A bone-chilling frost aura spread toward Bai Shi in a fan shape, freezing icicles onto the ground the moment it made contact.
Then, the icicles shattered and exploded, shooting toward Bai Shi once more.
Bai Shi summoned a storm, blocking the frost and the shards of ice.
But even though the attack didn't directly harm him, the drop in temperature still inevitably brought him discomfort.
After dispelling the storm, the Zamor Ancient Hero charged again. Bai Shi raised his left sword to parry and swung his right sword toward her trajectory.
When the Zamor Ancient Hero reached Bai Shi, she didn't swing her great scimitar as she had before.
Instead, with a tap of her toes, she drifted sideways and spun in the air.
She not only deftly dodged Bai Shi's swing but also landed at his right rear.
Following the spin, the Zamor Ancient Hero swung her scimitar in a wide arc, aiming for Bai Shi's shoulder during the gap when his right hand, having just attacked, couldn't defend in time.
Her position at that moment was remarkably clever. Bai Shi's left sword couldn't block it, and his right hand couldn't change its move in time.If this strike landed, Bai Shi would likely lose an arm.
But this Bai Shi was no longer the same as before.
Bai Shi simply copied the Zamor hero, rotating his body counterclockwise while simultaneously summoning a storm.
Propelled by the storm, his left sword successfully blocked the Zamor Ancient Hero's great scimitar.
His right sword followed closely behind, aimed straight for the Zamor hero's waist.
The storm around Bai Shi sent the scales strung at the Zamor hero's waist clattering.
It was a storm powerful enough to shred the flesh of a demi-human, yet on the Zamor hero's slender, withered body, it only managed to scrape a few bloody marks.
This race was, after all, one that lived amidst ice, snow, and tempests.
Seeing Bai Shi's right sword about to strike her waist, the Zamor Ancient Hero was momentarily lost in thought.
She suddenly remembered it had been a long time since she had felt the blizzards of her homeland, a time so long it felt ancient even to a long-lived being.
The blizzards atop that snowy peak could make even them feel cold and pain, yet at this moment, she missed it dearly.
Snapping back to her senses, the Zamor hero waved her left hand. Ice exploded beside her, and the shockwave knocked Bai Shi back, neutralizing his counterattack.
Bai Shi retreated several steps before steadying himself. This magic was very similar to the Rejection incantation—its impact was immense, and what's more, it was incredibly cold.
A layer of white frost had already formed on Bai Shi's armor.
With the release of these two cold spells, the ambient temperature within the narrow evergaol was also dropping.
Although the temperature had not yet reached a level that would affect the battle, it was not a good sign.
Bai Shi gathered a storm around his twin swords and fired two Storm Blades at the Zamor Ancient Hero.
Although the Storm Blades were almost invisible, the Zamor hero concentrated and managed to dodge them with her footwork.
But hiding behind the Storm Blades was Bai Shi, who had used the storm's momentum to close the distance.
He slashed down with his crossed swords. Even though the Zamor hero immediately leaped back, she was still left with an X-shaped wound on her abdomen.
Flesh peeled back, and blood trickled out.
The Zamor hero passed her left hand over her abdomen. A surge of frost flowed from her hand, and the wound was instantly frozen shut.
Bai Shi recalled the sensation of those last two strikes. It wasn't like flesh and blood, but more like withered, old, thick tree bark.
The blow had not pierced her abdominal cavity, and her organs were undamaged. It was not a serious injury, but at least it had drawn blood in this battle.
Bai Shi prepared to press his attack, intending to accumulate these small wounds and wait for his opponent to show fatigue before landing a devastating blow.
To his surprise, after being injured, the Zamor Ancient Hero once again took the offensive.
Whether it was excitement from the sight of blood, or because the previous exchange had limbered up a body that had been inactive for so long, the Zamor hero's assault grew frantic.
Sometimes she would leap in front of Bai Shi, slash with her sword, then immediately kick off and fly backward. At other times she would unleash a series of madly spinning slashes, lashing out at Bai Shi with the chain of her left shackle.
Ice mist and shards of ice occasionally erupted from her great scimitar, clashing with the storm on Bai Shi's swords.
Several icicles had already found their way into the gaps of Bai Shi's armor, and warm blood trickled out, melting the solid ice.
He had taken two hits on his body, but his armor had not been breached.
The blow from the chain to his side was actually more severe; the impact made his ribs ache.
Of course, Bai Shi was not just taking hits. As their blades clashed, he continuously used the storm to inflict minor wounds on the Zamor hero.
From time to time, a Storm Blade would catch the Zamor hero's vulnerability in mid-air, knocking her down several times.
His mana was nearly depleted, and his wounds were beginning to affect his fighting.
Bai Shi wanted to find a chance to drink from his flask, but the back-and-forth was too intense.
If he tried to drink, he feared the Zamor hero would instantly charge him from a distance.
Sensing the remaining mana within him, Bai Shi decided to gamble it all on the next strike to severely injure the Zamor Ancient Hero.
Bai Shi raised his twin swords. He had been studying this move for a long time, but his execution had never been smooth enough.
But during the fight just now, Bai Shi had been constantly observing and imitating the Zamor hero's agile rotations, which was precisely what he had been missing.
Taking a deep breath, Bai Shi brandished his twin swords. A powerful storm enveloped him, and his body spun along with it.
After half a turn, Bai Shi faced away from the Zamor hero and crouched low, the storm continuing to gather power.
Although she had never seen this move, the Zamor hero had no intention of letting Bai Shi unleash it.
However, before she could stop him, in the next second, Bai Shi was already using the storm's momentum to launch himself forward in a fierce spin.
Two swords swept upward, carving deep gashes into the Zamor hero's chestplate.
Before the Zamor hero could react, Bai Shi twisted his waist sharply in mid-air, violently changing the direction of his blades and slashing down once more.
The Zamor hero's hastily raised scimitar was powerless to block the attack, and the chainmail on her shoulder shattered instantly.
Bai Shi didn't stop after landing. He performed a forward somersault on the spot, his twin swords crashing down in a cross pattern as his body descended—Dual Sword Lion's Claw.
Even though the Zamor hero immediately jumped backward, she was still hit. A massive wound so deep the bone was visible was carved into her right leg.
Fresh blood spurted out. This was the first serious injury she had sustained so far.
The Zamor hero touched the gaping wound, the flowing blood making her feel a sense of unreality.
‘The last time... when was it?’
Bai Shi did not press his advantage. With such a grievous wound, the Zamor hero shouldn't be able to attack immediately. He had to use this moment to drink his Sacred Flask.
In the distance, the Zamor hero plunged her great scimitar into the ground, as if performing some kind of ritual.
Her broken armor was covered in pristine ice, and all her wounds were frozen shut.
An ancient, biting wind began to blow within the small evergaol. The temperature plummeted, and pure white snowflakes began to fall, covering the ground in frost and snow.
The landscape of the Zamor hero's homeland, the snow-capped peak in her heart, was recreated here.
As she drew her scimitar from the ground once more, the blade was encased in a thick layer of frost. The Zamor hero began to spin, wielding her scimitar, and performed a graceful dance.
When the dance concluded, she bowed deeply.
She remembered the glory of being a hero, something she had forgotten during her long imprisonment.