“AARRRHHHHH!!!”
Hearing that blood-curdling scream, Aqualina was jolted out of her thoughts. She turned her attention to the chaotic fight unfolding before her eyes and saw J1 gripping Aether’s torn fingers with a malevolent grin.
A wave of excruciating pain washed over Aether’s body, causing him to convulse. However, this torture wasn’t sufficient for his assailants. J5 seized Aether’s wounded shoulder with a vice-like grip and slammed his fist into the raw injury, eliciting another agonized cry from Aether.
Aqualina’s face twisted in shock and horror, “Y-YOU COWARDS!!” she screamed, her voice breaking as she poured all her anger and fear into the cry.
Meanwhile, ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
“Bastards!” Aether mumbled through gritted teeth as he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, trying to stifle his screams.
After killing two of the puppets, the remaining trio seemed momentarily taken aback, their confidence shaken.
Despite the relentless assault, Aether continued to rise, his determination burning brighter with each fall. This indomitable spirit left his trio with no choice but to target his existing wounds in an attempt to break him.
“What? It’s not like we were fighting fair and square to begin with,” J1 muttered, almost to himself, as he rubbed Aether’s mangled fingers.
A shiver ran down Aether’s spine, causing him to stumble back in agony.
“Arhh–”
Aether bit his lip even harder, forcing himself to stop screaming.
“Look at this slave… he’s really different from the others,” J5 observed, almost in awe, as he delivered another brutal punch to Aether’s broken shoulder, amplifying the pain.
“Just kill him already,” J4 demanded with irritation, his patience wearing thin, as he viciously kicked Aether in the face.
Due to the overwhelming pain, Aether’s responses were slow and uncoordinated. Still,
BAM!
In a desperate and powerful move, he managed to blast J4’s head, killing him in the nick of time.
“Damn you, bastard!” J1 screamed furiously as he stomped on Aether’s hand with all his might. Aether finally loosened his grip on the gun, and both J1 and J5 stomped on him mercilessly, treating him like a mere insect.
“Cough, Cough!”
They concentrated their attacks on the spots where bullets had pierced Aether’s flesh, making the already unbearable pain even more intense.
Meanwhile,
“N-No… STOP!!!!” Aqualina cried out, her voice filled with desperation and helplessness, as she watched Aether being trampled by the others.
Her nails almost dug through the barrier as she clawed at it in frustration.
Her heart ached with a pain she had never felt before, seeing Aether endure such suffering for her sake.
“I… I want power… Arcane… I want power,” she mumbled in a deadly, determined voice. Her eyes turned ice cold, mirroring the emotionless gaze of her mother.
She watched with steely resolve as Aether was mercilessly beaten.
She longed to protect the man who was willing to sacrifice everything for her….. There was no way she would let this man die in her place.
No matter the consequences, she accepted this man, a slave, into her heart. She would not turn back on her decision.
If she did, she wouldn’t be Aqualina, the daughter of Marisandra Naiadia.
[+5000 Affection]
“I-I want to protect him… I love him… I won’t let him suffer for me… Arcane… give me power,” she whispered fervently as she dug her nails into her palms, drawing blood.
….
Yet nothing happened, Aqualina let out a dry, hollow laugh. “Haha… I see…”
Realizing that no one was going to come to her aid, she looked at her pristine white hands and glanced at Aether’s broken fingers, bullet holes, and bloody hand.
“Man… You are really making me fall for you deeply,” Aqualina mumbled with an indifferent expression, though her eyes burned with a fierce dark expression.
[+6000 Affection]
She balled her fists and punched the barrier, not just with physical force but by channelling her Arcane energy into the blow, blasting it against the barrier.
BOOM!
The skin on Aqualina’s hand peeled away, blood dripping from the raw, exposed flesh, yet she punched the barrier again without a moment’s hesitation.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
…..
…
J1 and J5 frowned when they noticed a slight tremor at the barrier.
They stopped hurting Aether and looked back, flinching in fear.
They saw a purple-haired girl slamming the barrier with an indifferent expression.
Her hand blasted with energy every time it touched the wall, staining it with blood. She resembled a horrifying zombie, relentless and waiting to break through.
“What the fuck?!” J1 shouted while J5 stood petrified with fear.
Aether, seizing the brief respite, backed off slightly. He was shocked to see Aqualina and thought inwardly, ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ He had been hoping she would contact the principal for help.
Meanwhile,
“Not enough, not enough, not enough…” Aqualina mumbled as she continued to blast the barrier. Her eyes were locked onto J1 and J5, imagining tearing them apart.
