Chapter 389: Ice Bee Snow Dance Formation

At such a moment, the opponent choosing to attack rather than defend most likely means they are about to perish!

But there is no mercy in battle; kindness to the enemy is cruelty to oneself.

She pressed her staff further down, and a surge of soul power accompanied by a sky-filling wave of apocalyptic fire energy rushed down. At the same time, Kela's lightning spear was already launched, both harboring the same thought.

Kill!

Boom!

The fire energy poured out, instantly sweeping across the entire arena, engulfing Kela!

The ground was now a sea of flames with boiling lava, the temperature shockingly high, forcing Old Wang and the others to retreat several steps, or their clothes would have caught fire.

In the air, the streak of lightning was hurtling toward Naloluo!

Her fiery wings flickered slightly, and her body swiftly moved to the left.

Such an attack could never hit... Before Naloluo's thoughts could complete, her eyes suddenly widened. The lightning spear that she had clearly dodged somehow made a sharp turn in mid-air, heading straight for her!

To be honest, with her fiery wings' flight capability, if she had fully evaded just now, she could have avoided it. But who could have imagined that a 'javelin' could also change direction? A few meters of lateral movement were far from enough to make the pursuing spear miss, and in an instant, it was already piercing toward her chest.

Naloluo's beautiful eyes widened, and she mustered all her remaining strength to maintain the fire shield.

However, on one hand, the massive spell she had just cast had already drained her of much energy, leaving her soul power unable to recover quickly. On the other hand, the power of this lightning spear was incomparable to the previous probing strike.

Boom!

With insufficient power, the fire shield offered only a symbolic resistance before being penetrated. Naloluo managed to barely elevate herself a few inches, turning the spear that was aimed at her chest into one that pierced her abdomen.

Whoosh!

Without any hindrance, the lightning gun pierced straight through her abdomen, splattering a shower of blood! The through-and-through wound, combined with the paralyzing electric force from the lightning gun, made Naloluo feel her entire body stiffen; even the wings formed by the elf behind her couldn't move, and she saw blackness before her eyes as she plummeted straight down.

A chorus of gasps erupted from the surrounding stands. Naloluo was the goddess of the Fire Holy Sanctuary, and everyone knew she was just a wizard. Falling from such a height, let alone with injuries, she would surely die from the impact!

At this point, it was too late to rescue her, but amidst the cries of shock, a dark figure darted out from the still-raging inferno on the ground, soared through the air, and caught the falling Naloluo steadily.

With no support from magic, the flames on the ground quickly dissipated. Kela, holding the unconscious Naloluo, landed steadily.

Her body was still engulfed in flames, but upon landing, she merely gave a slight shake of her soul power, and all the flames were instantly extinguished, leaving only her scorched and tattered outer robe.

This, this is impossible!

Almost everyone in the Fire Holy Sanctuary was stunned. They knew exactly how powerful Naloluo's Nine Burnings Annihilation was. Even the ghost-level mentors wouldn't have been able to withstand it so effortlessly, yet that beast woman...

"How did she do it?" Not just the people of the Fire Holy Sanctuary, even Winnie was dumbfounded.

Before evolving her blue flame, she had thought her fire attacks were inferior to the might of the Nine Burnings Annihilation. Kela had always struggled to withstand her fireballs, so how could she possibly endure such a terrifying attack and appear almost unscathed?

"Magic insulator," Old Wang smiled slightly beside her.

"What’s that?" Winnie widened her eyes, nearly jumping up.

She understood a bit about insulators; they weren't truly immune, but for most magic, this constitution provided extremely strong resistance... But it was impossible! Just the day before they left Rose, she had made Jiaoba and Kela spar,

burning Kela to the point of agony... "Don’t forget that was your evolved blue flame..." Old Wang rolled his eyes at her: "Besides, from the time we left Rose, through three consecutive battles to get here, you and we have been playing cards every day, while Kela has been practicing daily with soul-refining potions..."

"Just broke through?" Winnie suddenly realized: "Damn, keeping it from us, that's not very nice!"

"Not really." Old Wang smiled, "The Beast Race has great potential, of course, it also requires someone like me to recognize their talent..."

At this moment in the arena, Varaloka had already taken the injured Naloluo from Kela’s hands.

It seemed there was no danger to her life. After checking, Varaloka slightly raised his hand to the crowd, stopping the agitated Holy Sanctuary disciples on the stands who were upset about the goddess being injured, and announced, "Second match, Rose Kela wins."

Two to zero, another two to zero...

The stands were already buzzing with murmurs. Although both matches were lost without question, such a result was clearly unsatisfactory for the home team. If not for the mutual respect between Fantasi and Retsu Shiba, and if not for Kela catching their Fire God’s goddess just now, the scene would have likely erupted into chaos long ago.

