Chapter 189: A Plan To Stall

Chapter 189: Chapter 189: A Plan To Stall

The moment Damon sensed the attacks against Shiro’s Ice Wall had come to a stop, he stopped thinking about defense.

He already knew where everyone was.

Sylphie’s report had given him the positions of the attackers, and that was enough.

"Shiro, take the wall down."

Shiro immediately obeyed.

The Ice Wall vanished.

The attackers had clearly expected another barrage against the barrier.

Instead, the sudden disappearance left them exposed.

Damon moved first.

"Now."

Freya shot forward in a streak of silver lightning.

Caelia followed.

Snow disappeared into the nearest group of enemies, while Sylphie swept through the air and sent sharp blades of wind toward the ones trying to spread out.

Shiro stayed behind them.

He didn’t rush.

He watched.

Then he raised one paw.

Ice spread across the ground.

Several attackers tried to move, only to find their feet caught in the frozen surface.

Damon glanced ahead.

There were more than he had expected.

At least twice their number.

And their movements were too organized for a group of ordinary bandits.

And Damon recognized their clothes.

The same dark clothing.

The same masks.

The same people who had attacked him in the Frostveil Expanse.

So they had followed him here.

Or, more accurately, they had been waiting for him.

"Interesting."

Damon smiled slightly.

One of the masked men noticed him.

"Don’t let them through!"

Several attackers immediately changed direction.

"Hold them here!"

"Keep the Ice Qilin occupied!"

"Don’t let the boy move ahead!"

Damon’s eyes narrowed.

There it was.

The real objective.

They weren’t trying to kill them.

They were trying to stall them.

Sylphie’s voice came through the bond.

Several more are ahead.

Damon’s expression sharpened.

They’re moving toward the Floating Ruin.

That confirmed it.

They were in a race.

The group in front was already moving toward the place Sylphie had been investigating, while these people had been left behind to slow Damon down.

It was a good plan.

Especially after watching them for days.

They had waited until Damon and the others were resting.

They had chosen a location where the terrain made it difficult to see them coming.

They had attacked while everyone was relaxed.

It was well thought out.

Damon couldn’t help but appreciate that.

"They’ve done their homework."

Caelia heard him.

"You recognize them?"

"Yes."

She looked at the masked attackers.

"The people from Frostveil?"

Damon nodded.

"Same group."

Caelia’s expression hardened.

"Then they know about the Zone Heart."

"That’s what I’m thinking."

Damon’s eyes moved across the battlefield.

Twice now, these people had appeared around a Zone Heart.

That was too much to be a coincidence.

They weren’t ordinary bandits.

They knew what Damon was looking for.

They knew something about the Zone Heart.

And they clearly didn’t want him reaching it.

That made Damon more interested than worried.

There was something behind all of this.

Something bigger.

If he captured these people alive, he might finally get some answers.

"Don’t kill them all."

Caelia looked at him.

"You want to question them?"

"Exactly."

Damon pointed ahead.

"They know something."

A masked man suddenly appeared behind Caelia.

"Die!"

His sword came down.

Caelia turned.

Before she could react, Snow struck from the side.

The attack sent the man flying.

Caelia glanced at Snow.

"Thanks."

Snow growled proudly.

Caelia smiled.

"Let’s finish this quickly."

The battlefield exploded again.

The masked group had prepared well.

They weren’t weak.

Several of them worked together in pairs, using one person to distract while the other attacked from behind.

Some used Wind Arts to increase their movement speed.

Others released Lightning Arts that spread across the ground, trying to limit Freya’s movements.

One group even used a binding formation to trap Snow.

It lasted less than three seconds.

Snow tore through it with her claws.

The attackers froze.

"How strong is that Frost Lynx?"

They had clearly expected the reports to be exaggerated.

They were wrong.

Snow moved through them before they could react.

Her evolved body gave her speed that they couldn’t follow.

She struck one attacker across the chest, spun around, and knocked another into a tree.

Caelia didn’t waste the opening.

"Ice Edge."

The blade of ice formed along her weapon.

She cut through the man’s escape route and forced him toward Snow.

Snow understood immediately.

She pounced.

The masked man barely managed to raise his arms before Snow slammed him into the ground.

Caelia looked at her.

"Nice."

Snow’s tail lifted.

Damon watched from behind them.

He didn’t need to interfere.

They had already found their rhythm.

Freya was even more overwhelming.

She moved between the attackers before they could coordinate.

Silver lightning flashed around her nine tails.

Every time someone tried to surround her, one tail struck.

Every time someone attempted to retreat, another blocked the path.

She wasn’t wasting movement.

She was simply too fast.

One attacker gathered Aether into both hands.

"Lightning Spear!"

A spear of lightning shot toward Freya.

She tilted her body.

The attack passed by.

Her eyes flashed.

The next moment, she was already in front of him.

He didn’t even get the chance to raise his weapon.

A burst of silver lightning sent him crashing into the ground.

Sylphie was no different.

She stayed above the battlefield, cutting off escape routes with blades of wind.

Whenever someone tried to move around the main group, Sylphie pushed them back.

Damon didn’t even have to tell her where to attack.

She already understood.

Shiro was the one controlling the entire battlefield.

His new strength was becoming obvious.

Ice spread from his paws in every direction.

It wasn’t simply freezing the ground.

It was controlling movement.

One attacker stepped left, and a wall of ice rose there.

Another tried to retreat. An ice pillar appeared behind him.

A third jumped into the air.

Shiro looked up.

Ice chains shot upward quickly, dragging the man back down.

Damon watched quietly.

"You’re getting good at this.".

Shiro looked toward him.

A faint cold mist escaped his nose.

Then another group charged.

Shiro raised his head.

"Don’t kill them."

Damon pointed at the attackers.

"Keep them alive."