novelColdfrost Citadel
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When the astrological card in White Flame's hand lit up, Coldfrost Citadel hidden in the gap of space and time began to reveal itself. Ice walls that looked like blades and fangs began to rise on the empty ice sheet. Translucent phantoms appeared in the distant night sky like a mirage and quickly materialized under the starlight before turning into towering walls and pointed towers. As Hao Ren drove forward, the surrounding light and shadow continued to change. The scene alternated between the Arctic ice sheet and the Coldfrost Citadel, which made it almost impossible to distinguish illusion from reality. When it all finally stabilized, they had arrived in front of the Millennium Palace of the demon hunters, which greeted its visitors with its magnificent appearance.
As its name implied, Coldfrost Citadel was an icy citadel on the cold land in the extreme north. The word "Coldfrost" was not only inspired by the Arctic ice but also the building materials of the citadel. Everyone was stunned when they saw that it was a city of ice through and through: huge ice walls looking like cliffs stood before them, completely integrated with the ice beneath it. There were narrow windows and ice blades, which looked like they were handcrafted, extending downwards along the ice walls. Layers of battlements and towers stood atop the citadel, making it appear like a weird beast hibernating in the dark. Between these structures were numerous rough lines and prismatic spires akin to lighthouses shining with a magical glow under the night sky.
All these structures were made of ice or at least material that looked like ice. But the citadel was neither crystal clear nor fragile; the ice was mixed with something else. The thick ice walls had white and black, cloud-like things surging inside them. Hao Ren guessed that this was likely the result of the enchantment of sorts.
Coldfrost Citadel was built during the twilight years of the ancient gods. It had been thousands of years since then. The architectural style of the citadel was utterly different from any human architecture on Earth; it looked imposing and in your face. Hao Ren could not help but look at the fortress carefully. Finally, he saw something familiar, which in some way resembled the ancient architecture in the Royal City of Holletta.
Demon hunters were the "ultimate life form" created by the mage emperors of Holletta using the lifeblood. Although the demon hunters did not have the time to develop their civilization, they inherited the intellectual essence of the Holletta's Magic Empire. This inheritance finally showed itself here, in the citadel.
"How is it?" White Flame felt a sense of relief upon seeing the place she called home. Spreading her hands out proudly, she said, "Most people would be awed the first time they see Coldfrost Citadel. Its grandeur is unmatched in this world; not even the most magnificent temples of the Mythological Era could match its glory."
"To tell you the truth, I've seen bigger things, but this is spectacular, " Lily said, wagging her tail and trying to show off her knowledge. She then looked up the wall."The whole city doesn't even have a gap in its walls!" she exclaimed.
"The ice rocks are all first fused, then reinforced with a 16-step enchantment before becoming one with the ice sheet, " White Flame explained."The Arctic ice sheet has changed a lot for the past thousands of years, but only this place where the citadel stands is preserved by magic. Under your feet is the same Arctic ice layer of thousands of years ago; not even a millimeter of it has changed."
Y'lisabet, who sat on Y'zaks' shoulder and stared at the place for a long time, finally mumbled, "My house is bigger than this."
White Flame held up the flaming card in front of the city gate. The flame on the rune card was only a dot in the darkness, but as the card sparkled, a giant ice sculpture shaped like a dragon's skull on the citadel's gate lit up. A loud grinding sound followed. The dragon skull ice sculpture lowered itself, emitting a hoarse voice in the process, "Open... the door..."
*Boom!*
A loud bang sounded behind the gate as the earth trembled. The entrance, which seemed to have been frozen together with the wall began to rise slowly. Meanwhile, a low and solemn horn bellowed from above as the gate opened. Hao Ren looked up at the top of the citadel wall; in the darkness, he saw many shadows moving around and hundreds of eyes staring down.
Hao Ren kept his car inside his Dimensional Pocket. Then, White Flame brought them into the citadel. While passing through the gate, he suddenly asked, "Since this base camp is still here, why did you look the way you did when you fled?"
Hao Ren recalled the time White Flame was teleported to the Southern Suburbs. At that time, the demon hunter was half dead. She looked like she had just escaped a battle frontline that had fallen into the enemy's hand. However, Coldfrost Citadel was still standing, so he was wondering how White Flame got herself into such a sorry state.
