Klein’s deep eyes grew increasingly cold under the light of the blood moon.
Just as the stagnant air was about to be completely torn apart by the hum of battle qi on Ophelia’s hilt, a dull roar, far heavier than the waves, echoed from deep within the harbor.
Boom!
The entire stone inn shuddered violently, and the glass in the windows shattered, exploding inward into countless shards.
A gale carrying the scent of brine, death, and frenzied mana poured inside, whipping the clothes of everyone in the room.
The viscous song suddenly leaped several octaves in that moment, shifting from a seductive whisper of corruption into a pure, frenzied howl that threatened to ignite everything!
The sea had gone completely mad.
Looking out through the broken window frames, the previously restless surface had now transformed into a crimson water wall that seemed to connect heaven and earth.
It was not a wave, but a moving mountain endowed with a will of its own, carrying a divine power of destruction that crushed everything in its path as it lunged toward Silver Scale Harbor.
The wooden piers and watchtowers on the harbor’s edge were shredded and swallowed like children's building blocks the moment they touched the water wall, failing to offer even a semblance of resistance.
Piercing screams and desperate cries rose from the streets below, only to be instantly drowned out by the even more violent roar of the waves.
The residents of Silver Scale Harbor finally woke from the blood moon’s enchantment, facing this sudden catastrophe head-on.
As expected of a port city that spent its years battling the sea, the chaos lasted only a few seconds despite the dire situation.
Figures who appeared to be captains or mercenary leaders immediately stepped forward, shouting loudly to organize the crowd and evacuate them toward higher ground inland.
Their reaction was fast.
But the tsunami was faster.
Furthermore, this was no simple natural phenomenon.
That crimson water wall contained violent and chaotic mana; its speed and destructive power had long since transcended the boundaries of common sense.
Boom!
The main body of the first massive wave slammed into the harbor.
"For Silver Scale Harbor!"
Several warriors guarding the port roared, erupting with their full battle qi and condensing the radiance of their lives onto their blades.
A few mages who had rushed to the scene joined forces to expand a flickering elemental shield, their robes nearly tearing in the fierce wind.
Golden battle qi slashes and various magical energies formed a fragile yet resolute line of defense before the tide.
The moment the two collided, an ear-splitting explosion erupted.
They succeeded.
Having exhausted all their strength, they managed to tear a gap in the massive wave, which turned into a spray of mist that soaked everyone to the bone.
Yet, there was no joy on anyone’s face, only a deeper despair.
The exhausted warriors collapsed, and the mages turned as pale as paper.
They could only watch helplessly as the second wave, even larger and more monstrous than the first, already blotted out the light of the blood moon and cast the shadow of death over them.
Klein took all of this in.
He did not move.
In a brief instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, intertwining and colliding like lightning.
Go directly to the source to end it once and for all.
But the people in the harbor would be completely wiped out and turned into the dust of history the moment he and Ophelia left.
Stay to save them, and that eerie vacuum zone would only continue to accumulate power, brewing a disaster capable of swallowing the entire west coast.
And then there was Nelisa... This woman had been full of lies just moments ago, yet she remained impossibly calm now, her composure suggesting that the apocalyptic scene before them was nothing more than a boring play.
What trump card did she have?
Unfortunately, time did not allow him to think any further.
Ophelia turned her head, her golden eyes holding no urgency, only pure trust, as if saying: You decide, and I will execute.
She handed the power of choice entirely to him.
Klein snapped back to reality and met her gaze, nodding heavily.
Before taking action, his peripheral vision caught one last glimpse of Nelisa at the other end of the room.
In the next moment, he and Ophelia turned into two streaks of light, leaping directly out of the shattered second-floor window.
The biting wind howled in his ears.
Klein’s body traced an arc in the air, the power of wind elements lifting him and allowing him to descend slowly.
Ophelia, however, was an entirely different sight.
Her body showed no sign of stagnation in the air; golden battle qi erupted from her like a brilliant meteor, propelling her forward in a crashing stance that nearly tore the air apart as she shot straight toward the approaching wall of death.
Clang!
The clear ring of a sword drowned out the roar of the tsunami, sounding like a trumpet heralding divine punishment.
The knight’s longsword was finally unsheathed.
A concentrated arc of golden sword light flashed through the air, appearing like the first ray of dawn as it forcibly tore through this blood-red night.
