Chapter 19 Help at last.

Chapter 19: Chapter 19 Help at last.

Kai’s voice trembled as he stared at Luna in disbelief.

"I know you never joke, but for the sake of my sanity, please tell me you’re joking right now. Please."

Luna didn’t answer. She simply began securing her belongings while the amphibious vehicle continued preparing to sink beneath the dark water.

That useless monster destroyed my vehicle... it’s fine. I’ll get back at it someday, she thought coldly.

Kai could only gape at her.

He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. How exactly did she plan on getting revenge against a beast that enormous? Compared to the Leviathan, Luna was nothing more than a tiny speck. It wasn’t bravery anymore—it was a suicide mission.

Unless...

Does she not want to live?

But Kai certainly wanted to stay alive.

And no matter how much he complained or hated this situation, his life was now tied to the permanently frowning woman standing beside him.

"Kai, prepare yourself because we’re going to dive in." Luna finally spoke. "I hope you can swim because once we’re out, we’re heading straight for the wall."

Her plan sounded completely deranged.

At least... now that he was actually hearing it.

Kai pointed toward the towering barrier in the distance.

"Look at that wall! Can’t you see how massive it is? Fine, let’s say we somehow make it there despite all these monsters. Then what? How are we supposed to get inside? Do you really think we’ll actually reach it?"

He desperately tried to reason with her.

It didn’t help.

Luna ignored every single word.

Water rapidly flooded into the vehicle as black seawater forced its way through the damaged hull. The entire machine groaned violently before shuddering from one side to another.

"We’re going down now." Luna’s voice remained calm despite everything. "When I give you instructions, tap the places on your clothes where I show you."

Kai silently nodded.

His fate was already sealed.

There was no moving forward.

There was no turning back.

"Tell me again why I agreed to this?" he complained miserably. "No normal person would willingly go through something like this."

That was apparently the final straw.

"It’s either you follow my plan," Luna snapped, "or you wait patiently for the Leviathan to have its way with you. Actually... now that I think about it, maybe they should eat you first. You talk so much you’re slowly making me lose my mind."

Silence followed.

The next second, the amphibious vehicle completely disappeared beneath the waves.

Everything around them turned black.

They were sinking.

Cold water crashed over Luna as she struggled to swim upward. Every breath burned her lungs while the crushing pressure threatened to drag them deeper.

Beside her, Kai flailed helplessly.

For one terrifying moment, Luna genuinely thought he was drowning.

Breaking through the surface first, she gasped before looking toward him.

"Are you alright?"

Kai finally burst through the water, coughing violently as seawater poured from his mouth.

He weakly raised a thumbs-up.

"Never... been... better..."

He immediately coughed again.

Luna ignored the sarcasm.

The holographic glasses covering her eyes flickered to life as she scanned the dark sea around them.

Several glowing outlines appeared.

Then one stood out.

A massive scaled creature slowly circled beneath the surface.

Round and round it swam.

It wasn’t hunting randomly.

It was cornering them.

"Now’s our chance." Luna quickly turned toward Kai. "Can you freeze the water? If you can make an ice path, we can slide across it. It’ll be much faster... unless you’re still too scared."

The monsters were already closing in.

Every second mattered.

Kai stared helplessly at the endless sea.

"I... I don’t think my power is strong enough. I’m not powerful enough."

Luna scoffed.

"Just try."

Her tone left no room for argument.

"I know you can do it. Haven’t you been training? It’s either this... or we do it my way."

She paused.

"And you might not survive my way."

The warning was obvious.

If Luna resorted to her own method, there was no guarantee Kai would survive it.

The monsters were now barely an arm’s length away.

Luna prepared to swim.

Then Kai finally made up his mind.

Closing his eyes, he stretched both hands toward the raging sea.

The temperature plummeted.

Crack—

A layer of frost spread across the water.

Then another.

Within seconds the violent waves transformed into an enormous frozen surface stretching far into the distance.

Luna watched the ocean become solid ice before a wide grin spread across her face.

"Now we’re talking."

She immediately sprinted forward.

