Above the mage

Chapter 770 Close Combat!

The pale blue ice crystal seed is essentially a spell seed.

A spell is sealed inside.

However, the specific spell sealed away remains unknown to Gao De, the owner of the spell seed.

Because the origin of this spell does not belong to him, but is intercepted and copied from the spell power of Ellie that he countered, it is a spell that belongs entirely to his opponent.

[Frozen Counter]!

The spell that Gaode just interrupted Ellie's casting was not a simple "spell counter".

[Frostbite Counter] is a technique created through the resonance of all laws, fusing [Spell Counter] and [Empowerment] into a single form.

The 【Frozen Counterspell】effect freezes and captures the counterspell's energy, condensing it into an ice crystal spell seed, and then casts the spell's original effect in an ice element version.

In other words, it means to use their own methods against them.

Using the [Stealth Step+] to return to his original position and escape Ellie's close-range attack, God didn't hesitate for a moment. With a thought, he directly detonated the spell seed.

The translucent ice crystal seed suddenly shattered and exploded.

The spell Ellie originally cast was actually the werewolf spell [Wolf Howl Intimidation].

This is a super-wide range sonic attack spell that relies on a long wind-up time to accumulate potential energy.

To compensate for the extremely long charging time, this spell grants the caster a significant damage reduction effect while charging.

Once the energy is fully charged and the spell is cast, it will have an extremely wide attack range covering the entire tree garden.

The invisible sound waves can penetrate wooden barriers and magical barriers, causing not only severe sonic shock damage but also a powerful psychological fear effect.

Ellie's original tactic was to rely on the spell's extremely long range to severely injure God while he was being pulled apart, without having to get close.

Using fear as a weapon, Gaode quickly closed in and secured the kill.

Now, rewritten by [Frozen Counter], it becomes [Ice Wolf Howl Intimidation].

The originally formless and intangible violent sound waves were solidified into countless tiny, prismatic ice blades and icy mist.

The sharp ice shards inherit the original spell's extremely wide coverage, exploding and sweeping in all directions without blind spots.

At the same time, the sonic fear effect, which originally targeted the mind, also completed its attribute iteration.

The pure mental shock was replaced by a bone-chilling, icy invasion.

A hail of icicles whistled through the air, pouring down relentlessly on the perpetrator.

When Ellie is out of balance, she is unable to respond in a timely and efficient manner, including casting spells to protect herself or using displacement to dodge.

Moreover, the full-area coverage of [Wolf Howl Intimidation] is inherently uncountable.

The icy attack has no blind spots, leaving no safe escape area.

Despite being in dire straits, Ellie remained remarkably calm.

The strength of the wolf descendants lies largely in their top-tier physical talent.

Besides speed and strength, what the bloodline bestows is something extremely important—unparalleled resistance.

The wolf bloodline's innate super spell resistance will become stronger as the mage's level increases.

With the added enhancement of elemental physical transformation, the resistance of high-ranking werewolves can eventually reach an effect almost comparable to that of a dragon.

Ellie is far from reaching that level, but Gaode is only a third-ring mage.

Therefore, even if one physically withstands the attack, without taking any protective measures.

With the body's strong resistance to weapon attacks and all elemental spells, even if it cannot completely resist, it can greatly reduce the damage and duration.

boom!

Dense icicles cascaded down, the immense force of which shoved the already unbalanced Ellie violently against the thick ancient tree beside her.

The dull, heavy impact echoed through the forest, causing branches to rustle and leaves to fall.

In the critical moment, Ellie's hands tensed instantly, her sharp claws digging deep into the thick bark, forcibly pinning her body in place and barely managing to stabilize her falling form.

Bloodline resistance did block most of the damage, but it did not prevent any damage.

The icicles exploded upon hitting her body, turning into shards of ice crystals that left several wounds of varying depths on her arms, shoulders, neck, waist, and abdomen.

Sharp icicles sliced ​​through the flesh, and extreme cold seeped into the wounds.

A layer of unhealthy bluish-purple icy bruises quickly appeared at the edge of the wound, causing persistent frostbite damage.

The development of the situation on the field exceeded everyone's expectations.

What should have been a match where the fourth-rank mage crushed the third-rank mage has now turned into a game where the third-rank mage, Gao De, remains calm and composed, pulling the game back and forth.

Instead, it was Ellie, who had the advantage in strength, who was injured first, and her injury was not minor.

This is the absolute advantage brought about by the information gap.

Due to the resonance of all laws, Gao De's magic underwent an unusual change.

Ellie never expected that Gaode would have such a "tit-for-tat" tactic.

Unaware of the danger, she intended to use high-level magic to lure the enemy close, but ultimately suffered the consequences herself.

Unfortunately, this advantage can only be enjoyed once.

