Chapter 1040: What the Sea Brought

Strax remained above the coast for a few more seconds, staring at the black expanse that now occupied the place where the ocean had once been.

The Black Ice continued advancing slowly across the more distant regions, thickening wherever the waves still pressed against the frozen surface and filling any cracks created by the impacts.

The amount of energy required to maintain that expansion was considerable, but it wasn’t something that truly concerned Strax at that moment.

What occupied his thoughts was the presence he had felt beneath the water.

Even after freezing dozens of kilometers of ocean, that divine energy hadn’t disappeared.

It remained too deep for him to determine its exact origin and, worse, it seemed to be growing stronger.

He set that concern aside for later.

Asgard came first.

Strax folded his wings and allowed his body to fall.

His draconic form began disappearing during the descent.

Scales receded.

His wings shrank and vanished.

His enormous silhouette was replaced by his human form before he even reached the ground.

He landed in an open area near the coastal defenses, bending his knees slightly as a thin layer of ice shattered beneath his feet.

Soldiers were scattered everywhere.

Some inspected buildings, while others helped residents who had been evacuated from the lower regions as a precaution.

Teams moved through streets and roads searching for cracks caused by the tremors, while groups of flying creatures continued circling above Asgard to verify whether any area had been struck by the water.

The scene was chaotic.

But there didn’t seem to be any destruction.

Strax immediately searched for Monica.

It didn’t take long to find her.

She was several meters ahead, once again in her human form, accompanied by two officers who handed her reports while she studied a hastily written list.

Her hair had been disheveled by the wind, and her expression carried the tension of someone who had just organized a large-scale evacuation without even fully understanding the threat she was facing.

Strax walked toward her.

"Monica."

She immediately raised her head.

"Finally."

"Report."

Monica dismissed the two officers with a gesture before closing the document.

"So far, no major problems."

Strax raised an eyebrow slightly.

"None?"

"No confirmed deaths. No missing people. No serious injuries directly related to the waves."

She looked toward the enormous black wall now occupying the horizon.

"Thanks to Krissia’s early warning, we had enough time to evacuate everyone from the risk zones. She realized what was happening before any coastal patrol understood the scale of the problem."

Strax remained silent.

Monica continued:

"And that wall she created held back the first wave long enough for Cassandra to arrive. If Krissia had run when she saw the tsunami, we probably would’ve lost a significant part of the coast before we could react."

Strax looked toward the city.

"And the earthquakes?"

"That’s the only problem we’re still evaluating."

Monica crossed her arms.

"Some smaller establishments may have suffered structural damage. Cracked walls, displaced roofs, fallen merchandise. I received reports of two buildings partially damaged in the commercial district and several barns with cracks, but nothing that can’t be repaired."

She slowly exhaled.

"Considering what was coming toward us, we came out practically unharmed."

Strax nodded.

That was better than he had expected.

Much better.

Then he remembered Cassandra’s description.

"Krissia."

Monica understood immediately.

"She’s alive."

"I know. Cassandra told me what she did."

Strax looked at Monica.

"When I passed over the coast, she looked anemic."

"Exhausted," Monica corrected. "Scathach managed to stabilize her for a while, but apparently Krissia kept functioning with almost no mana reserves left. Once the situation calmed down, she lost consciousness."

"Where?"

"East wing infirmary at headquarters."

Strax immediately turned around.

Monica added:

"Frieren already examined her."

"I’m going to see her."

"Strax."

He stopped.

Monica studied his expression.

"She’s fine."

Strax nodded once.

"I’m going to make sure she stays that way."

Then he left.

The infirmary in the east wing was much busier than usual.

Not because of serious injuries, but as a precaution.

People who had fallen during the evacuation, soldiers who had suffered minor accidents, and several elderly residents had been brought there for evaluation.

Most were already being discharged.

Strax quickly crossed the corridors.

He found Krissia’s room at the end of one of the quieter wings.

He opened the door.

Xenovia was sitting beside the bed.

