Chapter 98: A Road Through Ten Thousand Spirits
A Spirit King had been born.
With that sudden announcement came an earthquake, and the area quickly descended into chaos.
"Kyaaaa!"
"It’s collapsing! Get back!"
Shouts and screams came from every direction.
The violent tremors sent the barricades crashing down, and the panic only grew worse.
And then, in that moment.
"Everyone, stay calm!"
The shelter manager, Margaret, was the first to regain her composure. Her voice, charged with power, rang thunderously through the shaking underground space.
"Non-Awakened, move to the shelter! And Hunters, escort your assigned survivors and head to Frankford Station right now!"
"Understood!"
The instant the order dropped.
The Hunters moved in perfect unison.
Once she had the situation under control.
Margaret turned to look at Walfred.
"Walfred! I’m sorry, but..."
"Yes, I’ll get ready right away."
She wanted him to clear a path to the Spirit King. He had enough sense to figure that much out, so Walfred nodded without a word.
Holding Elsa in his arms, he followed behind Margaret, who took the lead. Damon and Julie kept pace too, showing no signs of falling behind.
"We’ll run straight to the west exit from here!"
Going up to the surface through the west exit of the Central Avenue underground arcade would bring them out at the Philadelphia Central Police Station.
From there, moving to the West Philadelphia Station plaza would cut the distance to their destination from about 1.9 miles down to about 1.2 miles.
And then.
Rumble! Boom!
Once again, violent tremors slammed into the shelter.
Then, from among the survivors evacuating on the opposite side, screams and crying broke out.
"Waaaah! Mommy!"
"Cough, cough!"
"Danny! Come over here!"
People fleeing, trembling with fear.
The group left them behind and pressed forward in silence. And after all sorts of trouble, they managed to reach the stairs in front of the west exit.
"Let me know when your skill is ready."
"Understood."
Walfred nodded at Margaret’s words.
In truth, though, there was nothing for him to prepare.
Walfred gently shook the body of Elsa, who was sound asleep in his arms.
"Elsa. Elsa?"
"...Mmm. Daddy?"
A moment later, Elsa woke right up.
Watching her rub her sleepy eyes and yawn made him feel a little guilty.
"Sorry for waking you when you were sleeping so well."
"Mm-hmm, it’s okay. Yaaawn... But why?"
"There’s something I need to ask you."
"Ask me?"
Walfred nodded.
"There are a whole bunch of white birds outside right now. So, could you use your Authority to chase them off so they can’t come close?"
"With Dragon Tongue?"
"Yeah. You have to keep them from coming anywhere near us until I say it’s okay."
How about it? Can you do that?
When Walfred asked, Elsa made a thoughtful face for a moment. Then she looked at him again and tilted her head.
"Daddy. Are you scared of the birds?"
"Yeah. I’d rather they didn’t come close at all."
"Okay. Then I’ll chase them away for you!"
Elsa said it boldly.
She was brimming with confidence.
With that, the preparations to go up to the surface were complete. Walfred went over to Margaret and told her, and Margaret nodded as she spoke.
"Good. Let’s head up."
With those words, the formation shifted.
It was Walfred and Elsa, not Margaret, who took the lead now. Walfred climbed the stairs straight away, and the three Hunters quietly followed behind him.
Soon, the instant he passed the stairs and stepped onto the surface where his view opened wide.
Whooooosh!
The first thing to greet the group was a blizzard whipping around with terrifying ferocity. And then a truly astonishing sight unfolded before their eyes.
"Good lord..."
Hundreds, thousands of Frost Spirits blanketed the ground and the sky pure white. The spirits streamed westward like a massive river.
Were they overwhelmed by the sight?
Margaret, and even Damon and Julie, said nothing for a while. In the meantime, Walfred whispered softly into Elsa’s ear.
"Then I’ll leave it to you."
"Okay!"
Along with her spirited reply.
Elsa lightly scanned the avenue stretching toward West Philadelphia Station. And a moment later, her deep blue eyes split into long vertical slits.
And then.
[Stay away.]
Dragon Tongue activated.
Was it because of that otherworldly voice?
Margaret and the Hunters beside her flinched in surprise and glanced around.
"Wh-what was that sound just now?"
"It sounded like the cry of some kind of beast..."
It was a natural reaction.
Dragon Tongue was, quite literally, the language of dragonkin.
Those who had not received the [Blessing of the Frost Dragon] couldn’t understand a word of Dragon Tongue. So of course it sounded like the roar or cry of a wild beast.
"Let’s go."
In any case, now that she’d used Dragon Tongue, there was no chance the spirits would attack them. Walfred took a step forward, Elsa cradled in his arms once again.
And in that instant.
Halt!
The Frost Spirits packing the road all shuddered at once. Then, as if by some agreement, they put distance between themselves and Walfred and Elsa.
As the countless spirits parted to both sides, creating something straight out of Moses parting the sea, Damon and Julie reacted with shock.
"Oh my..."
"Th-they’re really chasing the spirits away?"
The two Hunters’ eyes went wide.
Margaret tried not to let it show too, but she couldn’t stop the tremor in her gaze.
But only for a moment.
Regaining her cool, she pulled out the [Nameless Veil] she’d prepared in advance and draped it over her shoulders.
"Both of you, come close."
Then she called Damon and Julie over.
The two clung tightly to Margaret’s side without complaint, and Margaret spoke to them as if running through the precautions.
"The moment you step out of the veil, you’ll draw the spirits’ aggro. Until we face the Spirit King, you must never leave my side."
"We’ll keep that in mind."
The Hunters nodded as if to say they understood.
Since the preparations seemed complete, Walfred set off once more toward West Philadelphia Station.
As he walked along the path carved out among the spirits, a sudden question flickered through Walfred’s mind.
’But what does a Spirit King even look like?’
Every Frost Spirit he’d encountered so far had taken the form of a bird.
Ordinary Frost Spirits looked like pigeons, crows, or owls, while High Spirits looked like monstrous birds over six feet in size.
So then, the Spirit King?
’Maybe something like a pterosaur?’
The way the Bone Drake had looked when it was alive.
Or no, they’d said that right after birth it was only a little stronger than a High Spirit, so maybe it looked similar.
’Well, I’ll find out when I get there.’
He’d be facing it soon enough anyway.