<p>Chapter 30: Fierce Battle</p>
<p>The brilliance of the “Sigh of the Ice River” re-emerged, and Angelica was surrounded by a faint crystalline blue glow, appearing as ethereal and sacred as the Goddess of Frost.</p>
<p>“Zheng——”</p>
<p>“Zheng——”</p>
<p>“Zheng——”</p>
<p>Accompanied by the crisp harmonics, magic elements akin to ice shavings splattered, and three palm-sized rings of light gathered around her, gradually enlarging. Each ring was entwined with intricate and luxurious incantations, floating slowly like snow spirits.</p>
<p>Three rings!</p>
<p>This was the pinnacle of a Mage; one step further would reach the realm of a Magic Scholar.</p>
<p>The three levels of Mage, Magic Scholar, and Grand Magic Scholar are each divided by three rings, and only by achieving nine rings can one become a Grand Magic Scholar, with a chance of advancing to Sorcerer.</p>
<p>Given the talent displayed by Angelica, she would at least start as a Grand Magic Scholar in the future, though she was still some distance from that realm.</p>
<p>Even so, the strength she had exhibited in the recent battle was overwhelming. If not for Shaya’s sudden outburst, it would have been hard to find anyone in the academy who could withstand such an attack.</p>
<p>After all, very few students in the entire academy had attained the realm of Mage, while the ranks of Apprentices and Sorcerers could only use techniques that were referred to as “spells,” not “magic,” and the difference between the two was vast.</p>
<p>When the three rings of the Mage appeared, a wave of astonishment arose from the audience.</p>
<p>Though they already knew about Angelica’s true strength, witnessing their peer demonstrating such prowess in the training arena was still quite shocking for them.</p>
<p>“Everfrost: Tide of Ice Thorns!”</p>
<p>Angelica softly chanted, her body gradually transforming into dreamlike ice shavings, appearing at the other end of the training arena.</p>
<p>Creating distance?</p>
<p>A wide-area magical attack?</p>
<p>Shaya’s mind instantly guessed the reason behind Angelica’s actions, looking down.</p>
<p>In the next moment, a glowing blue magical array suddenly emerged beneath his feet, inscribed with profound incantations and ritual patterns, rotating slowly as it expanded rapidly.</p>
<p>In just a breath, it encompassed an area of about seven to eight meters around Shaya.</p>
<p>Then, it suddenly illuminated!</p>
<p>“Boom!!!”</p>
<p>The explosive sound mixed with the sound of ice crystals shattering shook the entire arena, accompanied by countless ice shards flying, as dust was kicked up from the area where Shaya stood, followed by a surge of enormous glowing blue ice thorns erupting from beneath him, engulfing that area!</p>
<p>Like thorns that grew wildly, the chilling and flickering spikes surged unpredictably, as if a raging tide was pushing toward Shaya.</p>
<p>He drew a broad sword and leaped into the air, but those ice thorns seemed to possess a certain sentience, tracking the figure in the sky under their master’s control.</p>
<p>“Clang Clang Clang!!!”</p>
<p>Shaya gripped the half-meter-wide knight’s broadsword with both hands, swiftly striking out several beams of sword light that severed the incoming ice thorns in half.</p>
<p>Yet these ice thorns had some living characteristics akin to plants, absorbing the magic power within Angelica as they generated new ice thorns on the smooth surfaces created by the cuts!</p>
<p>Like a pack of sharks sensing blood, these sharp ice thorns tore through the air, quickly extending towards the airbound Shaya.</p>
<p>It was not an exaggeration to say that if he was hit by even one of the thorns, the next moment he would be surrounded by countless others, piercing every inch of his body!</p>
<p>Even a Grand Knight found it impossible to defy the basic laws of physics if there was no leverage in the air.</p>
<p>So, seconds later, his body inevitably began to fall downward.</p>
<p>At the same time, Angelica had already predicted his movements.</p>
<p>“Everfrost: Extreme Cold Bow!”</p>
<p>A flash of white light flickered, and in Angelica’s palm, a snow-white, transparent longbow — taller than herself — coalesced, resembling a perfectly carved gemstone, shimmering under the sun with an elusive misty white aura.</p>
<p>The bowstring was a faint glowing blue thread, which she gently pinched with her fingertip and pulled back.</p>
<p>Then, a stream of glowing blue magical power slowly gathered at the center of the Extreme Cold Bow, gradually forming a several-meter-long crystalline ice arrow, inscribed with intricate patterns that seemed to tremble, as if enormous magic power was compressed within it.</p>