She held one of Krissia’s hands between her own, leaning forward as she watched her face.

Krissia was completely motionless.

The paleness of her skin was obvious.

Her breathing remained calm but slow, and even someone without much medical knowledge could tell that her body was profoundly exhausted.

Xenovia raised her head when she heard the door.

"Strax."

He entered.

"How is she?"

Xenovia looked back at Krissia.

"Frieren was here a little while ago."

Strax approached the bed.

"And?"

"Severe mana exhaustion."

Xenovia slowly ran her thumb across Krissia’s fingers.

"According to Frieren, she almost completely emptied her mana core and then kept forcing magic anyway. Her body began compensating by using reserves that normally shouldn’t be touched."

Strax frowned.

"How long?"

"A few days."

"To wake up?"

"Probably."

Xenovia nodded.

"Frieren said it isn’t serious as long as she rests. Her mana core will regenerate naturally, but it needs time. Maybe she’ll wake up earlier, maybe it’ll take a little longer."

She paused.

"She also asked someone to keep an eye on her."

Strax looked at Xenovia.

"Why?"

"If another surge comes from the sea, Krissia might wake up because of the mana fluctuation and try to get up."

Strax remained silent for several seconds.

That sounded exactly like something Krissia would do.

Xenovia sighed.

"Frieren was very specific. If she wakes up and tries to return to the coast, we’re supposed to stop her."

"Fair."

Strax moved even closer.

Xenovia noticed that he was staring at Krissia’s chest.

"What are you doing?"

"Something."

"That answer is never reassuring."

Strax ignored the comment.

He placed his palm against Krissia’s chest, directly over the region where he could feel her mana core.

He closed his eyes.

Finding it wasn’t difficult.

Normally, a core maintained a constant circulation of energy.

Even during sleep, mana was slowly absorbed from the environment, processed, and distributed throughout the body.

Krissia’s core was almost empty.

Not damaged.

Not broken.

Just completely drained.

Strax began releasing his own mana.

Xenovia felt it immediately.

"Strax?"

Draconic energy passed through his palm.

It wasn’t poured in recklessly.

Strax allowed it to enter Krissia’s body gradually, adjusting the amount to the speed at which her core could receive it.

The reaction came a few seconds later.

Krissia’s breathing changed.

The paleness slowly began fading.

Her core reacted to the incoming energy and started circulating mana on its own again, very slowly at first, then with greater stability.

Xenovia’s eyes widened.

"What did you do?"

Strax removed his hand.

"Gave her a little push."

"That was a little push?"

"For me."

Xenovia looked at Krissia.

The difference was noticeable.

She was still unconscious, but no longer looked completely drained.

"Is she going to wake up?"

"Not right now."

Strax observed the internal flow for several more seconds.

"But she probably won’t need several days anymore."

Xenovia relaxed slightly.

Strax pulled over a nearby chair and sat beside the bed.

For several seconds, he simply watched Krissia.

Then he said:

"When she wakes up, I’m turning her into a dragon."

Xenovia slowly turned her head.

"What?"

Strax kept looking at Krissia.

"She needs a body capable of keeping up with the power she keeps trying to use."

"You just decided that?"

"No."

He finally looked at Xenovia.

"I’ve already been thinking about it."

Xenovia fell silent.

Strax continued:

"And not just with her."

Xenovia immediately understood where that conversation was going.

"Strax..."

"I’m going to do it with the ones who are still missing."

He pointed at her.

"Including you."

Xenovia blinked.

"Me?"

"You."

"You’re going to turn me into a dragon."

"Yes."

"Just like that?"

"Not now."

"That doesn’t really improve the explanation."

Strax smiled.

Xenovia stared at him for several seconds.

"Do you intend to turn everyone into dragons?"

"Not everyone."

"That wasn’t an answer."

"It was enough."

Xenovia sighed and looked back at Krissia.

"I’m going to pretend this conversation never happened until she wakes up."

"Good choice."

