Chapter 268
Chapter 268: How Is There an Entire Universe Hidden in Your Fingertips?
Shattered raindrops poured relentlessly from the ashen sky, glistening and radiant.
The rain flickered as though on the verge of dying down, and where each drop struck the surging sea, it sent white foam crashing upward in brief, brilliant bursts.
The ocean seemed to heave with a savage, swelling vitality—wave after wave rising from within the White Mist like jagged cliff faces, every collision carrying boundless ferocity.
The vast sea had descended into chaos, and with it, the Empire's largest coastal city—Blairstone—had descended into chaos as well.
Blairstone's Port lived and died by maritime import and export trade.
Its harbor sat at the edge of the enormous ocean, and fishing vessels of every size were moored along the docks.
It was the middle of the day, and countless fishermen had gathered at the dock, staring hesitantly at the dense rows of moored boats—yet not a single one dared venture out to sea.
Because the sky above Blairstone had already been smothered entirely beneath a heavy ceiling of clouds.
It was noon, and yet the port felt as though it were slowly sinking into night.
The dark clouds had piled atop one another, as if sealing away the blazing sun entirely.
The torrential rain slammed down from the sky with brutal force, whipped in all directions by howling winds until it lost all sense of where it was going.
The chaotic rain seemed to converge into one mass before crashing down upon the port's buildings with thunderous banging and thudding.
The frenzied water came from every direction at once, battering against the hulls of the fishing boats, and the hollow resonance of wood rang out across the entire harbor.
Watching their vessels sway and tilt with the heaving sea, the fishermen could only shake their heads in helpless resignation:
"With things looking like this today, looks like we won't be able to go out again."
"Ahhh, another day off."
"Let's go grab a drink later—there's a new tavern not far from the port. Heard the liquor there hits hard."
The fishermen bantered with one another, though a quiet bitterness lingered beneath their words.
Clang—Clang—
The heavy sound of cargo being hauled echoed from another section of the dock, where sailors hollered at one another through the driving rain:
"Get the cargo off the ships quick—move it somewhere safe!"
"Watch out—don't let it get soaked!"
Sailors surged forward in waves, breaking the cargo into smaller loads and ferrying them toward the warehouses.
Many of them were mid-haul when they suddenly stopped.
Someone turned their head toward the churning sea.
The tide—it seemed to be growing wilder.
They stared with wide eyes at the waves rising like some colossal beast arching its spine, and were struck dumb with disbelief:
"Hey—something's off."
"What do you mean, off?"
The sailors looked toward the sea.
Massive waves towered overhead, their great crests threatening to brush the sky itself—a sight so overwhelming it left the mind reeling.
In all their years at sea, they had never witnessed waves like these.
Several veteran captains with decades of seafaring experience gazed at the waves ahead of them, their expressions turning grave:
"The lads who went out early today... I'm afraid they might be..."
At that, many fell silent, their faces creasing with sudden, pained sorrow.
They understood now—the men who had set sail that morning, or those who had not yet returned from the night before, were most likely beyond saving.
Any vessel caught out on the water now would be capsized in an instant.
Some would be swallowed whole by the waves, smashed to splinters and dragged down to the ocean floor.
Then, from beneath their feet, a faint tremor ran through the ground.
The fishermen and sailors froze in place at the dock. One of the veteran captains suddenly went wide-eyed.
The pipe fell from his hand and clattered to the ground. He screamed:
"Something's wrong—it's a tsunami!!!"
A tsunami!?
Everyone knew that tsunamis were caused by a combination of factors such as undersea earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and could bring enormous devastation.
But Blairstone had never once experienced a tsunami.
As the Empire's second most prosperous city, Blairstone maintained a Mage Meteorological Bureau.
Mages from the Bureau conducted regular inspections of the surrounding seabed and employed Magic to monitor and maintain the geological stability beneath the ocean.
And yet this time, a genuine tsunami had arrived—without a single warning.
"Run!!!"
Countless sailors dropped their cargo and sprinted away from the sea.
The port's residents, seeing the towering wave sweeping toward them, screamed in panic.
Masses of people shoved and jostled against one another, scrambling desperately to flee the harbor.
Some were knocked down, others trampled underfoot as the crowd surged past them.
Beneath the driving downpour, frantic footsteps splashed through puddles—mud flew, sound scattered, everything broke apart.
And beneath those black storm clouds, the great towering wave bore down like a savage beast lunging in for the kill.
In an instant, the immense wave crashed through the port's high outer walls, engulfing debris and shattered rock as it continued surging forward.
The fishermen's homes were swept up in the wave and torn to pieces.
The wave pressed deeper into Blairstone's interior, as though it meant to swallow the entire port whole.
An enormous shadow fell over countless people.
The fleeing crowd did not stop—even when there was nowhere left to run.
And yet at that moment, one broad, powerfully built figure moved against the tide of the fleeing masses, walking directly toward the tsunami.
Measured against the wave, he looked almost small.
Yet amid the crowd of people running for their lives, he stood impossibly tall.
Helnersen stood at the edge of the harbor. He shifted one foot back, drew one hand back in line with his stance, and clenched both fists.
The knotted muscles along his arms flexed and rose, and the veins across his entire body stood out in sharp relief.
【Martial Stance—Defense】
Helnersen drew in a slow, deep breath. His chest swelled like a mountain.
In that moment, the air around him began to stir. A dense white haze emanated from every inch of his body, circling and cycling steadily around him.
