Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

"Hahahaha! Speak of the devil, and he shall appear!" Zehir's cold laughter echoed throughout the battlefield, causing everyone to back away from him. His chilling laughter was like a frosty wind, making the hearts of his own men shudder.

He swept his silvery gaze over the battlefield, staring at the newly arrived reinforcements of the Battle Maiden Sect. His eyes locked onto a specific figure at the forefront - a woman more beautiful than anyone he'd ever seen.

"The cowardly fox has finally decided to show her face! I was afraid I'd never get to finish our previous match." Zehir taunted, his deep voice carrying across the battlefield.

Mira's ethereal figure soon came into view. Her multi-colored tails swung around wildly like they each had minds of their own. Her icy-blue hair fluttered against the wind, and her crimson eyes narrowed in on Zehir.

Beside her, Nova, Seraphina, Everly, and Eden stood their ground, their auras fluctuating and rage emanating from their beings as they stared at the devastation around them. Each of them was much stronger than three months ago, making at least one breakthrough in their cultivation.

They'd caught up with Mira at the Sect, sharing their experiences and trials during her time in the Forbidden Forest. Now reunited and ready for battle, they stood as a united front, prepared to face the onslaught of the Crimson Slayer Sect with the Outer, Inner, and Core Disciples from the main Sect that Aelina had gathered.

Unfazed by Zehir's provocation, Mira's frown transformed into a slight smile, and she responded calmly, "It seems you've been lazing around, little dragon. You haven't gotten any stronger since we last met."

Mira ignored the blazing, vengeful eyes of her companions and the landscape filled with nothing but blood and death, focusing solely on the man in front of her.

Truthfully, she didn't have much of a grudge against him. If anything, she had a rather good impression of the man. He didn't look at her with lust or other desires like other men. All he wanted was a good battle, something to cure his boredom.

Zehir's expression turned ugly after hearing Mira call him a "Little Dragon", and he stared at Mira for a moment before he took out his sword, channeling Qi into it, using the familiar [Dragon's Wrath] technique that he used toward the end of their last battle.

Then, with a sickening crack, the man's spine split open, and a pair of glossy black wings burst forth from his back. Using his movement technique, [Dragon's Flight], he shot toward Mira with supersonic speed, going so fast that anyone below the Soul Transformation Realm shouldn't be able to keep up with him.

*BOOOOM!*

The resulting shockwave from their clash sent tremors through the earth, shaking the very foundation of the battlefield. Mira's feet sunk into the ground as she grounded herself against the tremendous force of Zehir's strike with her scythe.

"Starting strong from the beginning, Zehir? It seems you're quite eager." Mira's calm voice echoed out, a stark contrast to the violence of their clash.

Just as Zehir was about to attack again, Mira's companions moved to join the fight, their faces showing intense worry for their friend. However, they were stopped in their tracks when Mira raised a hand, signaling them to halt.

"Stay back." Her voice was as cold as ice. "This fight is mine."

Nova, Everly, Eden, and Seraphina exchanged a glance. They were hesitant, but they recognized the determined glint in Mira's eyes and understood that she wanted to face this challenge alone.

"Are you sure?" Seraphina voiced their concern, her eyes still locked on Zehir.

"I am," Mira said, her gaze never leaving Zehir.

A tense silence hung in the air before Nova sighed heavily and nodded. "Alright, we trust you, Mira. We'll handle the rest of the Crimson Slayer Sect."

As Mira's companions began to lead their forces against the remainder of the Crimson Slayer Sect, she focused back on her enemy.

"I hope you're ready, Zehir," Mira declared, gripping her scythe tightly and pointing it at him. "This time, there won't be any reason for me to leave halfway."

Zehir smirked before laughing wildly, his wings flapping, creating gusts of winds that disturbed the blood-soaked soil beneath them. "Hahaha! That's right! That's how a true fight should be! With neither one of us holding back!"

With a thought, his wings fluttered so hard that the ground beneath him cracked, sending him straight to Mira before she could even blink.

"Try not to disappoint me, Mira."

He let out a primal roar as his body was engulfed in a torrent of black flames. His sword, wreathed in flames, slammed against Mira with the force of a dragon.

The force of Zehir's flaming onslaught descended upon Mira, the sheer intensity causing the air around them to distort and waver. However, Mira's calm demeanor remained unchanged, as if she was facing an unruly breeze rather than a dragon's fury.

With a fluid motion, she spun her scythe, invoking the [Ice Titan's Fortress] technique. A protective barrier of frost formed around her in an instant, its chilling radiance contrasting against the violent flames. The battlefield fell into a deadly silence as fire and ice clashed, steam billowing out from the point of contact.

"No need to worry, Zehir," Mira called out, her voice tinged with a hint of excitement. "I won't disappoint you."

'I can finally put the techniques I learned at the Sect's libraries to good use,' Mira thought, her smile widening. She didn't even register the fact that she might expose some of her secrets to the world. However, even if she did think of that, she wouldn't care.

With her current strength and backing, why would she need to hide her capabilities? Not to mention, it was her tails that were her real trump cards. As long as those weren't known publicly, the rest hardly mattered.

She just wanted to have a good fight.

