The Void Wolf

The home of the Naiads was surrounded by an air bubble. Since their total numbers weren’t above ten-thousand the bulk of the race gathered in a single area. Everything proceeded as normal for the Naiads until a dark figure was spotted barreling toward them. It was none other than Ira in his beast form.

When he finally arrived at the dome-shaped enclosure, he stopped moving. His form grew even taller while he stood in front of the translucent bubble. The Naiads immediately panicked, the ones who had weren’t very powerful were the most in danger and most fearful but Ira wasn’t there to kill them. He wanted them to release the Sea Serpent but there was no way he could just ask them and they would comply politely. In the minds of their leaders releasing the Sea Serpent was the last resort.

So Ira would have to do a little acting if he wanted to put them into a state of emergency.

Ira stretched his hand out tapped on the dome and the sound reverberated throughout the city. Although he wasn’t tall enough to completely dwarf the protective bubble, he was strong enough to break it.

Inside the city, a council gathered together to hold an emergency meeting. Distraught looks were present on each of their faces and for what they thought was a good reason. They assumed that Ira learned of their close connection with Altharth while he ruled over Yeramesh. If it was so, it made sense that he would come to punish them, at least, in their eyes, it was the logical conclusion.

“There is only one way we can stop him,” A man spoke solemnly but hints of despair could be found within his voice.

“...What about our people? After the Sea Serpent is released we’ll have to evacuate all of them at once. The entire continent will be at risk if it proves to be stronger than we thought.” Someone argued.

“Not only that but can it actually stop him? He killed hundreds of dragons as if they were nothing more than ants.”

“You think he can stand against that Sea Serpent?” Another snorted in disdain. “He’ll regret coming to find us and hopefully he can wound it enough so we can seal it again.” They added.

“Enough going back and forth...Do we release the Sea Serpent?”

The most important question was thrown out and each person in the room briefly contemplated the consequences. Alternatively, they could’ve sacrificed themselves as Ira showed no indication of taking out entire races based on his previous actions. But they couldn’t be expected to do such a thing.

“We’ll release the Serpent.”

The group nodded in agreement and word was sent.

…

Ira tapped on the bubble repeatedly, tapping faster with each moment. He was thinking about breaking it because of his own impatience but decided to hold off. After all, no one would appreciate having their home destroyed and he could understand that to some extent. Ultimately, if they took too long to bring out the Sea Serpent he would break in and find it himself.

Suddenly, Ira felt a change in the water. It felt as if it had come alive and constricted around him while feeling for his presence. Then, there a was deep roar the traveled through the water. It brought a thunderous shock to the city and even Ira found himself distracted. Far off in the distance, away from the city, something rushed toward Ira.

It moved like lightning but his reflexes allowed him to see the shining blue scales that twinkled like jewels. Fins that looked more like sharp spikes poked out of its back. Its face was long and dragon-like. The entirety of the Serpent shined with pure spiritual energy and mana that was infinite in its amount.

The most surprising thing about the creature was its size and speed. The Sea Serpent’s body was over a mile long but it easily covered the distance between Ira and itself in the blink of an eye. What happened next was obvious, the Serpent crashed into Ira before wrapping its body around him in an attempt to crush him to death.

Ira’s body vanished from sight before he reappeared in front of the Serpent that immediately changed its tactics. The water began to freeze solid which forced Ira to moved away in order to avoid being trapped.

The Sea Serpent roared again and then the water bubbled around them and Ira was pushed up by a powerful stream. Ira broke through the surface of the water and was pushed into the air before the stream was cut off and he fell downward. Ira shifted back into his human form while falling and slowed himself. As he was landing, he found that the ocean was turned into a giant mass of ice. Ira softly reached the ground and looked for the Serpent. Above him, storm clouds had gathered and fog rolled in to obscure his vision. The Serpent still hadn’t become visible but in the meantime, rain and hail began falling heavily while huge waves surged.

Ira stood patiently while waiting for the Serpent to emerge and his wish was soon granted. He suddenly leaped away from his previous spot as the body of the Serpent rose out of the water while staring down at him.

“Annoying creature.” An ancient and deep yet majestic voice came from the Serpent’s mouth.

“You can talk?!” Ira shouted up at the towering monster. His voice was carried by the wind and reached the Serpent which continued to look at him threateningly.

“I will not waste words on you, creature.” The Serpent opened its mouth and a breath of frost came spilling out. The was more than deadly for most life forms but Ira simply laughed while waving his hand. A huge gust of wind dispelled the frost breath and the Serpent, who was expecting to see Ira frozen solid, was now seeing a smug face smiling boastfully.

