292 That's It? (1)
CRACK!
The resounding sound of something shattering echoed as in the next moment, this something shattered in its entirety.
The invisible barrier that housed the Evenfall cultists finally shattered, no longer being able to handle the tug of war with the massive sphere which was Tulnas’ False Territory!
Gwendelina grit her teeth, as did the people behind her who now didn’t have any protection from the outside enemies!
Unfortunately for them, their fate was sealed the instant that barrier shattered, as before they could have three more instances to breath air, a terrifying long sword swept through them in an elegant arc, a shapely lady with a blindfold having already invaded the space as she attacked without mercy!
The six who had remained, channelling the formation with Primus, were killed without resistance, as they were not combatants to begin with.
Natalika had passed by Gwendelina who had frozen up as she hadn’t been prepared for an instant attack.
Natalika’s speed had completely overwhelmed her and she who had been focused on salvaging the situation, was left to try and gather enough mana to defend herself when…
“My love had given you the choice to save your life, hadn’t he? I wonder, should I do the same?” the voice of none other than Gertreld spoke, one of Tulnas’ short swords in her hand as she nicked Gwendelina’s neck with it.
Because of Tomin’s sudden punch to her chin, she had been temporarily immobilised and bound to the centre of the formation where her struggles were proven to be futile even with her Full Body Aura which had later faded.
Gwendelina immediately gave up on resisting. She doubted she could pit her activation of a spell against Gertreld’s ability to kill her.
Once more, her eyes stealthily looked up to the large sphere in the air.
Guissepo’s re-emergence was her best shot.
A distance away, Skullius was looking at everything that was happening.
He wondered what this skill he was seeing was exactly as he hadn’t seen anything like it before. He didn’t bother to ask the person beside him, or rather the people that had been beside him as Natalika had been standing here a few seconds ago had instantly dashed forward when she saw the massive sphere exerting more force against the invisible barrier.
Quite the vivid and impactful clash it had been, only Skullius truly wished that he could see what was happening inside that barrier which had started to form cracks, strips of blinding light shooting from these.
The outcome would determine a lot.
The Discount Human then turned to Red Rage who had been silently observing.
He had once again assumed silence when his [Majestic Attire of the Omnipotent Pelvis-Hegemon] had timed out, a rather unceremonious event which was escorted by nothing but the dimming of his golden armament.
“I’m surprised you didn’t run ahead to start killing these evil doers,” Skullius said as he started to walk forward.
Red Rage merely shook his head.
The fact that he behaved so differently when he was this aspect, Prisma, that Skullius didn’t know much about, was ridiculous.
The Discount Human had tried to peer into the situation on this aspect with his guidance field, but had been unsuccessful.
To find out more about this Prisma, Skullius made a mental note to have Red Rage summon whoever the null flesh that was through the skill, for a chat.
Suddenly, Skullius felt something poke his arm.
He turned only to realise that the person who had poked him had immediately dashed away.
The Discount Human unconsciously raised his brow when the short figure of Ginie finally gathered the courage to say her piece.
“Un, un. Thank… you. For saving my life,” she said with a nervous smile.
Skullius’ expression remained blank for a moment.
The incident that happened before.
It wasn’t that he had forgotten about it or that he wasn’t aware.
He knew full well what had happened as when Ginie had gotten fatally attacked by Guissepo, he hadn’t been conscious, but just without the ability to control himself.
He had experienced it all and while it was something to address, Skullius had chosen to ignore it for the time being.
He had felt a burning emotion that drove him to rush up to Ginie back then and this… made him uncomfortable.
Such a thing was meant to be left for after a review when the battle was over.
Now however…
As Skullius looked at Ginie, he didn’t know what to say. She was thanking him, a gesture he couldn’t say he was used to. Even in Deadmanland, there was never anything to be thankfully for.
That said, Skullius couldn’t be rude.
Right?
Maybe…
“Um…” Skullius mumbled before simply nodding.
