"Ice Spike"
Right before the blood energy in the shape of a Basilisk came down on them like a nightmare, the leader of the Holy Ice team completed his technique. The sharp ice mass shooting up from the tip of the V-shaped formation pierced right through the Basilisk and scattered its blood within a few breaths.
"Blood Needle"
The blood scattered alright, but its owner wasn't planning on letting it go to waste. Jashua turned all of it into finger-length needles and launched them at the enemy from point-blank range.
"What incredible mastery!"
"Not only does he let someone else use it, but he can also bring it back under his own control!"
The representatives with an interest in blood techniques and blood energy were jumping out of their seats after Jashua's move.
"Absolute Freeze"
Unlike them, Tipo, one of the two leaders of the Holy Ice team, shook things up with the technique she used in the previous struggle.
The needles heading for the target were caught in the blizzard and lost their direction. The area was inhabitable only for ice energy; the needles made of blood energy were freezing one by one and dropping to the ground.
"The Holy Ice's defense is truly spectacular! They immediately adapted to the attack that changed in the blink of an eye!"
"If only the Supreme Artisan of the Engineers were here too. I'm sure he could draw inspiration from the youths' energy control!"
Everything was going well, but the final words of the Emerald Leaf Guild Representative made the people of the Hell Realm frown. The person they were talking about was one of the top three masters in the world, along with Abarran whom they had chained up, and his area of expertise was making weapons that mimicked their energies.
"Even if that four-eyes were here, he wouldn't be able to understand a thing. The techniques of the Hell Realm aren't things some half-baked upstart engineers can copy!"
The Queen of Hell neither raised her voice nor changed her expression, but everyone who heard her words was shaking in their boots. Even though Eyshan's cultivation was based on fire energy, the coldness of the aura she emitted sliced through souls like paper.
While the chatter outside the battlefield continued, half of the blood needles were on the ground. The transparent layer of ice covering them was stopping Jashua from controlling them.
"My turn! Let's shake things up a bit!"
Even though their attacks were blocked, the Holy Blood wasn't stopping. Alis swung the katanas he crossed in front of him towards the blizzard surrounding his opponent.
"Twin Tornado"
The moment the blue energy passed from his body to his swords, and from there to the air, the area in front of them descended into chaos. The two tornadoes resembling pillars rising from the ground penetrated straight into the Holy Ice Sect's defense technique.
The area where snow was blowing about was blown to bits by the outside impact; even its previously neat dome shape began to warp in a short time.
"Where I am, no one gets to play with the wind. Allow me to return the blood needles you froze!"
With Alis's move slicing the air with his two swords, the frozen blood needles rising from the ground headed for their targets. The Holy Ice couldn't shake them off.
"Ice Block"
Nieve couldn't stay indifferent to the weapons that came right up to his eyes and responded with a technique he displayed for the first time. With the young man's roar, the blizzard in front of him and the ice energy rising from the rear ends of the V formation merged, forming ice blocks surrounding them in the span of a breath.
Front, back, right, left, top and bottom, everywhere was covered with ice masses the thickness of a grown man's arm. It didn't look like the Blood Dome, the Flame Cell, or the Bone Cage; it completely cut off all contact between those inside and those outside.
"Looks like they turtled up in their shell. I wonder what kind of hammer we should use to break it?"
Nafız repeated the question out loud a few more times. It was as if she wanted everyone in the massive hall to hear.
"Two of your subordinates lost a massive amount of energy, and you want to make up for it using whatever you have on hand! Nice plan, but we're not buying it, let's finish them off!"
Nafız grabbed her bow, Jashua his giant staff, Alis his katanas, and Ralf the weapon that was Abarran's handiwork.
"Everyone attack the same block!"
This was the most logical move; they would concentrate all the force on one point and punch through the defense. Every plan was good in theory, but when it came to practice, the truth would come out. The four people bore down on the block facing them and directed their attacks that would deal heavy damage.
Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for a single block to withstand them, but the Holy Ice had a solution fitting the situation.
"How interesting!"
