Chapter 119: The Last of the Tide

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: The Last of the Tide

Far away, Damon suddenly felt something change.

The pressure in the battlefield dropped.

The beasts were still coming.

But something was different.

He looked toward the distance.

Then he smiled.

"So they did it."

Freya landed beside him.

Sylphie remained in bow form.

Shiro stood quietly at his side.

Damon stretched his shoulders.

"Good."

He looked at the remaining beasts.

The tide was still a bit large.

But it no longer mattered.

Without the formation feeding the beast tide and directing their movement, no more waves would be sent toward him.

The Winterbourne family had responded.

They had done their part.

Now there was only the remaining tide in front of him.

Damon looked at Freya.

Then Sylphie.

Then Shiro.

He smiled.

"Looks like we just have to clean up."

Freya’s tails moved.

Sylphie’s wind gathered.

Shiro’s frost spread across the ground.

Damon tightened his grip.

The battlefield had finally become simple.

And somehow, that made him even more excited.

Although the beast tide had gradually lost their direction.

For so long, they had been moving like one enormous tide, pushed forward by the formation and the resonance crystals.

Now there was nothing holding them together.

Some stopped.

Others turned around.

A large portion suddenly began rushing toward the Winterbourne mansion.

Damon noticed immediately.

"Of course."

He looked toward the mansion.

"They’re going back to the strongest Ice essence."

There was no time to complain about it.

Damon stepped forward.

"Let’s finish this quickly."

Freya’s lightning flared.

Sylphie’s wind gathered.

Shiro’s frost spread across the ground.

They moved.

The remaining tide couldn’t keep up.

Damon and his spirits were already tearing through it.

Meanwhile, the Winterbourne party had realized the same thing.

Cornelius looked toward the mansion.

"They’re heading back."

Caelia summoned Snow.

"Then we go too."

The group immediately turned around.

There were fewer beasts now, so the pressure wasn’t nearly as bad as before.

They moved together.

Cornelius dealt with the stronger beasts while the elders covered the sides. Caelia and the younger geniuses worked together to finish anything that slipped through.

It was still dangerous.

But compared to what they had faced earlier, it was manageable.

And yet Damon was already far ahead.

Much farther.

Caelia glanced toward the distant battlefield.

"He’s too fast."

One of the elders smiled bitterly.

"Not just fast."

They watched another explosion light up the distance.

"He’s probably five times faster than us now."

Caelia shook her head.

"That sounds about right."

Damon wasn’t holding back anymore.

The formation was gone.

The beasts were scattered.

There was no reason to conserve his strength.

"Let’s test everything."

Sylphie’s bow appeared in his hand.

The wind immediately wrapped around him.

Damon pulled the string.

He used the Arts they had already practiced, then started trying the ones they had developed during the battle.

One worked.

Another was too inefficient.

One had too much power for the amount of Aether it consumed.

Damon kept the useful ones.

"Keep that one."

The bow gave a happy pulse.

"And that one too."

Another pulse.

Damon laughed.

"You really like that one."

The next arrow flew.

A huge section of beasts disappeared.

Damon switched Arts again.

He was no longer simply fighting. He was testing.

Every attack gave him another piece of information.

The range.

The power.

The Aether cost.

The time needed to use it.

By the time he finished with Sylphie, several new Arts had already earned a place in his arsenal.

"Alright."

The bow vanished.

"Freya, your turn."

Silver lightning appeared beside him.

Freya smiled.

She had been waiting.

The difference was obvious.

Damon and Freya had fought together for much longer.

Their movements didn’t need as many instructions anymore.

Damon moved and Freya already knew what he wanted.

She attacked.

He followed.

He changed direction.

She adjusted.

A lightning Art struck from one side while Damon attacked from another.

Then Freya suddenly changed her attack halfway through.

Damon understood immediately.

"Nice."

The next attack followed.

Boom!

A huge section of beasts disappeared.

Damon’s eyes lit up.

"That combination stays."

Freya proudly raised her tails.

"Don’t get too excited."

Another group charged.

Damon grinned.

"We still have work."

They continued.

Lightning filled the battlefield.

Damon kept experimenting with Freya’s Arts, and the more they fought, the more naturally they worked together.

Some attacks were abandoned.

Others were improved.

A few were immediately added to his growing collection.

And every time Damon found something useful, he used it again.

The result was brutal.

Entire groups of ice beasts disappeared before they could even reach him.

The Winterbourne party eventually reached a closer position and saw it for themselves.

Damon wasn’t fighting carefully anymore.

He was letting loose. Yet he wasn’t being reckless.

Every attack had a purpose.

Every movement had a reason.

And behind him, Shiro made sure none of that power was wasted.

"Frostbound Sanctuary."

Ice spread across the battlefield.

A group of beasts tried to escape through the side.

Their legs froze.

Another group attacked from behind.

A barrier rose.

The attack crashed against it and shattered.

Shiro immediately adjusted the barrier before the next attack arrived.

He was protecting Damon.

Protecting Freya.

Protecting Sylphie.

And controlling the battlefield at the same time.

Caelia watched him.

"He’s gotten better already."

Cornelius nodded.

"That little Qilin is learning quickly."

The Winterbourne party continued clearing their own section.

But it didn’t take long.

There were barely any beasts left.

Then the final stretch began.

Damon looked ahead.

Only a scattered group remained.

He tightened his grip on Freya’s spear.

"Last one."

Freya’s lightning surged.

Damon charged.

The remaining beasts tried to fight back.

Shiro froze them.

Sylphie’s wind tore through the side.

Freya’s lightning struck.

Damon followed with the spear.

Boom!

The last beast fell.

Silence followed.

Damon stood there for a moment.

Then he exhaled.

"We’re done."

His shoulders finally dropped.

The spirits had pushed themselves just as hard.

Damon could feel it through their bonds.

He immediately recalled them.

"Good work."

Freya returned to her small fox form.

Damon reached down and rubbed her head.

"You were great."

Freya happily leaned into his hand.

Sylphie returned next.

Damon smiled as he gently touched her.

"You too."

Then he looked toward Shiro.

The Frost Qilin stood there quietly.

This had been his first real battle.

Damon crouched.

"You did really well."