Ginie smiled and then circled around him like a plague before rushing forward where seemingly the entire situation behind what had been the invisible barrier had been resolved in its entirety.
Skullius sighed.
She didn’t forget about his curse.
Even while knowing the parameters, Ginie was being extra careful, as was everyone else.
Skullius followed after the short girl for a few steps, reaching a short distance from the barrier.
He marvelled at its seemingly molten exterior as he vividly felt the enormous amount of energy it produced.
‘Incredible…’ he thought, wishing he had something like this in his arsenal.
As Skullius watched what was ahead, something caught his attention.
A tug at his senses.
Or rather, at his finger.
He felt something within his storage beam and emit a peculiar energy.
Skullius would never assume this but…
It was a beacon.
*
VWOOOOOSH!
Like a condensed waterfall, a mass of water poured from the Tulnas’ creepily enlarged mouth without pause!
The pressured water struck Guissepo with a bright glow not usually seen from water as it beamed from his wordhole!
In truth, Tulnas wasn’t aiming to do some heavy damage, but it was worth a try while trying to accomplish his overarching goal.
With the short amount of time that he had been fighting with the cultist, he had realised that it was virtually impossible to do any decisive damage with the conventional abilities of the False Territory, especially when considering the red neon light which rose from Guissepo.
Even now, Tulnas could see the water he was blasting against Guissepo’s face being warded off.
‘Of course,’ he thought.
Guissepo’s hand suddenly popped from the water that had now filled up a bit more than a two tenths of the entire Territory, its might being felt as it went on try and grab a Tulnas!
Unfortunately for it, Tulnas’ double who was beside him hurried over, held back the arm, pushed it into the water and slammed it on the ground!
It took the double two of its hands to accomplish this feat and even then…
Around Guissepo’s hand, bits of sparkling multi-coloured fireworks suddenly emerged and with an enormous explosion, they gleefully ignited, destroying the double and knocking away the Tulnas who had been splashing the burst of water!
Guissepo tore himself from the water with an extravagant force as he fully expected the Tulnas he had demolished with his explosion to suddenly reappear after a burst of sand.
Unfortunately, that was not what he was met with.
Instead, he found to his shock a more disturbing scene.
Four Tulnases stood in the water in a circular formation with their backs against each other, all of them then going to shoot blasts of water into the pool that was starting to form in the Territory!
The ferocity of the gushing waters which produced vapouring variants of the element was so strong that the Territory was quickly filled up with water in a matter of eight seconds, no space to breathe remaining afterwards!
…!
Guissepo was perturbed by this as he went on to hold his breath.
‘My Extravagant Jubilee may just be subdued with this move. Did he already pick up on its extravagance?’ Guissepo thought as he swam, his keen eyesight then zooming in on the Tulnases that burst towards in the water, their eyes gleaming with an orange glow.
‘It must be that eye. How extravagant…’ Guissepo thought as he recalled to when Tulnas’ eye had suddenly switched from its ocean blue colour to the orange – the moment when he first blew up Tulnas’ head in their first exchange.
Guissepo’s blessing, Extravagant Jubilee, allowed him to conjure explosions of different scales given a prelude of sparkling multi-coloured fireworks. The intensity and range of these fireworks, along with their colours determined how strong his explosion could be.
These wouldn’t work well in water, was the cultist’s sentiment.
But still… he would persevere!
‘Bring it on!’ he thought as the red light which rose from behind him continued to do so while the Four Tulnases suddenly changed as they neared him.
Their forms turned from being made by skin and flesh to being transparent human outlines with a blue colour, a starry design being all that could be seen over their bodies!
With this transformation, the four started to rapidly swim around Guissepo, the force of their movement generating a massive, disorienting whirlpool that turned deadly as they went round and round!
Guissepo was unable to resist the force of the pull and push, his body being spun so quickly that he could barely see around him or notice which direction was where!
As this occurred, a hoarse voice echoed inside the mind of one of the Tulnases.
‘We have 10 seconds remaining. Finish it, now!’
‘I know. Prepare for option three….’ Tulnas responded.