Chapter 1544: Grab Your Guitar And Sing, Emily
-----
Arthur started to concentrate, channeling his Skills, Inner Stats, and Powers into his Dream Weapon. The Heavenly Spear of Yin and Yang grew more powerful, larger, and longer, overflowing with the essence of heaven and earth he had accumulated.
Emily was amazed. She could clearly feel the immense power and potential that Arthur had. Compared to him, what was she even? No, compared to everyone else, what was she? Everyone was using their full power, unleashing their new strength or awakening new powers and forms like Alma.
And yet, what did she have? It felt like Emily had already used everything she had. She had fully developed her armor, learned how to shapeshift it at will, enlarge it, regenerate it, and more. She even learned how to empower and use the lightning energy it generated, now reaching its limits to the point where it felt like she wielded thunder like a magician would.
But that was it. She had mastered how to wield it even. However, now that she had nothing else to master, what could she even do?
"I... what else can I even do?"
Just using her Thunder Dragon Fists all the time didn’t feel right for her, and it felt like this time it wouldn’t work as effectively either, as the monster would be better prepared for her attack.
Then what else? What could she release? Was there nothing? Nothing at all? Not a single thing that she could release from her right now?
"I..."
As she tried to remember, her eyes widened. A memory passed through her mind, followed by several more memories one by one. These were the memories of her living in that Nightmare World where she was trapped as a child. There was a power in that Nightmare World that she had awakened, an incredible ability that she remembered turned the tables of battle as well. But that she felt she could use now?
"But that power, that guitar, is it really? Can I do it?"
Her eyes widened. The only thing left in her heart which she had not used was this memory, this love for her guitar, for her aunt, for her passion for music. It had been years since she abandoned such a stupid dream of becoming a musician, but after having gone through her childhood again and everything, and even having played that guitar to help everyone else in that place, she came to the realization that perhaps this was what was missing within her.
She had yet to fully embrace her entire self, who she truly was.
Emily knew what to do now. Blades? Axes? Hammers? Gauntlets? Although she could make all of those using her armor’s metal technically, none of them attracted her. No, the only thing she wanted, what her fingers wanted...
The metal of her armor rapidly started to transform, taking on a peculiar form, a shape that Emily had thought long forgotten. It quickly took that shape, but it became sharper and more modern, aligning well with her new self, not her past self. She was both embracing these dreams but also letting them evolve with her.
The instrument she created continued gaining more and more detail, as lightning started coming from it.
Her fingers moved on their own, touching her instrument.
T R U U U M !
A single note released an explosion of lightning like nothing ever before.
Yes
Emily trembled, her eyes widened. That was it! This whole time... How could she have never realized it was right in front of her?
"Aunt..."
She smiled, closing her eyes. To create this, Emily had lost most of her armor, which only now covered her shoulders, arms, legs, and a bit over her head. And of course, wings. With them, she could now soar whenever she wanted.
She smiled, facing the giant. The monstrous Hydra that Celes and Alma created faced the Original Nightmare Curse, shaking his body as his breath attack was rapidly consumed.
"No! I won’t lose!"
He roared, manifesting nightmare crystals around his body, letting them grow as much as possible, until he assembled a massive arm with sharp claws, destroying Alma and Celes’s Magic and then reaching them both.
CRAAASH!
"Ugh!"
"Agh!"
Both were pushed back with an immense blow. Alma gritted her teeth, her aura continuously growing, as the water of the sea was fed into her ability, letting her manifest more arms made of water, punching through the monstrous gigantic arm of the Nightmare Curse’s Avatar.
"Celes!" Alma called.
"On it!" Celes roared.
His trident manifested, growing larger and larger by absorbing the sea water, becoming utterly titanic. Alma’s many arms grabbed it, pushing it forward and beginning to pierce through the titan’s crystalline claws.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
At the same time, the Kaiju roared, firing yet another beam just as they were fighting his aberrant arm. Alma quickly manifested more magic. Thousands of floating ice shields appeared around everyone, as the beam started being reflected by them.
"UOOOOHHH!"
Alma roared with Celes, as both did their best to defend everyone and protect the city from more destruction, but could they really do it? No, not alone.
TRUUUM!
In that moment of despair, everyone suddenly heard something: a music note. An electric guitar began to play, as Emily appeared above everyone else, looking down while playing her guitar.
"Emily?"
Alma looked in disbelief, noticing her friend now carrying a weapon like nothing she had ever seen before. No, rather, she did see her playing a guitar before, but it was never for this.
"A guitar?" Arthur was confused, he didn’t know what to think, really.
"This is the song of my soul, of my dreaming heart!"
Emily screamed. The people beneath saw her singing, those cowering in fear, the students fighting until they started coughing blood from overexerting themselves. Even Maria above, fighting without end against the monstrous Original Curse.
Everyone heard her song.
Her music.
Her lyrics.
The lyrics of her heart.
The music of her soul!
-----