“Come on, Snow! You want to eat those tasty Arcane Crystals, right? Then hold them off, everyone!!” Aether shouted as he bolted away, his voice carrying both urgency and mischief.
Snowflake hissed angrily, refusing to fall for his bait. She remembered the countless times she had asked… No! begged for the rare and dazzling Rainbow Arcane Crystals, only for Aether to dismiss her with excuses about how dangerous they were.
And now, amidst the chaos of battle, he was suddenly promising to give them to her? Suspicious didn’t even begin to describe her feelings.
“Hissssss~” Her furious hiss echoed through the waters as she followed him.
Her golden eyes darted back for a moment, and what she saw made her scales prickle with dread…. The monstrous horde was closing in fast, their combined presence shaking the ocean.
A shiver ran down her spine, but instinct drove her to slither even faster, her massive body cutting through the water like a blade.
Ahead, Aether chuckled under his breath, though his face soon turned serious. His sharp gaze locked onto the far horizon, where a faint outline of a shore began to appear.
“Do you think you can escape me, coward?!” Mortimer’s voice thundered across the waves, laced with fury…. The Kraken’s massive mouth opened wide, its jaws flickering with icy sparks before it unleashed a chilling blast.
SSSSssssshhhhhhhhhh!
Aether clicked his tongue in annoyance and darted into a zigzag pattern, narrowly avoiding being turned into an ice statue. Snowflake mirrored his evasive manoeuvres, her serpentine body twisting and coiling to avoid the strikes of the pursuing Kraken. Despite her agility, she was struggling to fend off the relentless attacks of the other monstrous creatures.
As the shoreline loomed closer, Mortimer’s expression darkened with realization. He smirked, his movements slowing as a plan formed in his mind. ‘Does he really think reaching the shore will save him? Foolish Slave…. This is where you need to think before knowing your enemies ability…’ Mortimer thought, amused at the idea of watching Aether’s plan unravel.
Beside Aether, Snowflake noticed him closing his eyes mid-run, his lips moving in barely audible murmurs. The air around him seemed to shift, growing colder with each step.
Her brow furrowed as she recalled his earlier instructions—first, to measure the ocean’s depth, and second, to hold the monsters off…..
She frowned as she tried to process his words but then she noticed the shore and her golden slit eyes widened in realization.
Halting her slithering motion, she turned sharply, facing the oncoming horde, “Maaasssteerrr needsss tiiiimeee~,” she hissed, her voice carrying an eerie resolve as she surged toward the monstrous army, a single serpent standing against an entire aquatic legion.
Mortimer raised a brow, genuinely surprised by the gesture, “So your master decided to use you as bait to save his own skin,” he said mockingly, his smirk widening. With a dismissive wave, he motioned for the monsters to devour her. “Leave nothing behind!”
“HIIIIISSSSS!!!” Snowflake’s hiss was ferocious, her tail slamming into the water with a force that sent waves rippling in every direction.
She prepared to face the army!!
Aether, still running with his eyes closed, a faint smile to play on his lips. Without needing to look back, he already knew what was happening.
Deep inhale
He inhaled deeply, the Arcane energy in the surrounding environment flowing into him like a river. The raw power coursed through his veins, spreading to every inch of his body. His breath came out as a visible puff of frost as his temperature dropped further. His mind focused on the molecular structure of water, the Arcane energy aligning and modifying its very essence to suit his will…
He knew the truth….. This world was more than 80% water, filled with aquatic life and… Mortimer was King here.
Even if Aether slaughtered every single creature in the horde, the ocean itself would remain Mortimer’s strongest ally. Burning away the water was a feat far beyond even his abilities—it was an act that could destroy the balance of the entire world.
Destroying Mortimer meant destroying the water itself… And that wasn’t an option.
Not because it was impossible, but because it wasn’t right.
This ocean was Aquatic’s home, just as Pyra was home to the dragons.
However, without doing that, Mortimer would not die as long as a single speck of water remained in this world! The ocean was his fortress, his very lifeblood.
So, what other choices did Aether have?
Teleport that bastard to his Empire and kill him in the safety of his domain?
Sure, that would be efficient—clean and straightforward. But efficiency wasn’t what Aether sought.
No, he didn’t just want Mortimer dead; he wanted him broken. Mortimer needed to feel his life crumble, his pride shattered. Aether wanted to strip him of everything—power, dignity, and hope—piece by agonizing piece.
Death alone wasn’t enough; the process had to hurt, to leave scars even in the depths of his soul.
There was no satisfaction in a quick end.
So… there was only one choice left.
The shoreline loomed ahead, and Aether slowed his pace, stepping onto the edge of the sand.
He stopped at the water’s edge and slowly turned back toward the ocean. His eyes opened, their usual colour replaced with a brilliant, icy blue glow.
Snowflake’s massive body was riddled with wounds, her scales painted red with blood as she struggled to hold back the horde. The water around her was stained crimson, yet her golden eyes still burned with determination, refusing to give in.
“She’s blazing even brighter,” Aether murmured softly, admiration flickering in his voice.