The stands began to echo with calls for Captain Varaloka. Fire Mountain could no longer afford any more losses. If they were to be swept three to zero by Rose, like Mangalam and the Beast Holy Sanctuary, it would be the greatest disgrace in Fire Mountain’s history. After all, even in past Hero Tournaments where strong competitors abounded, Fire Mountain had never been shut out!

Seemingly sensing the passion from the stands, or perhaps because Fire Mountain truly had no other choice, Varaloka did not pass the third match to anyone else.

Without waiting for Rose to select their next contestant, Varaloka stepped forward on his own initiative. Since he was certain to fight in the third match, he might as well choose the most formidable opponent.

"Captain Wang Feng," Varaloka stood gracefully in the center of the arena, smiling down at Wang Feng, "Let’s settle the third match between us."

To be honest, Old Wang had intended to let Mapeier take the stage to show her worth, especially since there had been many voices recently in the Holy Sanctuary's Light criticizing her as merely a pretty face and a nanny. However, Varaloka’s challenge, though calm, was firm and resolute... When someone shows you respect, you should return it tenfold. The Fire Holy Sanctuary had been friendly from the start, and refusing now would seem like looking down on them.

Old Wang did not hesitate much, standing up decisively, "Alright!"

With the two captains facing off, the previously somewhat subdued atmosphere in the arena finally heated up, cheers erupting from all sides.

Varaloka was not only a star of the Fire Holy Sanctuary but also their hero, leading the Fire Holy Sanctuary into the top thirty-two of the Hero Tournament twice in a row, elevating their ranking from over fifty to thirty-ninth within just a couple of years. Whenever he took action, people felt two words—reliable, solid.

"Captain, victory is certain!"

Cheers erupted once more.

Valaroka raised her hand slightly, and a massive summoning array lit up in the arena.

It was a massive creature, standing roughly two meters tall and about four meters long, resembling a crawling lizard but not quite.

It has sharp tusks, and its back is highly arched and uneven, as if carrying a small mountain of strange rocks. Countless red soul crystals seem to be embedded in the hard shell of this mountain-like back, emitting a dark red glow. Its limbs are thick and powerful, covered with thick, dark red scales, giving it an appearance that seems impervious to blades and bullets. The moment it appears, it lets out a roar, and a wave of hot, pungent air bursts from its mouth, making Old Wang wrinkle his nose.

Firedrake, also known as Flame Demon, is said to have dragon bloodline, but in fact, Lao Wang does not believe this nonsense. All four-legged lizards on the continent claim to have dragon bloodline, and they all attribute it to the magic dragon Englas. How promiscuous must that magic dragon be...

Taking advantage of the moment his opponent summoned his Spirit Beast, Old Wang hastily called out the Ice Bee and, as usual, took to the air first!

Buzz!

A series of flapping wings sounded, and as the Fire Drakes below braced themselves, eighteen Ice Bees already hung in the sky, Old Wang leading them in a proud and valiant row.

Tiger Peak could not fly; ascending into the air was indeed a nearly desperate tactic in most cases, but it was not invincible. In the various analyses conducted by Holy Sanctuary's Light targeting Wang Feng’s weaknesses, the best and most effective method was to prevent him from having the opportunity to ascend.

But Varaloka did not do so.

To be honest, if it weren't for the honor of the Fire Holy Sanctuary and the desire to ensure they didn't lose the third match, he wouldn't have wanted to fight this battle. It's not that he looked down on Wang Feng; it's just that this fight was really very unfair.

This is Huoshenshan, the paradise of Fire Witches and the hell of Ice Witches. Although Wang Feng is not an Ice Witch, his Ice Bees are absolutely ice-attribute. If he were to rely on restricting the opponent's performance to win in such an overwhelmingly advantageous home field... Valaroka would find such a victory contemptible.

Moreover, Varaloka did not find the ice bees' three-pronged aerial tactics unbreakable. At this moment, he waited quietly, gazing calmly at the sky, a slight curve playing on his lips.

Since he has chosen to fight, he must do it brilliantly. Today, he is not only fighting for the Fire Holy Sanctuary but also representing the Holy Sanctuary's Light to answer all the analyses of Wang Feng’s tactics in practice. He intends to break through Wang Feng’s three main strategies and unveil the mysterious veil of this tactic!

Hovering in the air to secure an invincible position is Wang Feng's first of three signature moves. Many people had previously analyzed the duration of Ice Bee’s flight, speculating how long Wang Feng could stay airborne. In reality, there was no need to consider this... because both the Hero Tournament and the Holy Sanctuary Challenge have a common rule: those who play passively will be ruled as losers.

So, he only needed to block Wang Feng's other two strikes, leaving Wang Feng with no options but to fly aimlessly in the sky, which would be enough to declare him the loser.

Speaking of which, this was quite a courteous way to ‘compete,’ especially since the beast woman Kela had saved Naluo and given the Fire Holy Sanctuary a favor earlier. Now, this could be considered as returning the favor.

While Varaloka thought of being courteous, Old Wang in the sky showed no such restraint. After the ice bees lined up in a straight formation, he waved his hand.

