CHAPTER 251: NOT ENOUGH TO DEFEAT BUT IT’S THERE

Yet in the end, Aldrich still said, "They were ultimately my students. If they were murdered and I did nothing, even smiling as I approached the killer, how would others perceive me?"

Elora had no reply.

She merely wished to avoid a clash between the two sides, such a collision would surely bring nothing good. Yet some things seem unavoidable.

Suddenly, Elora’s expression shifted. She turned her gaze toward a certain direction.

Aldrich also looked in that direction.

"They’re here."

...

Carlotta and the others flew closer.

From afar, Carlotta spotted the familiar figure of Elora Throne hovering in midair. Next to her stood another figure she knew well, Aldrich Suarez.

Aldrich had achieved fame much earlier. Unlike Elora, whose mysterious and unknown appearance offered little to go on, portraits and even wax statues of Aldrich were not uncommon in the Wendell Empire. His photographs even appear in textbooks across numerous academies.

Seeing Aldrich, Carlotta immediately realized he had come for her. But she felt no fear, flying directly towards them.

The two sides quickly came face to face.

Glancing down, Carlotta saw the many petrified figures inside the Divine Castle. Fortunately, she could still sense their life forces circulating, otherwise, she would have attacked immediately.

Aldrich, however, merely glanced at Carlotta before fixing his gaze on the High Priestess.

He already knew the High Priestess was an Exalted from another world. His expression turned serious, this, he believed, was his true opponent. As for someone like Carlotta, she was merely a Weaver. No matter how powerful a Weaver became, they were still just a Weaver, hardly worth mentioning.

"Carlotta," Elora said now, "You killed two of Aldrich’s students, and he already knows. I don’t want you two to clash. Can’t this be settled more peacefully?"

Carlotta replied immediately, "Those two? Their deaths were well-deserved. I don’t believe I did anything wrong. Mr. Aldrich, if you restore everyone below and simply leave, then yes, this matter could indeed be resolved peacefully."

Hearing this, Aldrich’s face darkened.

He coldly said, "Let me just leave like this? Don’t you think that’s a bit too much? You killed my students and expect everything to be forgotten as if nothing happened?"

Carlotta said, "Do you even know what kind of people your students were? By killing them, I’ve spared you future disgrace. You might even thank me."

Aldrich actually laughed in anger. "Thank you? At your age, you really say whatever you want. Do you even know who you’re facing?"

Carlotta wasn’t intimidated by Aldrich at all. Calmly, she said, "It seems you have no intention of resolving this peacefully. Perhaps your two students were so worthless because of you."

"Do you really think that just because you have an Exalted behind you, I can’t do anything to you?"

Aldrich clenched his fists tightly.

"My confidence has never depended on others. Even alone, I am more than capable of cutting you down. Aldrich, don’t overestimate yourself." Carlotta snorted.

"You’re the one overestimating yourself."

In mere moments, the hostility between them became thick and suffocating.

Elora Throne felt a headache coming on. She had hoped to minimize the conflict, but neither Carlotta nor Aldrich was someone who would back down. There was no sign of the conflict shrinking, instead, it felt like it was escalating further.

With no other choice, Elora used a technique to send her voice toward the High Priestess: "Might I ask you to say something? You can’t just let Carlotta face Aldrich’s threat alone. I know you might be willing to intervene for her sake, but a battle between Exalted should be avoided if at all possible."

The High Priestess gave Elora a strange look and said, "Carlotta can handle this herself. There’s no need for me to get involved."

Elora was momentarily confused. "Are you saying you won’t interfere?"

The High Priestess replied, "Do you really think defeating Aldrich requires my intervention? Perhaps you underestimate Carlotta."

Elora’s face showed pure astonishment.

What did he mean?

At that moment, Carlotta and Aldrich exchanged a few more words, the atmosphere growing even more hostile.

Neither could tolerate the other anymore, each believing the other was unreasonable.

