Chapter 73: Heavy Hammer Rampage

From beneath the ice emerged a man in his thirties, with an ordinary face, brown hair and black eyes, wearing a splendid long robe, a crimson magical dagger at his waist, his right hand formed into a palm and spewed a conical flame forward.

Surrounding his body was a layer of semi‑transparent flame shield; rain that fell on it instantly vaporized from the heat, the steam rising, giving it a very imposing aura.

While the person was still airborne and hadn't landed, he raised his hand upward, and after a half‑breath, a bright‑red beam as thick as an egg erupted from his fingertip, shooting straight at the Ice Armor Bear that had been blown into the sky.

The ray, like the sharpest sword blade, pierced the Ice Armor Bear's body, causing it to emit a wretched howl.

Viola stopped maintaining the torrential rain, made a reverse move, and the Ice Armor Bear turned into a blue light that flew back, landing in her hand and reverting to a Soul Card form.

The four fire crows that were besieging the female gunner instantly dissipated, becoming intangible soul energy that returned to her Soul Tower.

The female gunner was covered in wounds, bleeding nonstop; her clothes and hair were charred black by the fire crows' flames, her skin torn and flesh exposed, barely human in appearance.

The wizard hurriedly drew out a potion to treat her.

"He's a sixth‑level Elementalist specialized in fire."

Lei En's pupils narrowed slightly; the wizard's soul energy was strong.

The spell he just used after emerging from beneath the ice was "Burning Hand," and the spell that pierced the Ice Armor Bear was "Scorching Ray," all high‑power fire spells.

In the Soul Eye, this Elementalist's repertoire of spells was few; relative to his level they were scarce, only a handful, and almost all were fire spells.

However, each of his spells had been reinforced, increasing the ring count by one or two.

For example, that Scorching Ray was originally a two‑ring spell, but the wizard used soul energy to boost it to three rings, making it stronger and longer‑ranged.

The other spells each had different enhancements: Burning Hand, after being boosted, gained an explosion effect; Fireball Technique had its casting time shortened and its power simply and crudely increased.

"What a violent Turret Wizard!"

Lei En took a deep breath.

First a fourth‑level gunner, then a fifth‑level Shadow Warrior, and now a sixth‑level Elementalist—who on earth wants to kill Viola, sending three super‑human foes all of expert rank?

The torrential rain ceased, the clouds above quickly dispersed, restoring a clear blue sky.

Viola's expression grew solemn; her soul energy consumption was severe, so she took out a second potion and drank it, and after a few breaths injected her soul energy into a card, summoning the Ice Armor Bear again.

The Ice Armor Bear seemed reborn, its wounds fully healed.

She didn't pause, summoning two frost‑emanating Cold Crows from the Soul Tower, then flipped her hand to produce a stack of Soul Cards, each identical, bearing a soul illustration of a Cold Crow.

A massive amount of soul energy was poured into them, and she tossed the whole stack into the air, like a celestial maiden scattering blossoms.

Each Soul Card transformed into a Cold Crow; they were outer souls, so their bodies were slightly smaller than the two inner‑soul Cold Crows, with wingspans of about one and a half meters.

Ten Cold Crows gathered into a flock, circling above Viola's head, croaking in bursts.

Viola's soul energy hit bottom again, so she immediately drank a third potion, her complexion turning rosy, and re‑applied a Water Shield Technique to Lei En, also granting him an Acceleration Technique.

And that wasn't all; she produced two deep‑red potions, drank one herself, handed the other to Lei En, and said, "This is a Mid-level Flame Resistance Potion, drink it quickly."

Lei En's eyes widened.

Whether it's the three High‑level Soul‑Returning Potions or these two Mid‑level Flame Resistance Potions, each costs over five hundred Gold Shields.

Viola isn't drinking potions; she's drinking money!

No wonder the Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard boasts limitless potential; with enough resources stacked, they can overwhelm all super‑human professions, a single person forming an army!

This isn't a Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard at all, but a Gold Shield Wizard…

Lei En glanced at the delicate necklace around Viola's neck, which she's never been without since they met; it must be her spatial gear—he hadn't noticed before, thinking it was just ordinary jewelry.

Who knows how many goodies are hidden inside that necklace!

He thought that as he tilted his head back and gulped down the resistance potion.

The potion burned hot as it entered, turning into scorching energy that merged with his skin and blood, each breath smelling of volcanic lava.

Viola exhaled a stream of heat, her golden hair fluttering, and said, "My Ice Domain Technique scroll has less than three minutes left; we must finish them quickly."

Lei En nodded in acknowledgment.

