The terrifying chill left behind by Sheer Cold seemed capable of freezing the battlefield for eternity.
Even though the initial burst of power had already swept through the arena, the freezing cold had not disappeared.
Instead, the bone-chilling air continued spreading through the venue.
The spectators could not help shivering.
Ice crystals began gathering rapidly like snowballs, while layers of frost formed across everything in sight.
Cracking noises echoed through the frozen air as though an avalanche were about to begin.
Every exposed surface around the battlefield was quickly covered in frost.
And WereGarurumon, who had taken Articuno's Sheer Cold head-on, naturally bore the brunt of it.
At that moment, Articuno remained suspended high above the battlefield.
With every beat of its wings, frigid air continued pouring downward.
There was hardly any normal airflow left in the arena.
The ground, which had originally been completely clear, was now covered by several centimeters of frost and ice.
WereGarurumon's body had also been tightly sealed beneath layer after layer of ice.
It looked as though he might collapse at any moment.
But then—
BOOM!
A violent burst of power suddenly erupted from within the ice surrounding his arms.
"Hmph!"
A low roar rang out.
In that instant, the power inside WereGarurumon's body surged violently.
His blood seemed to boil.
An astonishing force awakened throughout his body.
Cracks immediately spread across the ice covering his shoulders and chest.
Ice crystals slid away from his fur.
At the same time, WereGarurumon suddenly raised his arms.
A blood-red blade of energy burst outward.
It slashed directly into the frozen space created by Sheer Cold!
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion erupted.
The blood-red slash collided violently with the frozen energy.
A tremendous shockwave spread in every direction.
The massive layers of ice surrounding WereGarurumon cracked like glass.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
Then—
BOOM!
The entire frozen mass exploded into countless tiny ice crystals that scattered through the air.
A violent gust swept across the battlefield.
Even the spectators farther away felt the force of the impact, while the shockwave reached all the way toward the VIP viewing area.
Everyone stared at the battlefield in stunned silence.
Originally, many of them had believed that the battle between WereGarurumon and Articuno would be much more straightforward.
They had never expected WereGarurumon to forcefully tear apart the frozen space created by Sheer Cold.
And he had done it through sheer power!
WereGarurumon stood amid the shattered ice, roaring fiercely.
His body radiated an astonishing sense of strength.
High above him, Articuno looked down at the battlefield.
The fact that its attack had failed to finish WereGarurumon clearly shocked it.
And immediately afterward, that shock turned into anger.
Articuno let out a low cry.
Cold energy surged around its body once again.
The air surrounding it began to churn violently.
Countless ice crystals gathered together, creating a turbulent mass of freezing energy.
In the blink of an eye, the frozen layer covering the battlefield seemed to resonate with Articuno's power.
There was no flame.
And yet the resulting explosion of energy sounded like thunder crashing down from the heavens.
BOOM!
A terrifying blizzard erupted!
This was another full-power attack from Articuno.
The freezing storm surged across the entire arena.
Snow and ice exploded through the air.
Visibility immediately dropped.
WereGarurumon raised both arms in front of himself as the overwhelming cold approached.
Then his legs bent slightly.
He raised his head.
His eyes locked onto the attack descending toward him.
"Crescent Blade!"
WereGarurumon suddenly kicked off the ground.
BOOM!
His entire body shot into the air like a meteor.
In only the blink of an eye, he had already crossed a tremendous distance.
While flying forward, WereGarurumon crossed both arms in front of his chest.
Then he violently swept them outward.
A white, crescent-shaped blade of energy instantly appeared.
WHOOSH!
The crescent slash tore directly through the curtain of snow.
Even the dense clouds of ice and frost ahead of it were split apart.
The blade continued forward, carving a huge gap straight through the frozen battlefield.
For an instant, the turbulent snowstorm was divided into two.
But Articuno immediately reacted.
It beat its wings violently.
"Icy Wind!"
Freezing air surged forward.
The incoming crescent-shaped energy blade collided with the freezing wind.
BOOM!
Snow and ice exploded once again.
The two attacks violently ground against one another.
Countless shards of ice flew in every direction.
WereGarurumon's attack was not originally an area-of-effect technique.
However, under the tremendous amount of energy he had poured into it, the range of the resulting shockwave rapidly expanded.
Articuno continued counterattacking.
Streams of frozen air sliced through the battlefield one after another.
WereGarurumon responded with rapid slashes of his own.
The battle instantly became chaotic.
One attack followed another.
Ice spears shot through the snow.
Crescent-shaped blades sliced through the freezing air.
The remnants of the blizzard whirled wildly around both combatants.
Neither side was willing to retreat.
Another freezing projectile flashed through the air.
WereGarurumon reacted almost immediately.
He twisted his body aside and narrowly avoided the center of the attack.
Even so, the explosion caused by the ice projectile still struck him from the side.
BOOM!
His body was thrown backward.
But before he could be sent crashing to the ground, WereGarurumon adjusted his posture in midair and barely stabilized himself.
For a brief moment, he hovered there amid the storm of shattered ice.
His breathing had grown heavier.
Frost covered his fur.
But his eyes had not lost even a trace of their sharpness.
Across from him, Articuno slowly spread its wings once again.
Cold energy gathered around its body with even greater intensity than before.
The scattered shards of ice suspended between the two combatants trembled under the pressure.
WereGarurumon raised his arms.
Articuno lowered its head.
Neither side moved.
But everyone watching understood.
The next exchange would be even more violent than the last.
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]