Frostfire Legacy

Chapter 203: Losing Face!

Aster could no longer tolerate their nonsense. As the wind blades flew toward him, aiming for his vitals, he didn't bother dodging. Instead, he drew his sword and swung it once.

*CRACK!*

With that single swing, all the wind blades shattered, dispersing into a harmless gust of wind. This gave Aster time to take a closer look at the man who'd attacked him. His face was vaguely familiar.

"You... I remember you," Aster muttered, his voice filled with cold rage. "Weren't you the one? That party running from the Giant Sand Scorpion last night?"

The man's eyes widened in shock. How did Aster know that? Then it clicked. He recalled that, before fleeing, there was another party that had stood their ground, serving as a scapegoat.

"You—you're the leader of that idiotic party?!" the man growled.

After leaving the dungeon, they'd rushed their injured and poisoned comrades to the hospital. They hadn't been there to see Aster drag the scorpion's corpse back after hunting it! He'd assumed the party they'd passed wouldn't survive, not giving them another thought.

"Idiot?" Aster raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "I pity Ragnaros, working so hard to raise your clan's reputation, only for the new generation to tarnish it."

*WHOOSH!*

Aster swung his sword again, without using any special skills—just raw power. A cloud of sand erupted, forcing everyone to take a step back as the wind pressure blasted through the camp.

"You and the rest of them—Seiji and Kolten's groups—you're all a disgrace to Dragon's Roar."

"Seiji? Kolten?" the elf sneered, laughing oddly. "Kekeke, so you're the one who helped me deal with those idiots? Well, I'll give you credit for that! In return, I'll only beat you half to death!"

The elf raised his hands, summoning multiple green spears of light, wind-element magic. "Just because you beat those losers doesn't mean you can match me! Let me show you the real difference in our abilities!"

The magic spears launched without a chant, flying faster and deadlier than before. Aster simply watched as the ten projectiles closed in.

"Difference in abilities? That's my line, weakling."

*SLASH!*

Aster swung his sword horizontally. The single strike obliterated all the incoming projectiles and even sliced off the top of the tallest building behind the guards.

His cold, disdainful gaze swept over the guards. "I'll say this once: leave my party alone, or I'll show no mercy."

The warning sent a wave of fear through the camp. Most lost their will to fight, but none moved. All three clans were present, and none could afford to be the first to back down. The first to back out would lose face! A tense silence ensued, each side waiting for the other to act—a sort of chicken race was about to begin.

"I warned you..."

Aster took their inaction as defiance. To him, it meant they were now "enemies." He carefully tied his sword's hilt and scabbard together, sealing its sharp edge, before leaping forward. Sand exploded beneath his feet as he closed the 50-meter gap in an instant.

"Kuh!"

The elf, Yuulogia, hastily cast a chantless spell, raising a stone wall between them. "You fool! I was born with the Legendary Skill—Chant Omission! You're no match for me!"

Aster merely said one word in reply. "Pathetic."

*CRASH!*

The stone wall crumbled instantly as Aster plowed through it. The guards reflexively shielded their faces from the debris, giving Aster the opportunity to slip through and reach the girls.

As he got closer, Aster noticed several scratches and bruises on the group—not just on Kali. He didn't know what had happened to them, but he knew one thing for certain: he couldn't forgive the ones who did it!

"Cassy..." His gaze shifted to her, the most broken of them all.

Her wounds weren't physical, but mental. She was sinking further into depression, and the current situation only made it worse. If things didn't roll for the better soon, she could completely break down.

"Alright, bastards. If you have any excuses, speak now." Aster growled, his voice causing the ground to tremble like an earthquake. "Not that I'll listen."

Without waiting for a response, Aster unleashed his Elemental Sword Slash—Ice Element! A thick layer of ice instantly enveloped everyone behind him. None were spared—men, women, innocent or not. In one move, he incapacitated all three of the so-called "Top Clans"!

"Darling~! I missed you! I knew you'd come for me~!"

Tina chirped, jumping onto Aster's back, and hugging him tightly. Despite the tension in the air, her antics helped calm him down, if only a little.

"You let them mistreat you and didn't fight back?" Aster sighed, surprised at Tina's restraint.

"I did!"

But her response reminded him that Tina was still Tina.

"But they were stronger than us. I couldn't even land a solid hit on that elf! All I managed to do was crush five guys' futures."

'So there were already casualties,' Aster thought, exasperated.

Talking with Tina helped him cool down, though his anger hadn't entirely subsided. He still hadn't forgiven the three clans, but at least he was thinking clearly again.

"Should I just kill them all? If there's no witnesses, there'll be no problems," he mused aloud.

Liz, standing nearby, smiled bitterly. "With your strength, technically, you could. But they're not criminals. Can your conscience handle that?"

Killing bandits was one thing; killing people just because they angered him was different. Aster realized it might weigh on his conscience, so he gave up the idea. Killing them by accident was one thing, but intentional murder wasn't something he was ready for—unless they forced his hand.

He led the girls out of the camp and used his Frostfire Legacy to thaw the ice around the captives' heads. He didn't release them entirely, just enough to let them breathe.

"B-Bastard..."

To his surprise, Yuulogia was still conscious. He'd managed to cast a barrier just in time to protect himself from the worst of the freezing.

"Do you know what you've done? You've defied the mayor himself!" Yuulogia spat, trying to intimidate Aster.

Little did he know, Aster and Magnus were close enough to speak directly. Yuulogia's threat was laughable to him.

"We're heading deeper into the dungeon to lose Lorelai's tail," Aster said just loud enough for the elf to hear. "Follow us or stay here—your choice. But I'll warn you one last time."

The air turned icy as Aster's killing intent resurfaced, making Yuulogia shiver.

"Don't mess with me or my party again. There won't be a next time."