"Copy everything I do!" she shouted. "And whatever happens... don’t stop moving!"

The moment those words left her mouth—

BOOM!

The Leviathan exploded upward beneath the frozen sea.

Half the massive ice field shattered instantly as enormous cracks raced toward them.

Chunks of ice collapsed into the water while the monster continued smashing upward.

It wasn’t stopping.

"Activate Ice Skating."

The soles of Luna’s boots instantly transformed.

Metal vanished.

Thin enchanted skating blades appeared beneath her feet.

She smoothly glided across the frozen ocean.

Kai immediately understood her idea.

His face turned pale.

"I can’t skate, Luna! I don’t know how!"

Luna nearly tripped.

Only now...

Only at this exact moment...

...did he decide to mention that?

Clicking her tongue in frustration, she cursed under her breath.

"I’ll hold your hand," she growled. "But you’ll pay for this later. Seriously... how does someone not know how to skate? That’s not normal."

Behind them the ice continued collapsing.

The cracks spread faster.

Every section they left behind shattered moments later as the Leviathan relentlessly pursued them beneath the frozen surface.

Luna grabbed Kai’s wrist tightly.

"Run!"

The two shot across the ice together.

Below them, the gigantic creature remained visible beneath the transparent surface.

Its glowing eyes never left them.

It followed every movement they made.

Closer...

Closer...

Until finally—

The towering walls of the Safe Zone came into view.

Kai’s eyes brightened.

They were actually going to make it.

For the first time since everything began, relief washed over him.

Maybe... maybe Luna was right.

Then disaster struck.

CRACK!!

The entire ice field beneath their feet exploded apart.

A gigantic mouth burst through the frozen sea.

The Leviathan lunged upward.

Its jaws widened enough to swallow both of them whole.

Luna reacted instantly.

"Spring Mode!"

The blades beneath her skating shoes folded away.

Powerful springs emerged instead.

BOING!

Both of them were launched high into the air before gravity could pull them into the monster’s mouth.

Kai instinctively clung to Luna.

Their combined weight became lighter as the springs continued propelling them forward.

They barely reached the massive steel fence surrounding the Safe Zone.

Both hands slammed against the bars.

They held on with everything they had.

"If it were just me," Luna spat while struggling to keep her grip, "I’d have crossed this easily. How are you this useless?"

Kai almost yelled back.

Below them, the enraged Leviathans repeatedly slammed into the enormous wall.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!!

The entire barrier shook violently.

Every impact loosened their grip a little more.

Dust rained from above while the metal groaned under the constant assault.

"We’re going to fall!" Kai shouted in panic. "We’re going to die!"

Luna didn’t answer immediately.

Instead...

She smiled.

A dangerous smile.

"Maybe if you weren’t so useless," she mocked loudly, making sure he heard every word. "Then none of this would’ve happened. We would’ve escaped already. Tell me, Kai... why are you so useless?"

Kai froze.

Then something inside him snapped.

His eyes glowed with icy blue light.

An overwhelming surge of mana erupted from his body.

The surrounding temperature plummeted.

The sea itself trembled.

Then—

BOOOOOOM!!

The ocean split apart.

Countless towering spears of ice erupted from every direction like divine punishment.

Each one pierced straight through a Leviathan.

One.

Three.

Seven.

Ten.

Dozens.

Their enormous bodies were skewered before they even had time to react.

Dark blood exploded across the frozen sea as the monsters let out earth-shaking screams before collapsing one after another.

Silence followed.

Luna looked across the battlefield before a satisfied smirk appeared on her face.

"Now..."

"That is impressive, Kai Blackwood."

Kai slowly looked around.

Seeing the countless dead Leviathans impaled by his own ice, his jaw slowly dropped.

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

I... I did that?

Before either of them could say another word, hurried voices echoed from beyond the wall.

"There are survivors down there!"

"Hurry!"

"Lower the elevator!"

Almost immediately, a massive iron elevator creaked as it descended from the top of the wall, swaying slightly in the air while making its way toward the exhausted pair.