<p>“Chi——!!!”</p>
<p>The sound of air exploding roared as the ice arrow shot forth from the Extreme Cold Bow toward the still-airborne Shaya, and in the blink of an eye, that frigid chill seemed poised to pierce through him!</p>
<p>Where the ice arrow passed, due to the rapid drop in temperature, frozen traces formed instantaneously on the ground and walls.</p>
<p>It was not an exaggeration to say that this move could be withstood by very few three-star Grand Knights, except for those who could dodge!</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Shaya, still suspended in the air, could not find leverage, with the ever-looming ice thorns before him and a blue shadow attacking from the side, leaving no room for retreat.</p>
<p>Was it over?</p>
<p>The spectators held their breath, seemingly forgetting that most had come to the training arena to see Shaya get beaten.</p>
<p>For them now, a newly emerged student had elevated the excitement of the battle by several notches.</p>
<p>Many in the audience even began to subtly hope that the next exchange would lead to an evenly matched fight.</p>
<p>But it seemed that this was a deadlock?</p>
<p>The next second, Shaya’s actions revealed the answer to everyone.</p>
<p>The [Veil of Concealment] stirred a wave of shadowy energy, and then he vanished from the air, like a stealthy assassin, slipping into the safe shadows cast by the ice thorns.</p>
<p>“Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang——”</p>
<p>Countless muffled thuds sounded as the wild-growing ice thorns drove into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.</p>
<p>At the same time, the ice arrow shot from the Extreme Cold Bow sliced through the very spot where Shaya had just been, immediately hitting the distant wall!</p>
<p>“Boom——”</p>
<p>Accompanied by the explosion, an ice mist flashing with myriad sparkles under the sunlight rumbled outward like a collapsing snow mountain!</p>
<p>“Crack Crack Crack Crack…”</p>
<p>Wherever the ice mist passed, whether on the ground, walls, or in the dust of the air, everything solidified into a mirror-like smooth ice surface under the absolute low temperature.</p>
<p>It was not the penetrating attack that people had imagined, but rather a wide-area freezing attack.</p>
<p>From a distance, about a quarter of the training arena had formed into a fan-shaped ice surface, gleaming brightly.</p>
<p>And this effect was caused by just one arrow!</p>
<p>One could fully imagine if Shaya had endured such an attack with his body; he would have instantly been frozen into a statue.</p>
<p>After a moment of silence, the entire audience erupted into unprecedented enthusiastic applause!</p>
<p>What a thrilling battle!</p>
<p>And the opponent was just two students who hadn’t even graduated; they doubted whether they would ever witness such an exciting showdown again in their lives.</p>
<p>In the distance, Xivista relaxed her expression and let out a slow breath.</p>
<p>On the other side, Tilius had already clenched his fists, standing in the audience, his face reddened as he watched the scene before him.</p>
<p>He wished the battling figure on the field was himself!</p>
<p>So thrilling, so exhilarating!</p>
<p>Seeing the silver-haired boy’s crazed actions, the members of the Blood Rose Association bore unfavorable expressions.</p>
<p>“Ancient enchanted object?” </p>
<p>Efi Dominique, leaning back with arms crossed, frowned, articulating his suspicion.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, many gazes were fixed on the center of the training arena, watching the spot where Shaya had vanished.</p>
<p>Accompanied by a ripple, Shaya slowly emerged from the shadow cast by the enormous ice thorns, glancing back at the effects created by Angelica, his expression calm.</p>
<p>In fact, during the initial battle, the [Veil of Concealment] had hardly been usable.</p>
<p>Now it was noon, and the sun was blazing; it was challenging to find shadows in the training arena. This rendered Shaya’s ancient enchanted object ineffective until Angelica initiated her attack, causing towering ice thorns to cast faint shadows on the ground.</p>
<p>And as long as there was a shadow, the [Veil of Concealment] could allow Shaya to move stealthily!</p>
<p>With this thought, Shaya looked towards Angelica in the distance and smiled, saying, “No matter how powerful the attack, if it doesn’t hit the target, it’s useless.”</p>
<p>Angelica’s face was slightly pale, seemingly exhausted after shooting that arrow, but she also broke into a smile, carrying a hint of subtle mockery.</p>