"This maturity, at this age! The young generation of the Hell Realm is dazzling my eyes!"
Even though various forms of blood energies filled the air, the praises were for the Holy Ice Disciples. The team led by Nieve and Tipo was showing the onlookers an interesting defense tactic. The formation they closed themselves in with six ice masses was moving like a living organism.
The moment the block the Holy Blood Sect attacked started taking damage, the block on the opposite side would thin out and support the other. It was followed by the bottom and the right side where no one was. The shape of the cube, which was equal on all sides, had changed; the part taking the attack had thickened to three times its initial size.
"Sneaky bastard! You're not going to give up easily, are you?"
The enemy's move pissed Nafız off; moving to the right side, she started shooting her arrows. She was followed by Alis moving to the left, and Ralf taking the rear. The Holy Blood Sect disciple foursome was attacking relentlessly. Spreading their attacks to the top and bottom parts as well, they were preventing ice energy from being drawn from the blocks there.
The new setup put the Holy Ice in a tight spot. When supplies weren't sent from one side to the other, the immobility of the defense tactic became a problem. It took half an hour for cracks to form on the surface of the ice blocks; during this time, the Holy Blood didn't stop attacking for a single moment.
Once the destruction began, the unravelling sped up, the shattering took fifteen minutes, and finally, the destruction lasted a full hour.
"Finally"
Ralf yelled crazily; the weapon in his hand was shaking just like him.
"You're finished!"
There was no obstacle left in front of the blood energies advancing among the ice pieces scattered all around, or so the fighting foursome thought.
"Freezing Point"
A second after Nieve placed both his hands on the ground, everything froze. The battlefield, the flames forming the protective barrier, the Holy Blood Disciples, and even the air got their share of this.
Except for the area where the Holy Ice team was, the black floor turned into a giant block of ice. The disciples standing at the rear ends of the V-shaped formation were on the ground; judging by their faint breathing, their condition wasn't very good.
Tipo was a little better than them, but her friend right across from her failing to stay on her feet and falling explained everything. Without a few breaths passing, Nieve, who activated the technique, also fell to his knees, and a massive amount of blood spilled from his mouth onto the floor.
"For an hour, they gathered their energy just for this technique!"
Everyone was guessing, but the Holy Ice Sect sheikh Hielo couldn't help but say it; there were traces of pride in his tone of voice. Right after him, someone unexpected chimed in; the Holy Bone Hueso was calling out to those behind Eyshan.
"What are you waiting for? Melt the ice and save the kids!"
The cry of the man whose chalk skin went a few shades whiter went unanswered; the Fiends didn't seem to hear him.
"Hueso, since when did you become the Holy Blood Sect Sheikh? Until Atractivo concedes defeat, no one is going to make a move!"
The Queen of Hell spoke leaning forward from the throne she leaned against. Her gaze was on Atractivo, who had taken his head between his two hands. Time was passing, while the intensity of the whispers was rising every moment, the Holy Blood Sect Sheikh maintained his silence.
"Atractivo, if you don't concede defeat, my Holy Ice Sect will not undo the technique and will kill your disciples inside the ice!"
Hielo's attitude was as cold as his appearance. He was declaring that if his enemy didn't bow down, they would kill the young disciples.
"Don't waste your breath, they're not worth it. Everyone will know their place and their limits!"
After the Holy Ice, the Holy Fire Sect Sheikh Fuego spoke; her words were more scorching than her energy.
"What are you waiting for. Kill them!"
Oje, burning with the pain of defeat, couldn't hold himself back and threw up everything he had been bottling up inside. He wanted revenge for his dead and crippled disciples.
Within ten breaths, everyone spoke their piece, but Atractivo didn't say a single word.
"Have it your way Atractivo, we will wait. When your disciples take their last breaths, this battle will be over!"
Eyshan had the final say and leaned back on her throne. The ruling was hers, what came out of her mouth was law, but the Holy Blood Sect Sheikh hadn't had his final say. Atractivo lifted his bowed head and slowly whispered.