Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

Chapter 354 : Kizzarae

'Ah, I might have gone too overboard,' Alex thought as he observed the blinding light of the explosion he had caused. His eyes narrowed instinctively to shield them from the intense glare, though even through slitted eyelids, the brilliance was almost unbearable. The very air around him seemed to tremble under the sheer magnitude of destruction he had unleashed.

A millisecond after he had that thought, an explosion unlike anything anyone present had ever witnessed erupted. The entire mountain on which the city stood trembled violently as shockwaves rippled outward, shaking the ground with a force that seemed capable of toppling even the most solid structures. The sound of the detonation rolled like thunder, deafening and unrelenting.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of explosions followed, each one more devastating than the last.

The thick green smoke Alex had conjured had fully engulfed the perimeter around the city, and as the chain reaction of detonations tore through it, a massive ring of fire, light, and ash illuminated the battlefield. The concussive force was so immense that even those stationed atop the city walls could feel the scorching heat pressing against their skin, the wind of the blast nearly knocking some off balance.

The snow that had blanketed the landscape instantly melted before vaporizing into the air. Soft specks of snowfall, which had been drifting gently from the sky moments ago, were now mixing with the rising ash, creating a surreal, almost apocalyptic scene where blackened flakes descended upon the battlefield like a funeral shroud.

The very air itself was heavy with the scent of charred earth and burning flesh.

Fortunately, the soldiers had managed to push the tide of beasts far enough from the city. Though its inhabitants could feel the reverberations of the explosion, the blast had been too distant to cause any direct damage to the walls or structures.

The same couldn't be said about the beast tide, though.

As the cloud of dust generated by the detonation of the green smoke somewhat settled, the onlookers were greeted with a chilling sight. Well, the sight in itself wasn't exceptional—it was the implications it led to that made those present feel a chill run down their spine.

'Yeah, I really went overboard,' Alex chuckled to himself.

Down below, a few hundred meters away from the city, the beast tide was no more. It was as if it had never existed in the first place. All there was to see was the deep crater in the ground that formed a ring with the city in the middle.

Alex himself had expected some of the monsters in the tide to, if not survive the explosion, then at least remain whole, but there was nothing—not even a limb remaining—and this was what made the sight even more chilling. There were level 3 monsters and beasts in that tide, with some of them having incredibly tough exteriors, yet even they had been pulverized.

'I never thought about it, but maybe I should look more into the substance that creates this green smoke,' Alex thought to himself.

Just a few seconds before the fire arrow plunged inside the thick smoke, Alex had enhanced its explosive characteristics to the highest degree he could, so the resulting explosion would deal maximum damage to the tide. But even he had underestimated how devastating this smoke was.

'This is giving me new ideas,' Alex muttered as he observed the dust slowly settle, ignoring the frightened gazes everyone was sending his way.

'If your goal was to scare people, then you certainly have achieved it,' Freya thought as she glanced down at Alex next to her.

After a moment, she cast her gaze on the deep crater in the ground all around the city and shook her head. "I appreciate your help, Sir Arcanor, I really do. You have more than helped us, truly. However, I suggest that you let us deal with this sort of thing in the future."

As she said those words, all the members of the Drazen family, even Frieda nodded their head, a somewhat...expression on their faces.***complète avec un mot qu'on peut avoir en voyant par exemple de l'argent filer entre les doigts.****

The reason why they all had this expression was because of the money they had lost now that the entire beast tide had disappeared. A beast tide was a true calamity in the...of the words, but it was also an opportunity to make money. If one manage to deal with the tide, either by killing all the monsters of making them run away, then the kind of money one could make was simply unbelievable.****complète****

Meat, beasts hides to make clothes of armor, monsters cores and many more could be harvested from the dead creatures and though it was an appalling sight when they discovered the tide coming towards the city, many here also saw this as an opportunity.*****

Those with such thought were only the members of the Drazen family though. All others such as baron Drisidd were just glad that the tide had been stopped without causing too many damages or taking the lives of his soldiers.****

As she said those words, all the members of the Drazen family, even Frieda, nodded their heads, a somewhat regretful expression on their faces.

The reason why they all had this expression was because of the money they had lost now that the entire beast tide had disappeared. A beast tide was a true calamity in the worst sense of the word, but it was also an opportunity to make money. If one managed to deal with the tide, either by killing all the monsters or making them run away, then the kind of money one could make was simply unbelievable.

Meat, beast hides to make clothes or armor, monster cores, and many more valuable materials could be harvested from the dead creatures. Though it was an appalling sight when they discovered the tide coming toward the city, many here also saw it as an opportunity.

Those with such thoughts were only the members of the Drazen family, though. All others, such as Baron Drisidd, were just glad that the tide had been stopped without causing too much damage or taking the lives of his soldiers.

"If you wish," Alex shrugged his shoulders to Freya's request. He had satiated his curiosity about how destructive his green smoke was, and quite frankly, this intervention of his had caused him to lose too much mana. He wouldn't be attempting something like that again anytime soon—perhaps not ever.

He wasn't done with everything he had to do, though. After the dust had completely cleared, a yellow and soft smoke left his mantle and slowly made its way toward the recovering soldiers who had started walking back to the city.

Seeing the yellow smoke come toward them, the soldiers tensed up and were ready to bolt away when they heard someone shouting at them.

