The God of Water (3)
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
The ascent begins.
This isn’t just a simple leap into the air; it’s a sensation on a whole different level.
The vast expanse of land, rejecting the very environment of being underwater, pushes aside the immense weight of the sea and surges toward the surface.
“Ugh…!”
Dalen, standing at the boundary of this collision, staggers momentarily from the sudden dizziness.
Even his extraordinary sense of balance, far surpassing that of a human, couldn’t shield him from the shock of worlds colliding.
Rumble!
The acceleration continues to build.
Breaking free from the pressure of the deep sea.
Only then does Dalen regain his composure and look down at the scene beneath his feet.
What supported him was a vast expanse of eternal frost.
[It resembles the landscape of the Frostbite Hall.]
A voice spoke from beyond his mind.
[This is a scene that doesn’t exist in your domain. When did you acquire this power?]
“Charina gave it to me.”
[Charina? How… No, it must be the power of the well. I had noticed the malevolent energy corrupting the tree had weakened recently, but I didn’t realize it was for this reason…]
The ancient dragon muttered to herself, lost in thought.
Dalen left her to her musings and surveyed the land surging toward the sea surface.
A vast, snow-covered tundra, whipped by blizzards.
It was the landscape he had witnessed in front of the Well of Reversal after the northern war had ended.
The frozen sky Charina had forged beyond the mind, and the snowy plains and ancient castle beneath it.
The ruler of the north, a monarch who dedicated her life to honing her will to protect her people.
Even after a desperate end in the battle with Suum, her will remained unbroken.
Instead of resting in peace after death, she had come to Dalen, passing on her strength and resolve.
‘Heh, I’ve received plenty of bribes, but this is the first time I’m giving one.’
Her laughter echoed faintly in his mind before fading away.
What was the source of such noble character, enduring even after her body had been shattered?
As he recalled his fallen comrades, the light above grew stronger by the moment.
From a single beam piercing the deep sea darkness to a dull shadow illuminating the shallow continental shelf.
And then…
Splash!
Just as he thought he was nearing the surface, he found himself already bursting out of the water.
Whoosh! Swoosh…
The sea was replaced by land, and towering waves several meters high rose violently.
Dalen watched as the water, like liquid in a shallow dish, swayed and was then absorbed beneath the permafrost.
[What is this…]
The demon’s startled voice echoed from the subspace. Even Dalen couldn’t help but be amazed by the sight before him.
Above him stretched a night sky, but beyond it were neither the moon nor stars.
What covered the cloudless sky was a vast, shimmering expanse of water.
It was as if the entire ocean had been flipped upside down and placed above the sky.
The sea, covering the sky like a massive dome, was a bizarre sight that sent shivers down one’s spine.
[Humans are an ungrateful lot. Despite receiving everything from rivers and seas, they always look to the sky when seeking gods, those useless creatures.]
A soft splash, like stepping into shallow water.
[But I am a merciful goddess. The gentleness of rivers is to forgive rather than rebuke, and the vastness of the sea is to embrace rather than correct.]
The priestess walked through the air, now clad in blue silk instead of her white priestly robes.
The staff in her hand scattered mist-like magic, and with each barefoot step, ripples spread beneath her.
She stopped at a distance of an arrow’s flight and spoke.
[If looking to the sky for gods is the ungrateful nature of humans, then I shall become their sky myself, shall I not?]
It wasn’t a question expecting an answer. Dalen had no intention of indulging her nonsense.
He merely checked his armor, battered by the deep sea currents, and shook the water off his holy sword.
Perhaps displeased by his indifferent response, the priestess pointed a finger at his sword.
[The power in your sword… It must be the power of the Frost Throne, passed down through the bloodline of the northern czar.]
”…”
[I know you participated in the war. Did you pretend to cooperate with Charina, only to betray her at the last moment and steal her power?]
Her lips curled into a sneer, a low provocation, yet even that twisted expression appeared beautiful.
It must be the divine power within her distorting perception itself.
Dalen watched her with a blank expression, then raised his left hand.
The axe he had thrown away earlier appeared naturally in his grasp.
[You have the right to be arrogant. But as a mortal, you won’t survive against me…]
“You’re so damn talkative.”
Whoosh—
The axe sliced through the air.
Snap!
With a flick of her fingers, it shattered.
Splitting into hundreds of pieces, it surpassed the speed of sound, launching a barrage.
[Do you think mere metal can harm a god… Ugh?]
The priestess scoffed and raised a wave, but the axe moved faster.
「Resonance: Flying Sword」
「Iron Tide」
The trajectory, which seemed like a simple barrage, twisted dramatically.
Beyond ignoring speed and inertia, the axe’s path tore through space once more.
Whoosh!
In a blink, the blades crossed space dozens of times, forming a massive circle around the priestess.
As space opened and closed, a gray shadow flickered. Within that shadow, the relic axe gleamed.
The movement of the relic axe, swirling around the priestess, was like a storm of cold metallic light.
[Such blades!]
Rumble…
As the priestess roared, dozens of water streams poured from the air, pushing back the gray storm.