Yet both also believed the other wasn’t particularly difficult to deal with. If the opponent wasn’t someone they couldn’t handle, why waste more words?

"If it wasn’t for the Exalted backing you, you wouldn’t even have the right to speak to me," Aldrich said angrily.

"Old fool, you think too highly of yourself. Do you believe you’re invincible in this world?" Carlotta shot back without holding back.

Immediately, they both attacked.

Aldrich’s Word Magic didn’t even need to be spoken, merely thinking it in his mind was enough to activate its effects.

As waves of Word Magic emerged, Carlotta instantly drew out the New Moon Ship, quickly entering it with Amelia.

"Be careful. Word Magic is rather strange," Amelia warned.

"Don’t worry," Carlotta said.

She placed Amelia inside the New Moon Ship’s cabin, then stepped onto the deck, activating the ship’s shield, which immediately blocked the effects of the Word Magic.

When such a massive alchemical ship appeared, floating in midair, both Elora and Aldrich were stunned. They had no idea what was happening, since when could alchemical ships fly?

"Boom!"

The next moment, hundreds of cannons aboard the alchemical ship fired. An endless barrage of projectiles surged toward Aldrich from all directions, engulfing him instantly.

Aldrich silently recited his incantation, and a protective barrier instantly formed around him, blocking most of the bombardment. Yet even so, his shield trembled violently, covered in cracks.

Aldrich’s expression changed sharply. His barrier wasn’t something just anyone could damage. The current state clearly indicated it was enduring attacks equivalent to those of an Exalted, otherwise, it wouldn’t be shaking this violently.

Could that alchemical ship really possess the destructive power of an Exalted?

The realization was almost unbelievable. In the past, no alchemical ship had ever demonstrated such power. Was this even an alchemical ship anymore?

While Aldrich was still stunned by the sight of the ship, suddenly he noticed Carlotta rising into the air above it. Then, she transformed into a bright full moon, radiating infinite moonlight downward.

Carlotta had made her move.

The freezing power of the Deep Moon Goddess rapidly spread forth, so intense it nearly froze a person solid, locking onto Aldrich.

Even though Aldrich had already raised a protective barrier around himself, in an instant, the barrier itself was frozen. Worse, the cold seeped through, freezing Aldrich himself as well.

A massive iceberg now stands before them, with Aldrich trapped within.

The sight made Elora instinctively gasp in shock. She hadn’t expected Carlotta’s offensive techniques to be this overwhelming.

Not only had Carlotta brought out an absurdly powerful alchemical vessel, but her personal combat strength was also terrifying, capable of actually harming an Exalted?

Although Elora had heard countless rumors about Carlotta before, she had never truly grasped the extent of her power. Even during the battle in the capital, where Carlotta, a mere early tier Weaver, defeated the peak tier Weaver and First Sword Saint, it hadn’t left as deep an impression as this moment.

After all, this was no longer a fight between Weavers, it was a battle between a Weaver and an Exalted!

Exalted had already approached godhood, experiencing the aura and essence of the divine. Such an existence saw every aspect of their power skyrocket, placing them on an entirely different, lofty plane. Yet such a being was actually being wounded by a mere Weaver?

Even though Aldrich merely appeared to be encased in ice, everyone present could clearly sense whether he had sustained actual damage.

"Boom!"

The iceberg shattered under Aldrich’s force. As a true Exalted, he certainly wouldn’t fall so easily.

But even after shattering the ice, his expression couldn’t help but shift. He had never expected Carlotta to actually threaten him.

Shock quickly turned into fury.

As an old and established expert, Aldrich couldn’t accept being so brazenly challenged by a Weaver. Immediately, he launched another attack.

A rain of fire suddenly appeared across the sky, engulfing the entire alchemical vessel. Thunderous striked relentlessly. Even with the protective barrier on the ship, under the attacks of an Exalted, it trembled precariously, ripples spreading violently across its surface.

Carlotta’s attack continued as well. Infinite waves of cold surged once more toward Aldrich.