Having learned from this experience, it's unlikely that Gaode will be able to replicate this move in the future.

Of course, it's not easy to replicate in a short period of time.

Because casting fusion spells requires consuming resonance marks, and resonance marks need time to solidify.

Once depleted in a French fighting game, it cannot be replenished in a short period of time.

On the tree trunk, Ellie looked down at her wound.

The wound, frozen by the ice, stopped bleeding, but the bluish-purple marks of cold still clung to the flesh.

She took a deep breath, and the wolf blood in her body suddenly boiled.

A rich, crimson glow penetrated the skin and flesh, slowly spreading throughout the body.

The domineering power of the bloodline washed over the wound layer by layer, quickly expelling the residual cold from deep within the muscles.

The bluish-purple discoloration at the edges of the wound quickly faded, the frozen blood and qi began to circulate again, and bright red blood slowly seeped out of the wound.

This is the normal situation.

Immediately afterwards, a gentle magical fluctuation surged from Ellie's palm.

A cluster of clear, translucent silver flames suddenly ignited, its glow gentle and cool, lacking the heat of ordinary fire.

[Moonfire]

This is an extremely special moonlight spell; it can be used against enemies as well as on oneself.

Without hesitation, Ellie pressed the burning silver moonfire in her palm onto her body.

The cold moonlight instantly covered the largest wounds on his body.

The soft, silvery-white flames continued to burn.

The frostbitten skin and flesh tissue quickly revitalized, and tender pink granulation tissue continuously sprouted from the edges of the wound.

The delicate capillaries extend and connect rapidly under the skin.

Fresh blood is quickly delivered to the damaged area, repairing the broken muscles and skin layer by layer.

In just a few breaths, the previously gruesome frostbite wound quickly closed and scabbed over.

Although Gao De was far away, he still managed to see the whole scene thanks to the far-sightedness of Mandora's Eyes, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He was secretly shocked by Ellie's physical strength.

【Frozen Counter】The replicated spell energy is theoretically enough to severely damage a fourth-ring mage.

However, the opponent's physical resistance directly reduced the damage by more than 70%.

What's even more troublesome is that the other party's self-healing speed is far beyond imagination.

The frostbite effect left by the ice should have continuously suppressed the self-healing ability, but Ellie directly washed away and dispelled most of the residual cold, making the negative suppression almost ineffective.

Even after witnessing his opponent healing him and restoring his fighting strength, Gao De maintained a safe distance, showing no intention of taking advantage of the situation to rush in or strike while the iron was hot.

He was in no hurry to attack.

At this moment, Gao De was simply observing Ellie's condition and calculating her resistance.

Thanks to the calculation and modeling capabilities of Mandora's Eye, Gaode quickly obtained a rough value.

Ordinary spells below the third ring level cause almost no damage to Ellie.

Even with third-level spells, the opponent's resistance can only reduce the power of two or three tenths.

Combined with this terrifying self-healing ability, regular low-level spells are practically useless.

but..

Mandela's magic eye caught a glimpse of something secret.

Ellie's self-healing and resistance... seem to be draining her energy.

Moreover, Gao De gazed quietly at Ellie, who was rapidly healing herself.

Deep within Mandora's Eye of Vision, a few faint, almost imperceptible wisps of eerie green light lingered.

That pale green hue was so faint and subtle that it was hidden beneath Ellie's rosy skin and flesh, completely undetectable to the average eye.

It is quietly spreading, expanding, and lurking.

While Gaode patiently observed and calculated, Ellie was able to stand up leisurely and stretch her limbs.

Although the frostbite wounds have almost healed, there is still a slight tearing pain between the skin and flesh.

The lingering effects of the icy chill had not yet completely dissipated.

However, the resilience and endurance of those with wolf blood far surpass those of ordinary spellcasters, and this injury was not enough to affect her combat performance.

But she knew perfectly well in her heart that even she couldn't withstand such a defeat more often.

At this moment, Ellie became completely solemn.

She looked around.

Throughout the ancient tree garden, layers upon layers of thorny vines crisscross, and a dense network of vines covers all the paths leading in.

What's even more frightening is that behind every vine net, there may be a hidden trap of spider web magic.

The complex terrain, modified by Gaode Maps, effectively locked down the entire tree garden, making even conventional advances extremely difficult.

"Come and bite me." Gao De's "provocative" voice rang in Ellie's mind, full of mockery.

On several previous occasions, Ellie had consistently ignored this, remaining completely unaffected by her emotions.

But this time, she responded unexpectedly, her cold voice returning steadily: "Have you forgotten something?"

"What?"

"I am a mage, not a beast that only knows how to tear things apart with its claws."

Gao De was taken aback.