<p>“Explode.”</p>
<p>The brilliance of the “Sigh of the Ice River” re-emerged, and Angelica was surrounded by a faint crystalline blue glow, appearing as ethereal and sacred as the Goddess of Frost.</p>
<p>“Zheng——”</p>
<p>“Zheng——”</p>
<p>“Zheng——”</p>
<p>Accompanied by the crisp harmonics, magic elements akin to ice shavings splattered, and three palm-sized rings of light gathered around her, gradually enlarging. Each ring was entwined with intricate and luxurious incantations, floating slowly like snow spirits.</p>
<p>Three rings!</p>
<p>This was the pinnacle of a Mage; one step further would reach the realm of a Magic Scholar.</p>
<p>The three levels of Mage, Magic Scholar, and Grand Magic Scholar are each divided by three rings, and only by achieving nine rings can one become a Grand Magic Scholar, with a chance of advancing to Sorcerer.</p>
<p>Given the talent displayed by Angelica, she would at least start as a Grand Magic Scholar in the future, though she was still some distance from that realm.</p>
<p>Even so, the strength she had exhibited in the recent battle was overwhelming. If not for Shaya’s sudden outburst, it would have been hard to find anyone in the academy who could withstand such an attack.</p>
<p>After all, very few students in the entire academy had attained the realm of Mage, while the ranks of Apprentices and Sorcerers could only use techniques that were referred to as “spells,” not “magic,” and the difference between the two was vast.</p>
<p>When the three rings of the Mage appeared, a wave of astonishment arose from the audience.</p>
<p>Though they already knew about Angelica’s true strength, witnessing their peer demonstrating such prowess in the training arena was still quite shocking for them.</p>
<p>“Everfrost: Tide of Ice Thorns!”</p>
<p>Angelica softly chanted, her body gradually transforming into dreamlike ice shavings, appearing at the other end of the training arena.</p>
<p>Creating distance?</p>
<p>A wide-area magical attack?</p>
<p>Shaya’s mind instantly guessed the reason behind Angelica’s actions, looking down.</p>
<p>In the next moment, a glowing blue magical array suddenly emerged beneath his feet, inscribed with profound incantations and ritual patterns, rotating slowly as it expanded rapidly.</p>
<p>In just a breath, it encompassed an area of about seven to eight meters around Shaya.</p>
<p>Then, it suddenly illuminated!</p>
<p>“Boom!!!”</p>
<p>The explosive sound mixed with the sound of ice crystals shattering shook the entire arena, accompanied by countless ice shards flying, as dust was kicked up from the area where Shaya stood, followed by a surge of enormous glowing blue ice thorns erupting from beneath him, engulfing that area!</p>
<p>Like thorns that grew wildly, the chilling and flickering spikes surged unpredictably, as if a raging tide was pushing toward Shaya.</p>
<p>He drew a broad sword and leaped into the air, but those ice thorns seemed to possess a certain sentience, tracking the figure in the sky under their master’s control.</p>
<p>“Clang Clang Clang!!!”</p>
<p>Shaya gripped the half-meter-wide knight’s broadsword with both hands, swiftly striking out several beams of sword light that severed the incoming ice thorns in half.</p>
<p>Yet these ice thorns had some living characteristics akin to plants, absorbing the magic power within Angelica as they generated new ice thorns on the smooth surfaces created by the cuts!</p>
<p>Like a pack of sharks sensing blood, these sharp ice thorns tore through the air, quickly extending towards the airbound Shaya.</p>
<p>It was not an exaggeration to say that if he was hit by even one of the thorns, the next moment he would be surrounded by countless others, piercing every inch of his body!</p>
<p>Even a Grand Knight found it impossible to defy the basic laws of physics if there was no leverage in the air.</p>
<p>So, seconds later, his body inevitably began to fall downward.</p>
<p>At the same time, Angelica had already predicted his movements.</p>
<p>“Everfrost: Extreme Cold Bow!”</p>
<p>A flash of white light flickered, and in Angelica’s palm, a snow-white, transparent longbow — taller than herself — coalesced, resembling a perfectly carved gemstone, shimmering under the sun with an elusive misty white aura.</p>
<p>The bowstring was a faint glowing blue thread, which she gently pinched with her fingertip and pulled back.</p>
<p>Then, a stream of glowing blue magical power slowly gathered at the center of the Extreme Cold Bow, gradually forming a several-meter-long crystalline ice arrow, inscribed with intricate patterns that seemed to tremble, as if enormous magic power was compressed within it.</p>
