Chapter 146: Mo Aotian: Feeling cheeky? Then don't come out.

Mona was currently extremely irritated. After engaging with the Shadow Warhawks, she quickly realized that those creatures were merely stalling her, with no intention of fighting to the death—nor did they possess the capability to do so.

These crafty beasts relied on their high flight speed to constantly harass Mona. The moment the female Archmage prepared to target one, it would slip into the void, leaving another warhawk to take its place in pestering her.

Even a clay Buddha has a spark of anger, let alone the female Archmage, whose temper was far from gentle. After about ten minutes, she grew tired of this cat-and-mouse game. She drew Alicia from her spatial ring and began chanting an arcane incantation.

"Wise and beautiful Goddess of Ice and Snow, lend me the power to freeze all creation. Ice Forbidden Spell—Eternal Sinister Ice Prison!"

As she chanted, Mona couldn't help but think that this Ice and Snow Goddess was truly shameless. No one had ever seen her, so who knew if she was even as pretty as herself? By comparison, Aqua’s water-style forbidden spells were much simpler. It seemed she would need to cast this a few times in the future to increase her proficiency so she wouldn't need to chant. In this world, Mona was perhaps the only person daring enough to criticize a deity while utilizing divine power.

A faint blue light extended around Alicia, weaving along intricate patterns along the staff's shaft to form a translucent ice-blue longbow. Mona grasped the bow with her right hand, pulled the string with her left, and with a gentle pluck, a short arrow shot up into the sky.

This arrow did not hit a single Shadow Warhawk. Instead, after flying a certain distance, it began to expand rapidly. The ice arrow, originally only a finger's width, turned into an irregular crystalline structure that grew larger and larger. In the blink of an eye, it covered the entire sky, transforming into a massive sheet of ice spanning several kilometers suspended overhead. The gravity of this planet had no effect on it whatsoever. To anyone looking up, it was as if a continent of ice had suddenly appeared in mid-air.

"Much cooler now."

Mona nodded in satisfaction at her own handiwork. Even the sunlight could not pierce through this colossal layer of ice, and gentle, chilly breezes brushed against the female Archmage’s face, making her feel that this spell was quite convenient for a hot day.

As for those Shadow Warhawks, they had indeed slipped into the void the moment the attack began. Yet, no matter how powerful a creature was, it still needed to breathe. The void was completely devoid of air, and the moment they emerged, they would be instantly engulfed by the Eternal Sinister Ice Prison.

Mona recalled a book she had read in the past, which contained a phrase: "Some people are alive, yet they are already dead." This sentiment seemed to apply to magical beasts as well.

Since all the nuisances had vanished, Mona could resume dealing with the remaining magical beasts. However, upon turning around, she discovered that the beast wave had already reached the outer walls of Heaton Maru. If she used a large-scale spell, she would likely destroy this historically rich city along with the monsters. She had no choice but to carefully prepare a somewhat less violent spell to help the city-guard mages clear out the majority of the horde.

"Hmm?"

Just as Mona was wreaking havoc, she suddenly felt a palpitation in her heart. Her gaze pierced through Heaton Maru, looking down the road beyond the city, but the sensation vanished as quickly as it came, and she did not pay it much mind. Only a day later would she bitterly regret not investigating at that moment, allowing the vixen to exploit the opening.

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"Ugh, ah."

The next day, Tynasha sat up in bed, yawning just as she always did. Her biological clock was exceptionally punctual. Just as she was about to pick up the armor placed by her bedside to put it on for her morning exercise, she suddenly discovered that everything before her was pitch black.

'Has the illuminating magic crystal broken?'

The thought lingered in her mind for barely a second before she dismissed it. Massaging her temples, she finally recalled what had happened before she lost consciousness.

"Rubi, Rubi?"

The first thing Tynasha did upon regaining her wits was not to worry about her own eyes, but to repeatedly call out Rubi's name while frantically feeling around her surroundings.

"I'm here."

Rubi’s calm voice came through, and he reached out to clasp Tynasha’s palm, letting her know which direction he was in.

"Are you alright? Let me check."

Hearing Rubi’s safe and sound voice, Tynasha finally set her mind at ease, immediately letting her hands wander rather inappropriately over his body. She stopped only when she reached his right arm, where layers of white cloth were wound—evidently some sort of bandage.

"What happened to you? Is your arm broken?" The green-haired princess, completely lacking a conscience, jumped straight to the worst-case scenario.

"It's not broken, just dislocated from the recoil of the rifle."

"Is that so? As long as you're fine."

"The one who isn't fine is you. Your eyes..."

Rubi truly wanted to give Tynasha a sound knock on the head. Did she have any inkling of what the current situation was? Any normal person who suddenly realized they had gone blind would feel fear and panic, wouldn't they?

"I know, but there was simply no other way given the circumstances."

Tynasha touched her own eyes, feeling only a thin layer of gauze. It appeared Rubi had already administered emergency treatment.

"You should have dodged that blow. I would have found a way to resolve it."

Though it sounded somewhat like hindsight, Rubi genuinely wished Tynasha could turn back time and change that choice. Sacrificing her future sight was far too steep a price.

"Mm, I trust you. But there was no better opportunity than that moment. Trading a pair of eyes for a Tier 7 magical beast, I'd say I came out ahead. The important thing is that you're okay."

Tynasha smiled and nodded. Knowing was one thing, but she didn't want Rubi taking risks; she would do whatever she could for him.

"Get some proper rest. I'll take care of you."

Rubi recognized this heart-wrenching smile. Mona had worn that exact expression after shielding him from the magic wolf's attack. He didn't feel worthy of such devotion from her at all. Leaving behind those words, he departed her room.

"You really do have a way with women, don't you?"

Qianye was waiting outside, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Seeing Rubi come out, she smiled at him. Naturally, she had heard every word of the conversation inside.

"Miss Qianye, thank you for saving us."

Rubi once again expressed his gratitude to the young woman who had followed them all the way into the imperial palace. Without her, he probably would have lost an arm or worse before being rescued.

"Just a coincidence."

"Right, right. Thank you, you can leave now. Don't you have anything better to do in the Black Stone Empire?"

Mona materialized from out of nowhere, her temper flaring the moment she saw Qianye lingering behind. She had never expected such a massive blunder to occur in her rear while she was fighting on the front lines. Her friend had lost her eyesight, leaving her in a foul mood already, and adding a vixen to the mix only made matters worse.

"Do you think cross-border teleportation arrays are that easy to open? You should know that imperial teleportation arrays require mutual trust and a mountain of official documentation."

Qianye leisurely wagged her finger at Mona. Even as a princess of the Black Stone Empire, the required procedures for activating a teleportation array had to be followed. Besides, the Divine Empire didn't look particularly peaceful at the moment either.

"I'll escort you out!"

"No thanks."