As the argunt escalated, Alia took the chance to survey their surroundings.
Besides the two quarreling groups, she noticed another group of barbarians observing from a distance.
Unlike the other two, this third group seed more restrained, their deanor calm and composed as they watched the scene unfold in the clearing.
The ruin had yet to erge fully, and without the usual miasma leaking from it, there was no way to determine its class or danger level.
All they could do was wait, their anticipation growing with each passing mont.
As ti passed, more and more barbarian groups arrived, there were also a few groups of humans, each claiming a spot near the hill.
Alia was confident that none posed a serious threat to her, but the sheer number of them gathering was becoming a concern.
Eventually, the two arguing groups realized that continuing their fight would only make them look foolish in front of the growing crowd.
They begrudgingly backed down, each side muttering angrily as they retreated to their respective corners. The tension in the air lingered, but the clearing fell into a brief silence.
Alia scanned the area once more, her sharp gaze catching on sothing that made her heart skip a beat.
In one shadowed corner of the clearing, she spotted a group of humans dressed in blue attire. The sight of them sent a wave of fire through her.
Her eyes imdiately hardened, turning icy as mories of a past encounter flooded her mind.
The air around her grew colder, and droplets of moisture in the air crystallized into tiny shards of ice.
These were the very sa people who had ambushed her, driving her to the edge of despair until she had been forced to leap into that abyssal place.
The terror and desperation she had felt that day ca rushing back, rekindling a deep-seated anger.
Spark, noticing the sudden drop in temperature, turned to Alia with a concerned frown, his usual aloof expression replaced by one of unease. "what's wrong?"
She didn't respond, her gaze fixed on the group in blue. The frost in the air thickened around her, creating a faint mist that swirled as her anger took shape.
Alia's icy aura spread across the clearing, creating a cold barrier that made even the toughest barbarians back away further.
She floated slowly toward the group of humans, her presence drawing the attention of everyone around.
The chill emanating from her seed to sink into the bones of those nearby, forcing them to step back, clearing a path for her.
The humans, dressed in their distinct blue attire, noticed her approach imdiately.
Their expressions shifted from curiosity to caution as she drew closer.
When she was just a few ters away, an old man from the group stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he studied her.
"You survived that place," he said, his voice filled with disbelief. "How?"
A younger man in the group spoke up, his tone laced with suspicion. "It must be because of that artifact."
At these words, sothing clicked in the old man's mind, and he slowly nodded.
"Well, now that you're here, hand over the artifact," he demanded, his confidence growing as if her survival had only strengthened his resolve to get what he wanted.
Alia's gaze remained cold, her expression unyielding.
"Did you forget what I told you last ti?" she asked, her voice as icy as the aura surrounding her.
The old man sneered, shrugging dismissively. "What did you say? I don't rember anything."
Alia's eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "I told you, if I survived, I would hunt down every last one of you."
Her words hung in the air, thick with the fire of retribution.
But instead of being intimidated, the group laughed, brushing off her threat as empty boasting.
"You think you can take us all on?" the younger man mocked, his voice dripping with contempt. "Last ti, it was luck that saved you. Now, you won't escape."
The older man, clearly the leader, stepped forward, his aura flaring with the power of a peak Astral Bloom stage.
Energy surged around him, causing the ground beneath his feet to crack and shift.
The others in his group watched in awe, their faces reflecting their admiration for his strength.
The old man began to advance on Alia, each step heavy with power. His aura pressed down on the space around her, ensuring there would be no escape this ti.
The barbarians and other humans in the area watched in tense silence, none daring to interfere in what was clearly a personal dispute.
Off to the side, Spark casually grabbed Bronn's arm, stopping him from intervening.
His eyes were fixed on Alia, a flicker of curiosity visible in his usually aloof gaze. He wanted to see what she would do next.
The old man was the first to strike.
He raised his arm, and with a fierce gesture, a massive dragon made of fire materialized in the air.
Its scorching heat radiated outward, as if trying to lt everything in its vicinity. The air shimred with intense heat, and the ground beneath it began to crack and glow with a fiery red hue.
With a flick of his wrist, the old man sent the fiery serpents charging toward Alia.
Everything in its path was consud by flas, the very soil beneath it burning to a blistering crimson.
In an instant, the serpents coiled tightly around Alia, engulfing her in a swirling inferno, its form roaring with life as it trapped her at its center.
The crowd watched in awe, expecting Alia to be incinerated within seconds.
But amid the roaring flas, Alia simply sighed, her voice calm and unimpressed.
"Is this all?" she murmured, her breath turning to frost as she exhaled.
The serpents, which had been blazing with fierce heat, suddenly began to dim.
The flas flickered, their brightness fading until only a small, flickering ember remained.
With a gentle puff of breath from Alia, the last bit of fire was snuffed out, leaving nothing but a wisp of smoke hanging in the air.
The crowd stood in stunned silence, the sheer power of the old man's attack reduced to nothing by Alia's effortless cold.
"You dare mock !" the old man roared, his voice filled with fury. "If one isn't enough, then how about ten?"
With that, he unleashed the full power of his Astral Bloom stage.
Above him, ten fiery serpents materialized, each one blazing even brighter and hotter than before.
The spectators, already watching from a safe distance, retreated even further, afraid to be anywhere near the intense heat radiating from the serpents.
With a fierce wave of his hand, the old man sent the ten serpents hurtling toward Alia, their fiery forms writhing in the air as they closed in on her.
"If this is the only trick you've got, that's a sha," Alia remarked calmly, taking a single step forward.
As she did, a powerful aura rippled out from her, sweeping across the clearing.
The mont the serpents reached her, they flickered and were instantly snuffed out, disappearing as if they had never existed.
Alia then released her ethereal manifestation aura, a force so overwhelming that it sent shockwaves through the air.
The temperature dropped sharply, frost spreading across the ground and freezing the very air around them.
The once-burning heat was replaced by a chilling cold that made everyone shiver.
The old man's eyes widened in terror as he realized he was completely outmatched.
The confidence he had monts ago crumbled, replaced by sheer panic as he began to comprehend the full extent of Alia's power.
The crowd, still in shock, began to murmur, their voices laced with confusion and awe.
"What's this pressure?" soone whispered. Even though they were far from the confrontation, they felt intense pressure bore down on them.
"Is that… an ethereal manifestation?" another voice asked, filled with disbelief.
Fear gripped the old man's heart as he desperately tried to escape.
He poured every ounce of energy into his legs, but before he could make a move, Alia lifted her arm and waved it gently.
Instantly, the old man's body froze in place, encased in a thick layer of ice that captured his fear-stricken expression.
The others in his group, sensing the shift in power, tried to flee, but they too were caught mid-motion, their bodies trapped in an icy prison.
Alia's eyes narrowed as she waved her arm again.
A soft breeze passed through the clearing, and in the next mont, the frozen figures shattered into countless pieces, the sound of breaking ice echoing through the air.
The crowd gasped in unison, stunned by the sheer display of her power.
Bronn, who had been watching the scene with wide eyes, finally found his voice. He turned to Spark, his face more amazed than shocked.
"Sparky, your mate is super strong," he said, his voice filled with admiration.
Spark rely shrugged, as if he had expected all this.
As the pieces of the shattered figures settled onto the ground, Alia's icy aura slowly faded, releasing everyone from the pressure.
The crowd remained silent, still processing what they had just witnessed.
No one dared to approach her, the fear and respect she had just earned keeping them at a distance.
Alia floated back to Spark's side, her expression calm, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.
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