It didn't just cleave the moonlight; it left a visible, golden trail where space itself had been torn asunder!
The massive wave capable of swallowing the entire harbor abruptly halted the moment it touched that slender golden light.
Time seemed to have been paused.
Immediately after, the massive water wall split down the middle, creating a straight fissure; the seawater at the edges was not pushed aside but was instead instantly evaporated and decomposed under the purification of the golden battle qi!
The violent structure of the water elements was completely severed at its root!
The gap widened rapidly until, with a thunderous boom, the entire water wall collapsed.
Incalculable amounts of seawater were forcibly hacked into a torrential downpour by that single strike.
By the time Klein’s feet landed softly on the wet cobblestone street, Ophelia had already sheathed her sword and was standing quietly beside him, as if that earth-shattering, miraculous strike had been nothing more than a casual practice swing.
So fast... so strong...
However, the crisis had not been averted.
On the sea, driven by the eerie song, a third and fourth wave were already taking shape at an even faster rate, their scale far exceeding the previous ones.
Ophelia’s brow furrowed tightly. She knew very well that if she defended passively like this, her battle qi would eventually run dry.
They had to go to the source.
But these people on the shore... She looked at Klein, and a thought instantly formed.
Klein knew the exact location of the source; as long as he told her, she could charge forward alone.
With her speed, she might be able to solve the problem before the harbor was completely destroyed.
Their time together these past days had given Ophelia enough understanding of Klein’s strength; she believed he could hold out until she returned.
Just as she was about to speak.
An elegant figure drifted down from the second-floor window as well, the torrential rain around her seemingly avoiding her of its own accord with a leisurely grace.
Nelisa, stepping in her exquisite high heels, landed steadily not far from the two, her heels clicking sharply against the stone.
Her skirt did not even have a single water stain on it.
However, she still gave the two a somewhat resentful glance.
"You two certainly are impatient, not even waiting for me, the host, to say a word."
Her slightly complaining tone was completely out of place with the apocalyptic scene surrounding them.
Pausing, her deep eyes that could see through people’s hearts swept over them, finally landing on Ophelia’s tightly gripped hilt as she praised, "Truly a stunning strike. However, are you two worried about the people on the shore?"
Klein and Ophelia did not speak, but they nodded in unison.
Seeing their reaction, Nelisa suddenly covered her lips and let out a light laugh.
In that laughter was a sense of realization as if saying "so that’s how it is," as well as a confidence that everything was under control.
"Do not worry."
"It is just a bit of wind and waves. Leave it to me."
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hands clad in lace gloves and lightly clapped twice.
Clap, clap.
The movement was gentle, and the sound was not loud.
But the moment the applause rang out, the entire ground of Silver Scale Harbor lit up with her as the center!
Starting from the coastline, countless azure magic lines erupted from the cracks in the ground, the corners of buildings, the stone pillars of the docks... from every inconspicuous corner, like the awakening bloodline of a giant dragon!
These lines spread rapidly, intertwining with one another, and in just one second, they outlined a massive and complex magic circle that covered the entire harbor area!
Hum!
A giant, translucent dome with an azure glow rose from the ground like divine protection, enveloping all of Silver Scale Harbor without a single gap.
Klein’s pupils contracted suddenly.
The structure of this magic circle... was complex beyond imagination!
With his knowledge, he estimated it would take a considerable amount of effort just to deconstruct it.
However, it was certain that the effect of this thing was terrifyingly powerful.
At this moment, the long-brewing third wave finally slammed into it.
Boom!
An ear-shattering roar followed, and the entire magic dome trembled violently, ripples spreading across its surface.
That horrific impact was instantly absorbed by the azure curtain of light and rapidly transmitted through countless lines into the earth beneath the harbor, vanishing into nothingness.
In the end, that was all.
The violent tide was easily blocked by this seemingly thin curtain of light, unable to advance even an inch further.
Nelisa seemed satisfied with the flash of shock on Klein’s face.
She elegantly straightened her skirt and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Silver Scale Harbor is, after all, property under my name. If someone wants to cause trouble here, they should at least ask for the owner’s opinion first."
She withdrew her gaze from the indestructible dome and looked back at Klein and Ophelia, her smile brilliant yet carrying a hint of a demand that could not be refused.
"Now then, the stage has been set for you two, and there are no more worries."
"So, could I please ask you two to go and drag that singing fellow out of the sea now?"
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