Chapter 120: Icy Dominion
"The second Ice Law… broken?"
Pitbull Sama stared in disbelief as those fragments of the 'Glacial Reflection' mirror rained down upon them. The audacity of these creatures! They had defied his domain's laws. Not once, but TWICE!
He snorted angrily, sending a blast of frosty air towards Raphael's team. It was as if a blizzard had erupted, coating them in a layer of ice crystals.
"You've weathered the first two, but the THIRD… It'll be your undoing!"
He turned his gaze skyward and howled once more.
"AROOOO!"
Above, the 'Subzero Law Wheel' responded.
A new symbol, resembling a spiraling snowflake, appeared at its center and pulsed with a chilling blue light.
"The THIRD LAW! A symphony of chaos! The Law of… 'Chilling Whispers'!"
…
"From frosted winds, soft whispers rise,
Veiling truth in a web of lies.
Amidst the mist, confusion reigns,
Beware your kin, as doubt inflames."
…
A bright, white light descended from the wheel. It bathed the domain in an eerie, otherworldly glow.
The temperature plummeted.
Then…
A white mist began to spread, swirling around their forms. It was a chilling mist that seeped into their very being, playing tricks on their senses.
Raphael's vision blurred, and he stumbled. He could hear voices, but they were fragmented, distorted. They seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Wha… Where… is…?!"
Lu Jade's scales shivered erratically. He hissed, "Big Brother! Where are you? I can't see…"
"Calm yourself, Little Lu. It's the mist… I think its playing with our minds."
"Thienika…?"
Even Thienika, whose ancient senses had guided her through countless perils, felt a disorientation creeping in. It was an unsettling sensation.
This mist was warping their perception, distorting reality itself, creating a terrifying resonance of doubt and confusion.
The Crimson Fang Hounds, however, were unaffected.
They grinned and bared their fangs. They could sense their enemies' struggle, their weakening resolve, and in that moment of weakness…
They attacked!
"Those fools… they can't even tell FRIEND from FOE!"
"KILL!"
"Their points will be OURS!"
Claws lashed out! Frost bolts zipped past!
The hounds exploited the chaos, striking from the mist with an untamed, predatory might.
But Raphael…
He acted instinctively.
"RAGING BULL ROAR!"
BOOM!
An earth-shattering sonic wave had the very air itself rippling as the domain trembled.
The white mist dissipated instantly, and those whispers were silenced!
Raphael's roar, fueled by his potent Solar Essence, had disrupted the frequencies of the 'Chilling Whisper' law and shattered it completely!
The hounds staggered while clutching at their ears.
"What the…?! My ears!"
"He countered my law AGAIN! DAMN!"
Pitbull Sama was enraged. He swatted one of his pack members with his tail and then unleashed a string of curses that could melt even the thickest ice.
"That damned BULL! First 'Frostbite Grasp', then 'Glacial Reflection'… he's surmounted them all! What a troublesome opponent! BUT…" He grinned wickedly. "There's still one law remaining… a law that will crush his spirit and send him begging for mercy. AHAHAHAHA!"
"AROOO!"
With a final howl, he activated the fourth Ice Law.
"Behold my trump card! The 'Icy Dominion'!"
…
"Around our kin, the ice shall bloom,
A circle of strength, an aura of doom.
In shifting rings, our power soars,
Unleashing might through ancient doors."
…
As he chanted, the wheel's symbol shifted, morphing into a stylized snowflake with a ruby heart. A blinding blue light intensified, and then…
WHOOSH!
White ice rings materialized around the hounds, forming protective zones that amplified their strengths, their speed, their everything!
Then…
A single, crimson ring formed around Raphael, Lu Jade and Thienika. It was an ominous signifier of their impending doom. They were trapped within a restrictive zone that dulled their Solar Essences and had their movements slowing to a painful crawl.
"What the…?!" Raphael's hooves felt heavy. His wings, usually so powerful and swift, seemed burdened.
"My strength…! It's fading!" Lu Jade's scales paled.
Even Thienika felt a chill as her staff trembled in her grasp. "This law… It's sapping our power! We have to break free! NOW!"
But it was too late.
"AROOO! Attack! KILL them! Leave NO SURVIVORS!"
Pitbull Sama led the charge as the hounds within his white ring dashed forth. They moved with a speed they hadn't shown before, their claws now sharper, their fangs glistening with lethal venom.
The battle began!
Raphael and his team fought back while trying to escape the crimson ring, to break free from its constraints. But it was a futile effort! The hounds were relentless!
"Phantom Willow Grass – Blossom Barrage!"
"Wing Slashnado!"
"Helios Sphere!"
"Sapphire Spring Blood Sword!"
"Royal Guard!"
But their techniques, their most potent skills, they were weaker! The hounds, protected by their 'Icy Dominion', deflected their attacks with ease.
"My flames…!"
"My grass, it's freezing!"
"The blood! It's turning to ice!"
"My guard is failing to block them!"
They were being overwhelmed.
And then, Pitbull Sama, with a terrifying, blood-curdling howl, unleashed his fury!
"FROZEN FANG BARRAGE - DIE!"
He gathered the icy energy of his domain, drawing it into his gaping maw. The air around him intensified with frost! It condensed into a sphere of pure, white energy, laced with razor-sharp ice shards that resembled fangs.
It was a technique that had even the lesser hounds cowering in awe.
"Such power!"
"Pitbull Sama is unstoppable!"
He aimed the icy sphere at Raphael's group with a dreadful finality.
"This… This is the end…
DIE! BULL!"
At that moment of desperation…
BOOM!
A terrifying crash came from above! It shattered the very foundations of this frozen hell! The Subzero Law Wheel exploded!
It was obliterated. Shards of ice rained down upon them!
"What…?"
"Who…?"
They couldn't believe their eyes!
And as the dust settled, a massive figure crashed into their midst which compelled the hounds to scatter.
A colossal weight had the very foundation of that 'Frozen Hell Domain' squeaking like a bleeding mouse.
Those who'd cheered the mighty Pitbull Sama's strength seconds before, quickly scramble to escape the incoming shockwave. Their hopes for safety died instantly as a dreadful realization had those very hearts of theirs pounding erratically.
"What… What is that smell?!"
"It can't be! Those aromas…?"
"Sulphur! Blood! And... death?!!"
The Crimson Fang Hounds whimpered as a monstrous form emerged from the dust cloud.
It was a rhino.
But unlike any they'd ever encountered.
This one was colossal!
Its red horn was cracked, but oozing a potent purple energy. Its hide was covered in scars, and burns, and yet from each wounds came an aura that could only be describe as… invincible.
A monstrous grin stretched across its snout as it surveyed the frozen landscape with hungry eyes.
"Looks like the party's starting early! Now then… where are those bastards?!"
It was Pam Long!