The Destruction Demon Lord roared unwillingly.
Flames on its body surged as if going mad.
The stars in the sky appeared and disappeared, seemingly maintaining a precarious balance with the Destruction Demon Lord.
Just when Ice Princess felt a bit relieved.
"Hehe, you're very weak now."
Accompanied by a silver bell-like voice, a figure appeared out of nowhere and rushed towards Ice Princess like a ghost.
A brutal punch struck Ice Princess in the abdomen, sending her flying without any defense.
In mid-air, Ice Princess coughed up blood. She struggled to activate wind magic to regain balance and barely managed to land on the ground.
The shadow that attacked Ice Princess grinned maliciously and once again charged towards her!
Ice Princess's eyelids drooped, blood continuously flowing from the corners of her mouth.Her body swayed severely, clearly indicating that her body's burden was reaching its limit.
Even though she spotted the enemy, she was powerless to dodge. So, she was kicked fiercely in the chest again. She rolled several times on the icy surface before coming to a stop.
"Hu... Hu..."
Ice Princess laid on the icy surface, making an effort to lift herself, attempting to see the face of her enemy.
But before she could raise her heavily burdened head, Isabel, the trusted aide of the Cardinal of Ruin, appeared in front of her.
With crossed hands, Isabel lifted her foot and stomped on the Ice Princess's head before looking down at her.
"The dignified Lady Ice Princess has become as obedient as a ball?"
Isabel chuckled and then spoke again, "Release the Destruction Demon Lord and I'll let you go, alright?"
"Never..."
Even though her head was pressed against the icy surface, Ice Princess's voice remained cold and resolute.
"Heh."
Isabel sneered, withdrew her foot, and then kicked the Ice Princess again. She took out several spell cards and pointed them at the Ice Princess.
Ice Princess felt her consciousness spinning again as she was sent flying.
However, as soon as she landed on the ground, her entire body was enveloped in a toxic mist.
The poisonous mist wasn't fire, but it burned like flames. The dreadful toxin enveloped the Ice Princess, consuming her like raging fire.
"Ahhh...!"
Ice Princess screamed in agony, desperately rolling on the icy surface. The poison easily corroded the snow and ice, turning it into a deep purple hue.
Ice Princess struggled to purify the toxins with her magical powers. However, as soon as she recovered from the poison, she was shrouded in a black light. This time, her entire body seemed surrounded by sickness, pushing her closer to the brink of collapse amid the already immense pain.
Collapsed on the ground, Ice Princess couldn't muster the strength to stand. Terrifying scars marred her face, and even her left eye had lost its original shape due to Isabel’s severe attacks.
Under Isabel's relentless assaults, Ice Princess was nearly crippled and completely lost her ability to fight. She clung to the last vestiges of strength, tightly gripping her chained staff, refusing to let go of the suppression on the Destruction Demon Lord.
Isabel approached again, exerting tremendous force as she stepped on Ice Princess's stomach, causing her to forcefully cough up blood tainted with toxins. The sound of ice shattering echoed around Ice Princess.
Already at the end of her strength, Ice Princess felt as if her entire body was on the verge of breaking apart.
"Release the suppression on the Destruction Demon Lord now," Isabel sneered, twisting her foot on Ice Princess, mocking her.
"Never..."
Ice Princess's voice was faint, resembling a dreamlike murmur, as if it could fade away at any moment. Yet, her tone still held a stubbornness to resist until the end.
"Well, then, I'll kill you first. Release it now."
"I won't...!"
"Hahaha!"
Hearing Ice Princess's response, Isabel couldn't contain her pleasure any longer. It seemed as if she had suppressed herself for too long and finally found the joy of freeing her inner desires.
Isabel squatted down, lifting Ice Princess's chin with a mocking smirk.
"Don't worry. After I enslave you, you'll witness Tristin City being decimated by the Cardinal's Destruction Demon Lord."
"Furthermore, I will order you to proceed to the Tristin Magic Academy and slaughter each and every person there with your own hands!"
"Consider this my gift to you, my future Miss Slave."
As Isabel spoke, she waved the "Blood Pact Incantation" card in front of the Ice Princess.
"Ugh..."
Ice Princess struggled to open her right eye, identifying the effects of this epic spell card. When she got the result, her lips began to tremble.
The once somewhat scattered pupils now constricted in fear.
"No, no!!"
Ice Princess's trembling voice couldn't control her sobbing. She seemed to contemplate taking her own life to end it all.
But before she could act, Isabel used another spell card to paralyze Ice Princess's senses.
Ice Princess became completely immobile.
Isabel sneered and said, "By the way, did you really think a tier 8 powerhouse would come to save you later? Think about why Lord Evans didn't come personally to deal with you."
"..."
In Ice Princess's already dim pupils, something seemed to have extinguished completely at the moment she heard Isabel's words. In that instant, she understood.
The reason Cardinal of Ruin, Evans, didn't come was simple - he had gone to delay other potential tier 8 reinforcements.
Ice Princess wanted to hold out until tier 8 help arrived, but the time might be much longer than she expected.
And now, except for the tier 8 experts' arrival, no one could salvage this situation on the verge of collapse.
It was already a complete deadlock.
"Ahahaha! Your expression is priceless. If it weren't for the mission being crucial, I could enjoy this for a very long time."
Isabel lightly tapped the card face of the "Blood Pact Incantation."
She unleashed the enslavement spell on the Ice Princess, who had lost her combat capabilities.
A crimson dusk-themed barrier unfolded.
The blood-colored light curtain immediately enveloped Isabel and the Ice Princess.
Above the space between the two, three differently shaped black crosses appeared.
These three crosses obviously corresponded to three questions—
True name, race, gender.
"True name: Artemis."
Isabel chuckled as she pronounced Ice Princess's real name.
The crosses in the sky remained motionless.
It seemed that the process required all answers from the initiator of the spell before the three crosses would indicate correctness or error, leading to the final covenant result.
"Race: Half-elf."
Upon hearing this, the last trace of hope in Ice Princess's heart shattered. If the other party had uncovered her true name, there was naturally no suspense about her race and gender. She had no capital for any struggle.
"Someone help..."
Ice Princess sobbed. She hadn't cried in over a hundred years. Now, all she could do was pray to the gods. If there was anyone who could help her, even a devil, she would welcome them.
Isabel, looking at the Ice Princess's pitiful praying expression, was highly satisfied. Her voice became more cheerful as she shouted, "Gender..."
However, Isabel's third sentence was abruptly cut off before she could finish it. Isabel: "???"
She covered her throat, with a face full of doubt about life, as if she was trying hard to complete the last sentence but couldn't produce any sound, despite her efforts.
Though unsure of what had happened, Isabel's mind immediately associated it with a scoundrel from the underworld! It must be that damned Dekan causing trouble in the shadows!
