"Stop playing tricks!"
A flash of anger crossed the Tsaritsa's face. With a slight wave of her hand, countless ice pillars, each thick enough to require two people to encircle, appeared in the sky and began plummeting toward Lucas.
However, just as the ice pillars were about to strike, they were suddenly swallowed by black-red cubes. In the next moment, the swallowed ice spikes reappeared from the void, raining down toward the Tsaritsa herself.
This was one of the abilities Lucas had gained from the "genetic enhancement serum." In a sense, it could be considered a weaker version of the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' powers.
Even in its weakened form, combined with Lucas's original strength, it could produce an overwhelmingly powerful effect.
With a deafening crash, countless ice spikes buried their creator.
Of course, as the Cryo Archon, the Tsaritsa had an innate resistance to ice. The hard ice spikes shattered into countless fragments upon impact.
But just as the Tsaritsa emerged from the icy debris, Lucas was already standing before her.
A steel whip made of Geo element materialized in Lucas's hand, and he swung it down with brutal force. The Tsaritsa, however, was not one to surrender without a fight. She immediately summoned a thick ice shield to defend herself.
Yet, the half-meter-thick ice shield shattered like thin glass under the force of Lucas's Geo whip, striking the Tsaritsa squarely on the forehead.
Blood trickled down her flawless face, the crimson droplets staining the pristine snow, creating a scene both mesmerizing and terrifying.
The lofty Tsaritsa had never suffered such a severe blow before.
Had an ordinary person been struck by Lucas's whip, their skull would have shattered instantly. Even though the Tsaritsa's physique far surpassed that of a normal human, she still felt dizzy and disoriented, her vision blurring.
But Lucas showed no mercy. Before the Tsaritsa could recover, the second strike landed on her shoulder.
Her slender, smooth shoulder couldn't withstand such a brutal blow, and her collarbone fractured instantly.
"Ugh!"
The Tsaritsa gasped in pain, cold sweat dripping down her face as she struggled to breathe.
"You knew this rebellion had no chance of success," Lucas said coldly, looking down at the queen before him. "Why did you persist? Even if you killed me, the Fatui would never serve you again."
"I just... wanted revenge!"
The Tsaritsa spat through gritted teeth. "As a god, being defeated by a human... I could never accept it!"
As she spoke, the Tsaritsa mustered all her strength, extending an ice spear from her arm and thrusting it toward Lucas's chest.
The attack was lightning-fast, and with the two so close, Lucas had no chance to dodge. But the moment the ice spear struck his chest, it shattered as if hitting solid steel, scattering into pieces on the ground.
Along with the shattered ice spear, the Tsaritsa's last hope crumbled.
"Our power is no longer on the same level," Lucas said, brushing off the ice shards from his chest with a cold smile. "Your little ice tricks can't even freeze my chest hair."
"So what?" the Tsaritsa sneered, showing no signs of surrender. "At most, you'll just imprison me again. Once you die, this world will still... belong to the gods."
"Is that so?" Lucas said indifferently. "What makes you so sure I won't kill you?"
"Because I am the Tsaritsa," she declared arrogantly. "Haven't you realized? The people of Snezhnaya still worship their god. If you kill me, your precious Seven Nations Alliance will become the Six Nations Alliance."
"The Tsaritsa is indeed important to Snezhnaya," Lucas mused. "But your absence is important to me."
"What... what do you mean?" The Tsaritsa felt a chill run down her spine.
"I mean, the people only need a Tsaritsa," Lucas said, gently patting the Tsaritsa's head. "Who that Tsaritsa is doesn't matter."
The Tsaritsa seemed to realize something, murmuring, "You... want to create a god?"
"Looks like you can be smart when you want to," Lucas said coolly. "That's right. I need a more obedient Cryo Archon."
"Impossible..." the Tsaritsa shook her head. "The scholars of Sumeru Akademiya have already tried. Even with immense power and a resilient vessel, it's impossible to create a true god!"
"Who said I'd use such a troublesome method?" Lucas extended his arms, embracing the Tsaritsa and whispering in her ear, "With your genes, I can... cultivate a new Cryo Archon."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Tsaritsa felt the world around her shift. When she regained her senses, she found herself in an unfamiliar laboratory.
The ability to control space!
The Tsaritsa was horrified. Earlier, when Lucas had manipulated her ice elements, he had used a similar ability.
But controlling space was a power even the Seven Archons couldn't wield. How could a mere human like him possess such a capability?
In the laboratory, a barefoot woman with silver hair set down a cup of tea she had just sipped, her expression indifferent. "The Cryo Archon? Why did you bring her here?"
The Tsaritsa was stunned. After a long pause, her face showed an expression of utter shock. "The Sustainer... why is she here?"
"To put it simply, I am now this insect's captive," the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles said indifferently. "It seems you're about to join me."
The fact that the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles was imprisoned in the Jade Chamber was a top-secret matter, unknown even to the Seven Archons.
It was no wonder the Tsaritsa was shocked. After all, even for her, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles was an almost invincible being.
Yet now, the Sustainer had become the Tianquan's prisoner?
This meant that the grand goal she had once sought to achieve by rallying the Fatui had already been surpassed by Lucas.
"Judging by your appearance, you must have used the genetic enhancement serum," the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles sneered. "Why not take advantage of the remaining effects and continue the fifteenth round of reproduction experiments?"