Chapter 270
Chapter 270: Fight Me One-on-One If You've Got the Guts!
Gulton stood atop the scorched earth where lava flowed freely, flames surging skyward from its entire body, intertwined with rising ash.
A blazing sun hung overhead as rippling heatwaves continuously passed through the shifting air, gradually sweeping the dust from the scorched earth toward the sky, igniting crimson sparks of light.
Its eyes, blazing like a torch of raging fire, were locked intently on Dozarel.
Dozarel had likewise risen to the ocean's surface, its azure body now fully exposed.
Beneath a heavy shroud of gloom, it endured the baptism of howling wind and torrential rain. White foam churned continuously across the ocean's surface, as though attempting to completely swallow the scorched lava earth beneath Gulton's feet.
Its enormous eyes, gleaming like luminous pearls, shot forth their radiance and fixed their gaze on Gulton.
Faced with the colossal beast before it that exuded an aura eerily similar to its own, Dozarel felt a crushing, threatening pressure.
The fierce presence of both sides sent space trembling, as though an unstable barrier might shatter at any moment.
A crackling clatter mingled with the hot and humid air, flooding the nostrils and pouring into the ears.
Gulton's enormous, flame-wreathed footsteps advanced steadily toward the deep sea.
The very instant its feet drew near the ocean's surface, lava dripped in a continuous stream from within the scorching flames, melding completely with the sea.
White mist billowed and surged in all directions as the searing heat buried the entire ocean surface beneath its veil.
The moment its foot landed, jet-black rock appeared atop the sea.
Every step Gulton took gradually transformed the ocean's surface into scorched land.
Meanwhile, the ocean around Dozarel grew ever more violent. Fierce rain poured down like a breached dam, as though threatening to drown the entire world.
The ocean, as if suspended in the sky, now crashed to earth, submerging all things beneath its waters.
As the white mist gradually dispersed, a fleet of ships far in the distance could not help but cast curious glances toward this stretch of ocean.
The captain and countless sailors stared at the scene before them, utterly stupefied, frozen in place like stone.
They had never witnessed anything like this before.
Half clear sky, half overcast.
Half blazing sun overhead, the other half howling winds and pouring rain.
And beneath that bizarre and otherworldly sky—
2 enormous colossal beasts, seemingly tall enough to touch the heavens, hovered above the ocean's surface, locked in a mutual standoff.
"This... is this the end of the world?"
Countless people fell silent at once, and in that same moment, astonishment swelled within their hearts.
Livi stood on the deck, gazing at the scene before him, and spoke in a calm, unhurried voice:
"There may be danger ahead. You can sail the ship further away and keep your distance from those 2 creatures."
"Erika, stay on the ship. Don't leave."
Before Erika could say another word, Livi vaulted over the deck railing and leapt headlong toward the ocean's surface.
Erika, startled at the sight, rushed to the edge of the deck.
She watched as her father, plummeting toward the sea, transformed mid-air into a stream of clear water, and with a splash, merged into the churning depths.
Erika stared at the surging ocean surface, and a wave of worry rose in her heart.
***
Fire and water cannot coexist.
The instant Dozarel recognized Gulton, the fury within its heart erupted like a volcano.
It could not allow Gulton to appear in this ocean, to appear on its own territory.
It was the incarnation of the ocean.
This vast and boundless sea was its domain.
What business did a creature capable of breathing fire and spewing lava have here in the ocean, instead of staying put in its volcano?
Had it gotten lost and couldn't find its way home?
Pushed to the absolute limit of its fury, Dozarel finally could no longer endure it, and simply launched an outright attack on Gulton.
Its body, shimmering like water droplets, submerged once more into the deep blue depths and began rapidly circling Gulton from below.
As Dozarel moved, the ocean surged and churned, and the torrential rainfall converged in a frenzy.
Its enormous body gradually rose with the raging waters into the sky, its dark blue-black back forming a stark contrast against its pristine white underbelly.
That colossal white shadow coiled around Gulton, rousing waves that surged ten thousand feet.
【Raging Dual Blade】
2 enormous waves of raging seawater and sky-falling rain converged into reverse torrents and came crashing toward Gulton with unstoppable force.