‘Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz’!

A slight smile curved at the corners of Varaloka’s mouth; the opponent’s second, truly lethal move was coming.

It wasn’t that the Fire Mountain lacked ice witches; on the contrary, many low-level ice witches lived here, often making ice for the residents and tourists of Fire Mountain, providing all sorts of icy drinks. This, of course, didn’t require much magical skill... Over time, this led to the mistaken impression among the people of Fire Mountain that ice witches were all weak and had no combat ability. However, the ice bees flying side by side in the sky did not give off a sense of weakness.

In the air, the eighteen ice bees, originally arranged in a straight line, quickly changed positions under Old Wang’s command, forming a strange octagonal shape, like some kind of formation. When viewed from below, the octagonal formation looked exactly like a delicate snowflake!

It was true that Fire Mountain had a weakening and restraining effect on ice, but ice magic had a natural ‘stacking’ property. If it were just one ice bee or one ice witch, they would indeed be extremely weak here. But when eighteen gathered together and formed a formation...

As soon as the formation was completed, a thick mist rose from the positions of the eighteen ice bees, and a cold light shone brightly. Even though they were high in the sky, the chill still spread down to the spectators in the arena, causing many to feel a chill in their arms.

A hint of admiration flashed in Varaloka’s eyes. It seemed the opponent hadn’t used his full strength in the previous battle. The Snow Dance Formation of the ice bees could enhance their overall power by about 20-30%, not only offsetting the environmental disadvantage of Fire Mountain but even enhancing it.

In the cold light, all the ice bees turned their tails in unison. Without hesitation, Old Wang gave the order: “Machine gun squad! Fire!”

‘Biu, biu, biu, biu’

The cold air descended, and a dense rain of ice spikes fell from the sky. The numerous ice spikes, gleaming with a crystalline silver luster, converged into a cylindrical shape, like a massive ‘ice stick’ extending from the blazing sky, plunging down toward Varaloka and his Spirit Beast.

Despite the overwhelming attack, Varaloka didn’t move at all, showing no signs of soul power flowing through him. He simply stood there, watching the rain of ice spikes fall from the sky.

And in the next moment, whoosh...

A thick, muscular tail swept across, blocking above Varaloka’s head—it was the tail of the Fire Drake!

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

The ice spears instantly shot towards the Fire Drake, but instead of the sound of ice piercing flesh and bone, there was only the crisp clanging of metal.

The ice spears, sharp enough to pierce through Titan Devil Vines, were utterly ineffective against the Fire Drake’s back, which was like an iron mountain, and its scales, hard as armor. They shattered upon impact, like eggs hitting a rock.

Of course, the shattered ice fragments weren’t entirely harmless. The external damage from the ice spears was secondary; the real power lay in the concentrated cold energy that could freeze even a super-strong life form like the Titan Devil Vine when accumulated in sufficient quantity. However, their opponent was the Fire Drake...

At this moment, red light glowed on the Fire Drake’s body. The red soul crystals embedded in its armored back emitted intense heat. The already scattered ice fragments and cold energy were no match for this heat, instantly vaporizing into nothingness.

In the center of the ice spear attack, a large cloud of white steam rose, much like the famous 'Scorching Worker Hot Springs' on Mount Vulcan, radiating a comfortable temperature that was neither too hot nor too cold.

The Ice Bees continued their attack for about half a minute before entering a phase of fatigue. Wang Feng seemed to realize that such attacks were futile and finally ordered the Ice Bees to stop.

The first wave of attacks had been in vain, yet the Fire Drake below seemed far from satisfied. It shook off the white steam from its back and then let out a fierce, defiant roar with its crimson eyes and wide, wild mouth, directed at the Ice Bees in the air.

"Roar!"

The wild roar and the confident stance seemed to say, "What else have you got?" This made the disciples of the Fire Holy Sanctuary in the stands go wild with excitement, cheers and laughter filling the air.

Was there anything more uplifting than watching an enemy be defeated without lifting a finger, simply by having a Spirit Beast shake its tail? Was there anyone cooler than Captain Varaloka, who smiled faintly as his opponent’s strength turned to ashes?

The Fire Drake’s tail moved aside, and a slight smile played on Varaloka’s lips.

Wang Feng had his three tricks, but he had his three advantages. Besides the home-field advantage mentioned earlier, this was the second: the Spirit Beast advantage.

The Fire Drake was undoubtedly the bane of Wang Feng’s Ice Bees, meeting all the criteria previously discussed in the Holy Sanctuary’s Light for exploiting Wang Feng’s weaknesses. Its incredibly hard shell and scale-covered limbs provided it with an almost impenetrable defense, complemented by its high-temperature fire energy, making it especially effective against ice spears. Even if Wang Feng’s Ice Bees couldn’t break through its defenses, even a few Thunderclap Bombs would be powerless against the Fire Drake!

Just as he thought of Thunderclap Bombs, they began to rain down from above.