The battle continued; many Tieflings were frozen into ice sculptures or even torn to shreds and devoured, but many Yetis also fell under the Tieflings' siege, their bodies sinking into the deep snow.
"Owooo—"
Suddenly, a huge howl came from afar.
The sound was incredibly shrill, sweeping across the entire hillside with the cold wind.
Immediately after, all the Yetis began to howl in response, their cries echoing endlessly, piercing through the undulating mountains, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
"This is..."
Meizhuolashi slowly looked up.
At the end of the hillside, a burly Yeti was standing tall, beating its chest.
Its size was far greater than that of an ordinary Yeti, taller than three men combined, standing in the snow like a small mountain covered in white snow.
It had large, coiling horns on either side of its head, and its massive canines were capable of piercing a human skull; its eerie blue eyes emanated the chill of the polar night, making even the blizzard in the air intensify.
"Giant Evil Snowman."
Meizhuolashi took a deep breath, uttering the name that sent shivers down the spines of all northern inhabitants.
This tower-like Yeti often appeared in stories mothers told to frighten their children; it was extremely territorial and savage, attacking and devouring any warm-blooded creature it encountered, then scattering their bones across the ice and snow.
"You all step aside."
The Tiefling Paladin stopped his companions who were about to charge, stepping forward a few paces alone, provocatively pointing his longsword at the monster.
"His opponent is me."
The Giant Evil Snowman in the distance let out an excited hunting howl, leaping over ten meters in a single bound, stirring up layers of snow waves.
It came before the Tiefling, its eyes fixed on him, a cold magical power clinging to its gaze, as if to freeze everything into ice.
"Chilling Gaze!"
This magical gaze was more terrifying than any Yeti's before.
Instantly, Meizhuolashi felt a bone-chilling cold, as if his entire body were submerged in ice water; every inch of his skin, every bone, was solidifying, making it unbearable for him.
"Aura of Protection!"
The Tiefling fought the urge to fall into eternal slumber, and a crimson aura appeared around his body.
The aura guarded his body, resisting the invasion of the extremely cold magical power, allowing him to recover slightly from the frozen state.
"Infernal Rebuke!"
Meizhuolashi extended his hand again, and a ball of flames encircled the Giant Evil Snowman.
However, this faint flame was nothing to the enormous Giant Evil Snowman; it merely slowly opened its massive maw, and tiny, dense ice shards appeared in its throat.
"It's a Freezing Breath!"
Instantly, a cold mist capable of freezing any warm-blooded creature into ice spewed from its mouth, covering a large conical area in front of it, extinguishing the infernal flames and rushing towards the Tiefling Paladin.
Meizhuolashi suddenly rolled to the left, barely managing to dodge the breath.
"Hoo, hoo..."
"What a terrifying breath."
He propped himself up with his sword, gasping for breath, only to discover that the tips of his right fingers, which had just touched the cold mist, were already frozen solid and completely numb.
Fortunately, the Giant Evil Snowman's breath wasn't continuous; it needed sufficient rest and recharge time, and now it eagerly rushed forward, preparing for close-quarters combat with the tiny Tiefling.
"If I take a direct hit—"
"I'll die."
Meizhuolashi felt a lingering fear, and his gaze towards the charging Giant Evil Snowman became even more solemn.
Thinking this, Meizhuolashi no longer hesitated, advancing with his sword.
"Hex!"
He let out a sharp cry, and a black, ghostly light of necromancy attached to his sword, which he swung towards the Giant Evil Snowman.
The Giant Evil Snowman subconsciously swung its thick arms to block.
The immense force immediately sent Meizhuolashi, man and sword, flying, but at the same time, the sharp sword also cut through its white fur, allowing the Hex spell to succeed.
"Roar, owooo—"
The Giant Evil Snowman stood rooted to the spot as if paralyzed.
It clutched its head with both hands, throwing its head back and letting out cries of pain.
Meizhuolashi rolled several times in the snow to dissipate the force, then, ignoring his faintly aching body, immediately scrambled up from the snow and rushed towards the Giant Evil Snowman again.
"Roar—"
The Giant Evil Snowman let out another howl, its body swaying, and began violently pounding its chest, seemingly on the verge of breaking free from the Hex's 束縛.
Meizhuolashi knew he only had one minute.
Once, as a Knight of Redemption, his sword would glow with divine light, as if an angel had descended to earth. But now, the Oathbreaker's sword bore a bloody, hellish red glow.
But it didn't matter; he only needed to follow his own will.
"Holy Strike!"
He let out a sharp cry, then leaped high, his longsword imbued with a crimson, shocking light.
However, just as the Tiefling was about to strike down, the Giant Evil Snowman's eyes instantly cleared, and it immediately extended a strong arm to block in front of itself.
"Swish—"
Only the sound of a sharp sword cutting through flesh was heard.
Meizhuolashi's strike directly severed the Giant Evil Snowman's thick, massive hand.
The Giant Evil Snowman immediately let out a roar mixed with pain, anger, and fury.
Its other giant hand actually grabbed Meizhuolashi as he was falling.
"Not good!"
Meizhuolashi frantically twisted and struggled, but under the Giant Evil Snowman's overwhelming absolute strength, he couldn't move an inch.
The massive, blood-filled maw grew larger and larger in Meizhuolashi's eyes.
He could even feel the bone-chilling cold emanating from deep within its throat.
The Giant Evil Snowman's eyes were filled with hatred from losing its hand; it actually intended to devour the Tiefling in its hand alive!
In desperation, Meizhuolashi held up his longsword, using his last bit of strength to block the Giant Evil Snowman's attempt to bite him.
"Clang—"
The longsword collided with the Giant Evil Snowman's massive canine, making a sound.
Seeing this, the surrounding Tiefling warriors quickly tried to go forward and help their leader.
However, their sword and arrow attacks, landing on the Giant Evil Snowman's tough, thick fur, were like mere tickles, and instead, the nearby ordinary Yetis seized the opportunity to counterattack, causing many more losses.
Meizhuolashi took advantage of the Giant Evil Snowman being distracted by the scattered attacks to unleash his last Oathbreaker spell.
"Darkness Spell!"
A thick, dark mist rapidly spread out from the Tiefling, engulfing the Giant Evil Snowman, making him unable to see anything in front of him.
However, even trapped in darkness, no matter how he swung his longsword, the monster still held him tightly, refusing to let go.
At the same time, the Giant Evil Snowman was also rolling him around in the snow, about to leave the area covered by the dark mist.
"No..."
"I will lead my kin..."
In the midst of darkness, Meizhuolashi's pure black eyes showed determination.
"...to survive."
His longsword, imbued with a crimson light, once again slashed towards the Giant Evil Snowman's head.
"Holy Strike!"
Sigh, still lost, it's frustrating to watch.