CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER_41 THE TWIN WARLORDS

The freezing mist from the dragons was seconds away from hitting Aldrich and Freya.But then the water moved.

All of it.

Every drop of moisture in the snow below the wall rose into the air. It spiraled upward like a tornado very fast. The water formed a massive shield. Fifty feet tall. Twenty feet wide. Hovering between the dragons and the tower.

The freezing mist hit the water shield.Steam exploded. Mist and vapor filled the air. The cold tried to freeze the water solid.But it couldn’t.The dragons pulled up from their dive. They circled back into the sky.

Aldrich stared at the water shield. Then looked down at the base of the wall.Two women stood there. Hands raised. Controlling the water with perfect precision. They were Astrid and Ingrid Frostborn,The Twin Warlords.

Astrid stood on the left. Ingrid stood on the right. They looked exactly the same. But their energy was completely different.

General Bjorn’s voice boomed from the wall. "ABOUT TIME! HANDLE THE KRAKEN AND THE MAMMOTHS!"

Astrid glanced at her sister. "You heard the General."

Ingrid’s smile widened. "Finally. I thought we’d never get to play."

Both twins stepped forward and vanished only to reappear ontop the wall.The water shield dissolved. But the water didn’t fall. It stayed in the air. Orbiting around them like planets around a sun.

Astrid spoke. Her voice was clear and Commanding. "Library of the Tideborn."

Ingrid spoke at the same time. Same words. Same tone. Perfect synchronization. "Library of the Tideborn."

Blue light erupted from both of them.The water around them that floated was coated with blue essence and then they moved.

Astrid raised her right hand.Her palm facing the Frozen Kraken.The massive creature was still attacking the wall. Its tentacles smashed stone. Grabbed soldiers. Pulled them screaming into the air.

Astrid’s eyes narrowed. "You’re in my domain now."

She clenched her fist.The Kraken stopped.Its tentacles froze mid swing. Not from ice.But From something else.The Kraken’s body was made of frozen water. But inside that ice, there was still liquid. Still movement. Still flow.And Astrid controlled that perfectly.

She spoke quietly. "Library Art:Liquid Binding."

The Kraken’s entire body shuddered. Its tentacles twisted. Contorted. Like something inside was fighting against it.Because something was.Astrid was manipulating the water inside the creature’s body. Controlling it and forcing it to obey her will, it was similar to blood bending but this was different she had to ability to manipulate water in whatever has it.

The Kraken’s tentacles slowly turned. Away from the wall. Away from the soldiers.Toward the Ice Wolves.

Astrid smiled coldly. "Good boy. Now kill your friends."

The Kraken’s tentacles lashed out.They smashed into the pack of Ice Wolves. Crushed them. Grabbed them. Threw them across the battlefield.The wolves howled in confusion. They didn’t understand. The Kraken was supposed to be on their side.But it wasn’t anymore.

Astrid controlled it completely.On the wall, soldiers stared in shock.

One whispered, "She’s... controlling the monster."

Another said, "The Tideborn library. I’ve heard stories, but I never thought"

General Bjorn cut them off. "STOP STARING AND KEEP FIGHTING!"

Meanwhile, Ingrid was laughing. And then she noticed as ,Three massive shapes moved across the snow toward the wall. They were the Glacier Mammoths.

Each one was the size of a house. Twenty feet tall. Covered in thick white fur and ice armor. Tusks as long as spears. Eyes shining blue. Each step they took shook the ground.They were charging. Building speed. Planning to ram the wall and If they hit, the wall would crack. Maybe collapse even.

Ingrid raised both hands. Her smile never faded.

"My turn." She said

Water rose around her.It formed into dozens of spinning spheres. Each one the size of a human head.She looked at the charging mammoths.

"You know, I’ve always wondered something. What happens when you boil water inside a living creature?"

Astrid looked at her sister. "Ingrid, don’t"

"Too late!"

Ingrid thrust her hands forward.The water spheres shot toward the three mammoths. Very fast.They hit.The spheres didn’t explode. They didn’t freeze. They dissolved. And Sank into the mammoths’ bodies. Through fur. Through skin into their blood.

And then Ingrid clenched her fists.The water inside the mammoths began to heat.The creatures’ eyes went wide. They screamed.Steam poured from their mouths. From their noses and from their ears.

