Once he was sure Jones had left, Loa descended slowly to the edge of the frozen sea and looked toward Mingde and the others on shore. "How is everyone? No one hurt?"
Loa had exceptionally sharp eyesight. He had spotted them reaching shore in the Ice Ship from far away, which was why he had dared to strike Turtle Island with such force.
Most of Mingde's group had injuries, but everyone was accounted for. Loa only asked because Mingde looked rather dejected.
Minnie glanced at her brother, who had taken a crushing blow to his confidence, and answered for him. "We're fine. They're holding Drake, though. Sorry, Loa. The mission failed."
"As long as everyone's safe. One Drake isn't going to cause much trouble."
That was for the others' benefit. Loa and Minnie both knew they could never have brought Drake back. Hearing Loa's words, Mingde looked up and pointed uncertainly at the frozen sea.
"They survived an attack like that?! Are they monsters?!"
Mingde's shock was understandable. From where he stood, the attack Loa had just unleashed looked powerful enough to wipe everything out.
The frozen sea stretched endlessly into the distance, a vast expanse of white. An impact that powerful should have raised waves at least a hundred meters high—a terrible danger to the shoreline.
But Loa's terrifying freezing Magic had left the sea without so much as a ripple. Apart from the towering iceberg where Ice Dragon's Roar had struck directly, the broad expanse looked like a bowl of ice cream turned upside down, utterly smooth.
Even with his limited strength, Mingde could tell the freezing had not stopped at the surface. It had reached deep into the sea.
And yet!
They had survived an attack that terrifying?!
"So they got away?" Mingde's face darkened, defeat heavy