A few moments before the massive figure appeared in the garden, meanwhile, in an unknown place atop the tower—
PRRPUFFFFFF!!!!
“PRINCESSSSSS!!” Celestia shrieked in sheer horror as her wide, terrified eyes took in the gruesome sight before her. The monstrous hooded figure had just crushed Aqualina’s head in its enormous palm—like it was nothing more than a fragile fruit bursting under pressure!
Water splattered everywh… Wait Water?
Celestia gasped, her crushed abdomen radiating unbearable agony. She tried to move, but her body refused to obey, her limbs paralyzed by pain. But then—
“Easy now.”
The voice was eerily familiar. Forcing her head to turn, her stunned gaze landed on—
Aqualina?!
“Huh?!” Celestia’s eyes darted back to the monstrous figure, whose giant, dripping hand held nothing but water. The Aqualina it had just killed… was nothing but water!!
Splash…!
The hooded giant frowned beneath its shrouded face, glaring down at the puddle that had once been its victim. It rubbed its foot against the wet surface, testing the water as if trying to make sense of it.
Aqualina smirked, watching the confused beast.
This wasn’t some newly gained power—it was an ability that belonged to the Aqualina…. rather previous Aqualina, could create water mirrors—reflections so precise they could deceive even the keenest eyes.
It wasn’t a mere clone, but a reflection so lifelike it felt real.
“Hey, big guy…” Aqualina called out mockingly. The monstrous figure’s head snapped toward her… Aqualina grinned, “Come at me.”
Without hesitation, she launched forward, her body surging toward the beast like a bullet.
The giant clapped its hands together.
A deafening boom erupted as a shockwave of compressed air blasted toward her with lethal force, tearing through the space between them.
“Arrrhh!”
“Aarrrhh!!”
The ground cracked beneath the sheer pressure of the wind. The force was enough to shatter rocks, yet Aqualina twisted midair, narrowly dodging the deadly gust by a hair’s breadth.
The monstrous figure lunged forward with inhuman speed, its massive fist swinging toward her skull, aiming to crush her whole existence in one brutal strike.
Aqualina’s sword gleamed in the dim light as she drove it toward the creature’s chest. But deep down, she knew—no weapon would pierce this monster’s body.
It was impenetrable. Indestructible!!
Still, she attacked.
The monstrous hand descended, crashing into her like an avalanche.
PUFFFFF!!
Her skull shattered… or so it thought,
Splash…
The hooded giant stiffened, its massive fist dripping with water, its mind struggling to grasp what had just happened.
Then—
SLASH!!
Something shot through its side.
It turned sharply, locking onto Aqualina—her real body—who had appeared from the opposite side, sword in hand, attempting to drive the blade into its flesh only to…
SNAP!
The sturdy weapon, one that had pierced dragon scales, shattered into useless fragments the moment it touched the monster’s skin.
The hooded figure grinned. Without hesitation, it lashed out its enormous hand, fingers curled into a brutal, crushing grip—
Splash….
Water again?
It froze. “What… the hell…?” it muttered, its deep voice laced with a mixture of disbelief and growing irritation.
“Nothing much, big guy,” a voice whispered from high above.
The huge figure reacted instantly. Without hesitation, it slammed both massive palms together, aiming to crush her mid-air—
BAM!!!!
Yet,
Splash….
Water poured down over its head!
Aqualina reappeared below it, her sword raised once more, ready for another strike. Even though she knew her blade couldn’t pierce its massive body, she had to keep it distracted.
She couldn’t afford to let it focus on anything else.
Every second mattered… Time was against them. The others needed time to escape through the door, and Aqualina had to buy them that precious time, even if it meant risking her own life.
To this thing, it seemed as though Aqualina was everywhere at once—flickering in and out of existence like a reflection in a shifting mirror. Each time it thought it had her, she dissolved into water, vanishing only to reappear somewhere else, leaving it drenched and seething in frustration.
It was as if she was appearing around the enormous figure with the trickery of a mirror effect.
It believed it was the original, but in reality, she wasn’t where it thought.
Her body was already moving somewhere else, even as the action continued in the same moment!
As long as the huge figure couldn’t figure out her technique, she would be fine. She had to stay agile, keep the giant off-balance, and, most importantly, avoid getting hit by its massive hands.
One strike was all it would take to smash her into paste!
‘Tsk… just what kind of thing is this?’ she thought, her mind racing as she darted forward again, ready to stab him once more.
