Standing atop the bowsprit, Lucien surveyed the frozen isle.
The Kraken hung suspended in a prison of jagged ice, its massive tentacles locked mid-crush around the imperial flagship.
Shattered Zerounix and Solairéan hulls jutted from the frozen sea like gravestones.
A cough tore from Lucien. Three black shards slipped from his fingers as his hand flew to his mouth. Warm liquid soaked his palm—blood.
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, gaze lingering on the dulled Mana Stones at his feet. Of course.
Even with three highest-grade mana stones to anchor the spell, freezing the turbulent sea had torn through him—half his mana gone in a blink.
But— Lucien's brow furrowed. Why is there suddenly a Kraken attacking the convoy?
A thunderous shriek ripped from the depths. Cracks webbed across the ice encasing the monster, then detonated.
Shards erupted skyward in a glittering spray before splashing back into the water. The Kraken tore itself free, its colossal body sinking into the churning dark.
The Zerounix and Solairéan crews snapped into motion across the frozen surface. Massive harpoon launchers and modular ballista frames spilled from their magical rings before the soldiers rapidly assembled the siege engines.
Lucien turned to his crew. "Full speed!"
"Understood!"
Wind magic surged into the sails. The ship shot forward, prow slicing clean through the seawater. Once it struck the ice, Lucien and the mercenaries leapt down and broke into a sprint.
A geyser erupted ahead.
The Kraken burst upward with a deafening shriek. Black smoke rolled off its massive form, swallowing the battlefield in a suffocating shroud. Knights' frantic cries rang from within.
"Wind magic!" Lucien barked.
Magic circles ignited around the sprinting group. A whirlwind howled outward, shredding the ink-dark veil—
—revealing a sixteen-foot tsunami surging toward the isle.
Hundreds of circles ignited along the front line. Interlocking barriers rose, forming a shimmering beehive dome.
The wave struck with a concussive crash.
"Shield!" Lucien shouted.
The group skidded to a halt and threw up a dome barrier. For a moment, there was only a roaring white wall of water.
The water sheared away. Frozen spray clattered across the battlefield like hail. The Kraken had vanished beneath the churn, leaving behind ripples and the faint glimmer of fading shields.
Lucien dismissed his barrier, and the group pushed forward. Around them, drenched knights staggered upright, coughing seawater. Some clutched their weapons; others hauled comrades to their feet.
A familiar mint-green head caught Lucien's eye. "Tris!"
Tristan spun around, relief flooding his face. He closed the distance in a heartbeat, pulling him into a tight embrace before gripping his shoulders.
"Are you alright?"
Lucien nodded. "I'm alright."
Gilbert stepped forward and bowed.
"Luce!"
Cyrus' voice cut through the chaos. He jogged toward them, boots slick with seawater. A knight following closely.
Reaching Lucien, Cyrus cupped his face in both hands, scanning him urgently. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Lucien shook his head. "I'm alright."
"Your Highness."
A middle-aged man approached—sun-kissed skin, fine attire now damp from the spray—King Valdr of Zerounix, with two knights in tow.
"Thank you," Valdr said, dipping his head. "Your intervention saved us all."
Lucien returned the bow. "I'm glad I could be of help."
A tremor shivered beneath their feet.
A guttural groan rolled across the sea.
The Kraken rose from the churning waters. Its tentacles surged upward, towering pillars of glistening flesh.
Silence swept the surroundings. Every eye locked onto the approaching monster.
Valdr's face darkened. "Suggestions, Your Majesty?"
Cyrus didn't look away from the beast. "We defeat it."
Valdr nodded grimly. "Even if we flee, it will simply pursue."
"What's the plan?" Valdr asked, turning to him.
"We cripple it," Cyrus replied. "Sever the tentacles first."
"I can handle that," Tristan stepped forward.
Cyrus shot him a look. "Are you confident?"
Tristan nodded. "I am."
"Good," Valdr gestured to his knights. "These swormasters will assist."
