Eternal Winter's Reign - Book 2 - Chapter 56 - Crumble (Patreon)

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Don't mind this. It's so that free readers can't see half the chapter.

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Alexander North

I move in a gradual circle all around the building, making the bug follow me all the way through while also being sure to keep it closer to the edge of the building. Specifically so that I can control how the building will collapse.

After all, if I just march it straight through the bottom floor of the building, then the building might tip over and collapse to the side. Unlike if I do it in a controlled manner, destroying the supports starting from the outward supports and going inwards from there. Where the building should collapse straight down on top of us.

And when it does, I’ll make sure to finish it up near the basement. To give myself an escape route from the frozen one.

Of course, my plan doesn’t exactly go exactly as I envisioned it.

It starts out well, with the bug destroying all of the outermost supports. But after that, the thing seems to grow irritated and starts to screech.

Immediately making swarms of frozen ones that aren’t bugs head straight over towards us from the neighboring buildings.

I grimace at the sight of them, but they don’t stop me from going through with my plan.

Although avoiding and killing them do make my plan a bit more annoying to pull off.

I continue moving in slow circles to let the bug destroy the building’s first floor, gradually moving inwards until the building finally begins to shake rather unnaturally. Like it’s barely supporting itself.

And when the shaking grows so bad that cracks are forming all throughout the walls and ceilings, I finally head straight for the basement. Which is located somewhere around the center of the building.

Then I go ahead and use Cold Burst multiple times after entering just to freeze up the basement and make it harder for the bug to try following me.

I hold my breath for a few seconds after entering, only for loud crashing noises to begin sounding from above. During which I feel the entire floor I’m on shaking like crazy.

And right as the door to the basement is destroyed by the bug and the building, the ceiling collapses.

I hide further in the basement, entering one of the floors down here as everything shakes and the crashing sounds echo all around me. Meanwhile a loud screeching sound can be heard from above.

One that never cuts off even with the sounds of the collapsing building.

The walls and ceiling of the basement floor I’m on begin to show some degradation as well, with cracks forming on them. But they manage to hold out all the way till the building finally stops shaking.

My eyes narrow, though. Because the bug is still screeching in anger despite everything seemingly settling down.

And frost is starting to creep through the cracks in the building.

Looks like it’s not dead. But I guess I wasn’t really expecting this to be that easy.

I try to open the door to the stairs, only to find it completely stuck due to the deformed wall.

So I punch it open before walking up the damaged stairs to fine the stairs completely blocked at some point going up. Sealing me down here entirely.

Hmm. Well, time for some digging.

Right when I move up to begin, the rubble begins to freeze over. Just like the ceiling and walls. Then said rubble starts floating into the air, surprising me for a moment as the bug is revealed on the other side. Floating above a massive crater in the mall’s rubble.

A frozen crater at that.

Of course, it’s very obviously not unscathed. But it’s in better shape than I was hoping.

The creature is missing one pair of wings, along with one pair of legs, a couple of its unnecessary body parts, two eyes, and its stinger. It also has quite the number of bruises and lacerations across the rest of its body.

And it looks pissed off. Very pissed off.

As soon as the thing spots me, it lets out an incredibly high pitch screech. One mixing anger and pain into one loud cry.

I glance around at the crater to find quite the number of frozen ones around it. All either frozen solid or crushed by the rubble.

When my gaze returns to the bug, it’s to find it flying straight towards me. Albeit far slower than it was flying before.

At a pace that I can actually fight against.

A faint smile emerges on my face as I jump straight up and fly out of the crater, leaving the bug to crash into the crater itself. Only for it to turn around and fly at me again, not bothering with the crushed ice falling from its face.

Looks like my plan worked in the end. Even with those frozen ones trying to get in the way.

I never expected the building to actually kill the thing. Only wound it enough that I can actually fight it.

And maybe anger it a bit to make it lose focus.

Both of which seem to have happened.

I dodge one attack after another, albeit without much wiggle room. Then I begin my counterattack, sending one wave of cold energy arcs after another at the creature.

And for the first time since meeting it, the thing creates some sort of barrier in front of it. One made out of pure ice that blocks my arcs.

It can’t dodge all of my attacks anymore, so it’s going with a shield now?

Makes me wonder what other tricks this pest has up its nonexistent sleeve.

We clash several more times, with me sending more cold energy arcs and it blocking all of them with its shield, before I finally rush in with my claws held up and a spike shooting out from the back of my hand. Only for the creature to suddenly stop flying and create a much larger barrier that blocks me entirely.

I grit my teeth as I try to push through the barrier, but it begins to glow, making my eyes narrow for a second.

Then it suddenly flashes once and sends me flying as bits of my fingers start to freeze over.