CHAPTER 34: | SERVANTS OF THE HEAVENS
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Molten magma pooled at my fingertips, glowing faintly in the dim underwater light.
My form became a blur, a streak of crimson cutting through the water.
The magma in my hand compressed, tightening into a sphere.
The 'Cataclysmic Inferno Breath' was being forged, shrinking into a volatile orb.
I closed my eyes as I swept my hands forcefully.
Boom!
A thunderous roar ripped through the water!
Orange light flashed, boiling the water around the compressed 'Cataclysmic Inferno Breath,' now a volatile projectile.
The intense heat radiated outward, and the very ground shook violently.
A thick stalk of kelp, rooted deep beside me, vibrated fiercely before dissolving into dust from the shockwave.
My wings unfurled, then vanished into dust just as the Seraphs noticed me.
"A demon, an abomination from the nether realms, dares assail our holy mission!"
Brilliant light flashed as their feathers glowed intensely.
One of the King-class Seraphs raised her sword with delight as she shouted.
"By the sacred light of the Celestial Host, we, the servants of Heaven, shall render judgment upon you, fiend!"
A flicker, then.
Flop!
Her form vanished, reappearing in the next instant, sword already sweeping just inches from my head.
She was fast, faster than any I'd faced underwater.
Clang!
Steel shrieked against something impossibly hard.
My hands, transformed into claws by 'Blade-Claw Strike,' intercepted her blade.
I then kicked her stomach mercilessly.
Crash!
Her form slammed into the seabed with a sickening impact, stirring up clouds of silt.
Liora was already above her, raising a foot, then bringing it down with brutal force onto the Seraph's angelic face, grinding it into the ocean floor, shouting with disgust.
"You damned wretch! How dare you, a lesser being, presume to judge my master! Perish! Perish! Perish!"
Blood gushed from the Seraph's face as her body twitched from, Liora stomping her face again and again.
Swish!
Liora's blade cut through the water.
Splash!
She skewered the head with a wet thud, then raised it into the currents with cruelty.
"You wretched fool! Hahahaha!"
One of the Seraphs shouted with rage as the others recoiled, shocked.
"Cilia! By the Grace of Wings, no!"
He charged, sword pointed at Liora.
But Liora sighed, slashing her sword as she muttered.
"Golden Maiden Dance of Severance."
Liora's hands moved.
Her sword cut through the water in a square shape as the Seraph charging at her shouted.
Swish! Swish!
"It's no use, you cursed thing! I am a servant of the Highest Heavens."
Splash!
His head, hands, and legs tilted, then crashed to the ground.
Liora had precisely read and cut through his intent in a matter of a split seconds.
Liora giggled, then jumped around, shouting with delight.
"Master, I've killed a King-class all on my own!"
Liora giggled cutely.
I smiled, then shook my head with pride, muttering.
"Mantis State."
A ten-meter field of sensory vision, akin to a divine sense, pulsed outward from my body, mapping the immediate area.
The sphere of perception generated by 'Mantis State' was absolute.
Four Lord-class Seraphs surged toward Liora, while six more angled for me.
Meanwhile, the remaining five Kings, led by their apparent commander, breached the castle gate with desperate fervor.
They weren't just attacking, they were buying time, clearly intent on retrieving something vital from within the ancient castle.
My hands took on a crystalline sheen as 'Crystalline Impactor' activated, instantly transforming into claws with 'Blade-Claw Strike.'
Crack! Splash!
Blood and bones erupted into the currents as my claws tore through limbs and ripped into ribs.
But the five Lord Seraphs charged at me like a gale, their red-haired leader shouting in fanatical fervor.
"Begone, foul shadow! We, the Children of the Radiance, shall cleanse your defiled soul."
Snap.
My claws tore through his weapon, then into his neck.
With a twist of my hand, his neck snapped.
I chuckled, sweeping my claws in a furious flurry.
They shredded flesh and bone, tearing the Seraphs apart.
"Come at me, oh servants of Heaven!"
Swish!
More Seraphs charged at my shouts, but it was futile.
My claws ripped their faces apart in a single sweeping arc.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
I clenched my fists, smiling with delight.
"Tripod Barrage."
My fists shattered their bones, and their screams echoed.
"Abomination! Receive the judgment of the Sacred Flame!"
Stab!
Blood poured from my stomach as a spear skewered my insides.
Pain struck my nerves, a hurricane of force shredded my exoskeleton and flesh.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Chains then erupted from the chaos, coiling around my limbs and neck. More than eight Seraphs, working in concert, began to pull me taut, attempting to tear me apart.
I felt the agonizing stretch across my form.
Amusement flickered in my eyes.
I licked my lips, and a smile curved onto my face.
"Cataclysmic Inferno Breath."
My throat bulged uncontrollably as I poured the magma from my blood and veins into it, preparing to unleash devastation.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
The water began to boil violently from the radiating heat.
Orange light escaped from the gaps of my exoskeleton, radiating from my throat.
The Seraphs, sensing the impending danger, shouted.
"Unleash it!"
Three Seraphs appeared directly in front of me.
All three formed hand seals, muttering intangible words.
I saw it, the flow of their intent gathering in the currents above them, forming a sword of pure will.
A smile escaped my lips as I let out a chuckle.
"Playtime is over, mongrels."
HOWWLLL!
A guttural, deafening roar erupted!
A sphere of compressed molten magma flew into the currents, the water sizzling upon contact.
The Seraphs froze, their faces grim, fixated on the sphere.
"Dammit! Flee!"
Snap!
My fingers snapped, the sound reverberating across the horizon.
Splash!
The ball of molten magma exploded, engulfing all beings within 50 meters.
Silence fell, the wails of the Seraphs no more.
My maw opened, then snapped shut, devouring the magma.
Its intense heat fueled my recovery, mending my wounds.
I scoured the area, finding Liora had already finished her fight.
A smile escaped my lips as I gazed at the castle.
"Now... it's time for the main dish."