Chapter 497

A flash of disbelief swept through Valkyrie Ailin's enormous dragon eyes.

She had never imagined that the technique she took such pride in would be so easily resisted.

Even Acnologia, the strongest of the black dragons, would have found it difficult to take his attack head-on.

And not a single wound had appeared.

For a moment, even Valkyrie Ailin was slightly stunned; in her dragon form, she could only watch helplessly as the soldiers of the Alvarez Empire were slaughtered one after another below.

On the other side, Invel, for his part, had already located the densest area of the blizzard.

He made the first move against Hitsugaya Toushirou.

As an ice mage, his strength was unquestionably among the very pinnacle of this world.

So, in order to suppress him, and to secure a better victory, he had chosen Hitsugaya Toushirou as his first target.

"Your opponent is me."

Having removed his glasses, Invel's expression had already grown somewhat solemn, cold as frost itself.

"Interesting. And you think that little parlor trick of yours is enough?"

A mocking smile tugged at the corner of Hitsugaya Toushirou's lips; facing Invel, who stood more than a head taller than him, he showed not the slightest hint of fear.

The Zanpakuto in his hand and the ice sword in Invel's clashed, letting out a sharp ringing sound.

"Impossible..."

After only a few exchanges, an expression of disbelief surfaced in Invel's eyes.

The ice sword in Invel's hand had been shattered after only a few exchanges; even compared to the finest blades of the age, Invel was absolutely confident his would not have broken so easily.

But after only a few clashes with the blade in Hitsugaya Toushirou's hand, he had felt the ice weapon in his own grip become like a mere toy.

"It wasn't cut through... the cold was being absorbed..."

Invel took a careful look at the ice blade in his hand; a veteran of countless battles, he immediately spotted the crux of the problem.

The ice weapon in his hand did not look as though it had been snapped; rather, it seemed as if its cold had been drained away.

"What did you do? I've never heard of any ice magic that could be imbued into a blade like this."

Invel once again poured cold into his hand; under the influx of that chill, the ice sword erupted violently once more.

A blade glinting with cold light and wreathed in frost reappeared in Invel's grip.

"This isn't magic."

Hitsugaya Toushirou gave his blade a flick, and the cold around him seemed to suddenly shift its course.