Chapter 1541: The Power Of The Sea
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BOOOMMM!!!
The powerful Atomic Breath of the Avatar of the Original Nightmare Curse struck everyone, shaking the city’s foundations and shattering the pavement of dozens of streets. Buildings collapsed one after another as a tremor reverberated across the entire island.
Although Sofia and Martina had defeated one of the Avatars, its Soul Fragments remained uneradicated. They flew toward the Nightmaresaur-like Avatar, fusing with it and empowering it further, enabling it to evolve into a Kaiju-type Nightmaresaur capable of destroying the entire city.
The Original Nightmare Curse wasted no time, aiming to raze the city and annihilate as many as possible to absorb their powers and gain an advantage against Maria and her allies, who were steadily pushing it back toward its demise.
Its attack was immensely powerful, but to its surprise, those it aimed to disintegrate stood alive amidst the gray cloud of ashes.
Surrounding them was a towering wall of flowing oceanic water and ice, fused into a single powerful Divine Dream Domain, a creation born from the synergy of Celes’ Divine Spiritual Magic and Alma’s Evolved Dream Weapon.
"Haaa... Haaa... Haaa..."
Alma gasped, her powers fluctuating. She gritted her teeth, having just accomplished something extraordinary. Everyone had thought the attack would destroy them all, yet she and Celes had stopped it.
Her energy felt strange, however. Although she was certain her reserves were nearly depleted, she felt them replenishing faster than ever, as if she were tapping into a deeper power than she had ever imagined possible.
These changes manifested in her body. Her pink hair grew longer, with blue tips at the ends. Gill-like growths appeared on her ears, and blue scales spread across her hands, arms, neck, and part of her face.
This transformation had occurred before, and Alma had been terrified, but she now realized these changes were tied to the hidden power within Undine, the staff she wielded as her Dream Weapon. She began to sense a deeper force within her.
Her shock intensified when a long, scaled tail emerged from her back!
"Alma! W-We did it! Whew, that was really huge!" Celes said, eyeing Alma with surprise. The boy gripped his Trident tightly, his own Dream Weapon, born from a Ghoul Spear Maria had given him. It had mutated into this trident after absorbing his elemental powers, becoming his Dream Heart Weapon.
"Yes, thank you for helping out, Celes..." Alma muttered, realizing she had no time to dwell on her changes. "But I guess this isn’t over yet. We barely survived... Is everyone okay back there?!"
She glanced behind her, spotting Arthur and Emily. Both were mostly unharmed, though slightly wounded and covered in ashes. Celes, aware of Alma’s low energy, quickly healed them with a splash of Divine Spiritual Water.
SPLASH!
"Yeah, we’re fine... Ugh, did you have to splash us with cold water?" Emily wondered, sighing. "Eh?! I’m healed!"
"Yes, this is Celes’ Magic," Arthur explained, feeling revitalized. "He can heal like Alma... He’s remarkably talented for his age."
"Hahaha, well, two healers... We’d better beat that thing then," Emily said, glancing skyward.
"YOU LIVE?! WELL, NOT FOR LONG!"
The Kaiju-sized Avatar of the Original Nightmare Curse roared as its foot rushed down toward them! Emily and Arthur stared at the sky, wondering how they could defeat such a behemoth.
But hadn’t they battled giant beings before? When they explored the depths of this planet’s hollow core, giant Nightmare Beasts roamed everywhere.
They had fought them, hunted them, and grown stronger in the process...
They couldn’t let fear undermine their conviction or determination.
They had done this before, and they were certain they could do it again...
"So what’s the plan, Arthur?" Emily asked, smiling defiantly at their impending doom.
"My only plan is to evade that and then climb that monster, attacking it with everything we’ve got," Arthur said, summoning a giant specter from his Aura. This was the Undead his sister had gifted him, with which he had formed a contract. "Igris, give me your power!"
"Yes, master," Igris said. The giant Legion Specter infused his essence into Arthur, encasing him in armor of bones, black steel, and spectral energies, amplifying his strength. "Let’s go, Emily! Alma! Celes!"
Arthur led the group as they swiftly regrouped. Emily donned her armor, covering her body once more and sprouting metallic wings, which she used to soar into the sky. Alma and Celes followed closely, each floating within water bubbles propelled by their Magic.
CRAAASH!
The Kaiju’s foot slammed into the ground beneath them, shaking the entire city. Arthur gazed at the titan before them, towering hundreds of meters tall...
"DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE YOU STAND A CHANCE NOW?! I’VE BECOME TOO BIG FOR YOU MEASLY LITTLE ANTS TO HURT ME! YOU ARE NOT LIKE THOSE OTHERS; YOU DON’T POSSESS SUCH POWER!"
The Original Nightmare Curse laughed, comparing them to Maria and her allies, who were indeed immensely powerful, capable of easily defeating beings far larger than themselves.
But was it truly the same for Arthur, Alma, Emily, and Celes?
Before this monstrosity... could they really do anything?!
"Maybe you’re not wrong at that but...!" Celes said, glancing behind him as the seas trembled. "We got the ocean."
"WHAT?!"
RUMBLE!
Celes’ eyes shone bright blue as his Dream Aura and Divine Spirit Aura merged. Alma and the others witnessed the boy unleash his true power. They sensed something—a faint Divine Ember, or perhaps the spark of one, blazing with blue light.
With this power, the boy pointed his small hands at the ocean, which churned violently, summoning an immense volume of water! It resembled a gigantic tsunami that could drown the entire island, yet it targeted only the Kaiju.
"{Divine Ocean’s Wrath}!"
With a furious roar, Celes unleashed the power he had honed all this time. The Original Nightmare Curse gasped in disbelief as a massive wave struck it with tremendous force. Celes kept screaming, commanding his power and the seas to unleash their might.
SPLAAAASH!
"GUUUAAAHHHHH?!"
The gigantic Kaiju screamed, steadily pushed back. Its eyes widened as the barrier drew closer... if it was thrown beyond the barrier, Maria and her allies would catch it and destroy it swiftly!
It couldn’t let them reach it yet! It had not yet grown stronger! With all its might, the Evil God roared, resisting Celes’ magic with everything it had. Yet Celes persisted, raising his left hand as another massive tsunami surged forth.
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