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TWL Chapter 294: The Storm in My Palm
🕑 Added 2025-01-20 23:48:48 +0000 UTCIn the sky, a creature significantly larger than the other sirens was also attracted by the sound of the war horn. Its wingspan was three times that of an average specimen, and the tip of its blade-like tail looked as sharp as a heavy axe.
"Hiss!" A shrill scream rang through the air, even overpowering the war horn's powerful echo. The sirens, as if given a direct order, began to gather together in a glittering storm of iridescent scales that reflected the sunlight. This spectacle formed a shimmering cyclone that launched itself in the direction of the Skellige soldiers' formation.
The gigantic creature caught everyone's attention.
Cerys's face turned pale. "Is... is this the ekhidna Melusine of Spikeroog Island? I heard that the local villagers revere her as a demigoddess and even formed a primitive religion with priests in her honor. What is she doing here on Undvik Island?"
"I don't know..." Hjalmar squeezed the ax tightly in his hands. "I once heard of a horn that could force sirens to fall to the ground if blown… I wish we had it now."
Though fear gripped the two brothers, they reacted quickly. Within moments of regaining control, they shouted orders to the guards around them, asking them to raise their shields. Like a solid reef, they gathered around Fritjof, closing the gap between them as much as possible to withstand the approaching storm of sirens.
At the other end of the battlefield, Lann observed the situation.
"Milva!" he exclaimed.
The maiden with a longbow on her shoulder responded immediately, spurring her horse to stand beside Lann. Without needing further orders, she raised her bow and took aim at the target.
Lann pointed at Melusine floating in the air and asked, "Can you take her down?"
Milva aimed for a few seconds, but then shook her head, embarrassed. "She's moving too fast in the air, and she's surrounded by other sirens. I need to wait for the right moment."
Milva knew that time was of the essence. Lann's question was not a mere inquiry, but an implicit order to stop the monster before it gathered a large number of monsters that could launch a devastating attack on the soldiers. This was not a scenario to wait for.
"My lord, your skill with the bow far exceeds mine. Perhaps you could..."
"No, Milva. You are the best archer among us," Lann replied, placing an encouraging hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I will create that opportunity for you."
Milva visibly trembled at Lann's words. But before she could respond, a brilliant emerald light surrounded Lann, who disappeared in a flash, leaving behind his impatient black steed pawing the ground.
A moment later, Lann reappeared in front of Hjalmar and Cerys, who were protecting Fritjof while he performed a ritual. "What is he doing?" Lann asked.
Hjalmar jumped, surprised by Lann's sudden appearance. Cerys, quicker, replied: "Master Fritjof is performing a ritual to change the weather! He will use gale-force winds to take down the sirens. But he needs time, and we are defending him..."
Lann nodded in understanding. They hadn't had time to plan tactics, so he was unaware of the druid's preparations.
"There's no need to make things so complicated," he declared firmly. "I'll take care of it."
Without further explanation, Lann disappeared again in a golden flash, reappearing next to Eist.
"Order the soldiers on the outer perimeter to take up defensive positions. Raise their shields and secure their formation against the Necrophages' attacks, but do not break ranks. Have the archers ready, but do not fire yet. The storm will be our signal to counterattack."
Eist looked at him, puzzled, and pointed towards the mass of winged creatures that seemed to form a column of living clouds. "Storm? You mean them?"
Lann calmly shook his head, raising his left hand. Chaotic energy began to gather in his palm. “No. I mean this.”
"The storm is in my palm."
...
The roar of the sirens, like demonic bats emerging from an abyss, enveloped the entire battlefield. The monsters constantly changed their flight formation as they charged into the ranks of Skellige soldiers.
Hidden among the crowd of sirens, Melusine acted as the creatures' commander. She had gathered almost all the sirens of the islands, forming a terrifying amalgam of monsters.
Hundreds of creatures, a power as devastating as a natural calamity. It would only take an instant for them to completely destroy a town, a city, or even an entire island.
Under the command of the horn of Eist, the soldiers on the outer lines raised their shields.
They trusted Eist. However, faced with a scene that resembled a natural disaster, the shrill screams, which even drowned out the sound of the horn, and the intermittent attacks of the monsters only intensified the fear in their hearts.
Some began to tremble. Others were gasping for air.
Amidst the tense atmosphere, Lann appeared in front of the terrified soldiers in a golden flash.
Lann looked directly at the dark cloud formed by the sirens, raised his left hand, and made a strange gesture.
[Aard Sign – Piercing Cold – Magic Burst]
[Mana: 4826/5200] → [Mana: 100/5200]
Lann had never attempted to unleash such a quantity of magic at once. Except for the precaution of not losing consciousness from overexertion, he poured all his remaining magical energy into that single sign.
He himself was also very curious about how powerful this attack could be.
…
As if he had opened a portal to a dimension buffeted by endless gales, a colossal storm erupted from his raised hand. The hurricane-force winds, mixed with ice crystals colder than winter, transformed into a raging dragon. This monster of wind and ice charged at the formation of sirens, ravaging them with unstoppable fury.
The pressure of the wind was such that it turned the currents into sharp blades, and any stone caught in its path was transformed into a heavy projectile. The amalgam of sirens, which until a moment ago was roaring fiercely, crashed headlong into the dragon of wind and ice. In the blink of an eye, the large number of sirens were disintegrated as if they had never existed.
Gerd was the only witness who managed to capture the entire scene. Protected by his Quen Sign, which shielded him from the almost crushing pressure of the wind, he was able to avoid being momentarily blinded like the others.
Lann's attack had wiped out almost all of the sirens, completely disrupting the wind currents in the sky above the battlefield, creating a no-fly zone. Except for a few sirens who remained high above, the rest who had managed to survive had fallen to the ground, becoming easy prey.
On the other hand, Melusine, due to her intelligence that surpassed that of any ordinary monster, upon sensing the change in the wind currents, quickly retracted her wings, shrinking into a compact ball. Thanks to her resistant scales, she withstood the onslaught of the storm, although she ended up covered in bleeding wounds.
At the last moment before she crashed to the ground, she had spread her wings again. Although the remaining wind made her stagger, she managed to stay aloft long enough to try to escape the battlefield.
"Hiss!"
A shrill, deafening shriek rang through the air. The fleeing sirens stopped dead at the sound of their leader's call. They hesitated, torn between their fear of Lann and their fear of Melusine.
[Swoosh]
An arrow pierced the turbulent currents, scattering the hesitant sirens.
Melusine, who was trying to stay in the air, fell to the ground with a crash. The arrow had torn one of her wings.
Milva had already notched a second arrow to her bow.
Taking advantage of the opportunity Lann had painstakingly created, she didn't want to take any chances with the first shot and avoided aiming for vital points, as she wasn't sure the arrow could pierce Melusine's tough scales from that distance.
Now that he had taken her down, she had plenty of time to finish her off.
However, Milva did not get to fire the second arrow, as Black Wind had already taken the lead.
The black steed streaked across the battlefield like lightning. It was like a war chariot, crushing everything in its path as it slammed into Melusine, sending her flying.
House followed closely behind, brandishing his sword and with a violent spin, using the momentum to plunge the blade deep into Melusine's neck.
The impact was so brutal that House's hands shook momentarily. But he didn't stop. Mustering all his strength, he twisted the sword, ripping Melusine's head off with a spray of blood.
As the head fell to the ground, it transformed into an incredibly beautiful female face. It rolled a few times before coming to a complete stop.