“My slumber has clearly weakened me to the point where some such as you can resist,” Said the Serpent. It clearly couldn’t feel Ira’s bloodline or else it would know that it was in danger.

“That’s not a good way to think,” Ira mumbled to himself. He thought of his next move and couldn’t help but want to try his Reality Separation. There was the danger of being stuck in a coma for two months but he felt as if his body had adjusted a little. If it was now, Ira thought he should use his Reality Separation for at least a minute or two. Without hesitation, he activated his ability and a low hum spread across the water.

The Sea Serpent felt the change and the extreme danger and looked closely at Ira whose body began to change. A layer of darkness covered his body entirely with the only light being his two glowing yellow eyes. The rain and hail began to go in reverse with no proper reason for why.

“What...No…” The Sea Serpent uttered those two words before trying to flee but its God-like control over water failed to work. Instead, the water around it rose up and restrained its body before it suddenly turned into thick metal chains.

“How?!” The Serpent cried out in confusion but Ira didn’t answer he raised his hand up and pointed it at the Serpent before closing his fist.

What happened next defied mortal comprehension. An explosion engulfed everything with a terrible roar and darkness reigned over the boundless ocean. The aftershock was so powerful that it traveled around the world and anyone would be able to faintly hear it’s rumbling no matter where they were. When everything settled, there was only silence. The ocean was completely still and the clouds had vanished as well as the weather. A few scales of the Sea Serpent could be seen but that was the only thing that was left of it.

Ira who regained his normal appearance stood on the water and swayed a few times before adjusting himself. There was an urge to sleep in his mind but he managed to resist.

“Good,” Ira smiled. He waved his hands and produce a blue heart that was still warm and beating. It was the size of a horse carriage but he let it float above his palm.

Ira dug his fingers into the heart and ripped out a handful before eating it. He consumed it without savoring the taste of it before taking another piece. The next few minutes of his time was spent eating handfuls of the Sea Serpent’s heart until he finished a sizeable chunk.

Ira stored the heart away and took a deep breath as his body was filled with energy again.

“Time to go home,” Ira said to himself. Just as he was about to teleport away he realized that he didn’t get Zephyr anything.

“Shit!” Ira facepalmed. “Shit, shit, shit.”

He hurriedly looked around the empty ocean and saw nothing except for glittering scales.

“That’s it!” Ira shouted victoriously. He waved his hands and pieces of the Sea Serpents scales flew into his palm. All Ira had to do was fix them up to make them a proper present.

He used his matter alteration to change their composition and they immediately became similar to metal. Next, he rolled each one into his palm until they became spherical and after a few seconds, they resembled marbles.

“Ah, that should be good,” Ira said as he examined his handiwork. He snapped his finger and black mist coalesced into a pouch that he used to store the marbles before storing them away altogether.

With everything taken care of, Ira headed home by teleporting away.

…

Elsewhere, Ira’s actions caused things he couldn’t expect.

The Grenitian Kingdom was full of smoke and fire, the steel airships floated above the city and continued their periodic rain of destruction. No one could find hope anywhere as the airships were out of reach and therefore untouchable.

Randolph saved as many as he could but he knew he was powerless. Unless Ira appeared there would be no stopping the intimidating fleet of airships.

“Damn it,” Randolph cursed. His body was covered in dust and blood though it wasn’t his own.

Among the nobles gathered there were two important figures. Juliana Fairfax was one of them, dressed in a pure white robe adorned with trinkets she offered prayers to the Gods. For the first time since receiving her ability, she hoped they would show her a vision or message.

The other important figure was the fourth and last remaining prince, Leonard. First Prince Hayden had purged the entire palace but Leonard had managed to survive due to his planning.

“We have to take back the throne!” A nobleman said with anger.

Leonard maintained a calm expression while replying. “With the Tel’vians having the air advantage and Hayden sending his troops to scour the city for the loyal factions it wouldn’t be wise to move at this point.”

Randolph raised his brows in surprise as he quickly realized that Leonard wasn’t a wastrel.

“So what do you propose, your highness?” Another nobleman asked.

Since Leonard was their best hope of surviving they looked to him for instructions. After seeing everyone listening attentively, Leonard formed a short-term plan in his mind and began speaking.

“We evacuate for now. We’ll find somewhere safe and send a message to the Dark Elf Empire asking for Ira’s assistance. I know that he won’t move without personal benefit so I’ll offer him half of what we gained from the Summit. If that isn’t enough then I’ll offer all of it. If we can hold on until then we should be able to reclaim–”

A loud shock rang through the city and interrupted Leonard.

