Dominion of The Beast Masters

Chapter 266: Of Water and Frost: Mercury VS Sia



As Kaida turned the forest into a literal inferno, farther away, the temperature had dropped so much that ice started spreading on the walls.

The ruined temple atop which Sia stood gleamed with frost, her icy aura spreading around.

Across from her, Mercury stood with her arms crossed, her relaxed stance a stark contrast to the tension in the air.

Sia summoned her ice beasts in a flurry of sharp, crystalline shards. Dozens of creatures made of frost emerged, their forms jagged and almost angelic, then, in unison, they charged toward Mercury with claws slicing through the air.

With a wave of her hand, Mercury summoned a towering wave that crashed over the advancing beasts, shattering them instantly.

She raised an eyebrow, her expression almost taunting.

"Are we still playing, or can we go to the obvious conclusion?" Mercury asked, her voice steady and laced with amusement.

Sia frowned, her gaze narrowing. Without a word, she leapt from the top of the ruined temple.

As her feet touched the ground, a storm of ice erupted around her. The air grew colder, and frost crept along the stone walls, encasing them in crystalline beauty.

From the heart of the storm, Nivalys emerged.

Mercury spread her arms wide, her aura rippling outward. The temperature shifted, and the air became thick and fluid, shimmering like water.

Two figures materialized behind her: Naiadira, and Zephyraquiel.

The clash of beasts began with earth-shaking force. Nivalys lunged at Naiadira, its claws slashing through waves that seemed alive, while Zephyraquiel soared into the sky, unleashing torrents of wind that buffeted Sia.

Mercury remained composed, orchestrating the battle from a distance with precise gestures.

Sia's frost surged, forming walls of ice to block Mercury's relentless water strikes. The temple's ruins became a battlefield of frozen spires and crashing waves.

Sia unleashed frost beams alongside Nivalys, freezing everything in their path, but Mercury countered with explosive water blasts that shattered the ice before it could reach her.

"Impressive," Sia muttered, her breath visible in the freezing air.

But doubt crept into her mind. With the water field spell around Mercury, she could freeze the entire battlefield with her own field spell, but something about Mercury's calm demeanor made her hesitate.

The Mercury she knew was a prodigy with creativity who could fight her weaknesses, this Mercury, in opposite, was more complete, relaxed and dominating.

What seemed like a weakness before, now screamed like a trap.

Mercury smiled, her voice carrying over the chaos.

"What's the matter? I expected more from my nemesis."

Triggered, Sia launched a barrage of frost spikes, each one sharper and deadlier than the last. Mercury responded with a tidal wave, the force of which shook the ground. Tempests swirled as Zephyraquiel dived, its wings creating gusts that scattered the ice shards like leaves.

Nivalys roared, charging Naiadira with immense strength, but the water beast blew a water jet on the ice sabertooth, pushing it away.

Zephyraquiel's attacks followed, sharp wind slashes raining down from above, leaving Nivalys visibly damaged. Sia grit her teeth, realizing her current strategy wasn't enough.

"I didn't think after all this time, I'll be the challenger again," Sia said, stepping back as her aura spiked.

She closed her eyes, and her body began to change.

A phenomenom new for many began to occur.

Her body shifted, Frost coated her skin, forming feline-like armor with jagged ice patterns. Her hands became clawed, and her eyes glowed with an mystical blue light. A tail of crystalline ice swished behind her.

It was her beastification with Nivalys, transforming her into a hybrid form. Her voice resonated through the battlefield.

"Thank you for this fight, Mercury," Sia said. "But this ends now."

The forest succumbed to her power as a blizzard erupted. Snow and ice swirled violently, reducing visibility to near zero.

Sia moved like a blur, her frost attacks now covering massive areas, while Nivalys assisted her with colossal shards of ice falling like meteors.

Everything had been poised for destruction, her frost ready to swallow the battlefield whole, but suddenly, it all stopped. As if time itself had paused.

Sia's wide eyes betrayed her disbelief as she stared at the center of what should have been an icy crater.

The air seemed to shimmer, a faint hum resonating through the frozen silence. In the center of the devastation stood Mercury, glowing.

A faint smile played on Mercury's lips as her aura began to rise. The energy rippling around her pulsated with the combined might of Naiadira and Zephyraquiel.

The air around her shimmered with a bluish glow, her hair lifting as though caught in a gentle current, and intricate marks resembling flowing water and wind illuminated her skin.