Likewise, when Gulton saw that Dozarel had not submerged underwater but was instead floating in the sky above, a boundless fury swelled within it as well.
【Bitter Scorching Blaze】
The flames wreathing the colossal beast's entire body suddenly erupted and burst outward, merging into the vast scorched earth beneath its feet.
Thick flames laced with crimson lava, as though igniting the rain-soaked sky, unleashed a storm of fiery rain.
It transformed into a surging wave of scorching lava that collided headlong with those 2 colossal walls of seawater.
Bang!
Boom!
The instant the raging lava and the ocean waves collided, dense steam accompanied by a bursting storm scattered outward in all directions for a hundred miles.
Where the 2 waves met, solid black rock instantly formed—yet in the very next moment, it was shattered to pieces by the tremendous force.
Broken into countless jagged, irregular rock fragments, they were swept up by the howling gale, whirling at tremendous speed high above the ocean.
The scorched landmass collapsed by half under the force of the violent collision, with only the lava ground beneath Gulton's feet still stubbornly holding on.
Lava flowed unceasingly across the surging waves, as though carving cracks into the surface of the sea itself.
The ocean shuddered in response, and countless fierce waves rippled outward in all directions once more.
The violent tremors of the ocean even reached the surface of the sea a hundred miles away.
The ocean heaved in rolling waves, completely capsizing the fishing boats.
Beneath the ferocious tremors of the sea, every single crew member was left utterly bewildered.
They hadn't even managed to flee when another raging wave came barreling toward them.
And this time, Duke Livi was gone.
Though Duke Livi's daughter Erika was here, her power naturally could not match her father's.
The fishing vessel rocked and swayed under the force of the waves.
As though the very next second, it would be overturned on the ocean's surface and sent plunging into the sea.
Suddenly, a green barrier enveloped the ship Erika was on, wrapping it completely.
A formidable surge of Magic Power manifested, accompanied by a force that righted the vessel and held it steady.
At the same time, the enormous waves, the moment they made contact with the green barrier—seemed to have all their strength stripped away, and fell into the sea, stirring up a sheet of white foam.
Unable to affect the now-stabilized ship any further.
The sailors stared at the now-calm vessel, their eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.
What had just happened?
They didn't know what had occurred, and could only stare in astonishment at the green barrier that had appeared across the ship's hull, their gazes all converging on Erika.
Erika was equally startled. She stood at the edge of the deck and reached out tentatively, gently pressing her fingertips against the green barrier.
The instant her fingers made contact with the barrier, a familiar force transmitted through.
"Could it be..."
Before she could speculate further, the ocean's surface all around them erupted in a fierce tremor.
Rumble—
Countless enormous, thick green vines burst forth from the ocean floor, laced with the damp sand of the seafloor. They shot through the ocean's surface and surged skyward at tremendous speed.
The green vines quickly layered themselves with a dense canopy of branches and leaves, woven through with countless threads of Magic Power.
It was as though a great wall had formed, binding countless vines completely together.
Viewed from high above, the green vines at that moment appeared to have raised a wall of soaring dust and waves ten thousand feet high, enveloping the entire Padalenbu Sea in their embrace.
Even Erika was left on the outside, staring blankly at the vine barrier rising in the distance, utterly stunned.
The colossal vines were awe-inspiring, as though they might reach the very sky itself.
Those around the port area couldn't help but lift their gazes, searching in all directions for their savior in their hearts—yet none of them knew that Viktor was standing at that very moment atop Gulton's head.
The Coat behind him emanated a faint green glow, and a dense surge of natural energy overflowed from his body, as though the vitality of an entire forest had been transplanted to the surface of the sea.
Viktor raised Ulruste high, watching as the staff in his hand bloomed with a dim green, absolute luminescence.
【Myriad Phenomena of Heaven and Earth】
Gazing at the enormous tree vines that had fully risen all around him, Viktor felt a measure of satisfaction.
The original City of the Sea had now been completely transformed into a battlefield for 2 Calamities.
Viktor looked at the 2 colossal beasts that had hardly been affected by the previous ferocious assault, and spoke in an unhurried tone:
"Fighting is fine, but causing collateral damage to others—that's just bad manners."
