Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 400: Turbulent Seas (7)

A sound like some thick, viscous liquid slithering endlessly across the floor echoed around them. Almost the instant Silvanus’s hand touched the shattered floor left behind by the explosion, something coiled up around his wrist.

It was a substance resembling mercury, but far denser, as though it possessed a life and consciousness of its own.

In no time, it gathered together, binding Silvanus’s arms and legs.

Silvanus realized these things were coming from the fragments of the statues.

"Silvanus!"

Vivian suddenly screamed. In what was almost a blink—no, even shorter—the ground collapsed beneath him. Silvanus vanished from sight in an instant. And Vivian, who had clearly been clinging to him the whole time, could do nothing but watch as her own body was left behind.

The little fox fell to the ground, scratching furiously in frustration. But the moment Silvanus disappeared, the floor reverted to its original state, the statue fragments once again becoming lifeless, nothing more than scattered rubble.

Vivian was shaken—more furious than afraid.

She growled in anger. If this path wouldn’t work, then she’d just go outside and jump off the cliff.

The moment that thought surfaced, a violent surge of energy burst forth, spreading outward from Vivian as its center.

She lunged forward, her sharp claws slashing directly at the massive gate. The force of impact, vastly disproportionate to her small body, made the gate ring with a piercing, thunderous clang. Yet all it showed afterward were a few scratches. It didn’t even tremble!

"Damn it!" Vivian roared, refusing to stop.

Her claws suddenly grew larger—until they were the size of human hands. Fur stretched down her arms before gradually turning into human skin.

"Get out of my way!" Vivian snarled, tearing at the gate with both hands. A blast of energy erupted, and the sound that followed was so shrill it felt like it could make one’s ears bleed.

The sea trembled violently.

The Queen, seated upon her throne, suddenly opened her eyes. At last, after countless tremors rocking the ocean, she rose to her feet. Her immense, majestic form began to move. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

By now, Athena had also led Nana to the place where Nicole was being held.

"This is an independent space. Without a guide, you would never find it. That’s why you should be thanking me," Athena said with a smile, her gaze teasing as it landed on Nana.

Nana frowned but said nothing.

They stepped through a door, but with Athena leading the way, what appeared before them was far from an ordinary room. It was an entirely different space.

The palace architecture of Aqualon was truly unique—countless turns, countless matrices, countless mechanisms. If one opened the doors in the usual way, they would never reach the place they sought.

Nana and Nicole finally saw each other through the golden bars. Athena spoke softly: "Hurry. It seems the Queen is preparing for war. Elder Nicole, we need your support."

Nana looked at Nicole sitting calmly inside the golden cage, irritation rising. "How did you end up locked up like this? You said you wouldn’t let anything happen to me or to Silvanus."

Nicole chuckled, scratching her head. She replied lightly, "I truly didn’t expect this. The Queen’s moves are impossible to predict. And I can’t use magic in here. It’s not like I wanted this..."

But Nicole didn’t look panicked or frightened at all. Nana frowned, but didn’t say another word. The runes on her hands lit up. She raised her twin swords and slashed relentlessly at the golden bars. They looked sturdy, but under Nana’s continuous assault, cracks began to form.

"Nana, look out!"

Nicole suddenly shouted.

Nana instinctively turned her head—only to see a blade-like slash cut through the water, like a crescent moon, heading straight for her.

Before she could react, Athena’s figure appeared in front of her.

Athena raised her hand. A swirling substance, like oil floating on water, suddenly emerged. It gathered into an illusion-like pattern, effortlessly swallowing the crescent moon slash whole.

Athena turned to look at Nicole, smiling, though her voice betrayed a tension her expression didn’t show. "Hurry up. If we’re any slower, we’ll all be buried here."

Because the Queen was coming...

The moment Athena finished speaking, the crescent-moon slashes multiplied.

Like a rainstorm, they kept shooting toward them. At the same time, the strange substances poured out in greater and greater amounts, until Athena’s entire body was being worn away, leaving her with almost nothing but a fragile shell.

Those shimmering, multicolored illusion-like substances wove themselves into a massive net, shielding all of them inside.

Nana shuddered inwardly, muttering something under her breath as the swords in her hands moved without pause.

They were not ordinary swords, and those were not ordinary strikes.

These blades were forged from runes, tempered by magic. Every slash carried unfathomable magical power.

Nana’s amber eyes lit up. She suddenly raised both hands, shifting her grip so that both sword tips pointed downward.

"Kengggg—"

Her twin blades crossed directly in front of the metal bars. She swung with all her strength, roaring, "Break!"

"Boom! Crash!"

A violent explosion erupted, swallowing Nana’s figure in blinding light. The sound of the golden cage shattering became so faint it was barely worth noticing.

Nicole shot out like an arrow.

She kicked off the air, a magic circle forming beneath her feet, radiating outward with dazzling light.

She grinned. "Alright, well done Nana. Now it’s my stage!"

With that, she launched herself upward. A moment later, a sound like a church bell rang out. Light cascaded downward, forming a massive shield that blocked every attack coming from ahead.

Only now did Athena get a chance to catch her breath. The black yet prismatic material gathered and flickered before coalescing—then Athena reappeared.

She looked up and saw Nicole gazing down at them.

They heard Nicole say, "To be honest, unless Vermillion is here, we don’t stand a chance. Not even a little."

The Queen of Aqualon was not someone you could overpower just because you wished to.

Athena immediately spoke: "On behalf of all the princesses and princes of Aqualon, we already have a plan to subdue the Queen—just lead her to the Aetherium Tower."

"Explain how you plan to do that," Nicole demanded.

"My ability tells me that all we need is to get her there," Athena replied without hesitation.

What a ridiculous plan—unclear, uncertain. If it failed, all of them would be buried beneath the sea before the mainland even realized they were gone.

But Nicole remembered what Vermillion told them before they left: to trust their student.

Their student...

Nicole instinctively looked toward Nana.

Nana spoke immediately. "Silvanus is already at the tower."

Ha. Vermillion, did you foresee this?

What do you want, huh? Are you trying to turn your precious student into a savior?