Strike after strike!
Again and… Again!!
Meanwhile, Celestia watched the scene unfold with furrowed brows. She recognized the technique—this wasn’t Aqualina’s usual fighting style.
It belonged to the real Aqualina, Sandra’s mother. But how could she do this… without any prior practice or training?
‘Maybe it’s an inheritance or something?’ she wondered. Perhaps Aqualina had inherited this power because they were connected by blood.
The thought lingered in her mind for a few seconds.
Still, Celestia was careful not to be distracted. She slowly moved her body, inch by inch, holding back the pain that throbbed from every corner of her aching muscles. The walls barely supported her weight, but there was no time to waste.
One could ask—why did the huge hodded figure not simply destroy the door, instead of attacking them directly?
Even Aqualina and Celestia had the same question.
Like a trap?
They thought they were walking right into a trap, but no matter what, they didn’t have a choice.
Whether they faced the trap head-on or fought here and died… both outcomes seemed the same. They decided that if there was an escape, they had to see what was on the other side of that door.
“Arrhh!” Aqualina grunted as she darted forward once again.
“What are you doing?”
BAM!!
Splash!
“It’s annoying!”
BAM!!
Splash!
“Stop moving!!”
BAM!!
Splash!
“Arrhh! What the hell are you?!” the huge figure demanded, visibly shaking with anger as none of its attacks hit their mark, only leaving it drenched.
Aqualina grinned widely, “What? Already giving up?” she taunted, her voice dripping with satisfaction. But inwardly, she felt the toll of her actions.
Her legs were weakening, her balance slipping… The strain was beginning to show, the constant use of the mirror technique draining her faster than she wanted to admit.
It was easy to use the mirror ability… for a while.
But not like this…. Not continuously.
And especially this was Current Aqualina’s first time using that ability!!
However, Aqualina knew she couldn’t afford to make even the smallest mistake. A single misstep could be the end of her. She stole a glance toward the group—almost out, only a few left, and Celestia.
‘I just need a little longer—’ Her thoughts were cut short when the massive figure roared in fury.
“I HATE THIS!!” it bellowed, slamming its hand onto the ground with such force that the entire terrace floor cracked beneath the weight.
BBBBBOOOOMMMMM!!!!
TTTRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
The impact was catastrophic. The ground trembled as cracks spread out in every direction, and Aqualina, who had been moving just moments before, found herself falling. The floor beneath her cracked wide open, sending her spiralling down into the floors below, along with the hooded figure!
Crack!
The sound of splitting stones echoed!
“M-Move! Move!!” Celestia shouted urgently, her voice carrying over the chaos as she urged the others to leave. She moved to the side, scrambling toward the corner of the walls that barely held together, the structure groaning under the pressure.
Celestia peered down, and her heart sank. The entire terrace floor had caved in, leaving only the four walls and a few inches of floor still attached to the walls. It was barely enough for them to stand on.
“Princess?” Celestia called, her voice shaking.
No response came. A second passed, then another.
“Move!” Aqualina’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding, and Celestia breathed a sigh of relief.
Blue swords, glowing with an eerie light… Celestia quickly followed the path, her steps quick but careful, knowing the walls could give way at any moment. She gripped the walls, desperate to keep her balance.
“Huff-huff-huff…” Aqualina panted heavily, blood dripping from her forehead as she glanced around, searching for the hooded figure. But… there was no sign of it.
Frowning, she summoned her Tsunami swords, the blue blades shimmering with ethereal blue light in the deep dark floors. With a graceful motion, she ascended the broken terrace, rising like a wave of water flowing upwards.
Like a tsunami crashing in the ocean… her swords flowed upwards, lifting her as if she were one with the water.
Finally, Aqualina emerged from the ruins without a problem, her heart still pounding.
She saw Celestia waiting for her!!
A weak smile tugged at her lips, “I can’t believe she’s still—”
“AARRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”
The tower seemed to shake as an enraged wave of sound erupted from the depths. It shot out, a force so powerful that debris in the tower’s deep floor shot out!!
Aqualina, still standing atop her Tsunami swords, watched in horror as the blue blades shattered, disintegrating into nothingness like glass shattered by the power of that voice.
The roar was enough to break her strongest weapon?
‘What in the world is that thing?’ She truly wondered.
“PRINCESS!” Celestia shouted, her voice filled with panic when she saw Aqualina about to fall.