“What?!”

“Did they find us?!”

“They must be firing upon every building they suspect us to be in!”

“Hold on,” Randolph raised his hands.

“We have to leave now.”

“And go where? They’re trying to scare us out, if we leave now we’ll play into their hands.”

“I said hold on!” Randolph shouted.

The room went quiet and everyone placed their gazes on him.

“Those cannons don’t sound like that...That was something else,” Randolph said.

The room became silent and then music began playing. More specifically, trumpets. A sweet and comforting tone yet somehow it was deep and imposing.

“Are they celebrating with...enchanted instruments?” Juliana asked with confusion. She felt something calling out to her.

Randolph felt his heart beating rapidly as he fell into an entranced state. “I’m going to check.”

“I’ll come with you.” Clark felt the urge to follow the trumpets so he volunteered to go.

“Wait, you can’t!” A man tried to stop the three of them from leaving but he couldn’t as he suddenly felt compelled to follow the sound.

Slowly, the room emptied out and everyone stepped outside.

…

Inside of the airship, a confusing scene was happening.

“Chancellor Orlov, there is something...something is out there.” An attendant tried to block out the sound of the trumpet but it dug into his mind.

“What is it?! Are they using a spell or some sort of weapon?!” Orlov grit his teeth while reminding himself to speak to Prince Hayden about the surprise weapon.

“No...It’s…” The attendant trailed off.

“I look for myself!” Orlov slammed his fist into the armrest before standing up and heading for the deck of the airship.

The sound of the trumpets continued pulling on his heartstrings but he tried his best to resist their call. When he arrived he found that instead of firing, the crew was silently looking out of the windows.

“Move!” Orlov shoved his way through and then he saw something that made him stop in his tracks.

“A...Valkyrie? No...That’s not a…” Orlov whispered to himself.

A beautiful woman dressed in long and fluttering white robes was floating in the sky. She was tall and had a sacred bearing about her. Six pure white wings were spread out wide. Translucent feathers fell to the ground while the sound of trumpets grew stronger. In one hand she held a golden spear made from pure energy, her other hand was outstretched, collecting ash within her soft palms. Her almost white blonde hair swayed in the wind but her expression was stoic and emotionless. She surveyed the destruction below her and then looked at the airship.

High Chancellor Orlov felt as if she was looking directly at him and a strong feeling of guilt filled his chest. He hurriedly looked away and shouted with all his might. “Send the signal! Fire!”

“But…” The men and women on the airship looked hesitant so he shouted again.

“Fire!” Orlov bellowed.

Those who had reservations moved to follow his orders and the mana cannons were charged. Within a few moments, the cannon fired at the woman and the rest of the airships joined the barrage shortly after.

…

Standing below, Randolph witnessed the sudden attack on the divine figure and cried out.

“No!” He didn’t know why but he felt as if someone he knew was personally harmed.

The pure mana beams converged on the Angel and blocked her from sight. Everyone thought there was no way for her to survive and a few were even about to close their eyes.

Then the unthinkable happened, the beams slowly dissipated and the woman was left unscathed. It was hard to see her expression but anyone could guess she wasn’t very pleased. She raised her spear up and swung it over a wide radius. A golden flare temporarily blinded those watching and their sight was restored.

The airships were still and then they suddenly exploded before falling apart into huge pieces. The entire fleet had been thoroughly decimated by her attack and it was safe to say no one survived.

The civilians, the soldiers attacking, everyone no matter what status they held fell to their knees and prostrated themselves while praying. The trumpets played louder and the Angel began to descend toward the ground. She landed in front of Randolph’s group and spoke.

“Rise, you are the one chosen by the Gods,” Her gentle voice spread throughout the city.

Randolph raised his head up at her and was trapped within her gaze. “M-Me?” He asked.

“You have proven yourself worthy to receive their guidance, that is the reason I am here,” The Angel said with a smile. Though her words wouldn’t make sense if one understood what was happening in the Divine Realm.

“I will annihilate those who brought destruction to this city and protect those who are innocent. I would ask that you would assist me.”

“O-Of course!” Randolph hurriedly agreed.

The Angel nodded and then took to the sky. “Hear me, the Gods have sent their punishment for those who have performed wicked deeds. Surrender and I can only guarantee that you will receive a fair trial. Resist and your souls will find eternal punishment.”

Her voice, furious and gentle, reverberated over the city and compelled even the soldiers with the strongest hearts to lay down their weapons. Some men wept out of guilt while others looked ashamed. Still, none of them resisted...None of them could resist.