Dustin had no cultivation, but setting up the formation relied on understanding how it worked. Over the past few days, he had studied many common restrictions and formations scattered across Mount Aethermoor. So, when he began adjusting the formation now, his movements were precise and controlled.
As the formation shifted, the rogue cultivators attacking from outside immediately sensed that something was wrong. The formation, which had seemed ready to collapse moments earlier, suddenly stabilized and even began to show signs of backlash against its attackers.
“What’s going on?” the leader of the rogue cultivators asked with a frown. “Didn’t you say this formation wouldn’t last much longer?”
“Boss, should we just rush in?”
“Rush my ass. Our job is to stall them until. Before he could finish speaking, a wave of battle cries erupted in the distance as Grace finally moved with the main force.
“Charge!” At her command, the Sovereign Aegis surged forward and rushed straight into the rogue cultivators’ line. The attackers’ formation collapsed instantly. Although they had numbers, most of them were nothing more than loosely gathered mercenaries who had been temporarily bribed to take part in the assault.
They were no match for the disciplined Sovereign Aegis. After only a few hard charges, their ranks collapsed completely as they scattered in all directions.
Just as Grace believed the situation was under control, everything changed without warning. From the darkness surrounding the stone hall, dozens of figures suddenly emerged.
Every one of them wore identical indigo combat attire, faint arcs of lightning flickering across their bodies as a sharp and dangerous aura radiated from them.
They were members of the Jornell family. Karos Jornell, the man leading them, was the same sinister figure Elowen had humiliated earlier at the marketplace. A savage grin twisted across his face, and his eyes gleamed with the thrill of revenge.
“Grace, didn’t see this coming, huh? You thought Anders set this up?” Karos said with a laugh. “He’s nothing. This trap was laid by the Jornell family.”
Her heart sank after hearing that.
He continued, “We’ve been watching your group for a long time. Those remnants of the Frost family mixed themselves in with you and ruined several of our plans. Today, we’ll eliminate you first. After that, we’ll deal with them.”
Karos swept his arm forward, and dozens of Jornell experts answered with a unified shout before charging straight at Grace’s forces.
These men were nothing like the scattered rogue cultivators from earlier. Every one of them possessed cultivation at the Adept realm or above, and their stormcraft struck with destructive force.
The Sovereign Aegis were elite soldiers, but they had already spent considerable strength during the earlier battles. Facing these aggressive experts from the Jornell family, they were quickly forced into a defensive position.
“Form ranks! Hold the line!” Grace shouted as her sword flashed repeatedly, intercepting the coordinated assault of two Jornell attackers at once.
Scarlet charged forward from the stone hall with her Wildfire Spear. The weapon lashed forward in sweeping arcs, each thrust striking another Jornell man. Yet, the enemy’s numbers were overwhelming. For every man she killed, two more surged forward to take his place. The battle turned against them with alarming speed. Karos laughed triumphantly.
“Grace, today is the day you die. After you’re gone, we’ll deal with that mortal called Dustin as well. I hear all of you value him quite highly. Don’t worry. I will make sure his death is particularly miserable.”
A cold voice cut through the chaos.
“Oh? Who do you intend to kill?” The voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried with perfect clarity to everyone present. The Jornell family man’s smile froze as he turned toward the source.
From the darkness, a figure in white approached at an unhurried pace. He was a young man, tall and composed. A crystalline longsword circled him, radiating a piercing cold that froze the air around him.
The newcomer was Albus. Behind him were Blanche and Aveline, followed closely by the members of the Frost Family.
“It’s that Frost family brat!” Karos blurted, his expression changing instantly. “What are you doing here?”
Albus didn’t answer. He simply raised a hand and pointed forward. The crystalline longsword instantly erupted into a streak of deep blue light and shot forward in a streak of blue light.
Wherever the sword light passed, three Jornell family experts were frozen solid before they could even react. Their bodies were instantly sealed in ice like lifeless statues.
“You-”
Karos’ face drained of color as he hastily activated his stormcraft in an attempt to defend himself. But Albus’ strike was faster than he could react, and colder than he could endure.
The lightning had barely formed before it was swallowed and frozen in place, the frost racing up his arm and locking it solid.
He screamed in pain and staggered backward.