The pain in her hand was excruciating, but she didn’t care.
Her beloved was suffering far more, so she ignored the stinging agony.
“I WANT MORE POWER!!!” she screamed.
BOOM!!
Her hands were completely broken, yet her spirit remained unyielding. She was determined to protect Aether.
“I will protect you now… I am not weak….” she mumbled with a determined expression.
Suddenly, a black panel appeared before her eyes:
[Desired Weapon recognized its Master’s Wish]
[Aqualina Naiadia shall be accepted by the Desired Weapon]
[Request: Modification]
[….]
[Affirmative]
[Initiating Origin Weapon]
One of the pillars, etched with a tsunami-like wave mark in the underground chamber, suddenly brightened and pulsed with energy!
Her Rainbow Arcane Card appeared before her, shimmering with an array of vibrant colours.
It transformed into two silver swords. These swords, though sharp and deadly, looked ordinary with simple hilts and unadorned blades. The surface was clean and polished.
Yet,
She looked as if it was a filthy weakling.
Then, as if reacting to her disdain, the weapons began to tremble and change.
The ordinary silver surface rippled, taking on a deep, oceanic blue hue that seemed to move and swirl like the sea.
The swords elongated and thinned, becoming more elegant and deadly. Intricate carvings of marine creatures… sharks, octopuses, and mythical sea serpents….began to emerge along the blades, glowing softly with a mysterious light.
The hilts vanished, replaced by razor-sharp edges on both sides, giving the swords an even more menacing appearance.
Aqualina gripped the end, but instead of feeling pain, she felt a warm and gentle sensation, as if the weapon was a living entity that accepted her completely.
She smiled with satisfaction.
Her hair fluttered as her body lifted from the ground, surrounded by a soft, blue aura.
sssssnnnnggggg
Behind her, ten more ocean-blue thin swords appeared, hovering in the air. They were even more intricate, their surfaces etched with delicate patterns of waves and sea creatures.
They gleamed with an otherworldly light, making her look like a sun goddess as she gazed down at J1 and J5 with an indifferent expression.
“Pay for your sins…” she mumbled as the ten swords behind her shot towards the barrier and pierced it like butter.
Everyone was shocked to see her weapon piercing it and breaking the barrier!
The ten swords began to multiply, first doubling to twenty, then doubling again to forty, and then again to eighty. The process accelerated exponentially until there were 163,840 swords and even continue to increased.
ssssnnngggssssnnnggggsnnsnssngggg
They moved in unison, like a perfectly coordinated tsunami wave, their collective force and speed destroying everything in their path with the sheer power and relentlessness of a natural disaster. The swords shimmered with an eerie, oceanic glow, slicing through the air with a whisper that built into a deafening roar, like a storm at sea.
“K-KILL HIM!!” J1 shouted. They wanted to at least kill Aether before escaping from this girl. However, J5 didn’t care and decided to run away.
J1 was flabbergasted. He knew if they died, their consciousness would die too, and the next puppet would have no memories of this. He understood why J5 was scared.
However, J1’s determination to kill Aether burned brighter than his fear… He could not let this cockroach slide!
Just as he was about to turn back towards Aether, Aqualina, with an almost casual flick of her wrist, threw one of her swords. The weapon flew with unerring accuracy, piercing J1’s neck and pinning him to the ground. Blood spurted from the wound as his eyes widened in shock and horror.
Aether was completely taken aback when he saw Aqualina’s display of power. He had never seen her like this before.
The tsunami of swords didn’t stop; it continued to surge forward, a relentless tide of destruction.
“Princess! Stop!” he shouted in alarm as the waves of swords approached him. To his amazement, the swords parted and flowed around him, as if recognizing him as untouchable. The sight was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Aether could see the ocean-blue swords moving with fluid grace, like schools of fish in the water.
The way they surrounded him, protecting him while destroying everything else, left him in a state of wonder. The entire battlefield was demolished, every tree, plant, stone…. and obstacle reduced to rubble, just like the aftermath of a real tsunami.
“NOOOO!!!” J5’s scream was cut short as numerous swords pierced his body. He fell, lifeless, his body riddled with gaping wounds.
Aqualina smiled with cold satisfaction before turning to look in a particular direction.
Her eyes narrowed as she spotted J6, who had been watching the scene unfold from his hiding place. With a swift, decisive motion, she threw her remaining sword. It sliced through the air and pierced J6, nailing him to the wall.
‘Fuck! She is stronger than before… Master is going to be pissed off,’ were J6’s final thoughts as his vision faded to black.