Tristan inclined his head. "Thank you."
Lucien met Tristan's gaze. "I'll support you with magic."
Cyrus turned to Lucien. "Then command the mages."
Lucien nodded. "Understood."
"We'll restrain the limbs," Valdr added, already striding toward his men.
The kraken bellowed. A tentacle ripped a mast from the half-sunken ship and hurled it over the isle. Shields flared, splinters and ice crashed against the barriers.
Cyrus grasped his sons' shoulders. "If anything goes wrong, fall back. Don't push yourselves. Understood?"
"Understood," they replied.
Cyrus gazed at his knight. "Assist the First Prince."
The man saluted. "Yes, Sire!"
Cyrus whirled around and barked orders. Soldiers scattered into their designated squads, runners sprinting to relay commands.
As the Kraken's shadow loomed closer, Tristan glanced at Lucien. "See you later."
Lucien nodded. "Good luck, brother."
Surprise flickered across Tristan's face—understandable, given their past—but it softened into a small, genuine smile.
"And to you as well, brother."
Tristan surged forward, leading a team of swordmasters.
A thunderous BOOM shattered the air.
The Kraken slammed its gigantic body onto the isle. Frost exploded upward in a blinding spray, ice plates heaving as cracks spiderwebbed outward. Tristan's group deftly sprang, avoiding the splitting surface.
Lucien summoned his sword and drove it into the ground for balance. "First line—shield! Second line—mend the cracks!"
Shields blossomed overhead, deflecting the hailstorm of ice debris. Soldiers staggered, siege engines teetered dangerously before mages froze their base solid.
As the tremor receded, knights on both flanks scrambled around the engines and fired harpoons. Most ricocheted, but some sank deep into a thrashing tentacle.
The beast shrieked. Its limbs whipped wildly, yanking the embedded chains until they tore jagged grooves through the ice, metal screaming as the lines snapped taut.
"Reinforce the runes!" Lucien shouted.
Mages chanted; circles ignited at their feet. Orbs of light shot into the runic stonework carved into the siege frames, covering engines in glowing blue.
Knights strained to reel in the chains. The Kraken wrenched back—anchors screeched, cracks racing across the ice floor. Rear-line mages swiftly sealed them with rapid bursts of magic.
In the distance, Tristan, Gilbert, and three knights sprinted toward the pinned tentacle.
Three massive limbs whipped toward them.
Lucien summoned platforms of earth midair. The knights vaulted forward, darting from plate to plate as he shifted them in rapid succession, weaving a zigzag path through the beast's onslaught. Tentacles crashed behind them, detonating plumes of frozen brine.
The last plate carried them in close. Their swords glowed brilliantly, aura blazing along the edges. With a unified shout, they swung.
Five crescent aura blades burst forth, merging mid-air into a single massive arc. It drove into the Kraken's tentacle, carving a deep canyon of torn flesh.
Green blood geysered across the ice. A wail tore from the monster, black ichor spewing from its maw.
Lucien hurled a volley of earth plates beneath Tristan's group, pulling them back just as the monster erupted into full frenzy. Chains strained, and anchors screeched as every tentacle thrashed against the restraints.
The battlefield shook under the assault. Mages poured mana into the bindings, but the Kraken's sheer strength overwhelmed them.
With one catastrophic lurch, the chains groaned—then snapped.
Shattered links exploded across the ice like sparks off an anvil. The Kraken plunged downward, swallowed by frothing water and trails of black ichor.
For one heart-stopping instant, there was silence.
"Did… we drive it off?" one knight whispered, chest heaving.
No one answered. All that remained was the groaning ice under shifting weight; waves slapping restlessly against fractured edges.
Then—
—the ice split open.
The central sheet erupted upward. Men and siege engines were hurled skyward; screams swallowed by spray.
The Kraken surged from the depths—towering higher than before, black water cascading off its hide like a veil.
"FALL BACK!"