Warlock Apprentice

Kavoline’s imposing aura suddenly shifted, becoming entirely different from before.

This time, Kavoline not only positioned the round shield hidden within her armor in front of her, but a golden light shield gradually emerged around her body—an exclusive defense spell triggered by her activated bloodline.

When the defense spell, shield, and armor merged into one, it could be said to represent the pinnacle of protection for apprentices in this era. Had Kavoline not encountered the demon behind Asaz, relying solely on this defensive technique might have been enough for her to reach the finals.

”Come on.” Kavoline’s voice carried determination. Though her eyes beneath the helmet couldn’t be seen, her gaze must have been fiercely sharp.

Xiliu nodded solemnly, raising the long whip in her hand high.

As the whip shadow began to lash through the air, those present on the scene would likely never forget this moment.

A faint blue glow stretched across the sky, as an ice dragon raised its terrifying head and roared skyward. Frost accompanied by a gust of air extended straight from Fangling Hall to hundreds of meters away.

At that moment, nearly everyone in Mukihara Bar and the surrounding vicinity felt a heart-deep sense of dread!

Countless eyes turned toward Fangling Hall, while the Enforcement Squad and Magic Energy Eye responded to the icy wind with buzzing sounds, rushing toward the scene.

However, in the center of the battlefield, neither of the two combatants paid attention to their surroundings; their eyes were fixed solely on each other.

Xiliu exhausted her Magical Core, striving to push the Ice Whip’s energy to its peak. When she felt her Psychic Model begin to quake, she finally ceased her injection and turned her focus toward Kavoline.

At the same time, the ice dragon with its majestic head raised high fixed its emotionless, frigid gaze on Kavoline’s figure.

”Be careful,” Xiliu uttered softly, before the ice dragon surged forward with boundless icy winds, like an unstoppable force of light, charging straight at Kavoline!

Kavoline felt the terrifying aura, her pupils narrowing slightly under her helmet.

Even before the attack made contact, the sheer power of the strike could be sensed—it was nearly indestructible! Kavoline had no choice but to activate her Magical Core again, strengthening her defense spell. Yet even so, she had a nagging feeling that the defense might not be enough to withstand the attack.

To be absolutely prepared, Kavoline, clad in her armor, allowed dense, scaly textures to grow across her skin, fully unleashing her bloodline to confront the terrifying ice dragon in a semi-beast form!

Boom——

The collision resounded, sending shockwaves through much of the district.

The radiant blue ice light intertwined with pure, dazzling golden light in a display of ethereal beauty, reminiscent of a dream. Yet only those who experienced it firsthand could comprehend the sheer terror of this impact.

Rippling waves of force repelled outward continuously, compelling everyone to avoid the range of the energy’s spread.

The sound and energy persisted for a full thirty seconds.

”What a terrifying attack!” ”What’s happening? How’s it going now?” ”Is Kavoline okay?” Voices erupted from the crowd, all focusing on Kavoline’s previous location.

However, nothing was visible at the site—not the whip shadow, nor Kavoline—just a dense mist shrouding everyone’s view.

Moments later, the mist was swept away by a gust of wind.

As the fog cleared, it revealed Kavoline, floating resolutely in mid-air.

Sinistra sighed with relief upon seeing Kavoline’s upright figure. Compared to when she’d been smashed into the ground during past battles, her current situation was evidently much better.

However, Kavoline remained motionless, her intentions unclear. Sinistra, curious, ascended gracefully on a trail of falling petals, slowly approaching the sky.

Arriving beside Kavoline, Sinistra finally saw her condition clearly.

As expected, Kavoline seemed uninjured, and her armor was intact—the only damage was to her shield.

The round shield she had held in front of her now had a pit at its center, cracks radiating outward from the impact point. Fragments of golden metal splintered and fell away, streaming downward like glimmers of gold from the sky.

Kavoline stared dazedly at the round shield in her hands, lost in thought.

”Are you alright?” Sinistra stepped forward and asked.

Xiliu also kept her gaze on Kavoline, concerned that her full-powered attack might have caused her harm.

After a long silence, Kavoline finally spoke: ”I’m fine. It’s just... the shield is broken.”

”If the shield’s broken, so be it. After all, it’s part of the Shepherd God’s Garb and can repair itself, right?” Sinistra replied.

Kavoline shook her head. The issue wasn’t simply that the shield broke—the strike from Xiliu’s whip had not only breached her bloodline defense spell but also shattered the shield from the Shepherd God’s Garb.

She had prepared thoroughly to withstand this blow, yet even the outermost two layers of defense had been destroyed. Typically, she couldn’t maintain this strongest defensive posture at all times—not even during battles. Abandoning all offensive strategies to sustain ultimate defense would be impractical.

In other words, barring exceptional circumstances, Kavoline would struggle immensely to withstand Xiliu’s Ice Whip in a direct confrontation.

A bitter sense of defeat welled up from within Kavoline’s heart.

This was the weapon crafted by that master...

Though Kavoline herself possessed a custom-made alchemical weapon—a creation from an Alchemist at Ashliea Comprehensive College—it wasn’t completed yet. She had inspected its forging progress midway and knew the weapon’s power suited her very well.

Initially, she had been quite satisfied with it. But now, comparing it to Xiliu’s Ice Whip, it was clear they were not in the same league.

Even if the college’s Alchemist exceeded expectations, they could not approach the level of the Ice Whip.

”So this is the gap?” Indeed, the disparity between the Research and Development Institute’s craftsmen and ordinary Alchemists was insurmountable.

Kavoline murmured to herself regretfully. If she hadn’t met Asaz and used the Time Witches’ Robe back then, perhaps she, too, could have received a custom weapon from the Research and Development Institute...

As Kavoline reflected, the nearby Magic Energy Eyes beeped incessantly. The earlier energy attack, had it been released externally, would have been no less devastating than the havoc Jiebo and Qi Li wreaked at Fragrant Plaza. Thus, the Magic Energy Eyes and Enforcement Squad arrived one after another. But since Kavoline had contained the attack entirely within Fangling Hall, no external damage occurred, and the Enforcement Squad remained on standby around the perimeter.

Amid the noisy alarms, a refined middle-aged man flew from one corner of Mukihara Bar and ascended into the air. He was none other than Mukihara Bar’s owner—Wizard Song.

Suspended in the sky, he gazed at the ruined Fangling Hall and let out a deep sigh: ”I had hoped renting Fangling Hall to a few witches would bring some tranquility. Clearly, I was mistaken... Ultimately, this is all your doing.”

He seemed to speak to someone, yet no one stood by his side. There was only a transparent, winged sphere hovering nearby.

After a momentary silence, a measured male voice emanated from within the sphere: ”I merely handed over Xiliu’s custom weapon to the Infinite Battle Tower. Who could have foreseen she would test it immediately?”