Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 196. Devoured
When all hope was lost...
That’s when his partners showed up.
Carmilla hit the Leviathan’s side like a meteor, her sword glowing with Guardian’s Resolve at its strongest. The blow cut off one of the heads that had been torturing Rick.
Natasha came right after, her ice magic powered by rage. "Glacial Annihilation: Absolute Zero!"
The temperature around the Leviathan dropped so quickly that even water that was already corrupted started to freeze. Several heads were frozen in ice that was thick enough to keep them still.
Even though Liora was tired from healing Rick earlier, she used the last of her divine power. "Divine Chains: Judgment Binding!"
Holy energy in the form of golden chains wrapped around the Leviathan’s body, burning away the corruption and keeping it from moving.
Zara came out of the evil darkness outside the citadel, her demonic form fully visible and full of murderous intent. "Get your fucking tentacles off of my man!"
She activated Blood Price at its maximum setting, sacrificing thirty percent of her health to gain tremendous power. Her Demon Queen’s Wrath inflicted deep gashes on the Guardian’s armored body.
Rick’s four partners all attacked at the same time, but the Leviathan was too strong. It broke the ice. It broke the links. It brought the head back to life in a matter of seconds. The corruption that gave it power had pushed the Guardian past what should be physically possible.
A huge roar echoed through the depths, and Myrissa rode her Kraken to the surface. The uncorrupted Guardian of the Southern Deep moved with a terrible purpose.
With a rage born from witnessing its fellow Guardian’s control against its will, its tentacles reached for the Leviathan.
The two Guardians clashed in a battle that threatened to annihilate the entire world. Tentacles coiled around bodies resembling snakes, while jaws sank into flesh. The water roared in response to the ferocity of their struggle.
But even the Kraken and all five of Rick’s partners weren’t enough. The Archon’s corruption and Nerissa’s own magic signature turned against her, making the Leviathan too strong.
"Are you all fucking retarded!?" Typhon’s voice cut through the noise as he floated down to where Seris stood and said, "This is all... pointless!!!"
The corrupted Emperor Consort took the hand of his former lover, and their combined corrupted energy pulsed in perfect time.
Seris declared, "You cannot succeed in this one, bitch," her tone brimming with confidence. "The Archon has already thought of everything that could go wrong!"
"It wouldn’t matter if you somehow beat the Leviathan or killed us both...!"
Typhon nodded, and his evil, corrupted eyes got even brighter. "The Archon isn’t just making the Leviathan stronger..."
"In fact... he’s opening Cthulhu’s seal right now."
All of them got struck by the huge shock hearing that the Archon’s plan is already even further again by trying to release the Cthulhu to end Zorathia as fast as he can.
Nerissa’s blood ran cold. "N-No...! "What is your plan to unleash the apocalypse?"
"We both had to work together to get that seal, and there’s no way to break it!"
"It can be done when you use the magical signature we embedded in the Leviathan as a key," Seris said with a cruel smile. "The same bond that made the Guardians and the same power you and Typhon had six hundred years ago when you still loved each other!"
"The Archon is using that link to break the seal from the inside."
There was a tremor that reverberated throughout the entire ocean, not just in Meridia. The Astral Deep was not the only one affected. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
The whole ocean quaked as something ancient and terrifying stirred in its deepest depths.
"Cthulhu," Typhon said quietly, and for a moment his voice showed real fear under the corruption. "The weapon that is not allowed..."
"The Guardian" should never have been made. It will ruin every drop of water in the ocean when it wakes up completely!"
"Within days, seventy percent of Zorathia’s surface will be a place of madness."
Rick had a hard time getting up, but he leaned on Carmilla for support. His body was broken, and his health was at a dangerous level, but his eyes were full of anger.
"Then we stop it from waking up!"
"We’ll fight harder! We won’t give up until the bastard’s plan is stopped!"
"Brave words from a dying man," Seris said with a laugh. "But also... useless."
