Chapter 135: Landfall
While Elsa was focused on flying, there was little for him to do but sit still.
Then something occurred to him.
’Ah, should I try contacting Chief Jonah?’
By now, the gate that had reportedly appeared near the Coral Cave Shelter had probably been dealt with.
If only to confirm whether Jenna was among the Brooklyn Girls’ Academy survivors at the Coral Cave Shelter, contacting Jonah was essential.
[System: Hunter Community]
[Accessing the New America Republic channel.]
Upon connecting to the Community,
the first thing to greet him was a flood of posts and comments mentioning none other than Walfred himself.
[Seriously, what IS Walfred?]
[How do you even kill a Soul Eater?]
[Even S-rank Hunters struggle against that thing...]
[How did he hold out against the mind corruption and hallucinations?]
[Dude must have nerves of steel.]
Just like after the Frost Spirit King’s extermination,
the boards were plastered top to bottom with talk about Walfred. On top of that, the debate over Walfred’s attribute had reignited.
[More importantly, what the heck is Walfred’s attribute?]
[First everyone thought light, then fire became the frontrunner, now it’s back to light. ⟵ Current status]
[But wouldn’t you need a nature attribute to fight a Soul Eater? Srsly how do you counter the hallucinations?]
[Willpower?]
[Maybe the guy’s just built different?]
The speculation went on and on after that.
But there wasn’t a single comment that came anywhere near the truth: that Walfred’s attribute was frost.
Watching the comments swing and miss one after another, Walfred chuckled. Then he moved to his friends list and tried to start a chat with Jonah, but...
[Ace: Offline]
Jonah wasn’t logged in.
Oh well. He’d just have to try again once he reached Key West.
After that, Walfred passed the time browsing through the posts on the Community.
How long had it been?
[...Daaad.]
Elsa reached out through telepathy.
Her voice sounded more drained than before.
[I’m getting tired. I want to rest a little.]
[Yeah? Then somewhere nearby...]
Let’s rest a bit before moving on.
Managing your stamina is important, after all.
Just as he was about to answer, the outline of an enormous island appeared far beyond the surface of the sea.
’That’s...!’
The moment he saw it,
Walfred knew in his gut.
That was Key West. Eyes wide, he quickly spoke to Elsa.
[...Elsa.]
[Huh?]
[I think that’s Key West over there.]
[Where, where?]
Elsa’s eyes darted around busily.
Then, apparently spotting the place Walfred meant, she asked back with sparkling eyes.
[We just have to make it there?]
[That’s right. Think you can do it?]
[Yeah! I’ll give it everything I’ve got!]
Maybe it was because the destination was finally in sight.
Or maybe she’d picked up on the desperation seeping into Walfred’s voice. Elsa steeled her resolve and beat her enormous wings with all her might.
Their flight speed climbed once more.
And at last.
Boom!
Elsa touched down on solid ground.
Walfred leapt off her body as if he’d been waiting for that very moment. And just as he set foot on Key West, blanketed in snow and ice,
[Divine Protection: Blessing of the Frozen Sea - Deactivated]
[The blessing’s effects fade.]
The Blessing of the Frozen Sea deactivated.
His strengthened body returned to normal, leaving him feeling somewhat heavier, but Walfred paid it no mind.
Something else mattered more right now.
’Finally...!’
He’d made it to Key West.
The land where Jenna was.
Walfred clenched his fists tight.
’Just hold on a little longer, Jenna.’
Even if he had to tear this whole place apart,
he was going to find her, no matter what.
Just as he was carving that resolve into his heart once more,
"Hwuff."
Elsa, back in human form at some point, flopped onto the ground like a doll with its strings cut. Then, in a voice gasping for air, she mumbled,
"I, I can’t, fly anymore..."
"You did great. Truly."
Walfred offered his heartfelt thanks to Elsa, who had fought on to the very end. After gladly lending his lap to the exhausted girl,
he spread the map open again.
’We flew straight from Savannah, so...’
Their current position was presumably somewhere around the northeast of Key West. Walfred called to mind the two shelters where the Brooklyn Girls’ Academy survivors were said to be staying.
’Coral Cave. And South Key West.’
Of the two, the closer one to their current position was Coral Cave. Estimated distance: roughly 7 or 8 miles. Staring hard at the map, his eyes gleamed.
’Rather than waiting for Jonah to log in, wouldn’t it be faster to just go and check for myself?’
At that distance, even carrying Elsa on his back, he could make it in an hour or two. If he used [Instant Burst], he might arrive even sooner.
