Chapter 76: A Timely Arrival

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: A Timely Arrival

They picked up their pace soon.

Neither Damon nor Caelia wanted to waste time fighting every beast they met.

Whenever they could, they simply avoided them.

When they couldn’t...

They ended the fight as quickly as possible.

Freya’s afterimages darted across the battlefield, exploding into flashes of silver lightning before disappearing.

Sylphie stayed overhead, calmly releasing sharp wind blades that sliced through charging beasts before they could even get close.

Every encounter lasted only a few moments.

Then they were moving again.

Caelia couldn’t help glancing at Damon from time to time.

The more she traveled with him...

The more mysterious he became.

She had already seen pieces of his strength.

Yet every time she thought she understood him...

He showed her something new.

Eventually, she gave up trying.

I’ll find out sooner or later.

For now...

Getting home was more important.

The closer they got, the more uneasy she became.

The signs were impossible to ignore.

Broken trees.

Fresh claw marks.

Blood staining the snow.

Entire groups of beasts were moving in one direction.

Toward the Winterbourne Mansion.

Her expression changed.

"...No way."

She suddenly sped up and Snow followed immediately.

Damon noticed it too.

His smile faded.

"So it already started."

The sounds reached them before the mansion came into view.

Roars, explosions, crashing ice and desperate cries followed through.

By the time they reached the final ridge...

The battlefield below came into view.

Caelia froze.

"...Father..."

The Winterbourne Mansion stood at the center of the frozen valley.

Its towering ice walls were covered with cracks.

Several defensive formations flickered weakly before shattering one after another.

BOOM!

Another barrier collapsed.

The shockwave echoed across the valley.

Outside the walls...

Hundreds of beasts flooded the battlefield.

Massive Frostfang Stalkers tore through defensive lines while armored Icehorn Rhinos smashed straight into the gates.

Above them circled packs of Frostwing Ravens, raining razor sharp feathers onto the defenders below.

C Rank...

D Rank...

They came in endless waves.

The Winterbourne elemental users fought desperately.

Ice Arts lit up the battlefield one after another.

Some managed to kill a beast.

Others barely survived the next attack.

Every few moments...

Someone fell.

Someone screamed.

Someone else stepped forward to take their place.

Yet the horde kept advancing.

Little by little...

The defenders were losing ground.

Caelia’s heart tightened.

"They’re already inside the outer defense..."

Without another word...

She rushed forward.

Snow charged beside her.

Damon followed calmly.

The moment the first beasts noticed them, they turned and attacked.

But before Caelia could react...

Silver lightning flashed.

BOOM!

Freya’s afterimages exploded through the group, tearing open a path in an instant.

Sylphie’s wind blades followed immediately, cutting down every beast trying to close the gap.

The road ahead cleared.

Damon smiled.

"Go."

"I’ll handle this."

Caelia hesitated.

"...Are you sure?"

He simply nodded.

"You have somewhere else to be."

She looked toward the mansion.

Then back at Damon.

"...Thank you."

Without wasting another second, she sprinted through the opening.

Snow stayed close behind.

The defenders immediately noticed her.

"Miss Caelia!"

"She’s alive!"

"Miss Caelia returned!"

Relief spread across exhausted faces.

Several Winterbourne guards nearly dropped their weapons from shock.

They had searched for days.

Everyone believed the young lady had already...

Caelia didn’t stop.

"Where’s Father?"

One guard quickly pointed toward the inner courtyard.

"The Family Head is leading the eastern defense!"

She nodded and rushed past them without slowing down.

Only after watching her disappear through the gates did Damon finally stretch his shoulders.

"...Well."

He cracked his neck.

"My little side quest really escalated."

Freya giggled through their connection.

Sylphie chirped excitedly.

Both of them knew exactly what he was thinking.

Training.

To everyone else...

This was a desperate battle for survival.

To Damon...

It was also the perfect chance to polish everything they had learned.

He smiled.

"Let’s not waste it."

Freya answered immediately.

The next moment...

She transformed.

Silver lightning gathered before condensing into the elegant spear Damon knew so well.

He caught it naturally.

Meanwhile, Sylphie spread all six of her wings.

Powerful winds burst beneath her as she rose high above the battlefield.

Most of the Winterbourne elemental users never even noticed the transformation.

They were too busy trying to survive.

Then...

Sylphie moved first.

Her wings beat once.

As a powerful current swept across the battlefield.

"Wind Art..."

Her tiny chirp echoed through their connection.

"...Sky Sever."

SHHHHK!

Dozens of compressed wind blades shot across the battlefield like invisible crescents.

Everything in their path split apart.

Ice shattered.

Snow exploded into the air.

Several charging Frostfang Stalkers were cut down before they even realized they had been attacked.

The defenders stopped fighting for a moment.

"...What was that?"

Before anyone could answer...

Another figure dropped from the sky.

BOOM!!

Damon landed right in the middle of the largest group of beasts.

Snow burst upward around him.

Every beast turned at once.

Their killing intent locked onto the lone young man.

He smiled.

"...Perfect."

Silver lightning crawled across the spear.

Freya answered his call instantly.

The pressure around them exploded.

Several nearby beasts instinctively stepped back.

Damon lowered his stance.

His eyes sharpened.

Then he disappeared.

CRACK!!

Only a streak of silver remained.

He appeared in front of the leading Icehorn Rhino.

"Lightning Art..."

His voice echoed across the battlefield.

"...Flashstep Pierce."

BOOM!!

The spear thrust forward.

Compressed lightning exploded from its tip.

The Rhino’s thick armor shattered as though it were glass.

The attack pierced straight through its chest before continuing into the beasts behind it.

One...

Two...

Three...

A line of monsters fell together.

The lightning finally burst outward.

BOOOOM!!

Silver arcs spread through the surrounding horde, throwing beasts into the air as explosions rippled across the frozen ground.

Silence followed.

Every Winterbourne elemental user stared at the young man standing calmly in the middle of the battlefield.

The spear rested loosely in his hand.

Silver lightning still danced along its blade.

Behind him...

The fallen beasts covered the snow.

Someone swallowed hard.

"...Who..."

"...is that?"