<p>“Chi——!!!”</p>
<p>The sound of air exploding roared as the ice arrow shot forth from the Extreme Cold Bow toward the still-airborne Shaya, and in the blink of an eye, that frigid chill seemed poised to pierce through him!</p>
<p>Where the ice arrow passed, due to the rapid drop in temperature, frozen traces formed instantaneously on the ground and walls.</p>
<p>It was not an exaggeration to say that this move could be withstood by very few three-star Grand Knights, except for those who could dodge!</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Shaya, still suspended in the air, could not find leverage, with the ever-looming ice thorns before him and a blue shadow attacking from the side, leaving no room for retreat.</p>
<p>Was it over?</p>
<p>The spectators held their breath, seemingly forgetting that most had come to the training arena to see Shaya get beaten.</p>
<p>For them now, a newly emerged student had elevated the excitement of the battle by several notches.</p>
<p>Many in the audience even began to subtly hope that the next exchange would lead to an evenly matched fight.</p>
<p>But it seemed that this was a deadlock?</p>
<p>The next second, Shaya’s actions revealed the answer to everyone.</p>
<p>The [Veil of Concealment] stirred a wave of shadowy energy, and then he vanished from the air, like a stealthy assassin, slipping into the safe shadows cast by the ice thorns.</p>
<p>“Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang——”</p>
<p>Countless muffled thuds sounded as the wild-growing ice thorns drove into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.</p>
<p>At the same time, the ice arrow shot from the Extreme Cold Bow sliced through the very spot where Shaya had just been, immediately hitting the distant wall!</p>
<p>“Boom——”</p>
<p>Accompanied by the explosion, an ice mist flashing with myriad sparkles under the sunlight rumbled outward like a collapsing snow mountain!</p>
<p>“Crack Crack Crack Crack…”</p>
<p>Wherever the ice mist passed, whether on the ground, walls, or in the dust of the air, everything solidified into a mirror-like smooth ice surface under the absolute low temperature.</p>
<p>It was not the penetrating attack that people had imagined, but rather a wide-area freezing attack.</p>
<p>From a distance, about a quarter of the training arena had formed into a fan-shaped ice surface, gleaming brightly.</p>
<p>And this effect was caused by just one arrow!</p>
<p>One could fully imagine if Shaya had endured such an attack with his body; he would have instantly been frozen into a statue.</p>
<p>After a moment of silence, the entire audience erupted into unprecedented enthusiastic applause!</p>
<p>What a thrilling battle!</p>
<p>And the opponent was just two students who hadn’t even graduated; they doubted whether they would ever witness such an exciting showdown again in their lives.</p>
<p>In the distance, Xivista relaxed her expression and let out a slow breath.</p>
<p>On the other side, Tilius had already clenched his fists, standing in the audience, his face reddened as he watched the scene before him.</p>
<p>He wished the battling figure on the field was himself!</p>
<p>So thrilling, so exhilarating!</p>
<p>Seeing the silver-haired boy’s crazed actions, the members of the Blood Rose Association bore unfavorable expressions.</p>
<p>“Ancient enchanted object?” </p>
<p>Efi Dominique, leaning back with arms crossed, frowned, articulating his suspicion.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, many gazes were fixed on the center of the training arena, watching the spot where Shaya had vanished.</p>
<p>Accompanied by a ripple, Shaya slowly emerged from the shadow cast by the enormous ice thorns, glancing back at the effects created by Angelica, his expression calm.</p>
<p>In fact, during the initial battle, the [Veil of Concealment] had hardly been usable.</p>
<p>Now it was noon, and the sun was blazing; it was challenging to find shadows in the training arena. This rendered Shaya’s ancient enchanted object ineffective until Angelica initiated her attack, causing towering ice thorns to cast faint shadows on the ground.</p>
<p>And as long as there was a shadow, the [Veil of Concealment] could allow Shaya to move stealthily!</p>
<p>With this thought, Shaya looked towards Angelica in the distance and smiled, saying, “No matter how powerful the attack, if it doesn’t hit the target, it’s useless.”</p>
<p>Angelica’s face was slightly pale, seemingly exhausted after shooting that arrow, but she also broke into a smile, carrying a hint of subtle mockery.</p>
<p>“Explode.”</p>
