengths.

Without armor to amplify his defense, Li Ang was unwilling to confront such a powerful spell head-on. He unleashed a few bursts of flame to melt the ice on the ground, but instead of creating distance between himself and Xue Si, he charged forward, entering the space already affected by Xue Si.

This special spell, which directly affects the surrounding environment and is used to amplify oneself and weaken the enemy, is indeed quite good, but unfortunately he encountered Li Ang.

In terms of control over Originium, Li Ang far surpasses Xue Si, even in an environment as advantageous as Sami. With a thought from Li Ang, the situation of both sides was instantly reversed.

The newly constructed spell unit almost reversed; the Originium energy in the surrounding environment seemed to have solidified and was completely beyond his control.

Xue Si's expression became extremely solemn. At this moment, he realized that Li Ang was fundamentally different from the enemies he had faced before.

"—Explosive Flame Wave Sword!"

The raging fire dyed most of the sky crimson, and the steam from the melting snow crackled in the high temperature. The sea of ​​fire blocked all of Xue Si's escape routes. Unless he could run hundreds of meters away in an instant, he would have to face Li Ang's thunderous attack head-on.

The victory is already secured.

With spellcasting restricted, the warlock had no chance of blocking this explosive wave sword. Li Ang also had to carefully control the power of the wave sword to avoid accidentally burning his opponent to ashes.

Just as Li Ang was thinking this, something unusual happened.

The sea of ​​fire that was raging just a second ago vanished without a trace as if it had been doused with a bucket of cold water. This unusual situation surprised Li Ang.

ice?

No, what Yuki used just now was clearly not an ice-attribute Originium Arts. If an equal amount of ice were used to counteract the flames, it would definitely produce a lot of water mist, making a mess of the environment here, but there was no such sign just now.

It's like... a flame burning out all its fuel and eventually going out on its own.

The sea of ​​fire dissipated, revealing the snow-covered altar behind it.

At this moment, the other person's movements appeared extremely solemn. He reverently raised the staff in his hand, humming a special rhythm softly, and a special aura began to spread from his body to the surroundings.

It was this peculiar aura that had just neutralized the Explosive Flame Wave Sword.

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A few minutes earlier, Li Ang left the house with the words "another guest has arrived," leaving Adele and Simone somewhat bewildered.

The two looked at each other, and after a brief exchange of glances, Adele finally spoke up, asking, "Um, Miss Simon, are your friends outside?"

“I have no friends,” Simone said, shaking her head.

Her identity is extremely special. It is precisely because she needs to avoid being noticed that she lives in this remote place. Even the supplies she needs for daily life are purchased through special channels. What friends could she possibly have?

Just as Simone was about to say something, a loud bang suddenly came from outside, causing a large amount of dust to fall from the roof.

Simone suddenly remembered that she had no friends, but there were indeed other people who would come to see her besides her friends.

Oh no! A fight just broke out!

Simone's pupils contracted slightly. Without even telling Adele, she endured the pain and rushed out of the house, shouting, "Stop! This is all a misunderstanding...?"

The last few words stopped in Simone's mouth as she stared in astonishment at everything that was happening before her.

The battle outside ended the moment she emerged.

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Gift

Just as Simone had shouted, the two stopped fighting.

However, the final result was obviously different from what she had expected. What she saw when she came out was not Li Ang, who had been frozen into an ice sculpture, but Xue Si, who had been subdued in a few clean and efficient moves.

Just like Xue Si had done to him at the beginning, Li Ang, enduring that strange aura, slapped Xue Si hard on the side, expelling all the air from his lungs.

The little tune, only halfway through, came to an abrupt end, and the special aura also retreated back into Xue Si's body.

This aura... is this the power that Xue Si obtained from the ritual? Li Ang felt the stinging sensation in his palm and nodded thoughtfully.

While mountain rituals can grant these snow spirits immense power, combat experience is something that cannot be learned, just like Li Ang at the very beginning.

Under the protection of a large army, Xue Si might be able to unleash the full power of a sorcerer, but in a one-on-one situation, they clearly lack experience in fighting against warriors of the same level or against stronger opponents.

That's why Li Ang defeated him so cleanly and decisively.

That makes sense. Powerful warriors are extremely rare. Champion Knights are not only the limit for most people, but also the limit for the vast majority of warriors. Without relying on Originium Arts, how many people in the world can cross this boundary?

Of all the people Li Ang knew, only the leader of Kazimierz, Grand Knight Ioleta, possessed such power.

No matter how powerful the algorithm is, it's useless if you can't use it.

Of course, Li Ang held back in the end; otherwise, he could have easily shattered Xue Si's heart in that instant.

He still has a use for it for now.

Adele was a step behind Simone and came out of the house. She glanced at Xue Si, who was lying on the ground panting heavily, and Simone next to him, and then noticed that Li Ang's palm was an abnormal gray.

What happened to your hand?

"It's nothing, I just got hurt by this guy by accident, it'll be fine in a bit," Li Ang said, pulling his right hand away from Adele.

Despite Li Ang's speed being fast enough, he still couldn't completely stop Xue Si. Upon touching the other's body, his palm was injured by that aura.

It wasn't serious; it was just like being scalded by hot water, with a burning pain in my palm.

Li Ang didn't take this minor injury to heart.

"There's something I need to ask you."

"Go get me something sturdy... Hmm, the bandages in the room are pretty good, bring me a lot more."

"Do you need a bandage for the wound? I'll go get it right away." With that, Adele turned and walked into the house, but she clearly misunderstood what Leon meant.

“No, my hand injury is nothing serious,” Leon said, pulling Adele back just in time. “I asked you to get some bandages so I could tie this guy up.”

Li Ang pointed to the snow offering on the ground.

"Can't!"

Simone, who was crouching on the ground checking on Yuki's injuries, heard this and immediately stood up to object, "We will apologize for the misunderstanding just now. You can't treat Lady Yuki like this!"

Of course, Li Ang didn't intend to waste any more time talking to Simone.

"I'm sorry, Miss Simone, the situation has changed a bit, and it may be a pity that you have to come with us."

Because of Xue Si's sudden arrival, Li Ang had to temporarily change his plans. They needed to return as soon as possible to meet up with the people from Dali Temple. Of course, Simone couldn't just let her leave like that, so she had to make do with what she had for the time being.

"I'll go get the bandages right away." After giving Simone an apologetic look, Adele returned to the room and brought out all the bandages that Simone had prepared for her.

Throughout this process, Li Ang kept his eyes on Xue Si lying on the ground and Simone beside her.