Chapter 98: The First Wave Ends

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: The First Wave Ends

Whenever someone’s Aether became too low, they were pulled back.

Another group immediately replaced them.

It was a system Caelia had prepared before the battle.

It worked.

But it wasn’t enough to give them proper rest.

They had expected the first wave to be large.

They hadn’t expected it to last this long.

Fatigue slowly began settling into their bodies.

Their movements became heavier.

Their Aether recovery wasn’t fast enough.

And the beasts still kept coming.

Caelia stood at the front, watching everything.

"Rotate Group Three!"

The order came immediately.

"Group Five, move forward and cover them!"

"Don’t chase the beasts! Stay inside the formation!"

Her voice continued across the battlefield.

She had to keep everyone moving.

She also had to keep them calm.

"You’re doing well!"

"Don’t panic because of the numbers!"

"Focus on the beast in front of you!"

The elemental users listened.

They trusted her.

And Caelia wasn’t going to let that trust break.

Still, there was one thought that kept returning to her.

Damon.

If she called him now, the pressure would disappear much faster.

He could wipe out large groups of beasts.

They had already seen it.

Caelia almost gave the order.

Then she stopped herself.

No.

Not yet.

They had prepared for this.

They couldn’t depend on Damon for every problem.

She needed to prove that her own preparations were enough.

Caelia tightened her grip on her weapon.

"Keep going."

The elemental users responded.

The battle continued.

On the other side of the mansion, the situation was similar.

The pressure had become heavy enough that several elders were forced to enter the battlefield.

They stepped forward and took over sections where the younger elemental users had begun to tire.

"Go and recover."

One elder blocked an incoming Ice beast.

"We’ll hold this side."

The younger elemental users didn’t argue.

They quickly withdrew.

More experienced elemental users replaced them.

But even with the elders entering the battle, the beasts continued coming.

Eventually, Cornelius stepped forward.

The moment he entered the battlefield, the pressure changed.

His Aether spread across the area.

Ice began forming beneath his feet.

He raised one hand.

The temperature dropped.

An enormous Ice formation appeared in front of him.

Then it crashed down.

Boom!

Several beasts were frozen instantly.

Cornelius moved again.

Ice spears erupted from the ground, piercing through another group.

His movements were simple.

There was no wasted motion.

Every attack had a purpose.

The younger elemental users could only watch for a moment.

This was the difference between them.

Cornelius wasn’t simply stronger.

His understanding of Ice elemental arts was on another level.

This was the strength that had allowed him to become the uncontested head of the Winterbourne family.

"Family Head is here!"

"Keep moving!"

"Don’t waste this chance!"

The Winterbourne elemental users became more motivated.

Cornelius’s presence gave them time.

And that time mattered.

The beasts on his side began falling much faster.

The reserve group that had been kept aside was finally ordered forward.

"Send reinforcements to Caelia’s wing."

Cornelius gave the order.

The group immediately moved.

They had prepared for this.

They weren’t supposed to use all their forces in one place.

Now that his side had begun recovering, they could reinforce Caelia.

Caelia received the report shortly after.

"Lady Caelia!"

A young elemental user rushed over.

"The other wing is beginning to clear the beasts. Reinforcements are coming."

Caelia’s eyes brightened.

"How many?"

"Enough for us to rotate more people."

That was exactly what she needed.

"Good."

She looked at the exhausted elemental users around her.

"Tell everyone to prepare for rotation."

The news spread quickly.

The Winterbourne elemental users became more energetic.

They finally had a chance to breathe.

But Caelia didn’t stop there.

She stepped forward.

"I’ll take the center."

Several people looked at her.

"Lady Caelia..."

"I’m fine."

She moved into position.

The next group of beasts came rushing toward them.

Caelia raised her hand.

Ice spread across the ground.

The first beast stepped onto it.

Crack!

Ice climbed up its legs.

Caelia moved.

Her sword flashed.

The beast’s head fell.

Another beast charged.

She turned and released a wave of Ice energy.

The attack struck several beasts at once.

Boom!

The battlefield cleared around her.

The elemental users who had been struggling suddenly had room to breathe.

"Push forward!"

Caelia shouted.

They responded.

"Yes!"

The Winterbourne elemental users surged forward.

With Caelia leading from the front and reinforcements arriving behind them, the pressure began to fall.

The beasts were finally decreasing.

One group.

Then another.

The endless tide was becoming smaller.

Caelia continued fighting.

She used the Ice arts she had inherited from her family, along with the techniques she had developed through her own experience in the Frostveil Expanse.

She wasn’t fighting recklessly.

Every movement was controlled.

Every attack created an opening for someone else.

The elemental users around her noticed.

Their confidence returned.

"Lady Caelia is holding the center!"

"Keep going!"

"Finish them!"

The final group of beasts rushed forward.

Caelia stepped ahead.

Her Ice elemental energy surged.

The ground froze.

Several Ice spears erupted at once.

The beasts were pierced before they could reach the formation.

The remaining elemental users followed.

The last beasts fell.

Silence slowly returned to the battlefield.

Then someone shouted.

"We did it!"

Cheers erupted.

The Winterbourne elemental users raised their weapons.

The first wave was over.

They had survived.

And this time, they had done it without Damon.

Caelia lowered her weapon and breathed out.

She was exhausted.

But she smiled.

"Everyone did well."

The cheers became louder.

But the celebration didn’t last long.

There was still work to do.

The injured were moved away from the frontline.

Healers began treating them.

The Winterbourne family brought out recovery treasures and medicines that had been kept for emergencies.

Elemental users sat down and began recovering their Aether.

Some used special resources to speed up their recovery.

Others simply meditated.

The formations were checked again.

The damaged sections were repaired.

Weapons were inspected.

Supplies were moved closer to the frontline.

Nobody knew when the next wave would arrive.