Apocalypse Baby-Chapter 41: Mana Freeze

The cockatrice exhaled deeply, its breath clouding the air as frost danced around it. Then, in a voice that was both calm and foreboding, it muttered:

"Mana Freeze."

In an instant, the temperature plunged further, as if the world itself had been plunged into an eternal winter.

The cockatrice unleashed a surge of power, and a blizzard erupted around it, the winds howling like wild spirits.

Snow and ice spun violently, creating a swirling vortex of destruction.

Alex shielded his face as the bitter cold gnawed at his skin, even through his protective gear.

The air felt heavy, saturated with icy mana, and frost began spreading across the ground in jagged patterns.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

The transformation of the battlefield was terrifyingly complete. Ice coated everything, turning the already-frozen wasteland into a deathly Arctic expanse.

Trees groaned under the weight of thick frost before shattering into glittering shards.

Leaves fell like fragile crystals, breaking into pieces upon impact with the icy ground.

Through the storm, Alex caught sight of the cockatrice moving forward, each step deliberate and powerful. Its icy aura expanded with every move, freezing everything in its path.

Alex clenched his jaw, reaching into his pouch and hurling a blastshard. The shard zipped through the air, glowing faintly with explosive energy—

Only to freeze mid-flight, crystallizing into a useless chunk of ice before it could reach the cockatrice.

"Damn it!" Alex muttered under his breath.

The cockatrice’s Mana Freeze wasn’t just cooling the battlefield; it was suppressing his abilities entirely.

Every trap, every shard, every explosive he had prepared was now inert, frozen by the overwhelming cold.

The cockatrice’s glowing, frost-coated feathers gleamed ominously as it advanced, its eyes locked on Alex.

Alex took a cautious step back, his mind racing.

His usual strategy was in shambles.

The very thing he had been avoiding—close combat—was now his only option.

"No more tricks," the cockatrice hissed.

And then lunged at Alex with terrifying speed, its icy blade cutting through the frigid air. Alex tightened his grip on [Eclipse Edge], and met the charge head-on.

Their weapons clashed with a thunderous clang, the impact sending shockwaves through the icy wasteland.

Alex gritted his teeth, feeling the sheer weight behind Murzok’s attack.

Each strike from the cockatrice king carried overwhelming force, pushing him closer to his limit.

The cockatrice’s blade came down in a swift arc, and Alex barely managed to block it.

But the force sent a chill through his arms, numbing his grip.

As Murzok pressed its advantage, Alex realized he was being overpowered.

In a desperate move, he summoned [Aegis Arcane], his barrier flickering to life just in time to intercept the cockatrice’s next strike.

But something was wrong—the barrier cracked upon impact, shattering like glass and forcing Alex to stumble backward.

"What the…?"

He summoned the barrier again, pouring more energy into it, but the result was the same.

The cockatrice’s icy blade sliced through it with ease, as if mocking his efforts.

Sweat trickled down Alex’s temple despite the freezing cold.

He tried another strategy, activating [Earth Swim] to escape beneath the ground. But when he tried to dive, the ground remained firm, unyielding beneath his boots.

"No… No way," Alex whispered.

Murzok’s Mana Freeze didn’t just nullify his explosives—it was shutting down his entire arsenal.

"Shit," Alex cursed under his breath.

Thinking quickly, he activated [Stealth Walk], vanishing from sight.

But his invisible form was immediately revealed, and Murzok with a feral hiss, lunged at the him, its icy blade gleaming.

Alex cursed realizing [Stealth Walk] didn’t work as well, and raised his sword in time to block, but the cockatrice’s strike carried incredible power.

The blow sent him flying backward, his boots skidding across the frozen ground.

He slammed into a tree, ice splintering beneath him as he gasped for breath.

Looking down, Alex saw frost spreading across his chest.

The icy energy from Murzok’s blade had seeped through his defenses, leaving half his chest frozen and his movements sluggish.

The blow struck hard, but luckily, Alex’s spectral armor absorbed most of the impact. A faint glow pulsed from the armor as cracks of ice splintered off and fell to the ground. Even so, Alex winced; the force of the attack still left him rattled.

"Damn it," Alex muttered under his breath, his frustration mounting. He could feel it—the cockatrice wasn’t just fighting him; it had turned the entire battlefield into its domain.

Murzok hissed, spreading its massive wings as it fired a barrage of quill-like icicles. Each shard glinted dangerously, slicing through the air with lethal precision.

Alex reacted instantly, slashing with [Eclipse Edge] to deflect as many as he could. Some quills clattered harmlessly to the ground, but there were too many.

He dodged the rest with swift, desperate movements, narrowly avoiding being skewered.

But the cockatrice king stomped hard, and icy energy rippled outward from its talons. Frost spread rapidly across the terrain, reaching Alex in an instant and freezing his legs in place.