She then swiftly changed her stance, launching her second offensive, [Lightning Decree]. With a sweeping motion of her scythe, a barrage of light blue lightning bolts crackled through the air, a stark contrast against the fiery onslaught, surging towards Zehir with unyielding resolve.

Unrelenting, Mira pivoted her body, her tails swaying gracefully as she invoked her next technique, [Earthshaker's Strike]. A surge of earthen power traveled down her scythe, causing the ground to erupt beneath Zehir, shards of rock and dirt aiming to impale him.

His wings beating even more frantically, Zehir barely managed to dodge the earthen spears. He glared at Mira, his eyes seething with fury yet also glowing with excitement. It had been a long time since a battle was so thrilling.

Mira didn't give him any reprieve. Seizing the momentary advantage, she transitioned her offensive, her scythe now imbued with [Galeforce Scepter], whipping up a fierce windstorm that further obscured Zehir's field of vision.

"Mira," Zehir's voice rang out amidst the chaotic scene, a hint of respect seeping into his words. "You truly are more formidable than I thought. This is the fight I've been seeking!"

Her eyes sparkled with a feral intensity, her smile mirroring Zehir's excitement. "This is just the beginning, Zehir."

The battlefield around them seemed to warp under the sheer intensity of their fight as if reality itself was bending to their wills. The forces of both the Battle Maiden Sect and the Crimson Slayer Sect halted their battles, their gazes drawn towards the epic clash of the two titans in their midst.

"Eyes on the enemy!" Nova shouted, rallying the Battle Maiden Sect. Despite her words, she herself couldn't help but sneak glances at the duel, her heart pounding with concern and admiration. She wished she could trade places with Mira and participate in such a high-speed fight!

Just as Nova shouted her command, Zehir abruptly disengaged from Mira, disappearing from her sight in the blink of an eye. He reappeared a moment later behind her, a malicious grin on his face. With a swift slash of his sword, he unleashed the [Dragon's Inferno], sending a wave of blazing fire toward Mira.

Caught off guard, Mira received a heavy hit, the fiery blaze singing her tails and sending her crashing into the ground. However, as Zehir looked on, expecting to see Mira struggling to get up, the smoke cleared to reveal her standing tall, her injuries already healing at an accelerated rate.

"Nice trick, Zehir," Mira retorted, her crimson eyes shining brightly as she unleashed her Yin Fire. The icy-blue flames, as cold as the depths of the void, surged forward, clashing with Zehir's fiery onslaught.

Zehir was momentarily stunned by the chilling coldness of her Yin Fire, a stark contrast to the blistering heat of his own flames. However, he quickly regained his composure, pushing back with his Dragon's Breath. In the next instant, the battlefield was awash with fiery light as the two opposing flames met, causing a massive explosion that sent a shockwave of air outward.

The shockwave pushed back the onlookers, forcing both sides to retreat further from the epicenter of their battle. Soldiers who were too close to the clash and couldn't escape in time were blasted away, their screams cut short as they perished in the explosive force.

Meanwhile, Mira and Zehir continued their fight, oblivious to the devastation around them. Mira summoned her [Whispering Wind] technique, using the gusts of air to propel herself out of the shockwave's radius. Zehir, on the other hand, utilized [Dragon's Flight], his wings beating furiously as he flew against the wave, closing the distance between him and Mira.

With a swift spin of her scythe, Mira conjured up her [Abyssal Quake], slamming the butt of her weapon into the ground. The earth quivered, and a wave of dark energy erupted from beneath Zehir's feet, launching him into the sky.

Mira took this momentary advantage to launch her [Vortex of the Tempest], summoning a raging storm that swirled around Zehir, trapping him within its maelstrom. Lightning danced among the raging winds, each strike threatening to pierce his skin.

Despite this, Zehir's roar echoed through the raging winds, his figure visibly sagging in the tempest yet undeterred. "You'll have to do better than this, Mira!"

His wings flared open, shining with a strange light. He drove his sword into the eye of the storm, channeling his energy into it. The [Dragon's Reprisal] technique was unleashed, and a shockwave of energy exploded from him, clashing against the tempest.

Zehir's shockwave tore through the tempest, splitting the raging winds apart, forcing the storm to dissipate. His black wings gleamed ominously, brimming with renewed strength, as he descended back towards Mira.

Watching this display, Mira's eyes narrowed, acknowledging the man's relentless determination. She recognized that this battle wasn't going to be won easily. The icy-cold calmness she'd carried since the start of the fight started to dissolve, replaced by a fierce determination.

With a firm resolve, she rose to meet Zehir mid-air. A chilly aura enveloped her body, her nine tails radiating an eerie glow. She released her [Elemental Barrier], a defense technique she had learned during her training in the Forbidden Forest that combined all her elements into one, creating a shield around her. Her crimson eyes glowed fiercely, a clear warning of her impending attack.

In response, Zehir laughed, the sound echoing through the chaotic battlefield. "Finally! Now you're taking me seriously! Let's see how your best stacks up against mine!"

With that, the true battle commenced. The forces of fire and ice, the dance of the dragon and the fox all merged into an epic spectacle that held everyone on the battlefield spellbound.