Ice Domain Technique is a five‑ring spell, only wizards above the legendary tier can cast it; granting a Mid‑stage wizard such prolonged empowerment means the scroll's value is undoubtedly staggering.

His gaze never stopped scanning; he picked up the shotgun, loaded it, and warned aloud, "Watch out for that Shadow Warrior; he may not have left yet."

The earlier torrential rain had turned the water on the ice into fragments, like a layer of coarse sand; stepping on it made noise and left conspicuous footprints.

This environment was highly advantageous, nearly nullifying the Shadow Stealth effect, making a surprise attack by the Shadow Warrior difficult.

Moreover, the Shadow Warrior had taken a heavy hammer blow, sustaining serious injury, so his strength must have waned.

Without the Shadow Warrior's interference, Viola could focus on casting without excessive caution, yet she still couldn't be careless.

On the ice, that Elementalist was still treating the female gunner.

Lei En and Viola exchanged a glance, refusing to give the opponent a chance to recover, and decided to take the initiative.

A loud rustle of massive wingbeats filled the air as ten Cold Crows led the charge from above, swooping toward the two enemies on the ice.

Lei En also stepped off the deck, leapt from the yacht, and with a bang landed on the ice, brandishing his war hammer as he charged.

Behind him, the Frost Giant and the Ice Armor Bear also leapt down, their momentum fierce as they began the charge.

Viola on the yacht tore another scroll, granting herself Flight Technique, soaring ten meters into the air, following the fight from above, commanding the battlefield.

Lei En could only mutter inwardly that the rich fight differently.

Ahead, the Elementalist's expression shifted slightly.

He had to stop the treatment, stand up, draw the magical dagger from his waist with his left hand, begin muttering incantations, a ball of flame appeared in his palm, quickly expanding into a head‑sized fireball that he hurled forcefully.

The fireball left a two‑to‑three‑meter tail of flame, like a meteor, moving at extreme speed, still growing, expanding in a blink to the size of a basket, orange‑red, resembling a small sun.

Even with the fireball seven or eight meters away, Lei En felt a wave of heat slam into his face.

He jumped in fright; Fireball Technique is perhaps the most famous spell—though only three rings, its destructive power surpasses many four‑ and five‑ring spells.

Moreover, this Fireball Technique had been boosted to four rings.

During casting, it seemed the Elementalist's magical dagger in his hand further reinforced it!

"Whoa, flash—!"

Lei En muttered that things looked bad; he had no experience fighting a wizard and had underestimated the spell's potency.

He was about to dodge to the side when a huge ice spear fell from the sky; Viola had acted. The ice spear hit the fireball dead on, ice and fire collided, instantly causing a violent explosion.

Boom…

It was like a heavy cannon detonating right in front; the whole ice surface trembled, flames and ice shards sprayed everywhere, and a five‑ to six‑meter‑wide hole was blown in the ice, with the lake water underneath spouting up.

Lei En was nearly knocked off his feet; ignoring the lingering blast wave, he kept his balance with the help of his phone's gyroscope, skirted the hole, and rushed toward the Elementalist.

The Frost Giant and the Ice‑clad Bear simply leapt up and jumped over the hole.

In a few breaths, the enemy was right before them.

Ten Cold Crows arrived a step ahead, spitting streams of ice arrows from their mouths like a hail of arrows, enveloping the Elementalist and the female gunner from all sides.

Lei En drew his shotgun and raised it for a shot.

"Everyone, get out of the way!"

The Elementalist let out a roar, his body flashing red, and a ring of flame burst outward; apart from the female gunner pressed close to him, everything else was pushed outward.

This fiery ring surged violently, even compressing the air outward, and let out a booming roar.

The sky‑full ice arrows were shattered, the ten cold crows that had just swooped were blown apart, several fell, Lei En's bullets were ineffective, deflected by the fire ring.

"What a great fire‑ring resistance!"

Lei En marveled in his heart, but his actions didn't stop; seizing the gap while the opponent was casting, he fired the shotgun continuously.

Two "bang" sounds; the pellets struck the Elementalist's flame shield, rippling it, but still far from breaking it.

The Elementalist glanced at Viola, sensing that she was about to unleash a high‑power spell.

He dared not stay put; finally, he abandoned the female gunner, flames rose at his feet and coiled around his body, and with a boom like fireworks he vanished.

Lei En's face paled for a split second; half a second later, the Elementalist reappeared a few steps ahead, surrounded by flames.

"Flash Flame Technique!"

Before the thought left his mind, the Elementalist raised his hand toward himself, and a scarlet beam erupted from his fingertips.

The external water shield, like bubbles, was instantly pierced by the scorching beam; the high‑temperature ray swept across Lei En's chest, his clothes turned to ash, and a patch of skin burned red as charcoal.