But this time, Aldrich was prepared. Strange ripples emerging around his body, vibrating constantly. As soon as the cold descended and the freezing began, the frozen parts instantly shattered, preventing Carlotta from sealing him in ice again.

Yet Carlotta wasn’t merely relying on the Deep Moon Goddess. While invoking the Deep Moon Goddess, she had already summoned the Wisdom Goddess, attempting to probe Aldrich’s weaknesses.

But the result was unexpected.

The Wisdom Goddess failed to detect any weakness in Aldrich!

This was the first time such a thing had ever happened to Carlotta. In the past, she had never encountered a situation where she couldn’t identify an opponent’s weakness.

Carlotta knew fully well that Aldrich must have weaknesses. The fact that she couldn’t find them meant only one thing, the gap in their ranks was simply too vast. Even if weaknesses exist, they could be compensated for instantly, rendering them nonexistent.

"I understand the situation now."

Carlotta murmured softly.

Although the battle had just begun, she already knew how this fight must be waged.

Exalted truly represents evolution. Even someone as powerful as herself couldn’t treat such an opponent like a mere street thug to be lightly beaten. To win, she would have to fight a prolonged battle.

Instantly, Carlotta invoked the Goddess of War. She no longer needed to fly out herself. One after another, armored versions of herself materialized, like female generals, rushing through the air and slashing toward Aldrich.

At the same time, Aldrich found himself trapped within the strange space of the Goddess of War. Before his eyes stretched endless legions of soldiers, roaring battle cries that shook the heavens as they charged at him.

With just one glance, Aldrich understood the mechanism behind this space. Silently reciting a chant, he caused the surrounding void to suddenly shatter. In an instant, his entire form returned to the real world.

Carlotta’s eyes narrowed.

He was the first person to forcibly break out of the Goddess of War’s space. A slight ripple stir within her heart.

Yet this outcome didn’t exceed her expectations. She had already anticipated a prolonged battle. If the Goddess of War proved ineffective, it was only natural.

Carlotta immediately deployed various other techniques, launching another wave of attacks against Aldrich.

The battle between the two was extraordinarily grand.

Aldrich’s attacks were also overwhelmingly fierce, now blazing heavenly fire, now roaring celestial thunder, now towering tidal waves, now endless sandstorms swallowing the world.

He used the power of Words to manipulate all changes in nature. The effects he displayed were truly terrifying.

This was what a battle between Exalteds looked like. Both Elora and the High Priestess were forced to retreat, watching the epic clash unfold with expressions of their own.

Even the High High Priestess’s eyes carry a hint of surprise.

She had known Carlotta possessed the New Moon, allowing her to fight an Exalted. But when the battle actually unfolded before her, she still felt a stir within.

Because Carlotta wasn’t relying solely on the New Moon. In this battle, she herself was also playing an enormous role.

The High Priestess even felt that, even without the New Moon, Carlotta might still force Aldrich into a stalemate. It was a terrifying thought, but she believed it could actually be true.

In contrast, Elora was completely shaken. She had never imagined a battle between Carlotta and Aldrich could even happen. She had assumed that if any conflict arose, it would be between the High High Priestess and Aldrich. Yet everything had turned out completely different.

Has Carlotta truly grown this strong?

The great battle erupted, shaking everything.

With a wave of her hand, the High Priestess removed numerous stone statues from the Divine Castle and retreated to a distance.

Elora followed her out.

A clash of near-divine power couldn’t possibly leave bystanders unscathed. Staying too close risked being caught in the crossfire.

Once they had withdrawn, the High Priestess placed the stone statues onto the street. Then, with another wave of her hand and an unfathomable technique, she restored everyone back to normal.

Elora’s eyes narrowed once more.

’How could she break Aldrich’s seal so easily? I couldn’t even do it. Is it just a coincidence that her abilities are perfectly suited to counter this?’

Elora felt a certain pressure.

And as the others regained consciousness, the scene instantly became chaotic.