"Do you know where I fled from?" White Flame smiled.
"Where?" Hao Ren was baffled.
"The deepest part of Coldpath. The whole place had fallen, " White Flame said and let out a sigh."The entrance here is still under our control. The Council of Elders occupies Coldpath on the other side. I was trapped and encircled; the evacuation route to the Stellar Spire was cut off. I wanted to flee to Coldfrost Citadel to rest first before I looked for you with the bloodstone's guidance. But since I was trapped, I decided to open a portal in a quiet place within Coldpath. My injuries were not the result of the battle but the turbulence during the teleportation. The locked secret realm almost crushed me into pieces but fortunately, the talisman that Teacher gave me saved my life, " White Flame said.
Hao Ren looked at the demon huntress, feeling startled."Teleporting in a blocked space is suicide. You've got nerves of steel."
Hao Ren did not know White Flame very well. His impression of her just stemmed from the limited contact he had with her. He knew her as a great talent, but one who lacked experience due to her overprotective teacher and elders. She had the combat strength, but she was not as experienced as Nangong Sanba. Now, his immature image of her was shattered in an instant. She was braver than he had ever imagined; jumping into the turbulence of space and time was no different from passing through a meat grinder—it took a lot of guts.
Lily listened to their conversation with her ears standing on end. Baffled, she said, "Oh, is it that dangerous? I could do it too, " she said.
Other than a person who was as brave as White Flame, there was another type of people who dared to do this: Lily, the naive kind.
With anticipation and excitement, they became the first "foreigners" to step into the sacred land of the demon hunters. After passing through the gate, Hao Ren finally saw the entire citadel of ice. Magic lights kept the fortress illuminated at night, and heavily armed demon hunters were everywhere. However, despite the crowd, it was not noisy. The demon hunters who were dressed in black just stood quietly in their respective posts, watching the visitors. Their eyes were filled with curiosity, suspicion, and a little anticipation.
Hao Ren had expected their suspicious stares. But this day was the most special day for Coldfrost Citadel and the demon hunters; the apex supernatural creature had not only asked for outside help, but the support they sought was actually from a bunch of otherworldlings. It was unprecedented. Now, these otherworldlings who had been classified as heretics in the sacred book of the demon hunters were received as guests in the citadel. It was something unthinkable in the past.
If it had not been for the disappearance of their innate hostility, if it had not been for the circumstances, if it had not been for the most stubborn demon hunters in the Council of Elders turning on them, today's events would likely never happen.
An old demon hunter wearing an overcoat emerged from the dark and came up quickly to White Flame."So, they're here?" the old demon hunter asked.
"Master Kesuzov, " White Flame bowed slight and said, "they are the leaders of the reinforcements. The main troops will arrive in an hour. We need someone to release the enchantment for them. Besides, I want to tell you something beforehand; it's about the army I've invited. I hope everyone is prepared; they look a little weird and probably similar to those creatures from the Mythological Era, but they are on our side."
Master Kesuzov, the old demon hunter nodded."Don't worry; we are ready for anything. In these circumstances, we've learned to be flexible. I heard that this was part of the instructions given by Beetholis the Sage before he lost his mind, " he said.
Even though White Flame had not passed through Coldfrost Citadel prior, when Hao Ren and his team set foot on the North Pole, she had contacted the citadel using her secret technique and gave them a heads-up. Hence, the defense forces in the stronghold had arranged everything to receive the otherworldlings.
"Indeed, it was the instruction of Beetholis the Sage and also the wish of Elder Hasse as well as Master Teuton, " White Flame said, emphasizing the latter two. She then stepped aside and pointed at Vivian."Countess Ancestor is highly respected, even the demon hunters fear her. It is she who has offered to help, " White Flame said.
"Thank you, Countess, for your big heart, " Master Kesuzov said. His tone of voice sounded strange. It was awkward, but he still greeted Vivian."It is embarrassing."
"Don't worry about it. Let's cut the cackle." Vivian waved her hand in a dignified manner."We may have been in a dogfight, but hey, no discord, no concord. Let's just be ourselves. So, shall we talk about the situation in the frontline?" she said.
Lily mumbled, "Could you please not drag dogs into your conversation? Did dogs bite you or something?"
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