Chapter 53: Aeron is killing the fantasy
Leviathan did not understand.
She could not comprehend why this man before her insisted on being her enemy.
She had already deciphered every thought and fear in his mind with perfect clarity. She had even presented him with terms, so why did this man still oppose her?
Moreover, there was another issue.
She knew he could wield a strange Echo and construct spatial barriers out of thin air, but none of that posed a threat.
So what if he could revive from death? She was a Threnodian, the most powerful remnant of Rinascita. With just a slight effort, she could crush this man before her over and over again.
That should have been the case.
The mermaid concentrated her own frequency, and the surrounding scenery immediately corroded and distorted. The Dark Tide, capable of eroding all things, surged toward Aeron.
Yet Aeron merely waved his left hand, and the Dark Tide dissipated into formless waves within his palm.
"Old hag, your attacks are the most useless!"
Aeron didn't even bother to dodge. With "Arsène" by his side, he charged toward Leviathan again and again, relentlessly forcing her to reposition.
"Imagine Breaker," or as the System more bluntly called it, 'Materialist's Left Hand,' was Aeron's countermeasure against Leviathan.
As the name implied, it erased "illusions," rendering them null and turning them into reality. As long as the opponent didn't engage in direct physical combat, he could negate all effects. Wasn't this far more overpowered than Underworld Barrier Wave?
His opponent was a Threnodian who spread spiritual plagues through faith. Without a vessel to possess, she had almost no physical offensive capabilities. It was a perfect counter, wasn't it?
The only regret was that if his left hand were severed, nothing extraordinary would emerge to back him up. Truly a pity.
Still, it was more than enough.
Aeron pressed forward step by step. With seemingly effortless waves of his hand, he dismantled the Dark Tide and frequencies released by Leviathan.
"What... what are you?!"
Leviathan's voice was no longer ethereal; it carried a chill of offense and a trace of impatience.
"Just an ordinary passing priest, remember this well—Persona!"
As he spoke, "Arsène" charged forward once again, its dark claws lunging toward Leviathan.
But what kind of deck did Aeron use? What kind of deck did Leviathan use? This was an image born from the fears in his heart. How could Leviathan, a Threnodian, possibly fall to his hands?
The next moment, an immense Dark Tide spread out from behind the mermaid, transforming into droplets that showered toward Aeron like bullets.
"Oh? Not running away, but coming closer to me?!"
As expected of a Threnodian, she had quickly identified Aeron's weakness. But this level of attack was nowhere near enough to stop him!
"Arsène" halted its movement, positioning itself in front of Aeron. With lightning-fast movements, it swung its claws, deflecting every single Dark Tide bullet.
And the opening Leviathan sought was precisely this moment—if she could infiltrate his mind, she could still make him her own!
After all, he was a member of Rinascita. She should still be able to read his thoughts!
"Muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda—Wryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!"
"???"
The next moment, Leviathan's mind was filled with question marks.
How could she not know that Rinascita had such a character? What kind of soldier had the Order of the Deep brought out?
"This is the beautiful and healthy mental state of modern youth. You should learn from it!"
"Guh... pointless struggle!"
Leviathan reined in her exposed emotions. Since erosion and frequencies were ineffective against this man with his bizarre abilities...
Then she would use a more "realistic" approach. Though it was not her forte, gathering the accumulated faith and fear in this place to simulate a tangible impact would suffice.
Within Aeron's bounded field, the radiant "seawater" began to stir.
Countless tiny black bubbles emerged from the void, rapidly swelling and merging. Schools of fish, condensed from malice and faith, materialized and launched attacks, encircling Aeron from all directions to execute a pincer assault.
"Haha, I don't eat seafood."
In response, "Arsène" instantly returned to defend, its claws swinging into a black curtain, severing the first few tentacles that lunged forward. But more and more tentacles surged endlessly.
After blocking a portion, even more schools of fish bypassed the defense line, charging toward Aeron.
