"That's correct. However, we need Iraelyn's brute strength for that."
Desira rolled her eyes in frustration. "Great. The one demon we need isn't here."
"We can always wait for her to climb up," Elena suggested, trying to maintain optimism.
At that moment, Evie tugged on Ren's sleeve.
"What is it?" Ren asked as Evie seemed to be searching around.
"I don't see Pamela," Evie stated with a hint of concern.
It was only then that the group realized Pamela was missing.
"What the heck?" Desira growled. "Since when did that sneaky thing ditch us?"
Vivi furrowed his brow in thought. "I recall that Iraelyn tossed her before. Do you think she didn't make it to the summit and fell instead?"
"That's not right," Elena shook her head, her gaze fixed on a distant pile of snow. "I saw her land on her head in that pile of snow."
"Magic doesn't work here, so she must have seized the opportunity to slip away while we weren't looking," Malifira remarked, her voice tinged with amusement. "At this rate, we may never locate where she's hiding."
Desira's smile turned sinister as she cracked her knuckles. "Heeheehee. There's no corner to hide here on this summit. Her location is limited, and once I find her . . . let's just say she better hide well."
Follow current on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"So, are we just going to wait here for Iraelyn?" Elena inquired, breaking the tense silence.
"It seems like it," Malifira answered, her attention still focused on studying the ice spire.
Meanwhile, Azazel continued to pace restlessly, his agitation palpable.
"Can you stop prancing around?" Ren asked, his patience wearing thin. "Watching you makesuneasy."
"I can't! I need to do something or my nerves are going to kill me! Givesomething to do!" Azazel pleaded, his eyes darting around frantically.
Ren was about to berate him when suddenly, a violent tremor rocked the summit, causing fissures to form in the icy ground.
"W-what's going on?!" Elena exclaimed, struggling to maintain her balance as the ground beneath them shifted.
To their astonishment, they discovered that Whispering Peak was not just a mountain but a colossal creature — a slumbering behemoth known as the Ice Titan, imprisoned by powerful magic eons ago.
"Oh, shit!"
"Hold on!" Ren exclaimed, instinctively grabbing Evie and attempting to leap towards the Ice Titan's shoulder to find solid ground amidst the chaos.
However, his footing slipped, and they tumbled downward, their bodies about to crash against the unforgiving ice below.
"Shit!" Ren hissed through clenched teeth. His first instinct was to summon Pii and have it transform to save them, but then he realized that Pii wouldn't be able to fly in this area because of a restrictive spell.
As they rapidly fell downward, Evie summoned Bubbles, the white blob she had acquired during Jibblinplip.
The white ooze popped like a bubble in the air before rapidly descending down. It took in a large intake of air and transformed into a large, wide balloon that cushioned their fall.
Ren was surprised when they landed on the gooey, cushion-like body of the white ooze.
"It could do that?" he asked Evie in amazement.
Evie chuckled. "It seems like it can do anything, apparently."
"Could it defeat that thing?" Ren asked, nodding towards the Ice Titan, which had taken shape and was wreaking havoc wherever it touched.
"I doubt it," Evie said, scanning their surroundings. "Are the others fine?"
"They won't die that easily. I'm sure they're in this pile of snow somewhere. Speaking of which, there they are."
Amidst the dust and scattered shards of ice, Azazel and the others rose from the wreckage. Despite their fall from such a height, they had suffered minimal damage.
"What happened?" Desira asked, rubbing her injured head. "Lord Azazel, are you okay?"
"Hmmf . . . hmp!" ca muffled voice from the thick ice.
"Oh, Lord Azazel!" Desira quickly rushed to help Azazel, who had his head stuck in the ice. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of there!"
"Stop pulling him, or you'll detach his head," Malifira cautioned.
"Why don't you stop patronizingand helphere?!" Desira spat back.
Follow current on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMalifira rummaged in her inventory and casually threw a potion onto the spot where Azazel's head was stuck. Within seconds, there was a sizzling sound, and fog rapidly rose.
"Hey! Malifira, you witch! Are you trying to kill Lord Azazel?" Desira exclaimed in alarm.
"Relax your loins, he's going to be fine," Malifira replied calmly.
Desira's face reddened with anger, and she burst into a string of curses.
Within seconds, the thick layer of ice around Azazel's head melted, and he could finally free himself.
"Whew. I thought I would suffocate in there," Azazel said with a grin. "There are a lot of fish there, though. By the way, where's Vivi?"
"I'm here!" Vivi emerged from the pile of snow. She looked like a snow girl covered in snow before she shook it off. "BRrrRr . . . so cold."
"Lord Azazel, are you alright?!" Desira asked, relieved to see him freed.
From the distance, Iraelyn, Potato, and the others were running in their direction.
"Hey! Are you guys alright?!"
"What is that thing?!" Potato exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock at the appearance of the Titan. "No wonder those Ice Spiders were relentless to escape the mountains. So it's not a mountain, but an Ice Titan!"
"You think?" Desira scoffed.
"Now what are we going to do? Without magic and the restriction on flying, how are we going to free the Goddess from the top of that ravaging Titan's head?" Vivi's asked, then in a fit of nervousness, she grabbed a bunch of snow and ate it.
"Gah! So cold!" she screamed when the cold freeze her head.
"Don't worry, we have Iraelyn now. Her strength could definitely smash that ice sphere," Malifira reassured, and beamed at Iraelyn.
Iraelyn's face lit up with determination, and she flexed her muscles proudly. "Don't worry, leave this to me. I could transform into a dragon and smash that Titan's head into a pulp!"