The moment she finished speaking, Ellie's magic surged, and the spell was completed.

A delicate, earthy-yellow magical halo, like a thin veil, covered her body, clinging tightly to every inch of her skin and flesh, flowing and enveloping her along the contours of her limbs.

【Stone Skin Technique】.

Visibly, her exposed skin was slightly dark in color and had a rock-hard texture to the touch.

The core effect of the Stone Skin spell is to raise the caster's physical hardness and resistance to the level of rock, thus drastically reducing physical impact and piercing damage.

This is a protective buff spell commonly used by melee mages.

However, Gao De did not initiate any attacks throughout the entire game, let alone physical attacks, so why would Ellie need to cast this spell?

Gao De's pupils contracted slightly, instantly discerning the other party's true intentions.

Thorns and spider webs are essentially physical constraints and limitations.

Thorns need to pierce flesh to secure and bind, and spider webs need to adhere to skin to lock the body in place.

After being enhanced with the Stone Skin Technique, the petrified skin will directly prevent barbs from piercing and spider webs from attaching.

Ellie's spell wasn't for defense, but to disable his terrain control techniques.

The next instant, she shot out like an arrow, rushing towards Gaode at full speed.

Slippery ice, vines blocking her way, spider webs ensnaring her—all the terrain obstacles that had once restricted her now rendered useless.

As Gao De watched the blood-red figure rushing forward at full speed, he secretly marveled at Ellie's magical reserves.

Most mages, when learning spells, prioritize cost-effectiveness, specializing in spells that fit their own system while avoiding redundant spells with overlapping attributes.

Ellie already possesses a top-tier physical body, with exceptional physical and elemental resistance.

Logically speaking, there is absolutely no need to learn buff spells like Stone Skin, which focus on physical defense.

However, she happened to master this seemingly overlapping but actually highly targeted spell, and she used it brilliantly in the current situation.

Although the arena generated by the Dragon Scale Platform is large enough and the simulated natural environment is realistic enough, it is still a magic arena.

As a fighting arena, it has boundaries in all directions and cannot be extended indefinitely.

This means that Gaode's retreat is always limited, and it can only keep circling around to avoid being pursued.

As long as Ellie always adheres to the logic of the shortest distance between two points being a straight line, her path forward will always be shorter than Gaode's circuitous retreat path.

The speed is already equal or even higher, and the distance is even more advantageous.

With both factors combined, it was only a matter of time before Ellie closed in and launched a close-quarters attack.

If the complex tree garden terrain is Gaode's natural home ground, then the boundary rules of the arena are the field bonus that completely favors Ellie at this moment.

After seeing Ellie cast [Stone Skin], Gao De knew that the terrain barriers he had created would not be able to stop Ellie.

He decided to stop wasting his energy and changed his tactical approach accordingly.

Gaode stopped flying and retreated, then adjusted its flight attitude and landed on the ground in the ancient forest.

Since they couldn't stop the advance, they decided to reshape the battlefield environment and completely transform the entire terrain into their own advantageous territory.

With a wave of his hand, dense ice elemental magic surged forth.

A sudden gust of wind swept through.

[Snow, rain, and storm].

One of the most common third-circle spells used by Iceborn mages.

Unlike single-target damage spells, this is an environmental spell with significant strategic value.

The cold wind howled and raged, and fine ice particles mixed with icy rain fell wildly, instantly turning into a blizzard.

A biting cold front lowered the temperature in the area, and the wind and snow obscured visibility and impaired perception.

The rain and snow that fall quickly soak the ground and freeze into thin ice, further altering the environment while continuously inflicting frostbite damage on enemies who venture into the snowy area.

The once lush native tree garden was transformed in an instant into a frigid winter woodland with howling winds and swirling snow.

The howling winds can also be utilized by Gaode Maps through the air control capabilities provided by Boeing.

Meanwhile, Ellie's advance was unstoppable.

All the remaining thorns and vines along the way were easily torn apart and smashed by her stone-skinned body and sharp wolf claws without any hindrance.

Three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred and fifty meters —

The distance between the two sides closed rapidly, and Ellie's blood-red figure quickly rushed into the area covered by the snowstorm.

The howling wind and snow lashed against her body.

Fine ice particles struck the petrified skin with a soft crackling sound.

The cold air tried to penetrate her body, the mist slightly interfered with her vision lock, and the gale tried to affect her movement.

However, these distractions were extremely limited for her, failing to slow her advance or cause any effective damage.

It can only bring a slight blocking effect.

The next second, Ellie pushed off the ground with both legs and leaped forward.

Using the momentum of her sprint, she lunged at Gao De, who was standing firmly on the ground.

The close-quarters killing intent was already in place, and the wolf's claws gleamed with a terrifying sharpness!

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