The enormous upheaval stunned everyone.

Fortunately, few soldiers were in the garrison camp. Most were hundreds of miles away taking part in the Imperial military’s spring exercises.

Knight Span was the first to recover. His face changed violently as he snatched up his sword and charged outside, roaring, “Who dares attack a local Imperial garrison?”

Span was genuinely desperate. Attacking an Imperial military camp was open treason. Even the flag before the camp had been burned. If such a crime occurred under his eyes and he, the officer left in command, failed to capture the culprit, he would certainly be found guilty of dereliction.

The other officers in the hall also saw red. They seized weapons and rushed out after Span. Several thunderclaps followed, brilliant red light flared, and faint groans of pain sounded among them.

The Rowling guards first surrounded Du Wei. Robert’s expression darkened as he stepped forward to block the hall entrance. To his shock, Span and the officers who had just charged outside were all lying on the ground. Their clothes and hair looked scorched. They groaned continuously in pain but could not stand.

A silver shadow suddenly shot toward them from the steps outside the hall.

It moved so quickly that even Robert could not make out its form. He shouted in a deep voice, “Stay back!”

Robert activated his battle aura. Faint light gathered on his sword as he gripped it in both hands and chopped downward. A curtain of light immediately stretched across the steps.

The silver shadow showed no intention of stopping. It crashed headlong into the sword curtain Robert had formed with his battle aura.

In an instant, Robert felt a bone-chilling cold travel through his sword. He shuddered. Every finger became icy and stiff, and he could barely hold the hilt. Then tremendous force struck through the blade. Robert could not resist it. With a muffled grunt, he felt as though lightning had hit his entire body, leaving him completely numb.

Clang!

The sword fell to the ground, and Robert lost consciousness. His clothes and hair also looked scorched. His lips pressed tightly together as he collapsed, clearly badly hurt.

The newcomer had defeated a fourth-level knight almost instantly in their first exchange. Amid cries of alarm from the Rowling guards, the silver shadow finally stopped in the center of the hall.

The newcomer was, of course, a woman—the person who had spoken outside.

This woman who called Vivian her “sister” was exceptionally tall and astonishingly beautiful. Her face could rival any man’s dream lover, though her red lips were a little pale, as if lacking blood. Her eyes were bright, but their gaze was far too cold.

Her face seemed carved from ice. A dangerous severity rested upon it, while her slightly raised brows carried mockery and scorn.

She wore unusual white light armor decorated with openwork designs. It was hard to believe the deliberately ornate patterns had made the already thin armor even more impractical. How much protection could armor like that possibly provide?

But Du Wei and Sorskya recognized that the patterns were magical runes, perhaps carrying enchanted effects.

A long white cloak trailed along the ground behind her.

White light armor, a white cloak, and a delicate, beautiful face—the woman seemed to have walked out of ice and snow.

Yet none of that was what shocked Du Wei.

The young noble had lost all his usual calm. His eyes were wide, fixed on the woman before him.

The woman possessed long silver hair as white as snow.

That silver hair, those eyes, those lips, and that small, straight nose...

The sight struck Du Wei like lightning.

He recognized the woman’s face!

Days ago, beneath the secret passage in the study of the Rowling castle, he had entered the hidden chamber and seen the magical array that left him the mysteries of astrology. There he had seen the great astrologer, mage, and creator of star magic... Semel!

If Du Wei had not known that Semel had died centuries ago, he would have believed the great female astrologer was standing alive before him.

The stranger’s features were more than ninety percent identical to the face of the phantom Semel had left behind.

To everyone else, Du Wei’s stunned silence probably meant that their young master had been frightened senseless. They simply kept him surrounded while several Rowling guards pointed swords at the woman and shouted, “Insolent traitor! You dare attack an Imperial local garrison!”

“Ha ha ha ha...” The woman laughed coldly. Frost seemed to drift through her eyes. “I have already done it, yet all you can do is shout threats?”

She raised one finger lightly. An ice arrow shot from its tip with a hiss. Before anyone could react, the Rowling guard who had shouted was struck, frozen stiff from head to toe, and fell rigidly to the floor.

The attack came so suddenly that there had been no warning. Du Wei finally recovered and instinctively glanced at Sorskya. In each other’s eyes, they seemed to see the same astonished cry.

Instant casting?

“Rowling men! Protect the master! Fight!” A guard shouted and lunged with his sword. More than a dozen Rowling guards charged with him, surrounding the woman as blades stabbed from every direction.

The woman laughed. Her body seemed to turn lightly in place, and a white ring of light burst from her. It flashed and vanished, but every warrior who touched it was hurled away.

More than a dozen men flew sideways, crashing in every direction. Some struck walls, some smashed into tables and chairs, and others were thrown straight out of the hall.

People lay scattered across the floor. Whatever magic she had used, all had lost consciousness. Only Du Wei and Sorskya remained standing in the hall.

