Frostfire Legacy

Chapter 274 Break Even

Just moments earlier, in a dimension far removed from where Aster and the others were, two rival groups faced each other in silent tension.

Two figures waited on one side, ready and poised: a blonde elf with piercing green eyes that suggested deep forests and old secrets, and a black-haired vampire with a sharp look and a silent, intense presence. Faeloria Shadowleaf and Vanessa Ross were obviously tense, adopting defensive positions in anticipation of the impending fight.

A group of four enemies stood against them, though two of them were huddled down at the moment, being healed by Chronalisa, the third member. They would be back on their feet in a few seconds, shifting the balance back in their favor.

"You don't happen to have any tricks up your sleeve left, do you?" Vanessa said to Faeloria in a low, wary whisper as her eyes darted across their opponents.

Faeloria's gaze briefly fell as her face drooped a little. "No," she muttered, her voice containing a hint of resignation. "They had already ruined my trump card. Right now, I'm limited to casting assistance spells. In addition to that..."

Vanessa noticed the strange pause in Faeloria's voice and cocked an inquisitive eyebrow. "Hmm?"

Vanessa turned slightly to face her friend again, and to her surprise, she saw that the elf's cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, and she was breathing rapidly and shallowly. Her face was a mixture of embarrassment and unease, and she seemed to exhale warmly with each breath. When Vanessa recalled something she had previously given to Faeloria, her lips suddenly parted in awareness.

"Oh," she exhaled, a smile lighting up her face as she realized. "Well, you know... if it gets too much, you can always... relieve yourself over there." Although her tone was lighthearted, it concealed a sincere worry.

Faeloria sputtered in protest, her face only getting redder. "As if! I'm not so gullible that a simple aphrodisiac could make me lose my concentration!" she growled, giving Vanessa a furious look.

"Yeah, yeah, I get—!"

But before she could say anything more, Vanessa's eyes grew fierce. She lifted a hand and made a quick arc in the air.

A dark, shadowy figure had started to move in their direction, forming a hideous, wide-open mouth with sharp teeth that were about to close in on them. Vanessa hurled a lance of flame at the approaching shadow without delay. Fortunately, she made it in time. The threatening creature was destroyed by the blazing projectile!

Selene, the Dark Elf, stood with her eyes narrowed and mocking, her hand still up from commanding the spirit to attack.

"Honestly, trying to take a bite out of us in the middle of a conversation?" With a hint of annoyance in her voice, Vanessa scoffed. "Didn't anyone teach you some basic manners?"

A sardonic sneer curved Selene's lips. "I came here to get rid of that elf that was hiding behind you," she shot out, her tone cold and heartless. "And you, I suppose, since you're in the way."

Vanessa retorted cynically, "Such a charming attitude," her eyes sparkling with a mischievous intent. "From the way you're talking, I'd almost think you have some kind of personal vendetta against poor little Fae here."

Selene's eyes briefly flickered as her face faltered. Vanessa saw the change and smiled more broadly.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" Her crimson eyes became more intense, illuminating her pointed features in a spooky way. "Well, either way, this little chat was useful."

"Blood Palace Descent," Vanessa said, as though relishing the moniker. There was a bleak finality in her tone. "I never really thought I'd need to resort to this here..."

The suffocating aura of the dome started to take effect as if in response to her words. Blood began to flow from all living things inside the dome. As though pulled by an invisible force, it poured out of Vanessa's adversaries' bodies like a torrent rather than a trickle. Blood spurted from their lips, eyeballs, and pores, collected on the ground below, and then sinisterly gathered around Vanessa.

"Agh—my eyes!" exclaimed Kaz, gripping his face in pain as it looked as though life was evaporating from him.

"I'm scared! What's happening?!" Solara's voice trembled with pain as she coughed out.

"Help me... Please, Selene." Chrona, the weakest of them, spoke in a weak and frantic tone.

Selene, on the other hand, was suddenly thrown out of Scheid's mouth after barely reaching it. She had lost her sanctuary; even the Shadow Spirit King had been banished from the Blood Palace! She fell to her knees with a stinging pain on her skin and blood dripping from her ears, nose, and every pore.

"This... this isn't possible." When Selene discovered how unfathomable Vanessa's strength was, she gasped in horror.

Her vitality was already being rapidly drained by the Blood Palace. The thin, sickly streams of blood that continued to pour from her body fed the expanding pool at Vanessa's feet.

Under her feet, the blood grew, glimmering with red vitality.

With her subtle, menacing smile, Vanessa appeared to be a villain straight out of a horror film, quite comfortable in the lethal red light around her. Each drop that gathered beneath her was more than just a morbid accumulation; it had a purpose. Vanessa saw the blood as life itself, a huge store of energy she could use to refuel herself if she was hurt.

"This is... awful!"

As Selene searched for a way out of the nightmare, her thoughts were racing. She instantly realized the destructive effect of the Blood Palace: it was a method intended to drain the life and blood of any target in its path. In a sense, Vanessa had successfully turned the battlefield into a source of strength by using her opponents' life force as a weapon.

Given her heightened strength, it didn't seem possible to stop Vanessa immediately. The vitality only increased as she drained more blood, repairing any wounds she could have sustained if they fought.

However, as Selene considered her choices, a new strategy started to take shape.

"STOP!" she cried, her voice tinged with desperation.

Her tone was harsh, and her gaze was fixed on Vanessa. "If this doesn't stop... I'll let Scheid rip through this dimension's walls! We will all eventually drift into space—forever!"

There was a brief pause while Vanessa's smile dimmed a little as she considered the ramifications of Selene's threat.

Selene realized that bluff or not, it was her only chance left. It was a desperate gambit, a deadly play to force a stalemate!