Silence remained for a few moments.

Then Xenovia asked the question she had been avoiding since he entered.

"What happened out there?"

Strax’s smile disappeared.

Xenovia noticed.

"I heard the alarms. Then the ground started shaking. When I looked out the window, there was an ice wall larger than anything I’ve ever seen."

She gently squeezed Krissia’s hand.

"And now there’s practically no sea left in front of Asgard."

Strax remained silent.

"What caused that?"

"I don’t know."

Xenovia frowned.

"You don’t know?"

"No."

He looked toward the window.

Even from there, part of the enormous Black Ice barrier could be seen in the distance.

"But there’s divine energy mixed into the water."

Xenovia didn’t answer immediately.

"Divine?"

"Yes."

Strax stood.

"I have a suspicion. Nothing more."

"Is it dangerous?"

He looked at her.

"Probably."

Xenovia sighed.

"Great."

Strax smiled faintly.

"Stay with Krissia."

"And you?"

Strax walked toward the door.

"I’m going to deal with this soon."

...

...

Far above Asgard, a small black silhouette crossed the clouds.

Xyn had assumed her Black Phoenix form.

Her enormous wings cut silently through the air while dark feathers wrapped in tiny black flames left an almost imperceptible trail behind her.

She was patrolling.

After the events of that morning, no one wanted to depend solely on the ground defenses.

The sea was frozen.

The waves had stopped reaching Asgard.

But that didn’t mean the threat had disappeared.

Xyn flew in wide circles around the city, focusing mainly on the gigantic expanse of Black Ice created by Strax.

For several minutes, nothing happened.

Then she saw movement.

Very far away.

Xyn slowed down.

Her eyes narrowed.

Something was moving over the ice.

No.

Through it.

Xyn immediately changed direction.

Her wings beat harder, carrying her rapidly toward the anomaly.

The closer she got, the stranger the scene became.

The Black Ice was broken.

Xyn knew that magic.

She knew how resilient it was.

Even the waves that had struck Asgard hadn’t been able to break through it after Strax thickened the layer.

But something was forcing its way through.

CRAAAAACK!

A massive fissure split the ice.

Xyn stopped in midair.

Another impact came from below.

BOOM!

An entire section exploded.

Black fragments were thrown dozens of meters into the air.

Then a tentacle emerged.

Xyn froze.

It was gigantic.

The creature’s surface was dark, almost bluish, and enormous suction cups closed around the edges of the ice as the limb dragged itself forward.

Another tentacle appeared.

Then another.

A colossal squid was advancing toward Asgard.

Not swimming.

Breaking through the Black Ice.

Every movement shattered meters of the frozen layer as though the creature were crossing an ordinary surface.

Xyn began gathering her flames.

Then she noticed something else.

The squid was carrying something.

One of its tentacles was wrapped around a body.

Xyn descended several meters.

It was definitely a person.

Or at least something humanoid.

The body remained completely motionless as it was dragged across the ice.

Soaked clothes clung to its skin, but from that distance Xyn couldn’t make out the face.

Strangely, the squid didn’t appear to be trying to devour them.

It was carrying them.

Deliberately.

Xyn stopped her attack.

That changed everything.

She opened the mental connection.

She didn’t need to search for long.

Strax was inside Asgard.

The message immediately crossed the distance between them.

Strax.

He recognized Xyn’s presence instantly.

What is it?

Xyn continued flying above the creature.

The squid shattered another layer of Black Ice.

CRACK!

The body was dragged several meters closer to the city.

Xyn narrowed her eyes.

Something is coming toward Asgard.

There was a brief pause.

A creature?

Yes.

Xyn watched another tentacle break through the ice.

Then she returned her attention to the body it carried.

But I don’t think it came alone.

Strax’s presence immediately became more attentive.

Explain.

Xyn spread her wings and began circling above the gigantic squid.

Her black flames grew around her body, ready to attack if the creature showed any hostile intent.

Then she answered:

The sea brought something to us.