Chapter 232: Awakening 1
BOOOOM!!
Ash’s eyes widened to saucers, fixed on the distant explosion. The sheer kinetic force of the clash sent towering waves skyward.
"Shit!!"
Instinct overriding terror, she spun and sprinted inland. She felt the ground tremor, the earth groaning. She risked a look over her shoulder just as the sea, an impossible wall of water, slammed into the shoreline.
She stood a hundred miles away, panting, staring at the vast, desolate patch where the sea had been sucked away. The little island now floated, cocooned by an invisible, humming force field, a stage for a war beyond human comprehension.
BOOOOM!!!
The next clash vibrated through her bones, a shiver of cold dread running down her spine. "I wouldn’t survive a second in this fight," she muttered, the reality of Sunny’s strength hitting her.
___
[At the center of the dried up sea.]
BAM!!
A searing beam of sickly green Poison slammed into Sunny’s armored chest, sending him skidding across the dry seabed. He landed, his movements fluid, and instantly shot his gaze up at the colossal, multi-elemental dragon hovering above.
’Thank goodness I am immune to poison attacks?’ The thought was a fleeting moment of relief, a granted advantage he’d almost forgotten. He launched into the air with maximum acceleration, flying straight towards the beast.
GRRRAAAA!!
The dragon met him with an immediate blast of vivid, chaotic lightning from its maw. Sunny twisted, dodging the attack with milliseconds to spare. The instant he was nose-to-snout with the beast, he unleashed a punch: a punch focused with 100% of his Spirit Energy.
BOOOOM!!!
The pure force of the blow ripped through the air, staggering the dragon and sending its colossal body tumbling downward.
"So entertaining..." Elemental Prism murmured from her perch, a faint, unnerving smile playing on her lips.
’Should I tell him I reduced the toxicity of the poison?’ she mused. ’Does he truly think he can withstand my full venom with his current strength, or the System’s current level?’ She shook her small head, her smile remaining fixed, enjoying his struggle against a softened opponent.
BAM!!!!
Sunny stared at the crater below. Two immense, crackling wings burst from the dust cloud, and the Elemental Dragon stalked out. The only damage was a faint, hairline crack on one scale of its massive face.
"Such defense..." Sunny stared at his own armored gauntlet, the All-Changer covering his Carcharoth form. "But, its defense stat isn’t that strong. Even All-changer couldn’t deliver sufficient damage. How can I defeat it then?" He raised his head, his golden eyes fixed on Elemental Prism.
’If only my Mercenaries could fly... Or have long-range attacks... I would have a more fighting chance. Anyway, they can help with distracting this Beast!’ His mind seized on a solution of brute numbers. Sunny snapped his fingers, and a million Mercenaries—a gleaming, golden tide—snapped into existence on the dried seabed, their armor reflecting the sky.
"Oh? This is getting even more interesting," Elemental Prism said, her smile sharpening into a genuine smirk of anticipation.
GRRRAAAA!!
The Elemental Dragon roared, lunging directly at Sunny, completely ignoring the static mass of Mercenaries below.
"Now... Use all range skills!" Sunny roared, his gauntlet dissolving and reshaping itself into a powerful, serpentine bow.
He flew backward, conjured a shimmering Spirit Energy arrow, and released it at the charging Dragon. Simultaneously, the million Mercenaries obeyed, unleashing a blinding storm of coordinated long-range attacks: dark chains, concentrated lightning bolts, and exploding fireballs.
BOOOOM!!!
The focused, overwhelming assault smashed into the dragon, completely enveloping it in a mushroom cloud of multi-colored smoke and volatile energy.
’It’s still alive?’ Sunny was stunned, the rising, terrifying power within the smoke a chilling confirmation.
GRAAAAA!!!
The Dragon’s roar exploded from the smoke, not just a sound, but a deafening sonic wave that washed over the entire battlefield.
"Shit!!"
Sunny instinctively slammed his consciousness into his defenses, activating Absolute Defense, shielding himself just as the wave struck.
BAM!!!!
{162,786 Mercenaries has been destroyed.}
Sunny blinked, his gaze dropping to the ground as the system notifications began to cascade.
{261,379 Mercenaries has been destroyed.}
He watched, horrified, as thousands upon thousands of his divine-rank fighters simply shattered—golden armor and spirit energy dissolving under the raw force of the sonic blast.
’Mercenaries with the strength of a divine rank can’t even withstand a puppet’s attack?!’ The disbelief was crushing.
{592,739 Mercenaries has been destroyed.}
"More than eight hundred thousand Mercenaries got wiped out in less than twenty seconds... Am I this weak?" Sunny muttered, his gaze distant, his mind reeling from the catastrophic failure.
"We will be waiting for you, Sunny. Be safe."
Josephine’s warm words echoed. Then, the faces of Ellen, of Star, and the vulnerable image of Eldoria itself, flashed behind his eyes. His personal weakness meant their end.
"No! If I fail, my family is good as dead! I won’t fail!!!!"
The shame, the desperation, and the fierce love coalesced into a single, explosive power.
BOOOOM!!!!
A dense, unprecedented surge of Spirit Energy erupted from Sunny, a golden shockwave that physically forced the colossal Elemental Dragon back several meters; his armor vanishing from his body.
"Oh?" Elemental Prism leaned forward, genuinely intrigued. She watched as Sunny’s Carcharoth fur didn’t just glow, it became a blazing, radiant gold. His claws elongated further, crackling with restrained energy, and a confident, almost predatory smirk finally curved his lips.
{Congratulations! Master Unlocked the full potential of Jormungandr’s bloodline skill.}
Sunny clenched his fist, the power thrumming through his golden form. His eyes, fixed on the retreating Dragon, were no longer filled with panic, but with focused intent.
"Let’s have a good fight." He spoke. He didn’t wait; he knew the answer now. Vortexes of churning, dark energy tore open behind him, spinning violently, ready to swallow the world.
"I already won." He declared, the statement not a boast, but a quiet, chilling certainty.
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[Sunny has unlocked a new level of power through desperation. What new strategies or abilities will his "full potential of Jormungandr’s skill" grant him against the Elemental Dragon?... LoL.]