Chapter 118: Formation Destroyed

Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Formation Destroyed

Damon had started this battle with only Freya.

Now he had three Spirit Elementals fighting beside him, and the entire beast tide was slowly disappearing.

Even Cornelius found it difficult to believe.

He had seen talented young elemental users before.

He had seen geniuses.

But Damon was different.

The amount of strength that boy had gathered at such a young age was difficult to comprehend.

Cornelius smiled faintly.

He was glad.

Glad that he had listened to Caelia.

Glad that he hadn’t offended Damon.

Most of all, he was glad that his daughter had trusted her instincts.

"Let’s keep moving," Cornelius said.

The others nodded.

They couldn’t stand around admiring the battlefield forever.

The formation was still their target.

And if the enemy realized what they were doing, they would certainly interfere.

The Winterbourne party pushed forward.

This time, their spirits were much higher.

They had come expecting a desperate battle.

Instead, they were walking through a battlefield that Damon had already begun to clear.

If they could help him finish this, they would.

They soon reached the formation.

Several strange crystals were buried around the area, connected by thin lines of energy that disappeared beneath the ice.

The researchers immediately got to work.

"Don’t touch anything yet."

One of them crouched beside the nearest crystal.

"We need to understand how they are connected."

The others spread out.

They examined the crystals, studied the flow of energy and compared the formation to the information they already had.

The fighters formed a defensive line around them.

Cornelius stood at the front.

Caelia remained nearby.

The elders watched the surroundings carefully.

They knew the beasts weren’t their only problem.

They were right.

A group of elemental users appeared in the distance.

The enemy had finally moved.

The enemy leader received the report.

"They’ve reached the formation."

His face twisted.

"Already?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Most of the Winterbourne party."

The leader slammed both hands onto the table.

His expression had completely changed.

He had already lost the beast tide.

Now the Winterbourne family was standing beside the formation.

If they destroyed it, everything they had built here would be exposed.

The formation was one of their biggest cards.

Once the Winterbourne family understood how it worked, it would become much harder to use the same method again.

"No."

He swept his arm across the table.

Everything on it crashed onto the ground.

The others stepped back.

Nobody spoke.

They understood his frustration.

They had prepared this operation for a long time.

They had manipulated the beast tide.

They had isolated Damon.

They had thrown stronger beasts at him.

And none of it had worked.

That damn Winterbourne family.

And Damon.

The leader clenched his teeth.

"Send people to stop them."

A subordinate hesitated.

"If we send too many..."

"I know."

He took a deep breath.

Even if they lost today, he couldn’t afford to lose every card they had.

But if the Winterbourne family learned how the formation worked, they would lose one of their most useful methods.

"Stop them before they destroy it."

"Yes."

The elemental users moved immediately.

*******

Cornelius had thought ahead, and now he saw them coming.

"They’re finally here."

The elders stepped forward. Caelia summoned Snow.

The Frost Lynx appeared beside her, already prepared.

But Cornelius simply walked ahead.

"Leave them to me."

Caelia looked at him.

"Father?"

Cornelius raised one hand.

The temperature around them dropped.

A huge wave of ice surged across the ground.

The approaching elemental users immediately stopped.

Then the ice rose.

Several walls appeared around them, cutting off their movement.

One enemy broke through. But Cornelius was already waiting.

His hand struck forward. Ice exploded and the enemy was thrown backward.

Caelia’s eyes widened slightly.

Her father rarely needed to show his strength.

But now he wasn’t holding back.

"Move forward," Cornelius said.

The elders followed.

The Winterbourne family moved as one.

Ice spread wherever they went.

Caelia fought beside Snow, freezing enemies who tried to approach the researchers.

The elders protected the formation from every direction.

They weren’t just holding their ground anymore.

They were pushing back.

One enemy tried to break through the formation’s defenses.

A Winterbourne elder appeared in front of him.

"Wrong direction."

Ice swallowed the ground beneath the man’s feet.

Another tried to attack from behind.

Caelia turned.

"Snow."

The Frost Lynx moved.

A wave of frost slammed into the enemy. As he fell before reaching them.

The Winterbourne family had spent generations mastering Ice.

Now they finally had a chance to show what that meant.

The enemy had come expecting them to be desperate.

Instead, they found themselves being pushed back.

And while they fought, the researchers continued working.

They didn’t rush.

They studied every part of the formation.

They traced the energy.

They identified the crystals responsible for maintaining the flow.

Then they began dismantling it.

"Found the central link."

The lead researcher looked up.

"Break that one and the entire formation should collapse."

"Are you sure?"

"Almost."

Cornelius glanced at him.

"Almost isn’t good enough."

The researcher smiled.

"Then let’s make it certain."

He returned to work.

The battle continued around them.

Ice crashed against ice.

Elemental Arts filled the battlefield.

But the researchers remained focused.

They knew exactly what they were here to do.

Then finally, the lead researcher stood.

"Everyone, step back."

The Winterbourne fighters immediately moved.

The researcher raised his hand.

"Now."

Several crystals shattered at once.

The energy connecting them suddenly became unstable.

The entire formation trembled.

Cracks spread across the frozen ground.

Then the central crystal broke.

Boom!

The formation collapsed, the beast tide shifted.

And the enemies knew immediately.

Their formation was gone.

Their advantage was gone.

Their reason for staying was gone.

Some of them turned and ran.

Others were quickly surrounded.

"Don’t let them all escape!" Cornelius ordered.

The Winterbourne fighters moved.

Several enemies were captured.

Others managed to disappear into the chaos.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

The formation was destroyed.

The battle had already been decided.