Chapter 182: Cross-Tier Combat

Chapter 182: Cross-Tier Combat

“Frost Domain!”

In an instant, a thick layer of ice spread across the ground centered around Airael.

The already chilly northern weather became even colder as the frost permeated the air.

Near some soldiers dressed too lightly, shivers became evident as they hugged themselves for warmth.

Mork’s forward march halted at the edge of the Frost Domain.

Such a petty Frost Domain could never stop his advance.

A warrior of Mork’s caliber possessed excellent balance; the smooth ice beneath him was no obstacle, nor did the chilling air have any significant impact on him.

However, Mork clearly understood that the Frost Domain was a range-enhancing skill.

Creating an unwalkable surface was secondary; the real threat lay in the ice magic empowered by the Frost Domain.

Those ice spells would grow much stronger and far more troublesome.

Once he stepped into the Frost Domain, he would lose some of his initiative.

Unless he could recklessly dash toward Airael for an attack.

But alas, he was not one of those tough-skinned orc warriors.

Even charging wouldn’t give him the same formidable power as the towering orcs.

Mork paused, but Cain pressed on without a second thought.

His gaze was fixated on Mork, his lance recharged and ready to strike.

He looked determined to pierce a hole right through Mork.

The Frost Domain in front of him rapidly expanded while Cain charged from behind, placing Mork in a seemingly dire situation.

Yet, in the next moment, Mork suddenly vanished from his position.

With his target gone, Cain’s pupils dilated. He steered his mount while anxiously scanning the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mork.

Through Cain’s eyes, he noticed a figure darting toward him at a speed so quick it was almost impossible to track.

His attack target switched from Airael to Cain.

While mages could be quite a headache to deal with, Mork realized that with Airael activating the Frost Domain, taking her down wouldn’t be that easy.

In such moments, focusing solely on attacking Airael could backfire.

So, the best move was to deal with Cain, the significantly weaker warrior.

Unlike mages, warriors had a straightforward fighting style; when a power gap existed, the ensuing battle inevitably resembled a crushing victory.

Not only Cain, but Airael, with her keen eyesight, also captured Mork’s movement.

Ice Shield!

No words were wasted.

As Mork lunged at Cain, who had no way to evade, Airael cast a defensive spell on Cain.

An icy shield appeared in front of Mork, blocking his attack toward Cain.

As Mork’s assault struck the ice shield, cracks began to form on its surface before it quickly crumbled.

But that was enough.

Recovering from the shock, Cain dropped his lance and unsheathed his sword to slash at Mork.

Mork promptly withdrew.

After Mork’s retreat, Cain sighed in relief.

He then cast a grateful glance at Airael.

This was already the second time Airael had come to his aid.

Especially just now, while he was still regaining his composure, she acted instinctively.

It also sparked a question in Cain’s mind.

Are senior mages really that quick to react?

Wasn’t it said that mages weren’t suited for close combat?

As Cain pondered this, Mork found himself equally perplexed.

Has the human mage’s power grown this strong?

Unaware of their thoughts, Airael had her eyes firmly locked on Mork.

Seeing that Mork had paused, she began preparing her spell.

Merely playing defense was not her desired strategy.

It was time to counterattack whenever possible.

In the next moment, icy spears radiating with chilling energy floated beside Airael.

With a graceful motion of her fair hand wielding the Staff of Eternity, the icy spears charged toward Mork.

Countless sharp spears cut through the air, emitting piercing shrieks.

Faced with the onslaught of icy spears, Mork stood his ground, swinging his sword to sever the first spear aimed at him.

However, as he cut through the first spear, he sensed something was amiss.

The chill from these icy spears was even stronger than he had anticipated, affecting him directly.

He could distinctly feel his movements slowing under the influence of the frost emanating from the spears.

Before Mork could analyze further, the second icy spear came barreling toward him.

This time, unlike before, Mork had no chance to dodge.

He swung his sword to cleave through the second spear as well, just as he had done with the first.

Same as the first, the second spear shattered, releasing frost that penetrated his body, further impeding his actions.

Not only that, but the other spears, while not aimed at him, also released chill upon shattering on the ground, spreading around him and inflicting the same debilitating effects.

Additionally, under the continuous assault of the chill, the ground beneath him began to freeze.

Gazing at Airael, who had almost tanked his full set of attacks, a slight smile crept onto her pale face.

Casting a spell capable of impacting a warrior of Mork’s level was no easy feat for her.

Even though she possessed immense talent in magic and a vast reservoir of magic power, her current capabilities still limited her.

Though she had transcended hero tiers, she was still only a tenth-tier mage.

Even if her magic reserves significantly exceeded many eleventh or twelfth-tier mages, she could not fully unleash that strength effectively.

Using a power far beyond her control would lead to wasted energy during the casting process and heavily burden her own body.

Of course, there was a great solution to this dilemma.

That solution was the staff.

The staff aided mages in casting spells, helping them better control the magical elements of the world and significantly assisting in managing their internal magic power.

The better the staff, the more pronounced these supportive effects became, especially for those specifically enhanced for certain effects.

However, Airael had no intention of bringing out the Staff of Eternity, this artifact, at such a time.