That pure white mist stood out all the more starkly against the surrounding darkness.
His hands began to move. His vital energy flowed like a gentle stream through his body, gathering and pooling into his limbs.
That vast, immense current of energy, following the movement of his body, crashed squarely into the enormous tsunami in a single instant.
The next moment, something happened that no one could have anticipated.
The colossal wave froze in midair—suspended motionless above the surface of the sea.
It was as if the heavens and earth had been inverted in tandem with Helnersen's movements.
The wave seemed to transform into a curtain of blue—held between his hands and shaped at will.
Helnersen slowly turned his palm, gentle and unhurried, like a quiet stream finding its way downstream.
With that twisting motion, the entire wave seemed to condense into a thick rope of water, taut and suspended in the air.
Crack!
The wave could not hold its shape. In the instant it pulled taut, the water collided with itself—
The towering surge of ten thousand feet shattered and burst apart, sending countless shards of white water scattering in every direction.
The white torrent dispersed entirely.
Yet Helnersen still held control of the broken spray.
With his vital energy, he steadily drained away the last remnants of its force.
Then Helnersen released his stance.
He stood in place and returned to that very first posture—broad-shouldered, powerfully built, and unhurried.
As though what he had just done was nothing more than a warm-up.
With his movement, the wave could no longer be contained. It tumbled back down into the sea at the harbor's edge.
Splash!
A crashing surge of water pitched the fishing boats sideways.
Countless people stood behind him in stunned terror.
They had witnessed something so staggering it defied all comprehension—so much so that many had not yet come back to themselves.
When it was over, the wave was still.
It was not until the scattered droplets came crashing back down upon the land and upon the faces of the crowd—leaving people unable to tell rain from seawater—that the chill against their skin finally brought them back.
The rain fell steadily into the now-quiet sea, each drop leaving a small hollow that swelled and spread.
Then someone stood there, dumbfounded, staring up at the enormous figure of Helnersen—who seemed something other than human—and let out a cry of shock:
"A Bear—it's a Bear-man!!!"
But it was not just the Bear-man.
Countless mysterious figures in cloaks with their faces wrapped in gauze came converging on the port from every direction.
They crossed over rooftops and took positions at height, stepping forward into view before the assembled crowd.
This time, they had not pulled up their hoods. Each one had let their differently colored hair fall free, along with those unmistakable Demi-human beast ears.
Countless port residents stared at them, eyes wide.
These people were... Demi-humans?
Leon stepped out from among the group, the cloak at her back whipping in the wild wind, revealing a pair of long, pointed ears.
"She's an Elf!"
Someone in the crowd recognized Leon's race and called out in surprise.
At that, Leon stood before the gathered Demi-humans and spoke in a tone that left no room for questioning:
"I'll be direct. In the name of Clavena, we are ordering you to evacuate Blairstone Port within 1 hour—immediately."
These were—the Clavena Family's Shadow Guard!
...?
The Clavena Family's Shadow Guard had been Demi-humans all along!
A shock ran through the crowd, and more than a few of them felt a chill creep down their spines.
No wonder the Demi-human traffickers in Blairstone Port had been dying or disappearing one after another.
Thank the heavens none of them had ever gotten into the business of trafficking Demi-humans...
Some of the sailors were confused and were just about to ask questions, when they heard Leon continue:
"Do not question my orders. The tsunami just now should be explanation enough."
Several of the captains looked shaken, and quickly rushed forward to ask:
"This... Miss Leon, does that mean the tsunami will come again?"
"More than once."
Leon said calmly:
"According to observations by the Mages at the Blairstone Meteorological Bureau, 500 kilometers from Blairstone Port—in the Padalenbu Sea—a radius of 100 kilometers has been encircled by White Mist."
"The Mages are unable to detect exactly what is happening in there. But what can be confirmed is this:"
"The tsunami just now originated from that location."
...??
Countless sailors and fishermen stood in place, dumbstruck.
What was that?
A wave that had traveled 500 kilometers before crashing into Blairstone—and had nearly flooded the entire port!?
No one could believe something so absurd, and yet it was precisely what had been observed by the Mages of the Meteorological Bureau.
It was a fact that admitted no dispute.
Leon continued:
"We will notify Blairstone's Royal Garrison to request reinforcements, and will immediately seal off Blairstone Port while constructing defensive measures."
The severity of the tsunami made every captain present give a solemn nod.
"We will cooperate fully."
The captains then called out to their respective crews, and the sailors began moving at once, hauling cargo as fast as they could manage.
With only 1 hour, whatever could be saved would be saved.
They could only race against time.
The captains called out to their crews while simultaneously summoning drivers to haul the vessels that had been tossed about and left leaning in all directions, and the entire port sprang into motion.
The Demi-human Shadow Guards took charge of maintaining order across the harbor, ensuring no chaos broke out amid the frantic activity.
Within 1 hour, the port had to be cleared.
While everyone was busy and in motion, Leon walked over.
She looked at Helnersen, a trace of concern showing in her eyes:
"Mr. Helnersen, are you still holding up?"
She had just witnessed with her own eyes how Mr. Helnersen, by himself alone, had held back an entire tsunami.
Yet Helnersen was entirely unhurried. One hand clasped behind his back, he stood gazing out at the ocean.
"Mm. If it's only a tsunami."
He extended his other hand, pressing his thumb against his index finger, leaving just the faintest sliver of space between the two.
"It seems I'm still just a little bit stronger."