Leviathan was there.

Standing on the jagged rocks at the edge of the stormy sea.

Her arms were crossed.

And that unmistakable evil smile painted across her face.

She looked at me as though she had been waiting for this moment all her life.

The wind whipped her dark hair around her face.

It tangled it into wild knots.

And the shadows cast by the moonlight made her appear even more menacing.

Every instinct in my body screamed that I was standing against a force.

I could not afford to underestimate her.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

My feet were digging into the wet sand.

Our eyes locked.

The intensity of her gaze felt like icy fire piercing through me.

I could feel the weight of it.

The predatory calculation behind it.

For a moment, time seemed to stretch.

And it was just the two of us.

"So… you finally choose… death?" she hissed.

Then without warning, she twisted her hands into claws.

Her fingers elongated unnaturally, sharp as obsidian daggers.

It kept glinting under the pale moonlight.

Each movement of her hands was deliberate.

Almost serpentine.

As though she was preparing to tear me apart limb by limb.

And then, with a sudden, fluid motion.

She leapt at me.

Thanks to my new transformation.

I could track her movements with ease.

Her body cut through the air with terrifying grace.

Her claws reach for me in a deadly arc.

The tips of her fingers seemed to hum with some unnatural energy.

As if they could slice through the very fabric of reality.

I acted on instinct.

I grabbed her wrist with all the strength my new evolution afforded me.

Time slowed again as I felt her resistance.

Her muscles tensed beneath my grip.

The claws aimed straight for my chest.

Then, with a sudden force.

I lifted her entire body off the ground.

And feeling the sheer weight of her as I hurled her backward.

Her eyes widened, shock flashing across her face.

Then she blurted out,

"Since when were you this strong?"

The answer was irrelevant as the sea rushed up to meet her.

She crashed into the water with a tremendous splash.

The waves exploded outward in response to her impact.

The sea roared as if it were alive.

It swallowed her almost entirely.

Yet, the spray of water rose high.

It sparkled in the moonlight.

A reminder of her power even in defeat.

The pull of the waves yanked her farther into the ocean.

Dragging her under with an almost magnetic force.

Her body cut through the water like a blade.

It kept thrashing, trying to resist.

But…the current was relentless.

My heart pounded in my chest as I watched her.

She disappeared beneath the surface.

Only to hear a voice that chilled me to the bone.

"Interesting," it said.

A deep and resonant voice.

It echoed across the water and the cliffs alike.

Then she emerged. Slowly.

Her entire form shifted.

Her bones elongated.

Her scales appeared where skin had been previously.

Then fins sprouted along her spine.

Her eyes glowed like molten gold as she rose from the depths.

Her leviathan serpent form is fully revealed.

The water slid off her like liquid silk.

her enormous body kept coiling and twisting.

It represented the strength of the ocean itself.

When she opened her mouth.

It showed rows upon rows of jagged, razor-sharp teeth.

They glinted in the moonlight.

Then a deep, guttural hiss escaped her throat.

It reverberated through the waves.

A current of water began to form around her.

It kept spiraling, growing denser, faster.

The ocean itself seemed to respond.

It kept churning and twisting.

Until finally forming a massive jet aimed straight at me.

The energy was palpable.

It kept humming in the air like a storm waiting to strike.

It shot forward with terrifying speed.

The spray lashed at my face.

I barely managed to evade it by the smallest margin.

She tilted her head.

With an evil smile never leaving her face.

She said, "You managed to evade even that?… I have to say…

you really became stronger…

By leaps and bounds."

Her voice dripped with both admiration and contempt.

It was a strange mixture that made my blood run cold.

I scanned my surroundings.

And I knew that the only way is forward.

To reach the Hydro Kingdom.

I needed to face her head-on.

My chest heaved with determination and a hint of fear.

I shook my head.

Then gritting my teeth.

I decided to charge at her.

To meet her power with my own.

Both of us plunged into the churning sea.

But before my feet even touched the water.

Suddenly, the sky above us shifted.

A vortex of violet lightning tore open the heavens.

It kept swirling violently.

Until it formed a colossal, sinister eye that bore down upon us.

Its presence alone made the hair on my neck stand on end.

The very air seemed to vibrate under its gaze.

Both Leviathan and I froze.

The sweat kept rolling down our faces.

The weight of that presence pressed on us.

It kept pinning us in our place.

The fear was not just instinctual.

It was a profound, all-consuming hopelessness.

Every muscle in my body screamed to move.

And to fight.

But… it felt as though the eye was peeling away my strength.

It kept evaluating us, judging us.

Even Leviathan, the embodiment of the ocean's wrath.

She faltered.

Her confidence momentarily replaced by something…

Almost human: fear.

Then, slowly, a figure emerged from the eye.

Lucy.

But this was not the playful, teasing Lucy I had known.

This was serious, formidable.

And radiating mana in waves so intense it made the air shimmer.

Her presence alone was enough to feel like a miniature star.

She kept hovering above the sea.

She kept casting light and shadow in perfect contrast.

Her eyes burned with a fierce determination.

And as she hovered.

A halo of shimmering energy circled her like fire in slow motion.

I let out a shaky sigh of relief.

Though I couldn't ignore the awe-inspiring power emanating from her.

She looked down at me.

Her expression was serious but not unkind.

And said,

"Alright, kid.

I will make a little magical portal to take you straight to the castle.

Because… it seems my former disciple isn't planning to let you go easily."

And with just a twist of her hands.

The air around me shimmered and split.

It formed a swirling portal beneath my feet.

The colors twisted like liquid.

It has deep blues and violets mixed with sparks of gold.

As if the universe itself had bent to her will.

I fell into it.

The ground disappearing beneath me.

It was replaced by an endless spiral of energy that pulled me down.

When I finally landed, I blinked.

My eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room.

It looked like a sleeping chamber, warm and quiet.

The soft glow of candlelight illuminating the edges of the room.

The air smelled faintly of lavender and parchment.

A serene contrast to the chaos I had just left behind.

The walls were lined with tapestries.

It depicts serene forests and cascading waterfalls.

And a plush carpet softened the hard stone floor.

At the center of the room.

A large bed spread across the floor.

Both the king and the queen are lying side by side, asleep.

I knew them from Maria words.

The queen was Rebecca's mother.

Their breathing was slow and even.

The rise and fall of their chests is gentle and rhythmic.

I moved closer, my footsteps quiet on the soft carpet.

And walked slowly to the queen side.

And then with an evil smile.

My hands slowly moved towards the queen.

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