Level Up Legacy

1304  Divine Spirit

Alaric raised the collapsed walls to finally find Valeria trapped underneath. The pirate was still healing from her wounds, which Diana had helped with using Iceheart. Using all the strength he had, Alaric pushed the wall aside until he could finally pull Valeria from underneath, right before it collapsed again, almost burying her.

"Who are you?" asked Valeria, too weak to even put a resistance against this unknown man. But even if she had the strength, she would not hurt anyone who seemed to carry good intentions toward her.

"The name is Alaric, a pirate," he replied while bending down to catch his breath. "I came here with Diana and Rain looking for you. We need to run away from this place, now."

"What about her?" asked Valeria as she looked around before spotting Diana hovering in the distance. "We cannot leave her alone to fight against Deluge and the armies of Hikma. She would be killed or imprisoned."

"As much as I wish to abandon everything and save her, she seems confident in her abilities, to a degree that I've started to believe in her too," said Alaric as he rose from the ground and carried Valeria in his embrace. The pirate woman was surprised but did not refuse. "We just have to escape for now."

Valeria was silent, staring at Diana who seemed to be attempting something she did not understand. Then, her expression changed as she began to see a figure behind Diana. This newcomer was huge, ethereal, and intimidating. The moment it appeared, the hall began snowing, even though Valeria had not changed the weather.

"What is that?" muttered Valeria once she found her voice. Alaric was confused before he followed her gaze, also stopping once he saw the figure. His movement slowed as he looked at the giant creature. "It looks like a woman, but… somehow different. Can it be her contracted astral being?"

Alaric could not answer her, because from what he gathered, Diana was still a Deme-ranker and had no way of summoning an Astral Being. Therefore, he was just as shocked to see this creature appear behind Diana. However, the place was too noisy for him to hear what she was saying.

Blue armor appeared on Diana's body, covering her arms, chest, legs, and face. Her wings turned from blue to white as the entire hall began freezing at a visible rate. Frost appeared on their bodies even though they were so far away, enough to tell them that Diana's current form was the embodiment of ice itself.

Facing that freezing cold was Deluge, who stared at his own projection catching frostbite. It was a strange sensation since this ice seemed to affect his soul as well, almost turning him into a statue. Then, he looked at the woman before him, now covered entirely in armor.

"I know that power, lost in ancient times, and the sole reason that humans still exist," said Deluge with a smile as he stared at the creature. "That is a Divine Spirit, the Ice Sovereign," muttered the calamity with amazement. "I have never witnessed a spirit of this level before."

"Then, it can be your last time," said Diana from behind her blue mask, which was engraved with ancient runes. "You are the first person to witness this form of mine, Jian Ba. If possible, I want you to surrender now."

Jian Ba was not an idiot. Diana was already her equal before she summoned this creature, which looked like an ice statue of a woman with long robes. The fight was over the moment this creature appeared. She could not win even if she sacrificed her life, which would be meaningless.

"Please give me your orders, master," said Jian Ba as she turned toward Deluge. It was not explicit, but her desire to forfeit was evident from her question. Although a strict man, Deluge was not unreasonable enough to make her sacrifice herself for nothing.

In response, Deluge's expression crumbled into disgust as he looked at Jian Ba. He was obviously unhappy with her hesitation, enough to raise his foot and slam her back. Although a projection, he could still impact the physical world to a certain degree.

Jian Ba collapsed on the ground, since she was already drained from the earlier battle. Deluge did not hesitate to stomp on her leg again, making her groan in pain as she muffled a cry. Diana simply watched as he spat on her back.

"Have you lost your wits, pathetic whore? I have already given you the order to fight, so why are you asking me again? You want to run away? You want to embarrass me?"

"Not at all, master," said Jian Ba with gritted teeth. She felt more humiliation than pain regarding his actions, but she did not dare show it. "Please forgive me."

"You have one last chance to defeat her. If you fail, then I don't need worthless whores like you," said Deluge as he removed his foot and allowed her to stand. "Now fight until you win or die."

"That won't be necessary," said a cold voice from beside them. Deluge was confused as his eyes widened. An ice sword appeared beside him, slashing through his projection before Jian Ba could even react. The sword tore through his body as ice covered it, making the sin howl as his soul was injured. "This fight is already over."

Diana was already between Jian Ba and Deluge, with her armor shining bright in the sunlight coming through the destroyed ceiling. Jian Ba raised her sword to attack, but the ice sword impaled her chest. Her entire body began to freeze until she was encased in ice.

The howls echoed throughout the hall as Deluge staggered backward, ice spreading over his soul. It was the second time that Diana managed to hurt him even though he did not exist, which made him enraged. However, she was far from afraid of his wrath.

"If you ever treat someone like that in front of me, I will find you and behead you, damn vermin," said Diana from behind her armor. "Now scram!"