A stream of fresh blood sprayed onto the ground, instantly staining the pristine white ice a vivid red.
John felt as if all his organs had been violently shaken.
In that moment, his hands trembled so violently that he could barely hold onto his knife.
He felt a surge of blood in his chest, and the next second, blood flowed from all seven of his orifices.
He bit down hard on his teeth, trying not to show any other signs of distress, but the moment the blood flowed out, it turned into blood-red shards of ice, looking particularly terrifying.
He knew that Alastair's condition must be just as terrible as his own, but it was a matter of seeing who could last longer.
Everyone was acutely aware that things were not as simple as they seemed, but what would they do if they truly had to give everything up?
Therefore, someone had to survive this ordeal! And without any doubt, that person had to be himself.
Absolutely himself!
John's blood kept surging, and in front of him were several tornadoes of varying sizes.
Around him, countless snowflakes swirled, and even the previously fragile snowflakes that would shatter upon touch had, under the enhancement of the tornadoes, turned into deadly blades.
John felt a cut across his face, looking particularly frightening.
However, he could no longer feel the blood flowing out because it was too cold.
The blood had just emerged and already fallen to the ground, turning into ice crystals mid-air.
Drip.
Drip...
John's eyes were fixed on everything before him, not daring to look away.
He was uncertain of Alastair's current condition and could only wait anxiously.
Blood kept flowing out, and John felt his hands trembling slightly.
The wind and snow around him were still as harsh as ever, almost obscuring any clear view of what was happening.
Even at the very center of the storm, John was being blown about so fiercely that he could barely keep his eyes open.
The temperature around him was dropping rapidly, and even breathing was starting to feel like it was freezing.
What was happening with Alastair now?
What had happened?
Why had everything suddenly gone quiet?
The massive shockwave had momentarily shaken the entire continent.
Abby and Old Nick at the First Fortress had instantly sensed that something was amiss.
The two exchanged glances, each seeing a flicker of something unusual in the other's eyes.
"Can that kid really pull it off?"
Old Nick muttered, taking a sip of his drink, unsure whether he was asking Abby or just talking to himself.
Abby didn't respond; nearby vines gently swayed, and a small white flower quietly bloomed.
"Uncle, it's okay. Since we've chosen him, we have to believe in him," Wayne said with a smile, though he was still very worried inside.
His fingers were immobile, his body felt as if it had been run over by a large truck, the pain was severe, and he found himself at a loss for words.
John didn't notice, but his Bloodthirsty Blade was flickering with a faint red glow, seemingly absorbing some energy from the air.
However, the movement was very subtle, and given John's current state of extreme exhaustion, he was completely unaware of it.
The Bloodthirsty Blade gently trembled, drawing in the scattered energy from the air.
Isabella and the others had been quietly waiting in the distance.
Once it was certain there was no more activity here, they quickly rushed towards this direction.
They saw only one person lying on the ground.
The other presence was a body on the ground shimmering with red light, already frozen into a chunk of ice in just a short time.
In that instant, everyone's hearts leapt to their throats.
Who was it?
Who had won?
Who was the person lying on the ground?
Suppressing their emotions, they hurried towards the spot.
When they finally saw it was John, they couldn't help but cover their mouths, crying tears of joy.
It was John!
Isabella felt her hands trembling slightly; in that moment, she didn't even know what to say.
All she knew was that her body involuntarily softened upon seeing John.
Thank goodness, it was John!
While they didn't know what had become of Alastair, seeing him in his current state, it seemed he could no longer stand.
"John!"
Isabella, despite the chilling cold around them, tried to help John up, but she couldn't move him.
John's body had become too heavy, not at all like the weight of a normal person.
Seeing this, Lavinia and others quickly came over to try to lift John, but even several people together couldn't move him.
The situation felt incredibly strange.
"What do we do? We can't drag him!"
Lavinia and the others were frantic.
Even if there was initially no problem, staying here indefinitely would certainly lead to issues.
Isabella gritted her teeth.
"Alastair is dead! Principal Sophia, break the formation!"
She knew that there were still people watching them through the silver mirror.
Since they couldn't manage on their own, they had to rely on those outside to take action.
Only then would they have a chance to get out.
Only then would John have a chance to survive.