Chapter 75: Ice Walls

Chapter 75: Ice WallsElara barely had time to react. The instant the pulse round struck Yusuke, her instincts flared. She twisted her body, pressing hard against the ship’s interior as another shot fired straight toward her head.

Her boots scraped against the metal floor, legs coiling like a spring before she propelled herself forward. The moment her heel left the surface, the pulse round sizzled through the space she had occupied half a second earlier, slamming into the hull with a sharp burst of scorched metal.

Her suit’s AI kicked in, the voice humming softly in the back of her mind.

[Vitals Normal | Energy Flow Stable]

[Suit Sync 100% | Response Time Optimized]

Good.

The instant her mind willed it, the suit responded.

A surge of bioelectric energy pulsed through her limbs, micro-hydraulic actuators igniting like coiled springs.

The briefest pressure shift in her stance triggered an explosive reaction—her muscles amplified beyond human limits, her body accelerating faster than instinct alone could carry it.

Her right foot struck the hull.

The impact sent a shockwave through the suit’s frame, dispersing excess force while using the rebound to slingshot her forward.



The subtle hum of neuromuscular stimulators traced through her legs, every fiber of her movement sharpened, every angle accounted for.

The next shot came, but she was already gone.

A twist at the peak of her vault, her shoulder grazing the air where the round should have landed.

The shift was fluid, the motion feeding into the next—a tuck, a rotation, a burst of momentum.

By the time her feet touched the ground, she was behind him.

Her arm moved without resistance, kinetic force traveling through her wrist as the strike connected.

CRACK.

The impact sent a ripple through his frame. His body seized, a violent twitch jerking his limbs before they gave out completely. His weight collapsed like a marionette with its strings severed—dead before he hit the floor.

Elara barely had time to exhale.

A flicker of movement in the reflective hull— Searᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Too late.

A dull THUD—then a roar of heat.

Elara barely registered the impact before she was airborne. A concussive force slammed into her back, a plasma hit—heavy, searing, unforgiving. The sheer pressure caved against her spine, like being kicked by a battering ram wrapped in fire.

Her body jerked forward uncontrollably, arms snapping out on reflex. Her palms slammed onto the metal floor first, heat still rippling through her suit as she skidded forward. Sparks flared where her boots dragged for purchase, friction grinding her to a stop.

Her HUD flashed red.

[DAMAGE SUSTAINED: 2nd Degree Burns]

[Suit Integrity: 75%]

[Energy Dispersal Engaged | Plasma Containment Active]

The heat should have kept burning—but it didn’t. The suit pulled it away, micro-cooling channels activating in a sharp pulse across her back. The pain dulled, but the reminder stayed. A direct hit like that again, and she wouldn’t be walking away.

Her grip tightened against the floor.

Elara exhaled sharply, twisting her body mid-rise. Her gaze snapped up, locked onto the shooter.

Before her stood over twenty men, their outfits a chaotic mix of styles, but each one bore the same purple diamond insignia on their shoulders. A gang. A faction. A problem.



Elara’s muscles tensed, the residual burn from the plasma hit still simmering across her back. Her suit was repairing the damage, but every second counted.

"What in the hell—where are the guards?!" she demanded.

Then she saw them. Four men, backs pressed against the gate, their weapons at their sides. They weren’t subdued. They weren’t dead.

They were just watching.

Her teeth clenched. Damn it... What the hell is going on?

A sharp whir of energy kicked up from the enemies ahead—another shot was about to come.

"Hey, Cubes," she called out, her voice edged with urgency. "I need ice. Now."

A small, flickering form popped onto her shoulder, a crystalline shimmer in the corner of her vision. "Of course!"

"Good—just sync up with me. Read my intent and follow through."

The second blast hit her before she could react—a searing strike to her shoulder. Her HUD screamed the warning.

[DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Severe Plasma Impact]

[Suit Integrity: 50%]

Elara grimaced, but she didn’t stop. Not now.

This had to work.

Slamming both palms into the ground, a wave of frost erupted outward.

A crystalline bloom of ice burst forth, jagged formations rising like spears from the earth.

The terrain transformed in seconds, encasing the ship in a frozen barricade, a glacial bowl trapping their attackers outside and some even in layers of ice.

The sudden temperature drop sent a mist curling around her, obscuring movement. It would buy her a few minutes—maybe more.

Elara clutched her shoulder, exhaling sharply as the pain settled. She turned and sprinted back toward the ship.

Cubes flickered beside her. "This is the first time you’ve actually asked for my help," the Ikona chimed. "What changed?"

Elara’s pace didn’t slow. "I didn’t need you to handle them," she admitted, voice even. "But the lives of others are on the line, and I didn’t have time to snap all their necks." A pause.

Then a quiet, genuine "Thanks."

Sliding into cover, she dropped beside Yusuke. Kimi had just finished applying a gel to his chest, the med-compress working overtime. His breathing was shallow



Elara exhaled, steeling herself. "How about helping out one more time, Cubes?"

The Ikona shifted slightly on her shoulder. "Well, actually, you don’t need my help to create ice," it admitted. "You can do that on your own. I just lower the temperature around you, which lets you summon ice crystals more efficiently—helps you fight or... do whatever it is you do. Oh, and the plasma ice, but—"

"Got it." Elara cut Cubes off, pressing her palm against Yusuke’s chest. A thin layer of frost spread outward, the temperature plummeting as the wound sealed beneath the combination of ice and medical gel.

"This’ll only hold for so long. He needs an operating table."

She turned, eyes sharp. "Kimi, extract him and the drunk shard user."

Kimi hesitated for half a second before nodding. "R-right." She moved swiftly, prepping Yusuke for transport while keeping an eye on the frozen barricade outside.

Then—

THUNK.

A heavy impact reverberated through the ice.

A low, mocking voice followed, cutting through the cold.

"Well, well... Ready to rip that shard out of you. And no fancy flashbang is gonna help you this time."

Elara’s muscles tensed, eyes snapping toward the source of the voice.