Prince Stallo's expression was grim, his arms crossed over his chest, his white hair whipping in the strong wind. He realized he had miscalculated three things entirely. First, the sudden emergence of Reef as a defender was a massive shock to him. What surprised him even more was that this defender had utilized his characteristics to the fullest without resorting to any Awakened power. Such an individual could only be described as brilliant; once he successfully Awakens, he would likely vault directly into the ranks of top-tier MTs!

Second, Lin Musen was clearly a hidden move played by Zi. This person appeared to be a mixed-class warrior, akin to Aldaris, possessing both strength and intellect, but he was actually a Summoner. The card Zi played was a dual-summoning team! Summoners, without a doubt, are individuals whose strength escalates the longer the battle drags on. It seemed Zi had immense confidence in Reef as well.

Third, although the participating team members all possessed different beneficial buffs, every single one of them had ingested something called the Orcish Gene Serum, which caused two base attributes to surge by 4 points each! This was equivalent to the opposing five-person team gaining the attribute bonuses of at least five Silver-tier plot items. The presence of such a potent support potion in a team battle truly could tip the scales of victory or defeat heavily.

"Indeed, every time we meet, Zi, you manage to surprise me," Stallo mused silently to himself.

It must be noted, however, that the terrifying strength of the Colonizers could not be overlooked. Among the five defenders, a full four had been beaten into a near-death state; only Reef endured until the end, finishing the fight with a cost-free skill called Heartrending Scream.

What was worse was that their injuries involved severed limbs or broken bones. Fang Senyan had taken three hours to regrow his own severed hand after returning yesterday, meaning they would not recover anytime soon. Thinking about them participating further in the fighting was out of the question for now.

At this moment, everyone's gaze was fixed upon Prince Stallo!

There were still seventeen fresh combatants available to defend the starship! Would this imposing-looking Colonizer, like Zhao Yun carving a path through Changban, charge through seventeen opponents alone, or would he eventually fall to attrition in a war of attrition?

Prince Stallo rose, his body ramrod straight. He closed his eyes and extended his left hand. A blue flame, impossible to describe, suddenly leaped from the center of his left palm. This blue flame gave the impression of ice and snow burning quietly. Then, with perfect composure, he stated, "You remaining seventeen people, is that right? Then all of you come at once. If the time runs out and you haven't reached the near-death state, then I concede!"

What arrogance! What sheer audacity!

As Prince Stallo spoke, those with higher perception experienced a bizarre illusion: the man stood clearly before them, yet with his eyes closed, he seemed to have completely dissolved into the air, his presence utterly nullified. Only the ball of blue flame offered a tangible sensation. To put it plainly, Prince Stallo existed merely as an apparition; the only thing truly real was the flame burning in his palm!

Fang Senyan's eyes flashed with understanding as he pondered.

Stallo's words, once uttered, naturally provoked challenges from those unwilling to accept defeat. A total of seven individuals formed a temporary team to challenge him. Since such challenges did not result in death and directly concerned everyone's vested interests, no one backed down. Most of them aimed simply to stall until the time limit expired—if even one person survived, then this man would lose, based on his own stipulation!

However, Fang Senyan let out a silent sigh. While Stallo’s declaration cornered himself into a precarious position, it also thoroughly crushed the fighting will of the participating Contractors.

The challenging Contractors originally intended their foray as a probe; thus, even if they possessed an Awakening ability, they would be reluctant to waste it. Now that Stallo had declared, "If the time runs out and you haven't fallen, then I concede," at least half of them would proceed with a shred of hope for escape, likely hesitating to deploy even costly ultimate skills (such as the Black Brother's javelin toss, which consumed potential points)!

The several Contractors stepped before Prince Stallo and issued the challenge in the name of their temporary team!

As the challenge was accepted and the countdown began—10, 9, 8, 7, 6...—Stallo remained motionless with his arms crossed. But just as the count reached five, he abruptly opened his eyes!

