Chapter 516: This... this can’t be right
"It’s over?"
Everything had happened so fast that even Ethan couldn’t believe his eyes.
Just moments ago, the two had been locked in a brutal, evenly matched battle—and now, in the blink of an eye, it was over?
Or so he thought.
As he let out a breath of relief, Vorthalith’s massive body suddenly twitched.
Even without a head, the damn thing was still moving. Worse—its aura was growing stronger, darker, more unstable.
Ethan’s eyes widened. "Wait... is this thing unkillable?!"
Namyanna nodded grimly. "You can’t kill him just by taking his head. The only way to truly end him is to rip out his spine. That’s where his core is. Give him time, and he’ll just grow a new head."
Ethan’s stomach dropped. "Seriously? That’s insane..."
But Andona wasn’t done.
The power radiating from her now was overwhelming—divine and absolute.
BOOM!
A surge of sacred energy erupted from her, washing over the battlefield like a tidal wave of judgment. It locked Vorthalith’s body in place, freezing him mid-twitch.
Then, without hesitation, she reached out—her hand glowing with radiant force—and grabbed hold of the gaping wound where his head used to be.
With a sharp pull—
SHRRRRIP!
A golden, radiant longsword tore free from the serpent’s spine, glowing with a blinding light.
The blade pulsed with raw power—infused not only with the Primordial Force of the Abyss Serpent King’s bloodline, but also perfectly balanced between light and darkness. A weapon forged by nature itself, waiting for the one who could wield both.
"I did it!" Andona cried out, her voice trembling with exhilaration.
She held the sword high, and her aura exploded outward—her power now fully awakened, amplified by the divine weapon in her hands.
Ethan finally let out a breath, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He was just about to fly over and bring her back when—
CRAAAAASH!
The sea erupted again.
Massive waves surged skyward as more serpents burst from the depths—dozens of them. No—hundreds.
At least four hundred Sea Serpents rose into the sky, their bodies coiling and writhing in midair, surrounding the battlefield.
"Who did this?! Who killed our king?!"
Their voices boomed like thunder, filled with rage and grief.
Though none of them came close to Vorthalith’s individual power, their sheer numbers made them a terrifying force. The combined pressure of their auras was enough to shake the heavens.
And they were all staring at one person.
Andona.
"It was you?! You dare kill our leader?! You’ll pay for this—we’ll tear you apart!"
They didn’t wait for a response.
In a single, unified motion, they surged forward, their bodies glowing with elemental fury, ready to rip Andona to shreds.
BOOM!
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!
But just as they closed in, a massive explosion of energy erupted from Andona.
Light and darkness intertwined, forming a swirling vortex of divine chaos. The force slammed into the incoming serpents like a wall of pure will, halting their charge mid-air.
SHING!
Andona raised the radiant longsword high above her head, and waves of overwhelming power rippled out from her like a divine shockwave.
WUM! WUM! WUM...
Blades of light burst from her body in every direction, raining down like a divine storm.
"Revenge? Tear me apart?" Her voice was cold, merciless. "Then come. I’ll show you fools that even if a thousand of you came at me, it wouldn’t matter. I’ll slaughter every last one of you—turn you all to dust!"
And with that, she struck again.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The holy blade carved through the air, each swing tearing the sky apart.
"No—no way!"
The Sea Serpents panicked, their expressions twisting in terror. The pressure alone was enough to lock the space around them, freezing them in place.
The ones at the front didn’t even get the chance to react—when the sword light touched them, they were instantly shredded into chunks of flesh and bone.
The rest scattered in a frenzy, trying to flee in every direction.
But they were too slow.
Andona didn’t just wield light and darkness—she also commanded space itself.
With a single blink, she vanished and reappeared in the middle of the fleeing serpents. Then—
BOOOOM!
A violent explosion of power erupted from her, engulfing the entire swarm.
The sky turned white with light and black with shadow. The sea below churned with blood.
When the light finally faded...
All that remained was the stench of death and the thick, metallic tang of blood hanging over the ocean.
"We won!" Ethan shouted, pumping his fist.
"My Lord," Namyanna said, stepping up beside him, "you might want to try eating some of that meat. You could absorb some of their power."
"Seriously?" Ethan’s eyes lit up. "Hell yeah!"
He immediately got to work, collecting a few of the fresher Sea Serpent corpses.
"My Lord!"
Andona landed back on the deck, dragging the massive corpse of the Abyss Serpent King behind her like it weighed nothing.
"Master, my power has fully returned. And now that I’ve reclaimed my weapon, I’m ready to follow your command—wherever you lead."
Ethan waved her off casually and pointed at the massive corpse beside her.
"I don’t need much right now. Just gut that thing, skin it, and toss it in the pot."
Andona didn’t hesitate.
She got to work immediately, slicing the Abyss Serpent King into chunks and tossing the meat into a large cauldron. Within minutes, the ship was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of rich, savory serpent stew.
Time passed.
Eventually, the ship reached a jagged reef-strewn region of the sea.
Once they dropped anchor, Namyanna was the first to leap ashore, hopping across the rocks as she searched for something.
"If I’m remembering right, this is the place," she said, eyes scanning the terrain. "If you can absorb the power hidden here, my Lord, defeating Klorvax will be a walk in the park."
Ethan landed beside her, eyeing the area skeptically.
From what he could see, the place looked completely barren. No signs of life, no energy in the air—just rocks and dead silence.
"This place looks dead," he muttered. "You sure there’s anything here?"
Before she could answer, Namyanna suddenly pried a large stone loose from the reef.
THOOM!
The ground rumbled violently.
The sea roared as waves crashed against the rocks, and the scattered reef stones began to shift—pulling together, stacking, forming a small mountain.
Then, with a deep grinding sound, a door opened in the side of the rocky hill.
Namyanna’s eyes lit up. "Yes! This is it! We have to hurry—if we’re too late, the power inside might fade!"
Without waiting, she rushed into the passage.
Ethan followed close behind.
They moved through a narrow tunnel that twisted and turned, eventually opening into a vast underground chamber.
The space was filled with strange stone formations—twisted, organic shapes that looked eerily like sea creatures frozen mid-motion.
Ethan stared in awe. "These... are these natural? Or did someone carve them? They look way too real."
He reached out to touch one of the statues—only for Namyanna to grab his wrist.
"Don’t touch them, Master!" she warned sharply. "These were once living creatures. They were turned to stone by the liquid in this place. One drop, and you’ll end up just like them."
Ethan quickly pulled his hand back. "Noted. No touching creepy stone fish."
They continued deeper into the tunnel, walking for what felt like forever.
Finally, a faint glow appeared ahead.
"There it is!" Namyanna said, hurrying forward.
But the moment she stepped into the light, she froze.
Her face went blank.
"This... this can’t be right," she whispered. "I swear this was the place. But... there’s nothing here?"
...