No matter how the axe crossed space, seeking gaps, it couldn’t overcome the layered water currents.
The assault hesitated momentarily.
But soon, the power of frost descended upon the axe, freezing the obstructing water instead of avoiding it.
Crack!
The storm of simple blades gradually transformed into a storm of sharp ice and cold.
In the midst of it, the priestess’s robe was faintly cut.
The priestess’s face twisted, but it wasn’t a one-sided assault.
While the relic axe, twisted by the mystery of the flying sword, attacked the priestess, the divine realm created by Sissela’s power began to assault Dalen.
Rumble…
The frozen ground shook violently.
The solid permafrost rippled like waves, and ripples spread everywhere as if stones had been thrown into a calm lake.
Dalen gave up trying to maintain his balance and kicked off the ground. In an instant, he soared into the sky.
Looking down from above, the bizarrely twisted terrain came into view.
Gurgle, gurgle…
A strange noise, like boiling bubbles.
The ground, swelling endlessly.
Boom!
Soon, like an old abscess bursting and spilling its contents, a massive underground water stream broke through the swollen ground.
Roar!
The approaching waterspout, its sharp tip threatening to grind both people and rocks.
Dalen swung his holy sword at the water column rising from the ground.
Crack—
The cold air from the sword’s tip instantly froze the waterspout.
Crash!
Without a moment’s respite, dozens of water columns shattered the ice pillar, opening their massive mouths like serpents to swallow the intruder.
‘Arbor.’
The moment he called the name in his mind, hundreds of chains burst from the subspace.
Clang!
Tearing through the air, they crossed the right places, wrapping around the water columns and blocking their paths.
Since returning to its original owner, Arbor, the chains imbued with frost had grown exponentially stronger.
Recently, they had even surpassed the power of Kalkas, who had wielded them skillfully for centuries.
Boom!
At that moment, a beam-like water stream crossed the sky, striking Dalen’s form.
Even though he deflected it with his holy sword, he was pushed back over dozens of meters before he could stop.
[How long do you plan to stall?]
Turning his head, he saw the priestess walking toward him, holding his axe.
While he had been dodging the water columns in the sky, she had dismantled all of Dalen’s attacks, twisted by the power of the flying sword.
She wasn’t unscathed either.
Her clothes and skin were torn by the axe’s edge, and the cold that settled into each wound began to turn her skin a necrotic shade of purple.
But the moment the water rising from the ground enveloped her body, the wounds scattered across her skin vanished as if washed away.
Twisting a thin stream of water, she crafted a new staff from the broken pieces and slowly ascended, speaking with a calm authority.
“You said you’d finish quickly in front of that wizard, but here you are, scurrying like a weasel caught in a hunter’s trap.”
”…”
“If you don’t want to die, reveal your true domain. You know well enough that the power of the Frost Throne alone won’t hold me back forever.”
The priestess aimed her staff, a wry smile playing on her lips.
She wasn’t wrong.
To counter Sisella’s power, opening up Charina’s domain through the sacred sword was undoubtedly the most effective strategy.
However, confronting a vast divine realm with just one domain was an absurd notion from the start.
Rumble…
The vast frozen tundra that had erupted from the sea was already beginning to crumble from the edges.
The horizon had long been replaced by the sea, with rough waves breaking through the crumbling earth and ice from all directions.
This wasn’t a battle to twist mysteries into a single offensive; it required pulling in multiple domains to crash into the divine realm itself.
But naturally, Dalen had no intention of doing that. He stretched his stiff shoulders and replied casually.
“Would you waste your strength on a scripted event boss that’s meant to die anyway?”
“Event… what are you talking about?”
“It’s about time.”
The priestess, who had been about to say something with a frown, suddenly fell silent.
Her gaze quickly turned toward the distant horizon.
“It’s been a while, goddess of rivers and seas.”
The voice that echoed from afar was even more delicate than the priestess’s.
Following her gaze, Dalen looked toward the horizon.
And then, from beyond his sight, a single thought pierced his mind.
“Domain Full Release: The Banquet Hall of Stars Singing Time.”
Crack…
The sea began to shatter.
The horizon split open, revealing solid ground, and the sea above shattered like glass, unveiling a dark night sky.
The pitch-black firmament was adorned with tens of thousands of stars.
Amidst the swirling, strange-colored nebulae, scattered flashes of light cast a mysterious glow over the world.
The rough waves and waterspouts resisted, but even they were swallowed by the dark night sky.
“Why… why are you here? Weren’t you unable to leave the Golden Palace?”
“If you thought that, I’m a bit hurt.”
The girl appeared without any warning.
She hadn’t run or flown from afar, nor had she burst through space.
It was as if she had always been there, as if her presence in this moment and place was the most natural thing in the world.
“Even considering the years I’ve lived, I’ve been in seclusion for far too long… but isn’t it a bit much to treat me as if I’m past my prime?”
The white-haired girl smiled.
“For a false god, you’re quite audacious.”
In the center of her eyes, which were like the universe itself, a pure white pupil gleamed.