“Oh? I did not expect to find a mage here.” The woman’s eyes brightened at Sorskya’s robe, then she sneered. “Mage, where is your badge? Why do you not wear the Magic Guild’s badge? What level are you?”

Sorskya flushed. His badge had been burned when Du Wei captured him. Faced with her questioning, he opened his mouth hesitantly but could not speak.

The woman shook her head. “I did not expect a small garrison like this to contain a mage. In that case, I can duel you according to the courtesies of mages.”

As the icy beauty spoke, her long silver hair stirred like northern snow. She raised one finger, and a small mage’s badge materialized above its tip. She pinned it beneath the clasp of her shoulder cape and said impatiently, “There. Mage, you may attack first. I have never liked wearing this badge. Let us finish quickly.”

Sorskya nearly fainted.

Attack?

He had seen it clearly. The badge she had created was a gold three-leaf mugwort badge, identical to the foolish Vivian’s. This woman was also a top-ranking Grand Mage!

A lowly first-level mage like him challenging a Grand Mage above the eighth level?

Had anyone ever seen a little mongrel challenge a sacred dragon?

So Sorskya’s response was direct. His throat made two choking sounds, then his head tilted, his eyes closed, and he promptly fainted on the spot.

“...” The icy beauty froze when the mage suddenly collapsed before battle. Then she curled her lip in disdain. “Coward.”

At last, she turned toward the only person still standing in the hall: Du Wei.

“And you? A little noble? Ah, I heard your men say you are from the Rowling Family. Are you a Rowling?”

“Yes.” Du Wei’s expression did not change. “My name is Du Wei Rowling. Count Raymond, current deputy commander of Imperial Headquarters, is my father.”

“Hmph. Do you think the Rowling name can frighten me?” The woman examined Du Wei from head to toe. “You are only a child. What are you doing here?”

She quickly seemed to lose interest in him and raised her voice. “Vivian! If you do not come out, I will raze this place to the ground! My dear sister, do not make me angry! Hand over your little creature obediently!”

Impatience appeared on her face. She suddenly spread her arms, and her gaze became empty and clear. A whirlwind formed around her body and shot toward the roof.

With a crash, the whirlwind easily tore the roof apart, scattering fragments everywhere as it slowly spread outward.

“Vivian! Do you think I do not dare? You should know there is nothing in this world I would not dare to do!”

She laughed and formed a strange gesture with both hands. The whirlwind grew even fiercer, and flecks of snow began drifting through the air.

Snow?

Damn it! This was the south!

Du Wei had thrown himself to the ground the moment the whirlwind ripped apart the roof.

Today, he had finally witnessed the overwhelming power of a mage firsthand. A single mage had defeated a crowd of warriors in an instant, leaving every one of them helpless.

And... was this woman not excessively powerful?

Were mages not supposed to be poor at close combat?

Could it be... Looking at her armor—he had never seen a mage wear armor before—was she trained in both magic and martial arts?

“S-sister! P-please stop!”

At last, a timid, stammering voice sounded. Vivian floated out from within the camp in her mage’s robe, her body suspended in midair. She carried a small cage specially made and marked with magic, strong enough to confine the juvenile Dread Phantasm.

Vivian looked terrified, as though she did not dare face her sister. She only pleaded, “S-sister, p-please...”

“Poor little Vivian.” The icy beauty sneered. “When will you understand that a powerful person must possess the resolve of the powerful? You have tremendous magical strength, yet less courage than a rabbit!”

As she spoke, she drew a strange long... flute from her waist.

The flute was emerald green, the only trace of living color against the woman’s silver-white figure. Pointing it at Vivian, the icy beauty sneered. “Put down the Dread Phantasm. I will leave once I have its horn. Otherwise, my dear sister, I will make you suffer a little.”

She flicked the flute. Countless strange rings of light shot from its tip, and Du Wei, lying on the ground, suddenly heard a piercing, unnatural sound all around him.

It was clearly a sonic attack spell.

Even from so far away, the harsh sound nearly made him faint. One could imagine what Vivian felt at close range.

The foolish girl seemed deeply afraid of her sister. Her small body trembled as she raised a hand and rapidly recited an incantation. A diamond-shaped magical shield appeared before her and deflected the stream of light rings. She called, “S-sister! Chirpy is T-teacher’s pet! If y-you kill it, T-teacher will...”

“Hmph! Everyone in the world may fear that old man, but I do not!” The icy beauty was even more disdainful. “I need its horn. You know that! Without it, I cannot make my final magical defensive weapon. Give it to me!”

On the last word, the icy beauty shot forward. Like a silver meteor in the night sky, she reached Vivian in an instant and stretched one hand toward the cage.

“No!” In her desperation, Vivian did not stutter at all. Her body flashed and vanished, reappearing thirty feet away.

“Ha! My dear sister, you have become quite skilled with Emerald Flame Shift. But a coward like you can only use it to escape, can you not?” the icy witch sneered.

“S-sister... D-do not force me!” Vivian looked almost ready to cry.

