From an outsider’s perspective…
“What…”
“…the…”
“…hell?”
This entire battle, this entire day, had just been escalation after escalation.
First came a tidal wave filled with enemies, then came an elite squad of warriors with stolen kaijin body parts and then the force responsible for both of these incidents , decided to bring back an ancient weapon that almost destroyed Undertow centuries ago.
Many people caught up in this mess wanted nothing more than hide somewhere safe and wait for it to all blow over.
As for those caught in the middle of all this noise willingly, as a participant in this battle, they were now stunned silent as they beared witness to back-to-back monstrosities appearing one after the other.
After the [Shadow Sovereign] showed up, the guardian of Undertow had transformed into a giant turtle and had begun to use its body to defend the city from the former’s devastating breath attack.
But then, shortly after that…something weird started to happen.
High above the two clashing giants, a vortex of energy had started to form without warning or any indication.
The observers of both this conflict and this vortex assumed that the latter was caused by the former.
It was a known fact that when incredibly powerful aether warriors or Aether Beast Kings collided with one another, natural disasters had a tendency to occur.
However, this was…different.
The longer the observers stared at the vortex, the more and more they started to see little details that made it clear it wasn’t a consequence of the colliding giants.
Instead, it was being created by not one, but two unusual sources of power.
“What…what the hell am I sensing?”
“I don’t know…but it reminds me of the matriarch…”
“No way man, this feels at least…a thousand times more ancient.”
“Man… I’m retiring from the army after this shit…”
“Yeah…wait a minute, are those eyes?”
Eventually, the people continued to watch the vortex turn, they started to notice that it was actually a pair of ancient monsters dancing around each other while encased in a dark shroud.
Which led them to ask themselves this one simple question.
What kind of monsters were able to cause such a reaction.
… Insider’s POV…
‘Step here…step there…do a spin here and a counter-spin there…’
Neither Zhen Liu nor Jin Fang could say a word as they focused all of their energy into performing these unusual techniques of theirs.
Every step had to be precise, every swing of their tridents had to be flawless.
Well, technically it didn’t have to be in order to execute the attack in general, but to bring out the full power of these new sets of theirs, it was better to be as precise as possible.
Especially, when they were using something that fell out of the usual category of aether arts.
‘Jump here…’
Corporeal aether arts required maneuvering the aether in one’s body to empower certain limbs and features. The changes made by these arts were limited, based on the physical capabilities of the user.
Ethereal aether arts required shaping internal aether into taking a specific form before expelling it outward. The changes created by these arts were temporary, fading back into aether once completed.
World aether arts manipulated both external and internal aether into creating effects that changed the environment to follow specific rules. The changes made by these arts tended to be a bit more consequential, causing changes to the environment in ways that would take weeks to years to return to normalcy.
Universe aether arts manipulated external aether exclusively, and changed the rules of reality in a specific spot entirely. By becoming the center of stability, an aether warrior is able to change the environment in a permanent fashion.
[Chaos] arts were all of the above and a stack of pancakes, because a practitioner needed to not only change the world around them, but themselves in the process without losing themselves.
‘Now lean here…’
When an aether art is used, the user serves as an anchor of stability for reality defying effects.
This was why when an aether warrior eventually reaches a certain level of cultivation, they’ll physically stop aging altogether.
It’s hard to maintain a level of [Stability] when one of the most universal aspects of change is occurring in one’s body, after all.
[Chaos] arts, on the other hand, demand that the user be able to change who they are on the most fundamental level, but without losing who they are at the same time.
This was a lot harder than it sounded, as someone of the forces channeled through this channeling can be a bit…overwhelming.
The only beings capable of being able to fully leverage [Chaos] arts without possibly losing themselves entirely were the Kaijin, and that’s because they were made of the stuff.
Regardless, Jin Fang and Zhen Liu managed to complete most of their forms at this point and were just about to fire off their attacks.
They just needed to get into the right mindset…with a chant.
…
[I am the beast of the end, the Maelstrom that devours all. From Chaos arose creation, to Chaos all things will return. This is the dance of destruction, upon which the waves of eternity will drown all into my maw. For I am one of the Three Great Beasts, Lord of the Seas…]
…
[This dance bears the name of the primordial mother of the deep, the endless ocean in which all life both divine and mortal sprang from. The gods rose from her and call her mother, the beasts of the land, sea and sky all bow before her and every mortal life shares her ancestry. This dance is done in her name, in honor of the Primordial Water Goddess…]
…Now back to the present…
NOW!
[LEVIATHAN!]
[TIAMAT!]
RAAAAAAGGHHH!
KEEEEEEEENNN!
With roars as loud as crashing waves, Jin Fang and Zhen Liu both swung down their tridents at the same time and launched downwards a pair of equally deadly, but entirely distinctive sea monsters at the grappling Tortallion and [Shadow Sovereign].
RAAAAAAGGHHH!
The monster created by Jin Fang’s efforts appeared to be a massive sea creature that resembled a massive crocodile with an elongated body. It’s body however was composed of churning dark waters with chunks of ice acting as scales and pitch black storm clouds with lighting acting as a mane.
This beast of Jin Fang’s seemed to radiated this feeling of hunger, of rage, of…[Envy].
[Envy] for the world above that shined so brightly.
[Envy] for the creatures that could find comeradeship among others.
[Envy] for the ones that didn’t hunger.
It was a beast that was a perfect embodiment of what drove the Storm Queen to such heights.
[Envy].
KEEEEEN!
Opposite to this beast of the end, was a beast of the beginning.
With a sleek body and an angular head, the monster Zhen Liu summoned resembled an elegant sea dragon that positively radiated life.
While its body was also composed of dark water like the Leviathan, once could make out portions that seemed to glow with light, like a hydrothermal vent or schools of bioluminescent organisms.
Additionally, one could make out that many of its features were made of things such as coral, sea plants and strange sea creatures.
This was a beast that radiated no [Vice].
No [Virtue].
No other forms of desire other than pure…[Life].
A desire so simple, and yet so powerful.
GAAARRRGGGHH!
KEEEEENN!
The ancient sea monsters coiled around each other as they flew downward, resembling the dragons of yore that once descended to the lands of Valresta.
As they approached their target, the giant mechanical monster that had once slain the Storm Queen, her knights and almost her people, the two giant bears opened their maws large and wide.
“AIM FOR THE MOUTH!”
“I KNOW!”
And in the center of these massive beasts, were Jin Fang and Zhen Liu, readying their tridents for a downard plunge strike.
Whether this attack was going to be enough though was to be determined…
…
If the [Shadow Sovereign] wasn’t being grappled, it would’ve attempted to run away.
If it’s jaw hadn’t been broken, it would’ve attempted to breathe its deadly breath against the beasts.
But it could neither run nor fight, so it had no choice…but to face oblivion.
…
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the cavern as the two giant sea monsters impacted the grappling Tortallion and [Shadow Sovereign].
Waves of water and mist filled the air in the form of a mushroom cloud, making it nigh impossible for anyone to see what was going on at the impact point.
But for those who could, couldn’t believe their eyes.
Because who the hell would believe them, when they say they saw the Storm Queen herself and an ancient demon lord, piercing through the [Shadow Sovereign] like a hot knife through butter.
Not only that, but they swore they could hear joyful laughing coming out of the two of them.
Like a couple going for exciting dive off a cliff and into a beach.
