Chapter 233: Awakening 2
GRAAAAA!!
The Elemental Dragon, enraged by the swarm of tiny attackers, let out a furious roar and shot toward Sunny with pure, devastating killing intent.
BOOOOM!!
Pillars of concentrated Spirit Energy erupted from each of the swirling vortexes behind Sunny, slamming into the beast and forcing its charge to halt. The dragon shook its massive head, momentarily stunned, but before it could retaliate, countless spatial Gateways flickered open around its body. Mercenaries, renewed and relentless, lunged out, instantly clinging to the beast’s scales and slashing madly.
"How many Mercenaries are under his command?" Elemental Prism murmured, watching the dragon desperately try to shake off the persistent, golden swarm. Her eyes were alight with analytical fascination.
"Hmm..." She turned her head, searching for the source of the commands, and frowned. The space where Sunny had been was empty.
"Where is that kid?"
WHOOSH!!
A sudden, unstable Gateway tore open directly behind her. Sunny, cloaked in golden light, burst out, bringing the razor edge of his All-Changer down in a devastating arc.
"....?!"
BOOOOM!!!
The attack sliced through the air and the ancient tree branch, leaving a clean stump. Elemental Prism, however, had vanished a hair’s breadth before the blow landed.
"Fufufu... I should be angry at you for destroying my beloved tree, but I can’t." She reappeared ten meters away, floating effortlessly. Her voice was pure, delighted music.
"And why is that?!" Sunny yelled, his body still tense from the missed attack.
"Because I have never been so entertained in my life! I am so happy!" she laughed, an eerie, beautiful sound, as pristine water began to coil and swirl around her body.
"You want to fight me... Okay then, come and give it a second try."
Hearing the challenge, Sunny vanished again, utilizing his space-jumping ability to appear directly behind her. He swung his sword, aiming for the lethal strike, but felt an immediate, jarring sensation: his attack slowed down.
BAM!!!
Before the blade could touch her, the coiling waters around Prism solidified into a fist and smashed into Sunny, sending him tumbling backward.
"This?" Sunny looked up, confusion warring with frustration. He knew his speed, yet the attack had been inexplicably sluggish.
Elemental Prism turned to face him, the smile still in place. "Attacking from behind? You are truly amazing."
"What slowed me down?!" he roared.
"Why don’t you attack and find out again?" she challenged, her voice dripping with playful malice.
Sunny grimaced. Hesitation was deadly, but blind repetition was foolish. His sword transformed into a sleek Desert Eagle. He took aim and fired.
He watched the trajectory. The bullet shot forward with immense velocity, but with every distance it covered, the speed seemed to visibly, unnaturally decrease. The moment it reached Elemental Prism, it simply stalled, hovered, and dropped harmlessly to the ground.
"...?!" Sunny was speechless.
"You? You are using the wind?" Sunny muttered in sudden, awful realization.
"I thought you were dumb," she said with a mocking flick of her wrist. "Yep. I want to see how you bypass the wind with that space jump of yours."
Fire erupted and began to spin, merging perfectly with the invisible manipulation of the air, and water.
"Just surrender, Sunny... You can’t defeat me." Elemental Prism ascended higher, looking down.
"Before ultimate strength, all strategies and manipulation are useless! Before endless strength! You are nothing but a bug that can be crushed!"
"That’s why I need you!" Sunny yelled, his purpose rock solid. "Merge with me! And we both will be invincible!"
"Defeat me first, Sunny! I can’t give up my life for nothing!" She said, her tone suddenly turning deeply serious.
’What does she mean by that?’
{Master, Elemental Prism will have to burn her consciousness, and what is left, which is her core, will be merged with you... Altering your own core. Meaning... She will die before the merge.}
"....?!"
Sunny blinked, the truth hitting him with the force of his own attacks. ’That’s why Leonardo said I should defeat her.’
He nodded, the fight changing from a duel to a morbid, necessary sacrifice.
"Okay, Prism... I will fight you to the very end! I don’t care how long it’ll take." He tightened his grip on the Desert Eagle.
"You want a show! I will put up a show!" Sunny roared, vanishing instantly. He reappeared a split second later a foot closer to her and released a shot.
’I must get close to her before attacking! Her wind manipulation skill is even stronger than slow Curse! I just need to deliver a hit on her! Even if it’s the smallest hit!’ He thought, his strategy shifting entirely to short-range teleportation bursts.
BAM!!
A wave of both fire and water combined and struck him just as his attack started to slow, throwing him back before he could fire.
’I am still breathing because she doesn’t want to kill me... Unless, I would be dead by now. I don’t know her reasons, and I don’t care. All I know is, I must reach her!"
He grumbled, immediately launching himself forward again, forcing his mind to ignore the battlefield behind him.
{1,575,829 Mercenaries has been destroyed.}
’I don’t care how many dies!! Drop everything on that Dragon!! Nothing must interfere with my fight!!’ Sunny yelled the command mentally, then unleashed another wave of energy toward Elemental Prism, which she casually shattered with a mere wave of her hand.
She stood still, hands folded behind her, her gaze fixed on Sunny, who was constantly reappearing and sending desperate attacks.
"She can deflect all my attacks! Even my sneak attacks through space are all detected and destroyed before even getting ten meters from her! Between her and the Great Mother, who’s the strongest?" Sunny muttered, a cold sweat running down his temples.
Elemental Prism’s playful amusement instantly evaporated. Her face went taut, a shadow of genuine anger and dread crossing her features.
"Great Mother? How did you come in contact with such a person?" she demanded, the atmosphere around her freezing.
"She is the one attacking my world!" Sunny yelled, staring up at her, sensing the shift in her mood.
"If the Great Mother is after your world, then it is deemed destroyed... forget about it. Even with me... you won’t stand a chance," she admitted, her voice hollowed by fear.
"I am not fighting her, but her fragment!" Sunny pointed out desperately.
"Fragment? Why would the Great Mother’s fragment be in the lower world?" she muttered to herself, her eyes flickering with frantic calculation. She stared at Sunny, the pieces clicking into place.
"She is there because of you, right?" she accused.
".....?!"
Sunny’s eyes widened, his defense crumbling at the implication.