Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 161. Tidebreak Under Siege

Zara’s face grew darker. "Cheating on your wife after being married for seven hundred years...? With someone she had complete faith in?!

"I’d curse him too." Zephyra went on, "We still don’t know what the betrayal was."

Rick was twitching on his seat hearing that because he felt bad having to have bonded with Sylvia, Zara, and Carmilla, where the three of them at some point have a husband or partner, even though they’re already gone.

"The outcome is what counts... Nerissa shut down all of her emotions."

"She keeps doing her job because she is in charge of millions of ocean creatures, but she does it with mechanical efficiency instead of real care."

"Her kids say she’s cold, distant, and going through the motions of being a mother and a ruler without any of the warmth she used to have."

Rick’s chest felt tight. "That sounds like someone who’s in a lot of pain but can’t show it because there are too many people who need them to be strong."

Zephyra’s eyes flickered, which could have meant she was surprised. "That’s an observation that I didn’t expect to be so deep."

Rick said softly, "Well... it’s from my own experience, where I know what it’s like to put up walls around yourself."

"It’s to convince yourself that no one can hurt you if you don’t let them in, but the walls don’t really keep you safe."

"They just make you feel alone while acting like you’re strong."

Carmilla squeezed his hand through their bond, sending waves of support.

"Your personal experience may actually be valuable here," Zephyra admitted. "Nerissa doesn’t respond to normal diplomacy or shows of strength."

"Nerissa has seen and done it all, and although she appears uninterested in politics, a real emotional understanding might resonate with her."

"And that... might get through to her when nothing else has."

While they were flying, the conversation went on. Zephyra told them more about the culture of the ocean, the structure of the Meridia Citadel, and the different groups of Nerissa’s hundreds of children.

Some people seemed to want their mother to open up again and connect with the world. Others had grown accustomed to her solitude and the autonomy it granted them in managing the kingdom.

As they flew farther northeast, the sky in front of them got darker and darker. What had started out as normal clouds turned into a thick layer of black that completely blocked out the sun.

"Is that even normal weather...?" Natasha asked, her analytical mind already figuring out what the weather was like.

"No," Zephyra said flatly. "That’s the storm of corruption."

Sylvia’s voice echoed back to them. "I can see lightning in those clouds."

"The lightning is purple, and it does not look natural at all!"

As they got closer to the coast, they could see the full extent of the corruption storm. It was huge, at least fifty miles across, and it was a swirling mass of black clouds with purple lightning flashing through them.

The ocean below it was churning violently, with waves crashing into each other in random ways. And from the clouds, rain fell in thick, sticky streams that looked more like oil than water.

"The corruption is literally raining from the sky," Carmilla said, and her tactical mind was already thinking about what that meant. "How do you fight something like that?"

Zephyra said, "You don’t."

"Well... not directly. The Archon’s will is keeping the storm going."

"You can only stop it by killing the Archon or messing up the anchor point he’s using to bring the corruption here."

"Or maybe finding that anchor point requires getting into the ocean," Rick guessed.

"Correct."

Through the darkness, Tidebreak came into view. Based on how many buildings there were, the port city was bigger than Rick thought it would be, with about ten thousand people living there.

But what really caught his eye was that half of the city was dark.

The storm of corruption sat right over the ocean part of Tidebreak, and its edge cut through the city like a knife. The ocean-side buildings were hit by corrupted rain, while the buildings further inland stayed dry but were covered by heavy clouds.

"There’s no sunlight at all," Liora observed, her divine senses picking up the absence of natural light. "The corruption is blocking it completely."

"Look at the ocean," Natasha said as she pointed down.

Rick looked where she was pointing and felt his stomach drop. The ocean below the storm wasn’t just rough.

It was not right. The water was purple, and there were shapes moving under the surface with big shapes, and there were a lot of them.

"Corrupted sea creatures," Zephyra said. "The storm has been going on for three days."

"Any marine life that has been caught in those waters is probably dead and corrupted by now."

Near the docks, a large object breached the surface, seemingly confirming her assertion. A huge tentacle, at least thirty feet long, hit a fishing boat and pulled it under the water.

There were screams coming from the port area.

"They’re being attacked!" Carmilla yelled. "Sylvia, take us down there right now!"

"Already working on it!" Sylvia turned sharply and dove steeply, her wings folding close to her body as she fell like a stone toward the besieged port.

Rick could see the entire chaotic scene as the creatures descended. Sea creatures of all shapes and sizes were coming out of the water and attacking anything that moved.

Sharks with an excessive number of teeth, twisted and corrupted. Octopuses wielding long, sharp tentacles resembling blades. Crabs as large as houses, their shells glinting like jagged black crystal.

And the defenders of the port were losing.

Sylvia landed in the main plaza with a bang that shook the ground. She quickly changed into a human form so the others could get off their horses.

"Go! I’ll help from the air!"

Rick leapt to the ground, his level 50 body moving with a speed and strength he was still acclimating to. Carmilla and Zara were already running toward the nearest group of evil creatures.

As Natasha figured out the best spell paths, ice began to form around her hands. Liora’s holy light flared up, ready to heal and cleanse.

And Zephyra calmly walked away from Sylvia, not at all bothered by the chaos around her. She was still gently rocking her baby to sleep.

Rick yelled back, "Zephyra! You and Sophia should get to a safe place!" Rick protested in his mind.

"What the fuck is wrong with her feeling all nonchalant like this...?!"

"And what’s worse is that his husband... what does he even do!?"

"Why didn’t he just secure Sophia in Valdris!?"

Zephyra said in the same flat voice, "I can easily figure out what safety steps are right for my child."

"You better concentrate on your own problem."

A corrupted shark-like creature with a twisted and elongated body that looked like a snake lunged out of an alley at a group of civilians who were running away.

Rick didn’t even think. He used his new skill without even thinking about it.

"Demon Queen’s Wrath!"

A huge wave of demonic energy came out of his body and hit the corrupted shark with enough force to send it flying back into a building. Part of the building fell down, burying the creature under the rubble.

[Corrupted Serpent Shark killed! +150 EXP]

Rick blinked at the message. "I thought you turned off EXP notifications, Sebastian?"

"I turned off the automatic application," Sebastian’s voice said in his head. "You still get alerts for each kill."

"Just look at your status menu to see your total later."

"Aight! Understood!"