“I will force you! You pitiful little girl! The sight of you crying makes me angry!” The icy beauty raised one hand. A string of profound, incomprehensible words emerged slowly from her mouth. White mist began gathering over her palm, growing thicker as threads of frost spread outward.

Vivian’s face turned white with fear. “N-no! You cannot use th-that magic here!”

“Why not?” The icy beauty had completed her incantation. A massive iceberg seemed to rest upon her hand.

Some shadow twisted violently inside the ice, ready to break free at any moment.

Vivian suddenly lowered her head and shouted at Du Wei on the ground, “Y-you must run!”

Du Wei froze when he heard her warning. He could sense that the icy beauty’s next spell would be extraordinary. But he was an ordinary person. How far could his two legs carry him now?

Before he moved, the icy beauty laughed. “Oh, poor little Vivian, why do you care so much for this young noble? Ah... Is he your little lover? The Rowling Family’s young master is barely worthy of you. He is handsome enough, only rather useless...”

She crooked a finger at Du Wei. His body abruptly stopped obeying him. It felt bound by countless ropes, lifted into the air, and floated rapidly before the icy beauty.

“Vivian! Give me your pet, or I will use your little lover to refine a soul essence!” Murderous menace flashed across the icy beauty’s face.

“N-no... He is not,” Vivian protested anxiously. The icy beauty flashed toward her again, but the foolish girl’s teleportation magic was truly formidable. Even her sister could do nothing about it. Though the icy beauty was extraordinarily fast, she missed several times before shouting angrily, “If you still refuse to obey me, I will start killing people!”

Vivian shuddered. Pain crossed her face, as if she had finally forced herself to resolve the greatest dilemma in her heart.

She apologized silently. Teacher, forgive me. Vivian has no other choice.

At last, the foolish girl raised her head and looked at the enormous iceberg in the icy beauty’s hand. Determination appeared in her eyes. “S-sister, are you going to release the f-frost dragon? Then release it!”

Once her resolve hardened, most of her stutter disappeared.

The icy beauty snorted. “Do you think I truly do not dare?”

She suddenly shot into the sky, stopping about sixty feet above Vivian.

An ice-cold beauty stood in the air, holding something like a vast iceberg many times larger than her own body.

Then she reached into empty space and conjured a small silver striker.

Laughing softly, she tapped the underside of the iceberg with it.

Chime!

The clear note seemed to travel a thousand miles in an instant. Even Du Wei, who knew no magic, sensed something strange. The sound entered through the eardrum and seemed to extend all the way into the soul, making the soul itself tremble.

Uncanny—indescribably uncanny!

Then an enormous roar came from within the iceberg!

It sounded like thunder, a storm, and a tidal wave. Du Wei shook, his entire body seeming to go weak. Though he did not yet know what had made the sound, an instinctive terror rose from the depths of his humanity and enveloped him at once.

Crack... crack...

Countless fine fissures spread across the iceberg.

Violent impacts sounded with them. Amid blows like muffled thunder, something inside the iceberg seemed about to break free!

“Watch carefully, Rowling boy—my sister’s little lover.” The icy beauty sneered. Holding the striker lightly, she tapped the iceberg again and again. Chiming notes rang out as frost covered her face. “This may be the first time in your life you have seen a living dragon!”

A dragon?

There was no time for surprise. With a tremendous roar, the iceberg’s surface exploded. An enormous head crowned with a strange horn smashed through the opening!

Its ringing roar shook heaven and earth!

Below, poor Vivian’s face had gone white with fear. She tucked the little Dread Phantasm inside her robe, then somehow produced a small wand. She closed her eyes, her expression incomparably solemn, and clear, ancient syllables emerged one by one from her lips.

In an instant, overwhelming flames surged up behind the foolish girl like a wall of fire covering heaven and earth. A dragon’s cry also sounded within the blaze!

At the sight, the icy beauty looked as though she had been struck. Her expression changed slightly. “Good! Good! I never expected that old man to pass the crimson flame dragon to you! My dear sister, today we shall see whether your crimson flame dragon melts my frost dragon, or my frost dragon freezes yours!”

Vivian did not answer. She suddenly raised her small wand and tapped lightly in the air several times. The surrounding space immediately began to twist.

Du Wei felt as if he were riding a train in his previous life, the scenery around him rushing backward and changing in an instant.

When he could finally see his surroundings clearly, the military camp was no longer beneath his feet.

They had arrived on Halfhorn Mountain!

“Ha ha ha ha! My dear sister, you truly remain kind to the point of foolishness. You spent so much magical power creating a teleportation array to bring us here because you feared our battle would harm innocent people? Ha! After wasting so much magic, how much will you have left to command your crimson flame dragon?”

The icy beauty sneered and chanted softly. Then the iceberg shattered!

The enormous head emerged completely, followed by a massive creature covered in scales like crystals of ice and snow.

It was as large as a hill, with a strange horn, an immense body wreathed in freezing mist, claws as large as a carriage, and two great wings beating behind it.

So this... was a dragon of this world.