When Stallo's eyes snapped open, it was like a heavy, drawn weapon, its edge radiating a sharpness so piercing it felt overwhelming, like gazing up at an impossibly sheer mountain that stole the breath away! The moment his eyes opened, the sense of emptiness and unreality vanished. Conversely, the layer of blue, icy flame cradled in his palm appeared ethereal and distant. Even more terrifyingly, in that instant—one one one one one one one—a layer of incredibly thick white frost erupted outward from Stallo's feet as the core, rapidly spreading outward. Its range covered at least five to six thousand square meters (the size of a football field)! The nearby vegetation on Planet Pandora was instantly draped in vast swathes of silvered white! Not only the seven challengers but also Fang Senyan and his allies simultaneously received a notification from the Nightmare Mark: "You have been affected by the Primary Aura: Call of the Far North!"

"Your movement speed is reduced by 25%, and attack speed is reduced by 15%."

"While moving, you risk being frozen; cold air condenses around your feet, potentially immobilizing you for 1-5 seconds (duration determined by your Strength value; the higher the Strength, the faster you break free from the frozen state)."

Even more bizarrely, although everyone was visibly affected by Stallo's aura, they received no notification of being attacked. Fang Senyan glanced at the Colonizers again and noticed frost condensing around their feet as well. This clearly explained why Stallo was ill-suited for group battles: his aura affected everyone within range, friend and foe alike.

At this moment, Fang Senyan paid closer attention to Zi's expression. Although the woman appeared outwardly calm, Fang Senyan could detect a complex look blending disbelief and unwillingness. She couldn't help but mutter a blurred phrase to herself.

Just then, the duel officially began! Four of the seven Contractors rushed outward, attempting to escape the cold aura, while the three ranged attackers immediately began assaulting Stallo. Da-da-da, crisp sounds echoed in the air, and fireballs ignited in the hands of a spellcaster. But as Stallo's white hair billowed, he gently lifted his palm upwards, and a thick, transparent wall of ice rose before him. Bullets and fireballs struck the ice wall, leaving dense cracks, but ultimately failed to shatter it.

At that precise moment, among the four Contractors fleeing in different directions, two had already been frozen in place by the crystalline frost around their feet, struggling and hammering at the ice binding them.

Stallo then pointed his index fingers at them. The blue ice flame on his fingertips vanished instantly, replaced by a blue-white beam that snaked through the air like a gun or a blade, slicing through the air with a Zzzzzzt sound, striking the two Contractors.

Ice Lance!

The ice beneath the feet of these two Contractors had been moments from shattering, but upon being hit, the ice layer instantly thickened, spreading up to their shins! Clearly, the Ice Lance ability, when targeting frozen foes, not only inflicted damage but also reinforced the ice layer at their feet, making escape even harder.

Next, Stallo suddenly raised both hands high above his head. Centered on him, with a Swish, a full eight incredibly thick, crystal-clear ice walls erupted from the surrounding ground, forming an octagonal crystal structure that enclosed Stallo in the center. Even the top was sealed by ice. Stallo stood perfectly upright, his palms held vertically facing each other, his entire body flashing with blue light—he had entered a state of continuous spellcasting!

And in the very next second, a piercing, spiraling blizzard erupted beneath the feet of every Contractor!

Upon seeing this scene, Fang Senyan's expression darkened: "Could it be..."

The wind gradually intensified. Therefore, when the blizzards first appeared, most Contractors successfully evaded entanglement, but the ice locking the feet of the two immobilized Contractors restrained them. By the time the blizzards swept them up, the ice had naturally been broken away, but they had lost any chance to flee!

It was worth noting that two identical ice-snow tornadoes appeared near Stallo, about five or six meters away. However, the eight ice walls surrounding Stallo provided protection, so the tornadoes could only churn and erode the ice layer fruitlessly on the periphery, unable to lift him into the air. The three Contractors attacking frantically seemed unlikely to break through the ice walls either.

The spiraling ice-snow blizzards circling the Contractors did not remain stationary; instead, they began chasing the nearest Contractor within the frost aura, gradually increasing their speed!

And when two spiraling ice-snow blizzards approached within a certain distance, they merged into a single, larger spiraling ice-snow blizzard. Unquestionably, the larger blizzard moved faster, possessed stronger suction, and wielded even more terrifying power.