Ruyue's spear cut through the air like paper, creating a harsh screeching noise as it burst toward the 12th Elder's face.
Although the 12th Elder was still flabbergasted at what Rose had done to her Ice Lotus, the encroaching sense of death emanating from the incoming spear managed to wake her up.
She hurriedly waved her hand, creating a large ice wall made up of countless hexagonal pieces. Of course, this wall was infused with the power of Ice Laws, so even though it was clumsily put together, its strength couldn't be underestimated.
SCREEEEEEEEEECH!
Ruyue's spear rotated on its own axis as it moved, and what impacted the wall was a rapidly spinning disc emanating white and black light, when the two forces came into contact, an array of sparks rained down on the ground below.
Out of nowhere, a large fire started. Seeing this, Rose flicked her wrist, utilizing her illusion affinity to banish it before it could spread and cause too much collateral damage.
They were still outside the Empyrean Dragon Realm, after all. Even if they had retreated far away, there was still a chance that the present uninvolved parties could be implicated if they fought recklessly.
Perhaps it was this thought in the back of everyone's minds that made sure the scale of this battle didn't reach a level they couldn't come back from. Even if they were fighting in life or death, they didn't use large-scale area attacks very often.
Rose shook her head and returned her attention to the fight at hand. She couldn't get distracted while supporting her dear little sister.
The clash between the spear and ice wall didn't just create sparks. The heat generated by the spear's motion interacted with the chill of the ice wall, creating a cloud of steam that impaired both Ruyue and the 12th Elder's vision.
But could Ruyue be held back by mere steam? Her eyes glowed golden, allowing her to see the outlines of those in her surroundings.
The 12th Elder, her spear, the ice wall, even Rose, who left for a second to talk to Damien, they were all clear in her eyes.
"Watch…!" Ruyue almost yelled out, but stopped herself.
A massive boulder had appeared above Rose's head while she was distracted. Surprisingly, it wasn't even an attack from the 12th Elder. Rather, it was collateral damage from one of the other fights taking place.
But before she could even be worried, Rose had already dealt with the danger in front of her. Ruyue smiled wryly and returned her focus to her own battle.
'Now, while she's distracted.' Ruyue's figure flashed away. The Blood Moon in the sky behind her rotated, sending out beams of light that showered her body and empowered her.
Within a second, she was behind the 12th Elder, her aura hidden as far as she could do so.
But the 12th Elder wasn't a fool either. Listening to her instincts, she turned around and slashed her arm at Ruyue, threatening to cut the latter in two.
But she was already too late. Ruyue held her hand out, causing a formless essence that radiated an aura of extinction to shoot out from her fingertips.
'Erasure.'
The attack was never meant to be aimed at the 12th Elder. The second she cast Erasure, Ruyue backed away, using Iceflames to propel her and evade the 12th Elder's attack.
At the same time, a flurry of lunar energy beams and iceflames barraged the 12th Elder. And it was at that moment that Erasure found its target.
The negative aspect of Yin, and most likely its most powerful effect, the ability to erase anything from existence. It was a move that Ruyue created long ago, but needed stringent conditions to use.
Plus, even when used, there wasn't a high chance of success. After all, it was far too powerful of a concept for her to be using wantonly at her power level. It was only her monstrous talent that allowed her to discover it so early.
But this time, when Erasure impacted the ice wall, its effect rang true. Within seconds, the entire ice wall was banished from existence. Even though it was powered by Ice Laws, it couldn't resist the strong persuasion of such disastrous yin.
BANG!
Ruyue's spear charged through the now-empty space like a raging bull. The effects of Drifting Moon turned it into a deadly weapon with far more cutting power than it would have normally.
And while the 12th Elder was busy fending off the barrage of beam attacks Ruyue sent out earlier…
Spurt!
The rotating spear cleanly cut through her shoulder and returned to Ruyue's hands. A fountain of blood sprayed from the wound as the 12th Elder's arm fell to the floor.
Whoosh!
A sudden wind picked up out of nowhere. It gathered around the severed arm and sliced it into pieces. A few tens of meters away from Ruyue and the 12th Elder, Rose smiled mischievously.
'Can't let that arm get reattached now, can we?'
Seeing her expression, Ruyue smiled too. She truly was a trusty support. However, before she could exchange words with Rose, she was forced to twist her body as an overwhelming sense of danger encroached on her.
"Y-YOU SLUT! HOW DARE YOU?!"
A sword of ice appeared above the 12th Elder's palm and shot at Ruyue. Despite her grand words, the size of the sword wasn't large at all.
But perhaps that's what made it even more frightening. Due to its small size and rapid movement, Ruyue couldn't track it with her senses at all.
Although she managed to dodge in instinct, the sword still managed to graze her side, leaving a cold blueish-purple gash that didn't seem like it would heal any time soon.
"Keuk…" Ruyue gritted her teeth in pain. This attack wasn't like her previous injury at all. She could clearly feel the foreign mana invading her body and trying to freeze her from the inside.
'I need to end this quick.'
She gripped her spear tightly and moved. Rose appeared behind her, green and colorless manas raging around her as she prepared to handle any unforeseen circumstances.
Ruyue charged without worry. She lifted her spear and unknowingly entered a state of extreme concentration. Unconsciously, she approached the 12th Elder with awkward and unpredictable movements.
Seeing her rush in even though she was being obviously corroded from the inside, the 12th Elder's face turned green.
Why was this bitch so powerful at such a low level?! Why was her beauty so much greater than my own?! Why was she able to escape the horrible fate of a woman from the Xue Clan, while I was forced to embrace it for the sake of power?!
The 12th Elder's fury and envy melded into a flurry of emotions that could no longer be held back. Her mouth opened and she let out something akin to a roar.
"YOU ARE COURTING DEATH!"
"Ooooh! She said it! She said the thing!"
With Ruyue in a state of extreme concentration and the 12th Elder consumed by her negative emotions, only Rose was still in a mental state to notice Damien's excited interruption, but even she wasn't in a position to respond.
Ruyue's eyes were blank. Her golden irises seemed to have disappeared in a sea of white. Inside her mind, a spear movement was repeating over and over again in an endless cycle.
As she approached the 12th Elder in the real world, her mouth opened subconsciously.
"Moon Goddess Spear Art Sixth Form: Distorted Moonlight."