Yet, just as they were about to make contact with him, they were intercepted by tendrils extending from the side, rapidly withering and disintegrating, reverting to dissipating black mist.
"You... are truly full of surprises."
Cantarella slowly approached Aeron's side. The surrounding vibrant coral clusters swayed gently, emitting a softer glow. Schools of fluorescent fish gathered, swirling around Aeron and Cantarella, forming a flowing band of light.
Simultaneously, above the two, beneath the shimmering "sea surface," a massive and elegant figure slowly descended.
It was a jellyfish. A jellyfish so immense it could only be described as "magnificent," gracefully expanding and contracting.
The tentacles hanging from its bell flowed with a faint interweaving of purple and deep blue light. At the apex of its bell rested a crown woven from black thorns and pale bone spikes.
"Holy shit..."
Aeron looked up at the beautiful entity that occupied nearly half the bounded field's sky, expressing his awe with his limited vocabulary.
"This is a landscape we built together. Naturally, we cannot let outsiders ruin the mood."
Cantarella softly explained, her gaze tenderly fixed on Aeron.
"Now, it's time to send our guest off."
Cantarella gave a slight nod, her eyes sharpening. The thorny crown atop the jellyfish's head grew even more radiant. From beneath its bell, a softer glow emanated, and more jellyfish poured forth.
Endless War God, emerge!
The jellyfish descended around Cantarella and Aeron, transforming into humanoid figures—generations of Fisalians who endured whispered gnawing in the dim, lightless days. They rekindled the faith in their hearts, lifting themselves against the chaos, all to bear the pristine tail feathers of the heavenly steed.
The surging malice and distorted faith crashed against these luminous phantoms, melting and calming like boiling water poured on snow. The phantoms themselves would dim and dissipate in the process, but more would immediately be born and transformed from the tendrils, advancing wave after wave.
"The persistence of ants..."
Leviathan's voice carried suppressed fury. "Do you think these long-vanished echoes can hold back the tide?"
She no longer attempted large-scale erosion. Instead, she highly concentrated her power, contracting the Dark Tide inward, condensing it into a black spear before her. She would destroy the inheritor who was guiding all of this!
"—But then again, such a thing is impossible."
Unbeknownst to her, Aeron had already arrived at Leviathan's side.
"Wha—"
"Come on, this is my field spell. I can move to any square I want, right? Seems reasonable."
In her shock, Leviathan attempted to adjust the spear's direction, aiming it at Aeron.
But she couldn't.
"!?"
The phantoms of the Fisalians extended their hands, halting Leviathan's movements and creating an opening for Aeron.
"Alright, say goodbye to the things you created."
Aeron's voice was terrifyingly calm. He extended his left hand, fingers spread, and pressed it firmly and squarely against Leviathan's chest.
Then, the mermaid form Leviathan had constructed began to turn ashen and transparent. Her connection to this space was gradually fading.
She tried to muster her power but couldn't even perceive it.
Finally, she turned her eyes—now largely devoid of their divine luster but still retaining their coldness—toward Aeron, who was so close.
"...I will remember you."
"Then you're fixating on the wrong person."
Her form began to disintegrate completely from the edges, turning into countless fragmented, ashen-white specks of light. But these specks did not immediately vanish.
"As long as Rinascita remains, I will not fade."
"When the tide rises again and the abyssal gate opens wide, I will descend before you in my complete form."
"At that time, everything you strive to maintain, all this clamor you hold dear, will return to silence and become the foundation of my realm."
"Say whatever you want. When the time comes, you'll be facing someone a hundred times more terrifying than me."
The moment Aeron's words fell, the mist of light formed from Leviathan's final will and residual existence completely dissipated.
And the phantoms manifested through him and Cantarella, along with the colossal jellyfish, began to fade as the bounded field gradually dissolved.
Before vanishing completely, they turned to look at Aeron, one by one walking toward him, gently patting his shoulder, and then dissipating with a sense of resolution.
Finally, Aeron's mission here was complete... right?