Their blood was boiling and there bodies began to swell up rapidly.Ingrid twisted her hands.The water inside them froze.Then boiled again.Then froze, she was literally toying with them.The mammoths collapsed. All three at once. Their bodies exploded, due to build up steam from boiling within. They died instantly.

Their bodies particles began to dissolve into mist. Like all monsters did when killed.Ingrid lowered her hands.while still smiling.

"That answered my question."

Astrid sighed. "You’re terrifying, sister."

"Thank you"

On the wall, Aldrich watched everything. His mouth was slightly open.Freya stood beside him now. Recovered enough to move.

"The Tideborn twins. They’re... different." Freya said

Aldrich nodded slowly. "That’s one word for it."

Inside his mind, Solomon spoke. "Impressive. Very impressive. That library is rare. I’ve only seen it twice in my lifetime. Both times, the wielders became legendary."

"What exactly does it do?" Aldrich thought.

"Control over water. But not just external water. They can manipulate the water inside living things. Blood. Tissue. Cells. Anything with moisture. If you have water in your body, they can kill you from the inside."

Aldrich’s eyes widened. "That’s... horrifying."

"Yes. It is. Be very glad they’re on our side."

The battlefield had changed dramatically.The Kraken was killing Ice Wolves by the dozen.

The mammoths were dead.The twins stood at the base of the wall. They were untouched and unbothered.But the battle wasn’t over.

One Frost Dragon still circled above. The other had recovered from Aldrich’s attack. Its torn wing was regenerating slowly . But visibly.But despite that, the giants were still climbing.

General Bjorn roared. "PUSH THEM BACK DO NOT LET THEM ESTABLISH A FOOTHOLD"

But more giants were climbing over,two, then three, and more.The wall was being overrun.

Freya turned to Aldrich. "We have to help. Now."

Aldrich nodded. His essence was still low. But he could fight.He manifested his light sword.Freya raised her hands. Water gathered around her again.They moved together.

Freya’s ice serpent reformed. Larger this time. Forty feet in length. Its crystalline body shined in the light.It launched forward. Struck a Frost Giant in the chest. The giant staggered. Fell backward off the wall.Aldrich ran toward another giant. Used Speed of Hermes to close the distance instantly.

He slashed at the giant’s leg. The light sword cut deep. The giant’s leg cracked,broke, It fell to one knee.Aldrich jumped. Used the giant’s bent leg as a step. Leaped higher, and slashed across the giant’s neck.

The head separated from the body.Both parts fell. Dissolved into mist.But there were too many.For every giant they killed, two more climbed up.The soldiers were exhausted. Some Injured.The twins were handling the ground forces. But they couldn’t reach the wall.

The dragons were preparing to dive again.And then, in the distance, something rumbled.It was thunder, which caugh Everyone attention everyone looked up.

Dark clouds were forming.Lightning crackled inside them. Yellow and white.General Bjorn walked to the front of the wall. He moved slowly. Like he had all the time in the world.He stopped at the edge. Looked out at the battlefield.

At the dragons. At the giants. At the endless monsters.He raised one hand to the sky.Lightning struck his palm from above,It didn’t hurt him. It gathered there.His eyes began to shine, giving electric blue.

Energy crackled around his entire body. His white beard blew in the wind created by his own power.Soldiers stopped fighting on the wall and stared.

Freya whispered,

"He’s actually doing it. The General is entering the battle."

Aldrich felt the power radiating from Bjorn. It was immense. Inside his mind, Solomon spoke quietly.

"That old man... he’s stronger than I thought."

Bjorn’s voice boomed across the battlefield. Amplified by thunder itself.

"ENOUGH OF THIS."

He thrust his hand forward.The lightning in his palm exploded outward. It formed into a weapon.A massive double headed battle axe.The handle was wrapped in leather. The blades were pure crackling electricity.

Lightning arced off it constantly. The air around it hummed with power.Bjorn gripped the axe with both hands.And then he jumped off the wall.Fifty feet down.He fell like a meteor.And when he hit the ground, the impact created a shockwave. Snow exploded outward. Ice cracked in a 30 foot radius, few giants that were beside him were caught within his charged lightning formed and they were instantly eliminated just by the sheer force of the lightning that caught them and electrocuted.The General has finally entered the battle .