"The Archon’s plan is already in motion. Cthulhu will awaken, and the seas will fall with it."
"Meanwhile, the fate of Zorathia will drown in corruption, and there’s nothing the Seven Major Powers can do!"
Nerissa surveyed the devastation around her. Her city lay in ruins, and her people were frightened and scattered.
The Leviathan she had lovingly crafted was now turning against her. Her husband was with the one person she despised most. An ancient creature, long imprisoned by her, was on the verge of breaking free.
Doubt seeped in for the first time since her emotional defenses had shattered.
What if they were right?
What if this couldn’t be stopped?
What if she didn’t have enough power, rage, or will?
She didn’t see the panic attack coming. Eight hundred years of hidden anxiety, fifty years of emotional numbness, and the crushing weight of seeing everything she loved being systematically destroyed all hit her at once.
As she lost focus, her hugely changed body started to get smaller. She started to breathe quickly and shallowly.
She couldn’t stop her hands from shaking. The water around her swirled wildly as she broke down emotionally.
"Nerissa...!" Rick tried to reach Nerissa by swimming through the pain of his injuries. "Stay with me and try not to leave me again!"
"We can’t go back to zero again after all of this!"
But she couldn’t hear him. Panic had transported her to a place where all she could feel was fear, hopelessness, and the overwhelming certainty that she had failed.
She had let down her kingdom, disappointed her children, and failed the person who lived on the surface and had tried so hard to save her.
Seris smiled with cruel pleasure when she saw the Empress’s breakdown. She snapped her fingers.
SNAP!
The Leviathan, previously engaged in a fierce battle against the Kraken and Rick’s allies, suddenly moved with such speed that it became a blur.
One moment, it was locked in combat.
The next moment, its largest head had closed the distance between Rick and Nerissa.
Rick’s danger sense screamed, but his body was too hurt to move quickly. He grabbed Nerissa and tried to protect her, but it didn’t work.
The Leviathan’s mouth opened so wide that no one could escape or block it.
Rick and Nerissa both stared into the Guardian’s throat, where teeth and corrupt energy were accumulating.
Time seemed to slow down.
They could see their reflections in the purple light and felt the strong pull of the suction drawing them forward.
Rick’s partners screamed in fear. Carmilla’s "NO!" was clearly audible to the bond network.
Natasha quickly released her ice magic, yet it failed to reach them in time.
Liora’s divine energy pulsed with frantic healing, but there was nothing to heal yet.
Zara’s demon form charged ahead, but the distance was too far to reach.
Sylvia, who was watching from Tidebreak Port, roared with draconic rage that shook the surface.
The ocean-dwelling civilians who remained in the citadel were stunned to witness their empress, along with the surface hero who had attempted to rescue her, being devoured whole by the corrupted Leviathan.
The huge jaws snapped shut.
Nerissa and Rick were gone.
As the Leviathan’s throat drew them deeper into its corrupted body, darkness enveloped them both. The final sound Rick heard was Sebastian’s voice screaming his name, but even that faded into nothingness.
The Leviathan roared with the promise of more death to come as it turned its many heads toward Rick’s partners, purple corruption dripping from its jaws.
Myrissa’s scream of pain split the ocean.
Carmilla dropped to her knees, and the Unbreakable Bond screamed that Rick was still alive but fading fast.
Natasha’s cold mask broke completely, and for the first time since she was a child, tears streamed down her face.
Liora’s divine energy throbbed wildly, trying to reach Rick through their bond, but all it found was darkness.
Zara’s demon form became so enraged that her Blood Price spontaneously ignited, sacrificing health she could barely afford to lose.
Seris and Typhon watched everything with grim satisfaction, knowing that the Archon’s plan was going exactly as planned.
The Ocean Empress and the Hero of Mature Hearts had been devoured by the Leviathan.
And the last thing that could have stopped Cthulhu from waking up was just eaten.