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Hearing the sound from above, Aeron remembered they were deep underwater. Once the frequencies dispersed and the bounded field vanished, they would be submerged.
Alright, no-prize quiz: Will Aeron drown from water flooding his lungs, or will he be crushed to death by the water pressure? No reward for guessing right, no penalty for guessing wrong.
Anyway, if he died, he'd just respawn on the shore. Might as well see what reward the System would give for this kind of death.
"Huh? Speaking of which, Cantgluglugluglu—"
Then, the seawater completely engulfed Aeron. His consciousness rapidly thinned and blurred under the combined assault of oxygen deprivation, water pressure, and sudden hypothermia.
'That's why... I hate this kind of stimulation...'
Just as Aeron's consciousness was about to be swallowed by boundless darkness and cold, and he closed his eyes awaiting death—
A soft sensation suddenly collided with his chest.
"?"
With an irresistible force, Cantarella's slender arms, like the toughest vines, instantly wrapped tightly around Aeron's sinking waist. Her other hand firmly cupped his backward-tilting face, fingers digging into his soaked hair, thumb pressing against his jawline, holding his head in place, forcing him to face her.
Before Aeron could fully see the face so close to his, in his vision gradually being consumed by darkness, he caught sight of two familiar blue-purple glows and the approaching softness carrying a damp coolness—
Cantarella's lips heavily pressed against his.
The slight saltiness of the seawater and her unique, cool, and enchanting scent. Her tongue pried open Aeron's unconsciously loosened teeth, chilled and weakened, and delved deep inside. She infused her breath into Aeron's chest.
Then, the arm around his waist tightened abruptly, with such force it seemed she wanted to meld him completely into her own body. Their chests pressed tightly together, almost feeling each other's frantic heartbeats. The hand cupping his face, her thumb began to slowly and deliberately stroke behind his ear.
Next came sucking, gentle biting, and intertwining.
"Now, you are mine."
Cantarella took the lead in directing their ascent. Her legs moved rhythmically through the cold seawater, the changing water pressure, and the increasingly bright sea surface as they drew closer.
All these external sensations seemed to be blocked out by this scorching, enclosed world of lips and teeth that belonged only to the two of them. Aeron had no choice but to endure and sink into it, unable and unwilling to resist.
"Splash—!"
The sound of breaking the water's surface came with a rush of fresh air. Yet, even this sudden environmental shift couldn't immediately break the kiss that ran bone-deep.
Cantarella's arm still tightly encircled Aeron's waist, holding him firmly at her side. Her other hand still cradled his face. Her lips only parted by a hair's breadth, the warmth of her transferred breath not yet dissipated.
"...That's about enough. How much longer are you going to stare?"
Unfortunately, unexpected guests always show up at times like this to interrupt.
Cantarella rose gracefully, then turned her head to look at Carlotta, whose face was lined with exasperation, Ciaccona, whose face was flushed red, and Zani, who wore a resigned expression.
"I was merely ensuring he wasn't in mortal danger. I wouldn't want anyone coming to harm on Fisalia's territory."
"But but but but but this is too, too shameless!"
Ciaccona covered her face with her hands, replaying the scene she had just witnessed in her mind.
"Hehe, naturally, it's different from Montelli. He is an honored guest of Fisalia, so he deserves special treatment."
"Hey, are you implying something?"
"..."
Faced with Carlotta and Cantarella's bickering, Zani remained silent, simply watching Aeron lying motionless on the shore.
As she expected, this guy had stirred up quite a bit of trouble—not just for himself, but for Zani as well. She felt inexplicably irritated and annoyed.
"...Anyway, let's take that guy back first. Head of Fisalia, I have some words for you."
"Likewise, Second Daughter of Montelli."
Before the two leaders could finish, Zani had already stepped forward, picked up Aeron, and was carrying him toward Porto-Veno Castle.
As for Cantarella, she watched Aeron, lightly raising her hand to touch her lips.
"Mmm, tastes good."
...
And Aeron? He had already been gone for a while.
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