Viktor then raised his staff, pointed it at Dozarel, and said calmly:
"So let me teach you your first lesson."
"Learn to be graceful."
The space behind Viktor was now completely enveloped by surges of natural Magic Power, which converged in midair into swirling vortexes of emerald green.
Ten thousand enormous energy blades of all shapes and forms suddenly emerged from within, aimed directly at Dozarel hovering in the sky.
The air rippled with waves, and in an instant, ten thousand blades of light completely tore through space, thin as brittle paper, carrying a lethal force as they swept up the wind and waves, pointing straight at Dozarel.
【Thousand Lances Barrage】
Dozarel, floating in the air, watched the surging barrage of energy arrows come crashing toward it, and those eyes of its—like glowing bulbs—instantly widened.
Ten million arrows completely blanketed the entire space, leaving Dozarel nowhere to hide.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The attacks struck its enormous body in wave after wave.
Dozarel, like a living target, had ten million blades piercing into its body. The blue membrane ruptured, and though no wounds appeared on Dozarel's body, the natural energy within had already become utterly chaotic.
Green energy continued to spill out from Dozarel's labored breaths, then crashed heavily into the lake water.
Viktor stood atop Gulton's head, elegantly withdrew Ulruste, and said in an unhurried tone:
"Flying back and forth in front of me?"
"I don't like it."
He watched Dozarel sink back into the water and gave a faint smile.
Gulton was equally thrilled, letting out a tremendous roar toward the sky.
The crimson markings across its body began blazing with frenzied flashes of light, and lava surged through the ocean, erupting continuously from all around Gulton.
Under the intense heat of the extreme temperatures, the seawater rapidly reached a boil. White steam instantly rose from the base of the lava columns, reverberating within the vine barrier.
【Murky Lava】
The entire ocean surface, beneath the searing heat, seemed as though it had been ignited with rage, descending into complete restlessness.
The temperature of the seawater surged violently, and gurgling sounds echoed without end beneath the barrier, growing louder and louder with each passing moment.
Wuuuuu—
A mournful whale cry rose from the depths of the sea, mingling with the perpetually rising steam, the entire space seeming to tremble in response.
The very next second, the sun above grew even more radiant.
It was as though the entire ocean surface would be brought to a complete boil, and the dark storm clouds overhead gradually began to thin, slowly dispersing.
Everyone at the port could not help but look up, gazing at the clear sky above the distant ocean.
The sky—had cleared?
All of a sudden, a colossal luminous blue heavy cannon burst forth from the vast ocean.
Enormous amounts of water elemental energy began to take the form of ring after ring of white ripples, rapidly converging before the cannon's muzzle into a surging and tremendous power.
The instant several ripples fully gathered together, the entire water cannon swelled and expanded by a full degree.
Yet before Gulton could even recover from the victory of a moment ago, it had barely lowered its head when it saw that an immensely deep surge of Magic Power had already gathered right before it.
【Abyss Surge】
The next second, the colossal water cannon came apart in a burst, carving a deep trench of waves through the ocean. An incomparably dense water elemental cannonball transformed into azure radiance, piercing through the heavy white mist and aimed directly at Gulton.
Viktor watched the sudden heavy cannon bearing down on him, murmuring under his breath, as several green Formations spread like roots from beneath his feet. The radiance flickered at tremendous speed.
The surrounding air itself seemed to grow particularly heavy beneath the dense natural energy.
【4th-Tier Magic: Sylvan Veil of the Manifested Realm】
In an instant, countless thick vines continuously burst through the heavy ocean, laced with fractured bits of lava and broken wind, rising up before Gulton as a shield.
Woven net after woven net began rapidly coiling around the ocean once more, completely enveloping that streak of azure radiance.
The moment it made contact with the vines, the terrifying natural energy fully detonated, sending gales dancing and starlight scattering.
And that azure impact radiance gradually dissipated and faded away.
All that remained was the restless ocean once more raising its waves, and space returning to order.
Viktor stood up, watching the sky-filling water droplets rain down all around him, and let out a confident, light laugh.
Not a single droplet made contact with Viktor's Coat. He rose to his feet and brushed off his garments:
"Really now."
"Don't go dirtying my clothes."