A phenomenon alike Eratz's beastification unfolded.

Mercury's body emitted unparalleled energy, her body ascending as if carried by the water itself.

The marks on her skin blazed with light, and her calm expression seemed to dwarf the battlefield.

Sia's mouth hung slightly open in disbelief. The icy winds of her blizzard began to falter, their strength consumed by Mercury's overwhelming energy.

"Thank you for the compliment," Mercury said, her voice calm yet resonant. Her smile

widened. "And... second this."

Sia's expression hardened. With a roar, she charged forward, unleashing an onslaught of frost and ice so powerful it could have frozen an entire mountain in seconds.

Shards of ice the size of boulders hurtled toward Mercury with

recision.

Mercury responded with a stream of water so immense it seemed to blot out the sky.

The liquid surged forward, crashing against the icy onslaught with titanic force.

The resulting collision created a shockwave that flattened the surrounding forest, sending trees and debris flying for miles.

Nivalys and Sia pressed on, their combined strength forming an unrelenting storm of ice. Mercury, however, remained serene, her dual mastery of water and wind proving

insurmountable.

Tsunamis clashed with glaciers, and whirlwinds tore through icy barriers. The battlefield became a chaotic symphony of elements, each clash more destructive than the last.

From Sia's perspective, the battle was surreal. Her frost seemed inadequate against Mercury's precise control over water.

'How is she so powerful?' Sia wondered, her movements becoming more frantic. 'Controlling a calamity beast is nearly impossible... and she's controlling two?! How? How does she do that?'

She gritted her teeth, struggling to comprehend how Mercury had transformed into such a

force.

Only a few months ago, Mercury had been a worthy rival, but not this overwhelming. Now, Sia's ice struggled to even remain on the field.

Slowly, the realization dawned on her: Mercury had outclassed her from afar. Even her field spell was stronger, nullifying her elemental advantage.

In the middle of the destruction, Sia's face softened as she watched Mercury.

There was something almost divine about her movements, graceful, deliberate, and

commanding.

Mercury wasn't just fighting; she was orchestrating the battlefield from above like a goddess.

A pang of sadness hit Sia, not from the impending loss but from her inability to understand. She clenched her fists, her determination flaring.

"I won't fall so easily!" Sia shouted, using Nivalys to propel herself upward toward Mercury. She surged forward, frost and fury trailing behind her.

Mercury frowned, spreading her arms as water spiraled around her.

The two collided mid-air, their powers active in a stunning display of hand-to-hand combat.

Mercury's fists carried the weight of tidal waves, while Sia's strikes froze the air around them

with each blow.

They punched, kicked, and grappled, their raw strength creating shockwaves that rippled across the battlefield. Mercury's wind-enhanced agility met Sia's frost-infused precision in a

brutal, almost artistic clash.

But if Sia wasn't a master in hand to hand combat, Mercury had several battles in her

achievements.

Gradually, she began to take the lead. Her strikes grew sharper, her movements faster, and her control over the battlefield undeniable.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

With a powerful kick, she sent Sia hurtling backward. The ice master tumbled, stunned but

still defiant.

Sia's expression darkened. She made a last-ditch effort, raising her hands as frost began to

spread rapidly.

Ice formed on every surface, encasing the battlefield in a layer of crystalline beauty.

"Enough!" Sia roared, pouring everything she had into freezing the entire forest.

Mercury's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, she clapped her hands together. Instantly, the water from her expansive field spell converged, rushing toward Sia in an unstoppable torrent.

The sheer force of the convergence shattered the frozen landscape as it enveloped Sia.

Mercury didn't stop there. She gathered the water into her fist, the liquid glowing with immense energy.

With a powerful cry, she surged toward Sia, her fist leading the charge. The impact was

cataclysmic.

Sia screamed as Mercury's water-empowered punch slammed into her. The force propelled her downward, crashing through the ground and into the rocky depths below. Mercury followed through, driving Sia further underground as debris and water erupted

around them. The pressure was unrelenting, the earth shattering under the might of their

clash.

Finally, Mercury ascended with a geyser-like eruption, her fist raised triumphantly. The water carried Sia upward, her unconscious body propelled by the force of the blast.

Sia's limp form hung in the air for a moment before falling to the scorched and soaked

battlefield below.

The scoreboard updated amidst the roaring cheers of the crowd:

[Golden Cosmos: 42

Infinite Twilight: 18

Azure Blades: 1

Blazing Horizons: 0]