"Shit!" Alex growled, yanking at his legs.

The ice was solid, holding him in place.

Before he could free himself, the cockatrice lunged forward, its blade-like feathers glowing with frosty energy, and swung down in a vicious arc.

Alex summoned [Aegis Arcane] in a panic, but the moment Murzok’s blade struck, the barrier shattered like brittle glass.

The force of the blow slammed into Alex, knocking him back.

He grunted in pain, his body jerking as icy energy clawed at his skin.

The biting cold left him momentarily dazed, but the cockatrice wasn’t done. It let out a screech, launching another wave of razor-sharp ice slashes.

Gritting his teeth, Alex gathered his strength and smashed through the ice binding his legs with a powerful kick. Freed, he leaped into the air just as the slashes tore through where he’d been standing.

But the cockatrice tracked his movements, launching another flurry of ice blades in quick succession.

Alex twisted and turned mid-air, narrowly avoiding the deadly projectiles.

He landed, sliding backward on the frozen ground, only to find himself under attack again.

His movements grew heavier under the unrelenting cold and Alex stumbled but managed to keep his footing.

He tightened his grip on [Eclipse Edge], his knuckles white.

His mind racing for a way out, but the options were dwindling.

He couldn’t attack as the cockatrice’s abilities had effectively neutralized all his long-range skills, and each failed attempt to counter only served to remind him how outmatched he was in this icy battlefield.

The biting cold was relentless, and Alex could feel it seeping deeper into his body.

Even with his elemental resistance, the durability of his spectral armor had dropped significantly from the barrage of hits it had endured.

The once-reliable protection now faltered, cracks forming as the freezing energy gnawed away at its strength.

Alex’s breaths came out in short, visible puffs as the chill tightened its grip. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, and his movements began to slow, frost forming along the edges of his clothing.

Before he could react, a sharp ice slash shot through the air, striking him square in the chest. The force of the blow sent him sprawling forward, slamming hard into the frozen ground.

"Argh!" Alex groaned, his hands slipping on the ice as he tried to push himself up

His vision blurred slightly from the impact, but he forced himself to focus.

That’s when he noticed it—a massive shadow looming over him.

His heart sank as he looked up to see a storm of feather-like blades descending upon him, each glinting with icy malice.

"Shit!" Alex hissed, scrambling to move.

But his frozen limbs refused to respond quickly enough, and the blades struck.

One after another, they pierced through him, shattering what little remained of its durability of the armor.

Frost spread from the points of impact, biting into his skin and leaving deep, stinging wounds.

Alex gasped, his knees buckling under the weight of the attack as he collapsed back onto the icy ground.

Pain flared through his body, frostbite spreading from the impalements.

He clenched his fists, trembling.

The armor had saved Alex once again, from immediate death absorbing the worst of the cockatrice’s relentless attacks.

Without it, the damage would have been catastrophic.

But the cracks spreading across the glowing armor were a grim reminder—it was hanging on by a thread, its durability now sitting at a critical 100.

The cockatrice king moved forward, its icy gaze locked on the kneeling Alex.

A smug expression spread across its monstrous face as it extended control over its feather blades.

One blade shot forward, hooking Alex by the collar and lifting him off the ground like a broken puppet.

Ice surged from Murzok, flowing toward Alex’s back and forming a jagged, icy crucifix that pinned him in place.

The cold was unbearable, biting deep into his flesh and sapping what little strength he had left.

Alex’s head hung low, blood dripping from a cut on his forehead, staining the ice at his feet.

The cockatrice king leaned in, its voice laced with condescension.

"Human...where’s that confidence you always carry on your face? Lost it, have you?"

Alex didn’t respond, his head still bowed, his breaths labored.

The cockatrice hissed in satisfaction.

"I told you—you’re not making it out of this forest alive. You should have fled when you had the chance."

For a moment, silence hung in the frozen air.

Then, suddenly, a sound broke through—soft at first, but quickly growing louder.

It was laughter.

Alex threw his head back, cackling with a wild, almost unhinged energy.

The sound echoed through the icy forest, sending a ripple of unease through the cockatrice.

"What...?" The cockatrice squinted, taken aback by the unexpected reaction.

Alex caught his breath, his lips curling into a bloodstained grin.

"Flee?" he repeated, his voice sharp with defiance. "Why the hell would I do that? I don’t doubt for a second that I’ll win."

The cockatrice narrowed its glowing eyes, anger flashing across its face.

"You’ve lost your mind. There is nothing you can do to stop your death at this point."

Alex’s grin widened, his gaze locking onto the cockatrice with an intensity that made the air feel heavier.

"Oh? Is that so?"

The cockatrice reared back one of its icy blades, ready to deliver the final blow. The weapon gleamed in the pale light as it swung forward.

But Alex’s voice cut through the moment, low and guttural, reverberating with raw power.

"Titan’s Fury."