The five Krakens finally emerged from the chaos, towering above the waves. Mortimer’s Kraken moved forward, its grotesque face split into a wide, taunting grin.
“That’s it? This is your grand plan? Reaching the shore?” Mortimer laughed, his deep voice dripping with amusement. “Pathetic! Hahaha!”
Aether remained silent…. Slowly, he raised one hand, the universal gesture of surrender.
“Haha! Surrender now, and I’ll ensure your punishment is Hell!” Mortimer roared, his laughter echoing ominously. “I’ll rip apart both your body and your soul, you wretched slave!”
The Kraken’s tentacles gleamed as one turned razor-sharp and shot toward Aether with incredible speed. The remaining Krakens followed suit, their massive forms surging forward in a coordinated attack.
Yet, Aether remained calm, standing motionless with one hand raised. His composure was unwavering, even in the face of imminent danger.
Unlike others, Aether’s affinity to every element wasn’t due to practice alone but a gift from the Arcane itself…. Isadora, the Principal, had told him as much. His body, blessed by the Arcane, carried the potential to wield every element naturally.
Though he mostly relied on his Log to enhance his affinity, it had remained locked now….
So,
Aether exhaled slowly, a misty plume of frosty breath escaping his nose…
Ssshh
!~Ding~!
[Warning: Intelligence and Magic Affinity unlocked 🔓 due to the User’s Comprehension of the Water Affinity… Stabilizing your Log with your Comprehension.]
!~Ding~!
[+10 Intelligence]
[+10 Magic]
!~Ding~!
[You have Levelled up!!]
[Level: 82↑]
!~Ding~!
[Congratulations on Levelling up]
[Reward: 10,000 Affection Points]
[Remaining AP: 5,084,011]
That’s right. The Log hadn’t restricted his growth to hold him back—it just locked the function to increase his level through AP.
That’s it!
Ssssshhhh…
The atmosphere grew frigid as an oppressive chill swept across the battlefield. The monstrous tentacles surged toward him, razor-sharp and mere inches from slicing him apart.
“….Cocytus,” Aether murmured, his voice cold and detached.
The single word was laced with power, and as his fingertip brushed one of the tentacles—
SSSSSSSSSSSSSCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!
Everything froze!
The Kraken’s massive tentacles solidified mid-strike, their immense forms encased in flawless, glistening ice.
The hordes of monsters battling Snowflake froze in their tracks, each twisted snarl and outstretched claw captured in crystalline perfection. Even the ocean itself succumbed, the once-rolling waves stilled into an expanse of glittering frost.
The Part of the Ocean was turned pure Ice!!
It wasn’t just ice—it was a phenomenon so rare and awe-inspiring it defied comprehension. The air itself seemed to crystallize, droplets of mist hanging motionless, suspended in time like glittering jewels.
The once-turbulent sea transformed into an undulating bed of glass, smooth and sharp all at once.
It was a breathtaking display of Supercooling, where temperatures plummeted so rapidly that water froze instantly, bypassing the usual chaotic transition. Every molecule was aligned with precision!
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The scene was more than extraordinary!!
The freezing effect spread outward rapidly, consuming the coastal waters and stretching along the shoreline. Entire ecosystems within the sea were caught in the phenomenon, their once-living forms transformed into silent, sparkling ice.
Aether’s icy blue eyes surveyed the frozen battlefield, pausing briefly on the Krakens, now towering statues of frosted terror. His expression remained unreadable and,
Step… Step….
He walked on the frozen ocean…. reached Snowflake, whose serpentine form was encased in ice.
Her body was smeared with blood, evidence of the brutal fight she had endured, yet her face—locked in a furious snarl—radiated defiance. Even in this frozen state, her unyielding spirit shone through.
Aether’s lips trembled for a moment, then curved into a faint smile. From Storage, he retrieved a dazzling Rainbow Arcane Crystal.
He hadn’t meant to hurt her.
Snowflake, his loyal companion, had been with him since the very beginning….But he needed her to reach her limit.
These Rainbow Arcane Crystals were unimaginably powerful, far beyond what any ordinary being could handle. He had tested them before—on monsters who hadn’t even survived swallowing a single shard. That was why he’d refused to give her one before.
But Snowflake’s resolve to grow stronger and aid him had never wavered. Aether had known she would eventually try to take matters into her own hands. So he had created this moment, not as a bait, but as a catalyst.
“…Now, let’s see,” Aether murmured, his voice icy as he crushed the radiant crystal, feeding the fragments into her frozen maw.
“…”
Silence.
Nothing happened at first. Aether stood, waiting patiently. His icy eyes never left her as the moments stretched into eternity.
And then, something shifted…
Snowflake’s golden crystal with five stars, frozen within the ice, began to glow. Slowly, the five stars collided each other before transformed, morphing into a brilliant rainbow hue with single star….. The light grew brighter, refracting across the frozen battlefield, illuminating every surface with a mesmerizing brilliance.
Crack!
A sharp sound split the air!