But that was all; the ray failed to penetrate further.

"It hurts…"

Ignoring the searing ray's damage, Lei En pressed his chest against it as if blocking a gun's muzzle, lunged forward two strides, closed the distance, and swung his war hammer down.

Flames flickered before his eyes; the Elementalist activated Flash Flame Technique again, and Lei En's war hammer only struck a few trailing flames.

When Flash Flame Technique is used, it produces a firecracker‑like sound.

The Voice of All Things had already locked onto the Elementalist; following the sound waves, Lei En didn't need to see to know the opponent had flashed behind him this time, appearing between the Ice‑clad Bear and the Frost Giant, launching another fire‑ring resistance.

Flame rubbing against air roared, and two powerful Mid-stage summons were instantly knocked down, dizzy and unable to rise immediately.

The Elementalist cast wildly, sacrificing soul power, sending two fireballs left and right that hit the Frost Giant and the Ice‑clad Bear.

Two explosions shattered the ice surface; the wounded Frost Giant and Ice‑clad Bear sank into the lake.

For a moment, only Lei En remained facing the Elementalist on the ground.

Lei En instantly changed tactics, not pursuing the Elementalist, but turning his gaze toward the female gunner.

After the Elementalist tossed her aside, Viola's spell arrived.

Four‑ring Spell Ice Spear Rain!

Massive ice spears as thick as pillars rained down over a radius of dozens of meters; the female gunner, dragging her severely wounded body, desperately dodged these sharp ice spears.

Normally, with her agile steps, evading the ice spears wouldn't be difficult.

But earlier her left leg had been slashed by the Ice‑clad Bear's claw; the wound was deep to the bone, barely staunched, speed plummeted, and after a few steps the wound burst open, excruciating pain tearing at her heart, leaving her teetering on the brink of death.

Lei En decided to help her.

He ran to the edge of the ice‑spear barrage, aimed his shotgun at the female gunner, and fired a blast.

The female gunner activated a phantom‑flash, reducing bullet damage, but her body still stalled for an instant; an ice spear pierced her from top to bottom.

The corpse shattered, warm fresh blood splashed and quickly froze on the ice surface.

"No…"

Not far away, the Elementalist screamed in agony, "You will all pay for this!"

"Then you pay first," Lei En sneered. Now only the opponent remained; with Viola, killing him wouldn't be hard.

The Elementalist, as if blinded by rage, didn't think of fleeing; with a thunderous boom, his body turned to flame and charged at Lei En.

Lei En showed no fear, tossed aside the useless shotgun, lifted his war hammer and met him.

As he advanced, a cool stream of water healed the burnt skin on his chest, while another Water Shield Technique formed outside his body.

In the sky, Viola finished empowering Lei En, commanded the Ten Cold Crows to rise, forming a line before him and simultaneously launching ice arrows.

The Elementalist's figure was forced to halt; not wanting to be swarmed by the crows, he used fire‑ring resistance again to push them away.

The fire ring roared, scattering the crows.

Lei En slipped through the falling crows, timing his entry perfectly into the Elementalist's casting gap, and a massive war hammer strike slammed into his flame shield.

The Elementalist subconsciously tried to activate Flash Flame Technique to escape, but casting needed time; as flame began coiling from his feet, Lei En's hammer struck.

Boom!

A blasting sound, the flame shield's wild oscillation nearly broke.

The huge force shattered the Flash Flame Technique; the Elementalist was flung seven or eight meters, crashing onto the ice.

The spell was forcibly interrupted, causing his soul power to quake, preventing him from concentrating to cast.

A cyan‑colored stream descended from the sky, coiling around the outside of the flame shield, pinning him firmly to the ice, not letting him rise.

Lei En didn't miss Viola's golden opportunity.

He surged forward a few steps, leapt high off the ice, raised both hands, hoisting the war hammer overhead like a massive bow, muscles tensed, pouring all his strength to hammer down onto the Elementalist below.

In the Elementalist's terrified gaze, the war hammer came down.

His expression instantly turned mad, eyes blood-red, skin cracking to reveal firelight, intending to self-destruct and perish together with Lei En.

But, it was already too late.

The war hammer fell to the ground.

Boom, the fire flame shield only flickered for a moment, like an eggshell easily shattered, the war hammer struck the elemental mage's head squarely, with a puff, smashing it to pulp.

Lei En rose to his feet, looking at the headless corpse beneath him, his chest rising and falling, exhaling a long breath of hot air.

A wisp of soul flew out from the corpse, which he absorbed.

The next second, the phone's battery shot up like a rocket!

(End of chapter)