NOVPUB
Chapter 302: 302
"I already have an idea for the rune seal," Crepuscular continued. "Something like a tower, and we’ll need a skilled craftsman. Ikenga’s grandson, Ember, is more than capable of handling it."
Jaws nodded. "The sea is rich with minerals. Tide will be more than happy to provide those. As for the Harpies, their achievements in their power system show their talent in rune crafting. We can leave that part to them, and they can collaborate with other experts to complete the task."
Mahu nodded. "In the meantime, we’ll focus all our power on keeping the breach under control and buying our children more time to finish their work."
Once the gods reached an agreement, they began to move quickly, informing their children of the situation. The demigods, who had been hesitant about their ascension, began to take the matter more seriously.
They understood how powerful their parents were, and the fact that the gods were acting this way—and even seeking their help—made them realize the severity of the situation.
Ikem immediately had Zephyr inform Ember of the new mission, and he also sent messages to the scholars in the shrine. Those who had studied runes would be leaving their continent and heading to the western continent, where they would meet the Harpies to work together.
While Ikem was busy handling this, Zephyr brought him more news from Osita. For some reason, Ikem didn’t react heavily to the bad news.
He had begun to see the allure of ascension. Even though things seemed chaotic above the stars where the gods resided, he believed it would be better than dealing with all the human mess and demons.
It might also have been due to how the apelings had handled recent issues that he didn’t feel the need to react much. Instead, he left the news to Zephyr for him to handle.
Turning to Zephyr, Ikem offered a rare moment of trust. "You handle this. I’m sure you’ll make the right call."
Zephyr blinked, surprised by his father’s uncharacteristic delegation. But he nodded, grateful for the responsibility. The gods were evolving, and their children were following suit.
Meanwhile, deep in the southern continent at Murmur’s underground lair, his face had already healed after devouring a number of souls. At the moment, he wore a frown as he stared at his palm, where a red circular dot was revolving.
This was the red dot of light representing Björn. Murmur frowned because the instability and lack of control he had sensed from Björn had vanished. Somehow, Björn had regained his senses.
"Too hasty," Murmur said aloud to himself. The whispers of the gods’ counterparts echoed in his mind. He knew of the Upside Down, and he had hoped it would occupy the Origin gods while he carried out his plans.
It seemed the Origin gods were not too prideful to seek help and understanding from those who were once their enemies. Murmur had not anticipated this, and now his plans were disrupted by an unintended move from an Origin god.
Nonetheless, he was thankful, as the movement of the Upside Down had him a bit disturbed. He wasn’t happy that his game was interrupted, but if the Upside Down issue could be handled, the loss would be worth it.
Things were already in his favor. Hastiness wouldn’t give him what he wanted; instead, it would leave him open to mistakes. Murmur, with a distant look on his face, thought of Ikenga and Keles, a smirk playing at the edge of his lips. "I wonder how those two are doing?" he mused.
Down in the northern continent, out in the snowy plains, two figures could be seen moving in the snowy wind. One was a wolf, but instead of fur, its body was covered in bark-like plants. The wood that made up the wolf’s body was white, blending with the snow, but upon closer inspection, red vine-like veins could be seen running throughout its form.
The wolf was easily the size of a car, and on its back sat a teenage-looking girl dressed in regal royal clothing. The young girl had the head of a wolf with horns resembling those of a dragon. This was Princess Lunara, of the Werewolf Kingdom.
Contrary to her childish face, there was a predatory look in her eyes as she sniffed the icy cold wind, the wolf beneath her doing the same.
They both caught a scent immediately, and the wolf sprang into motion, disappearing into the snow. Right after they left, a heavily armored werewolf figure manifested where they had been. It looked in the direction of the two disappearing figures, shook its head, and vanished once again.
The prey the young werewolf princess had found was one of the top predators on the continent: the snowy bears. Individually, they were strong, but together they were a nightmare.
Princess Lunara had caught the scent of a snow bear. Her ears and the wolf’s ears twitched as they picked up the sounds of something eating and bones snapping.
The wolf slowed its pace, walking carefully as Lunara lowered her body, moving closer to their target. Soon, the massive figure of the snow bear came into view, munching on the corpse of another wolf.
The bear was even larger than the wolf the girl was riding. An icy dagger appeared in her hand as she slowly stood up, when suddenly a snowball struck the bear, catching its attention.
The bear sniffed the air and immediately turned its bloody maw towards Lunara and her wolf. A roar, followed by a chilling icy wind, was directed at them.
Taken aback by the sudden snowball, Lunara caught sight of a large upright figure disappearing into the snow. Her wolf began moving as a huge icy spike shot up from the ground beneath them.
The bear abandoned its meal and charged toward them. Lunara, with her icy dagger in hand, jumped off the wolf. "You know what to do, Nova," she called to the wolf as she rolled on the ground.
The clothing on her back, torn by two openings, was replaced by white wings that grew from her shoulders. With a flap of her wings, she took to the sky.
Nova charged at the bear, which swung its ice-covered claws at him. Nova narrowly dodged the attack and opened his jaws, revealing red-stained teeth, as he bit down on the bear’s swinging claw.
The bear, seeing this, grabbed Nova’s neck with its other paw and flung him away. Mid-air, Nova caught himself as white roots grew from the ground, holding the bear in place just as it was about to charge again.
Seizing the opportunity, Lunara dove from the sky with her dagger, which grew in size, turning into a massive icy sword. She swung it at the bear’s neck, but the bear roared, and the icy wind solidified around its body as if it were freezing in place.
As her sword made contact with the ice, the sound of metal clashing rang out, sending a shockwave that scattered the snow. The bear’s body began to grow an icy armor, which even encased the roots that held it down. With a slight shake, the frozen roots broke free.
Realizing she hadn’t succeeded, Lunara immediately took to the sky again.
As Princess Lunara soared back into the air, her eyes narrowed in frustration. The snow bear had managed to reinforce itself with icy armor, much tougher than she anticipated. She flapped her wings, ascending higher, watching as the enormous beast below let out a bellow that shook the snowy landscape. The bear’s cold, crystalline eyes locked onto hers, challenging her authority as the predator of the northern continent.
Nova, still circling the bear, snarled through gritted teeth. His wooden body creaked under the strain of the earlier throw, but his red vines pulsed with new energy, regenerating the damaged areas. He darted around the bear, looking for an opening, but the thick ice that coated the beast’s body made it difficult to find a vulnerable spot.
Lunara’s mind raced. She needed a new strategy. The snowy bear’s defense was formidable, but it wasn’t invulnerable. Every creature has a weakness, she thought. Her eyes darted across the battlefield, taking in the terrain. They were on the snowy plains—flat, open space with little cover. But the cold... the biting, unforgiving cold of the north was something she and Nova could use to their advantage.
"Nova! Don’t attack directly!" she called out as she descended slightly. "Wear it down. Make it move, tire it out. Its armor is strong, but the more it moves, the more energy it will burn maintaining that ice." 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Nova growled in acknowledgment, changing his tactics. Instead of charging the bear head-on, he began a series of quick feints, darting in and out of the bear’s reach, forcing it to twist and turn to keep up. The bear roared in irritation, swinging its massive, icy-clad paws at the swift wolf, but Nova was too fast, ducking under the swings and staying just out of reach.