Just as he was seriously weighing the idea,
"Dad."
Elsa spoke up out of the blue.
He turned his head at the sudden call, and Elsa spread both arms wide with a sheepish grin.
"It’s your turn now."
"Hm? My turn?"
"Heehee, carry me."
Ah, so that’s what she meant.
Walfred chuckled and turned around, offering his back.
"All right. Hop on."
Once Elsa was on his back, he’d run straight for Coral Cave. His mind made up, Walfred bent his knees so Elsa could climb on easily.
But.
"...?"
No matter how long he waited, Elsa showed no sign of climbing onto his back. What is she doing? Puzzled, Walfred looked over his shoulder.
And in that instant,
his expression stiffened before he even realized it.
"...Elsa?"
Something about Elsa was off.
Her face had gone pale as snow, her pupils were blown wide, and her lips were quivering. Alarmed by the unnatural sight, Walfred asked again.
"E-Elsa? What’s wrong all of a sudden?"
"Ah, ngh..."
But no answer came back.
She only let out pained little whimpers.
Then it suddenly dawned on Walfred.
Elsa’s gaze wasn’t fixed on him, but on the sea, in the direction of Cuba.
’What on earth did she see?’
Walfred immediately turned his head.
And right then.
Whoooom!
A ferocious wind suddenly came blasting in from the open sea, exploding against them. Even kneeling as he was, his body was shoved backward for a moment.
"Ngh!"
He barely managed to brace himself and keep his balance, avoiding being knocked flat. Meanwhile, this time the sky darkened rapidly.
As if the sun had set and night had fallen.
But it was still far too early for nightfall. As one anomaly followed another, Walfred’s brow furrowed slightly.
"D-Dad."
Elsa spoke to him again.
Her gaze still locked on the distant sea.
"O-over there. Over there, there’s..."
"Over there? What?"
"...something really, really scary."
Her voice trembled thinly.
Watching Elsa shake like a terrified rabbit, Walfred was stunned.
’Elsa is feeling fear?’
The same Elsa who hadn’t flinched even in front of the Frost Spirit King? In all their time traveling together, he had never once seen her like this.
Walfred pulled the terror-stricken Elsa tightly into his arms. Then he looked out at the distant sea again.
And in that moment.
’Huh?’
He saw something he hadn’t been able to see before.
A storm of snow and ice.
The phenomenon commonly known as a blizzard.
Except this was nothing like any ordinary blizzard Walfred knew.
From one end of the horizon to the other.
And all the way up to the top of the sky.
A blizzard of deranged scale, blotting out his entire field of view. A sight that filled anyone who beheld it with sheer, crushing awe.
Walfred swallowed hard.
’What in the world is happening out there?’
His eyes trembled faintly.
And right then.
For an instant, Walfred sensed the presence of something beyond the blizzard. A feeling that something colossal was moving inside it.
’Could whatever’s in there be...’
the thing that put that fear into Elsa?
Walfred squinted. Even then he couldn’t make it out, so he finally pulled out his binoculars.
And moments later,
the instant he registered its existence,
a chill!
Every hair on his body stood on end at once.
His pupils dilated, his breathing turned ragged, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead and back. His reason went numb, and every thought froze solid like stone.
"...!"
He didn’t know what that thing was.
He couldn’t even properly make out its appearance.
But he was afraid.
From the mere fact of having perceived it, Walfred felt the greatest terror of his entire life.
Thump-thump!
His heart pounded faster and faster.
Along with the sensation of all the blood in his body running cold, his vision grew hazier and hazier. Then, just as a splitting headache set in and his consciousness began to dim,
Ding!
[Blessing of Eternal Light: Maximum Activation]
[Escaping the fear state.]
With the sudden notification message,
Walfred’s mind snapped back into focus, as if he’d been doused with cold water.
"Haah! Hah...!"
As he gulped down all the breath he’d been holding, the sweat beading on his face pattered to the ground. Having barely regained his senses, Walfred gritted his teeth.
He didn’t know what that thing was.
But this much, he knew for certain.
’I have to get away from this place!’
If he kept looking at that thing, the relentless waves of fear felt like they would drive him out of his mind. And what if, by some chance, their eyes actually met?
Just imagining that scenario made his heart feel like it was being crushed in a vise. Walfred steadied his shaking legs and forced himself to his feet.
Then, holding Elsa in his arms,
he turned his back to the sea and kicked off the ground.
To get away from that thing,
even a single moment faster.