A lizard-like cursed soldier swung a bone-like weapon in its clawed hand, aiming for Lena's head. However, she raised her arm just in time and the ice around her skin blocked the lethal strike.

The creature loomed over her, its two-foot advantage making it even more menacing. Its lizard face twisted into a grotesque snarl, rows of razor-sharp teeth gleaming as its two snake-like tongues darted out in an attempt to lick her face.

Lena shoved it back with a fierce grunt, her eyes blazing with fury. She then threw a powerful punch, her fist connecting with the creature's armored chest. The impact was explosive and it sent cracks spider-webbing through its tough hide. When that happened, The force of her blow launched the cursed soldier through several buildings, debris raining down as it crashed through the structures.

Lena waited, seizing the moment to catch her breath. Her face was a wet mask, rain dripping from her chin as the raging storm roared around her. The storm's noise dulled the sounds of the ongoing battle, creating a surreal, almost eerie atmosphere.

Despite wearing only a tunic, she didn’t feel cold. Her mind remained clear, analyzing the battlefield with clarity.

Dark lightning crackled across the sky, producing no light but striking down a few enemies with lethal accuracy.

Monic’s storm had been raging on for minutes now. She must have been on the brink of exhaustion.

From the looks of it, everyone was giving their all in this battle. Even the newly awakened ascenders who were still unfamiliar with their abilities and the mechanics of zenshi were pushing themselves to the brink because that’s what humanity was…resilient. This entire time, Lena had been holding back her power due to the fear of losing control over an Aura as powerful as this one.

However, seeing that this was a win-or-die battle, Len was starting to see no reason behind restraining herself.

Raaarrrrr!

"Just in time," Lena scoffed as she watched the lizard man emerge from the rubble. The bone sword was still clutched in its hand and its eyes burned with rage.

Lena’s eyes narrowed. She dismissed her weapon and squeezed her hands into clenched fists which ignited with silver flames of zenshi.

The lizard roared again and charged towards her. As it closed in, Lena dodged its first swing by lowering her body. She delivered a powerful uppercut that exploded with mystical flames.

Then, in a flash, the creature vanished and reappeared behind her using its primary ability as a means of maneuver.

Lena turned and blocked its bone weapon again. Her flames spread, freezing the weapon until it shattered once it added more force to it. The lizard stared at the broken piece of bone before abandoning it and attacking with its claws. Its reaction was almost instantaneous, surprising Lena when it managed to land a shallow cut on her face.

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'Shit...'

The lizard creature disappeared, reappeared behind her, and struck her neck with its thick tail. It moved so fast that its movements resembled teleportation. And If it had been any stronger the ice protecting her would’ve shattered after that strike.

She twisted her body with her hand open to grab for her opponent with her ice touch, but the lizard was too quick and disappeared from sight.

“Where…” she hissed with frustration tinged in her tone as she searched around herself. While she tried to deduce what its actual abilities were. She hadn't sensed its second core activitating so this unnatural speed was part of its species as a creature.

"There!"

It reappeared on the building wall behind her and leaped off its surface with its maw open, ready to swallow her whole.

However, Lena didn’t flinch. Instead, she transformed the ice around her right arm into an ice spear and pounced at the lizard, thrusting the hand spear into its open mouth. It snapped its jaws, trying to destroy the ice and her arm, but she pulled it out just in time, tearing its jaw in the process.

To her disappointment though, the wound she had caused closed almost immediately when the creature finally used its ability. its power core was now pulsing with energy.

Lena jumped back and observed the lizard man as its eyes started glowing an ethereal red. Its body temperature rapidly increased till it attained a molten red glow.

Raindrops evaporated on contact with its scales.

‘Of course its ability rivals my Aura.’

The creature’s molten heat radiated like a furnace, warping the air around it. Lena’s mind raced, desperately searching for a strategy.

'My ice will probably just melt considering I'm just at Level 2! How do I go around this?'

While she was still thinking out a plan, the lizard man lunged at her again. This time moving slower but with a menacing, deliberate pace.

Lena knew she had to act fast. So, she took in a deep breath and focused all her energy on drawing more power from her second gate.

Then, with a roar of defiance, Lena jumped into the air, avoiding its red-hot claws by a hair’s breadth. While she was still in the air, Len twisted her body and she delivered a powerful kick to the side of its scaled face. Her flesh sizzled on contact, but her strike sent scales flying off.

She turned incorporeal, her form becoming a swirling mist, and appeared behind the abomination with her sword in hand. She was sweating when she severed its tail with a swift slice from her translucent sword and transformed back to a fog.

The creature howled in pain, its tail thrashing uselessly on the ground. It threw a fit and scanned the fog. It even went as far as trying to sniff her out, but Len's scent just happened to be coming from everywhere.

‘I already noticed that to use your ability, you have to sacrifice a good amount of your speed.’ She thought before attacking again.

Moving like a ghost, she severed one of its arms with another precise strike. The lizard man snapped its jaws at the fog, but its attempts were futile against an enemy it couldn't touch.

The lizard's frustration grew as it lashed out blindly, its remaining limbs flailing in a desperate attempt to hit something.

Lena partially reappeared in the fog, her eyes cold and determined.

“You lost the moment you sacrificed your speed for power. Because if you hadn’t, you would’ve survived this next attack,” she said, her voice echoing from every part of the fog.

Then, with a final burst of speed, she materialized directly in front of the creature and thrust her sword into its chest. The lizard man let out a guttural roar, its molten body shuddering before collapsing in a heap.

Lena stood over the fallen abomination, her breathing heavy but her resolve unshaken. The storm raged on around her, but at that moment, Lena felt a sense of calm.

She saw golden arrows light up the sky as more creatures fell victim to Gail’s impressive ability. He soared through the sky, burning through his zenshi by creating more trick arrows that delivered great damage to their enemies.

‘Let’s do this.’ Now that the lizard creature was dead, it was time to proceed to why she needed rain in the first place. She crouched down and touched the wet earth with her bare hands.

Once in contact, Len suddenly felt a connection with every molecule of the water gathered in the city.

Over the past months before joining the army, Len had spent time with her mother trying to learn the best way she could use the full manifestation of her ability without putting too much strain on her Soul gate and mind.

Since she was only at the Second Gate, this ‘trick’ was only possible if there was water nearby to act as a medium for her Aura. As someone who only opened her second gate recently, Len wasn’t confident in the full potential of her Aura. Pushing herself this far would have consequences in the long run.

“But who cares?”

They needed to turn the tables and make this city theirs. And what better way to do so than putting it under her domain?

…The Ice domain.