Chapter 68: Ch 68: Bella’s Teasing

[ Target Identified: Earth Titan ]

[ Power Rank: Marquis ]

[ Abilities: Rapid Earth Regeneration, Gravitational Domain ]

The Earth Titan that had violently intruded into their sanctuary was a terrifying sight. Its massive form reached up at least 200 meters hight into the sky. It cast a profound, moving shadow over the ravaged land, like a catastrophic storm cloud descending to crush the very earth.

Its two colossal arms, each the size of a small mountain, shot downward, aiming to flatten the ’puny insects’ below. The air shrieked under the immense pressure of the descending rock masses.

Whoosh!

Bella moved first, launching herself toward the enemy like an actual Ice Storm.

In her right hand, she gripped a newly formed Ice Sword that glowed with an extreme, lethal frost, exuding cold so intense it cracked the air around it.

She dodged the first incoming mountain-sized arm with impossible grace, slipping into the negative space between the Titan’s first descending arm and its massive torso. She then deftly crossed the gap of the armpit and successfully plunged her specialized sword into the monster’s rocky frame.

Freeeze… Crunch!

The moment the Ice Sword pierced through the Titan’s dense rock shell, its frigid energy violently flooded the wound. Then, a terrifying Ice Lotus instantly bloomed inside the creature’s core, its crystalline petals expanding outwards with explosive force. The Lotus burst into countless deadly fragments, tearing away massive chunks of the Titan’s rocky body, leaving behind a smoking fractured crater.

The creature bellowed in pain, its roar shaking the foundation of the nearby mountains. It staggered back, momentarily stunned by the catastrophic loss of mass and the crippling frost deep within its structure.

Bella landed lightly on a nearby boulder, her eyes now gleaming with the pure, cold power of Skadi’s heritage, utterly untouched by the chaos she had just created.

Bella, hovering gracefully in the air amidst the lingering mist of frost, looked satisfied with her precise and damaging strike.

But very soon, her expression shifted to one of utter surprise and disbelief.

Gooo, goo, gulu…

The Earth Titan’s colossal wounds were regenerating at a horrific, rapid pace. Before the ice vapor could even fully dissipate, the creature had recovered to its peak health, its rocky frame perfectly whole once more.

Its eerily green-glowing eyes focused on Bella, conveying a distinct, mocking expression of invulnerability.

But in the very next moment, that mocking confidence was utterly annihilated.

“BOOOM!”

A brilliant Golden Trident, radiating an impossibly dense and annihilative dark energy, struck straight through the center of the Titan’s chest, penetrating its core structure.

There was no struggle, only a terrifying, silent implosion.

The massive Earth Titan, two hundred meters of animated rock and malice, instantly reduced to dense ash. The dust settled, leaving behind only a single, glittering blue Sky Crystal.

Aegis stepped forward and effortlessly snatched the crystal from the air, his God-Killer Trident recalling itself back into his grasp with a faint hum.

As he turned back toward Bella, she was still floating in the air, seemingly stupefied.

“You defeated it, just like that?” she asked, moving closer with light, graceful Ice footsteps imprinted on the air itself.

Aegis looked at her slightly pursed lips but offered no verbal response, maintaining his distant facade. Inwardly, however, he felt a subtle prickle of smug satisfaction—a feeling that was undeniably born solely from her presence and reaction.

“No need to be surprised, Master,” Ruina added quickly, scampering up to them. “He is truly strong. I can sense it. His mana aura is immense. Slaying a Marquis Rank is nothing for him.”

Bella contemplated in silence. Her own perception of Aegis’s raw strength should have placed him around the Count level at best, based on his public power.

So, how did he command this much power, enough to instantly slay a Marquis Rank Titan without visibly expending any effort?

But instead of feeling distress or envy, she felt a profound wave of happiness, even pride. Her Arlan was stronger than ever.

The only remaining problem, she realized, was that her sweet Arlan still seemed reluctant to talk, despite all the misunderstandings being cleared.

“Hmph, no matter,” she declared give off a sweet and dangerous smile.

“I will make you fall in love with me again, Arlan. I won’t let anyone else enter your heart. Not even Naida.”

Afterwards, Aegis, Bella, Ruina, and Pyro continued their journey. Their purpose was clear: to find more Earth Titans. To collect the rare Sky Crystals, this desolate battlefield presented an opportunity that would never be matched.

Bella understood the critical importance of this hunt as well.

But unlike their previous, tense encounters, this time Bella seemed to be in an exceptionally jovial mood.

“Tell me, Arlan. How many Earth Titans have you killed until now?” she asked lightly as they walked side-by-side on a solitary path leading toward the distant shadows of the Titans beyond the mountains.

Aegis replied without any attempt to bluff, “Just two. And I would prefer it if you would call me by Aegis.”

Hearing him, Bella pouted, looking very adorable on her noble face.

“But I love your real name far more. Are you going to take that right away from me, Arlan? Tell me honestly.”

She playfully nudged his shoulder with her own.

Aegis would have normally been instantly annoyed by such familiarity, but with the foundation of misunderstandings shattered, there was only a calm, resigned acceptance of her presence and her antics.

“Suit yourself. But my followers do not know that name. So do not call me by that in public.” he replied, keeping his pace steady and equal to hers

“Huhu, You really want to take me on your Island that badly, huh?” Bella teased, trying provoke Aegis to lose reason.

“Do you want to try something naughty, Arlan? Do you want to see my— Breasts?”

She lightly hooked a finger under the strap of her torn battle dress, ever so slightly pulling it aside to reveal the tantalizing cleavage of her twin peaks.

Seeing the smooth, well-toned skin and the provocative glimpse, Aegis’s blood flow spiked instantly.

Yet, he maintained a carefully neutral expression on the surface.

“What are you doing, Bella?” he asked, his voice marginally rougher than before. “You weren’t like this in the past.”

“What? You don’t like it?” she countered smoothly, leaning in until her hot breath tickled his ear. “But I saw you oogling at them multiple times when we were younger, remember?”

She lowered her voice further, “Tell me, Darling. Do you want a bite?”

Her hot breath and explicitly seductive words sent a sudden, intense shiver down his spine. This was her deliberate, focused attempt to seduce him, to reclaim him, and it was working with frightening efficiency.

Aegis was barely holding back the physical evidence of his rising arousal.

He cleared his throat, forcing a stiffness into his reply. “Ahem. There are children watching us, Bella.”

She threw her head back, letting out a musical, triumphant chuckle. “Haha, you sound just like a little wife fussing in bed, Arlan.”

Ruina and Pyro, following a respectable distance behind, continued walking while maintaining a flawless facade of intensely enjoying the desolate, rocky scenery around them.

Tut tut

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