"Don't move," Freya shouted at the soldiers.

Seeing who had spoken, the soldiers complied, though there were worried expressions on some of their faces. But as the yellow smoke made contact with them, their expressions turned to disbelief as they could feel the wounds on their bodies closing at such an astonishing speed that they could see the flesh knitting itself back together before their very eyes.

A couple of minutes later, the yellow smoke vanished, leaving the soldiers in disbelief as to what had happened.****

A couple of minutes later, the yellow smoke vanished, leaving the soldiers in disbelief as to what had happened.

'Now all is done,' Alex smiled to himself, seeing the soldiers return to the city with exhausted faces but carrying no wounds on them.

Alex didn't need to heal those soldiers; in fact, he didn't even care about them. The reason he had decided to heal them was to advertise his healing smoke before the Drazen family auction began, increasing its perceived value.

Freya didn't know if this was the reason he healed those soldiers, but the moment she saw them approaching, she had the idea to ask Alex to do it. If it were up to her, she would have even asked him to use his other smoke to alleviate their fatigue.

However, Alex was currently low on mana. If he used his smoke ability once again, he wouldn't be able to maintain his smoke mantle and mask, which would dissolve and reveal his identity.

Turning to Drisidd, Freya said, "I don't know if it was Sir Arcanor's goal, but we can take advantage of the deep grooves caused by the explosions," she paused before continuing, "send workers all over the ring created by the explosion and instruct them to use these trenches to create a first line of defense. Have them reinforce the edges with wooden stakes, sharpened logs, and barriers—anything that could slow down or impale monsters if another tide comes. It may not stop them completely, but it will thin their numbers before they reach the city."

'Very clever of her to use the trenches in the ground to reinforce the city's defense instead of just closing them. That way, it will be easier to deal with the monsters if another beast tide or even an army attempts to invade the city,' Alex thought, nodding in approval.

"Hey, were you the one that caused this explosion?!"

Hearing a voice next to him, Alex turned his head to the side but was surprised when he saw the one speaking to him. That was because the person who had spoken to him was floating in the air. No, they weren't exactly floating—below them, a broom was levitating, carrying them effortlessly.

'A witch,' Alex realized instantly.

"Hey, answer me, was it you?" the witch asked once more.

Before replying, Alex took a moment to observe what the person in front of him looked like.

The witch before him wore a long, pointy hat, and beneath it, her long, wavy purple hair cascaded down her back, its deep shade leaning more toward black than violet. A black leather eyepatch covered her left eye, adding a sense of mystery to her already striking appearance, while her right eye, as dark as the abyss, gleamed with mischief.

She had a slender yet toned figure, her brown skin smooth and glowing under the moonlight. A broad, playful smile stretched across her lips, revealing a row of perfect white teeth, giving her an air of carefree confidence.

She could undoubtedly be called a beauty, and even Alex, who had seen his fair share of stunning women, couldn't deny it. Yet, his attention wasn't drawn to her face but rather to her chest.

'Are her breasts as big as Talia's?' Alex mused as he watched the witch's impressively large bosom bounce with every breath she took, the movement almost hypnotic in its own right.

"Hey, my eyes are up here!" the witch suddenly exclaimed, crossing her arms under her chest in mock indignation—though this only made them jiggle even more.

Alex briefly considered whether he should respond or ignore her before simply giving a slight nod of acknowledgment.

"That was awesome!" the witch cheered, throwing her arms into the air. "Say, say, can you make another explosion like the previous one, but bigger this time? Can you? Can you?" Her excitement was almost childlike, though there was a dangerous glint in her single visible eye.

'Is something wrong with this woman, or are all witches like this?' Alex wondered.

Before he could reply, Freya intervened.

"I would rather not have to deal with the aftermath of another explosion, especially not one created just to satisfy your destructive urges, Lady Kizzarae," Freya said, her voice firm. 

The witch, Kizzarae, glanced at Freya and snorted. "I see that you're still as boring as ever, Freya. That's why I prefer little Maya—she's way more fun than you."

Freya's lips twitched in irritation, but she forced herself to maintain her composure. "Am I boring because I want to preserve the land around the city and not leave it looking like a battlefield?"

"Exactly!" Kizzarae declared, throwing up her hands. "You don't know how to live! Life isn't just about making money, you know."

"It's not about mindlessly destroying things either," Freya replied, a hint of exasperation creeping into her voice.

"And how would you know that, foolish girl? Have you ever actually destroyed something just to see how it feels?" Kizzarae challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"Not interested," Freya said with a shake of her head. "I don't intend to turn into a grumpy old woman who can't live with anyone because she wrecks everything around her."

Kizzarae chuckled darkly. "Like you're any better than me. Besides Maya, there's no one living with you. And let's be honest, the only reason that poor girl hasn't run away yet is because you're her mother. Otherwise, I bet she'd have bolted ages ago."

Freya smirked. "At least I can be sure she wouldn't stab me in the back before running away. Can you say the same?"

"Oh, you did NOT just say that!" Kizzarae's playful demeanor vanished in an instant, her face twisting into a furious expression.

"I sure did," Freya replied, her smirk turning downright vindictive.

"I'll wipe that smug look off your face, you brat!" Kizzarae shouted before quite literally pouncing on Freya.

'What the hell is going on here?' Alex thought, stunned to witness Freya actually bickering—and now physically clashing—with someone.