Chapter 247 : Awakening Tethys and the Method to Lift the Seal

Awakening Tethys and the Method to Lift the Seal

Seeing the tragic scene in the underwater city, the two young mermaid girls—one dressed in blue, the other in black—caught Serea's attention.

"Princess Serea, run!"

A dozen mermaid guards desperately shielded the two girls, trying to help them escape the city. However, the nagas were many, their blades merciless, and the mermaid guards were slaughtered in an instant. Then, the nagas surrounded Tethys and the mermaid princess at the center.

The lead naga stepped out, flanked by his kin.

"Hand over the holy relic, and you will have the honor of becoming my wife."

A naga spoke these words, and upon hearing them, the black-haired mermaid princess clenched her teeth in furious defiance.

"Princess Serea..."

"Tethys, I will use the holy relic to open a path for you. When the moment comes, you must leave this place."

"No, Princess Serea, I can't leave you behind."

Tethys clung to the mermaid princess, but what she received was...

"There's no time left!"

The girl had made up her mind. She raised her staff, and the gemstone atop it radiated a forbidden black light, a glow that should not exist in this world.

"Ah~"

The girl parted her lips, and a mournful melody reverberated through the deep sea. Summoned by the song, an unknown power surged from the staff, activating the Deep Sea Relic!

Upon seeing this, Serea hurriedly instructed Dogsius to preserve this memory. If her guess was correct, that song was the key to breaking the seal.

The nagas in the scene sensed something was wrong. The lead naga bellowed,

"How dare you!"

He tried to charge forward, but the black light froze everyone in place. In their eyes was an emotion called terror—a strange kind of fear that left them unable to move.

"Master, danger!"

Dogsius suddenly warned her, and Serea also sensed a looming crisis.

She darted out of the black glow's reach. When the feeling of danger subsided, she turned and saw that the black radiance had engulfed the entire underwater city.

"Princess, no!"

Tethys pleaded, wanting to stop what was happening, but a surge of current swept her away from the black light's domain.

"Take the relic and leave. If you don't wish to shoulder this heavy burden, let the relic vanish from the sea forever..."

Dogsius caught these words, spoken through mental telepathy. Then, the mermaid princess snapped the Deep Sea Relic from her staff and hurled it beyond the reach of the black radiance.

Tethys looked back at the princess, the relic flying towards her, as the princess mouthed a final sentence.

Yet for some reason, although the princess opened her mouth, no sound came out. Still, upon hearing it, tethys could no longer hold back her tears.

"Princess Serea!"

With a cry, the black glow mutated into sticky sludge, covering what remained of the city and the invading nagas.

"I... have awakened!"

A whisper issued as a massive black maw rose from the mire—a creature shaped like a black whale. Along with its eerie bellow, Serea's vision was consumed by bubbles and black light. In her last glimpse, she saw the creature's information.

Avatar of the Evil God—Afamal, Lord, level...???

"What kind of existence is that?!"

Just witnessing this memory left her feeling threatened. She could not even imagine what it would be like to face such a monster in person...

"Could something like that even be defeated..."

System: Not now, but I believe the host will be able to in the future.

"You certainly have confidence in me..."

With a self-mocking chuckle, Serea, for the first time, experienced the meaning of utter despair.

As the image faded, a gigantic chasm now gaped in the center of the seabed. The mermaids and nagas were all gone, as if nothing had ever existed there.

"Princess Winnie!"

Tethys called out, but no one responded. Bowing her head in despair, she noticed the Deep Sea Relic on the ground.

If you don't wish to shoulder this heavy burden, let it vanish from the sea forever...

Winnie's words echoed in Tethys' ears. She resolutely grabbed the Deep Sea Relic and swam toward the distance—that direction was...

The land!

Crash!

The memory shattered like a broken mirror, replaced by a space of utter darkness.

Within the darkness, a girl sat hugging her knees and sobbing. Her cries spoke of despair and pain—she had lost everything and was now utterly alone.

"So this is what Tethys went through."

Serea came to a stop in the darkness. For some reason, she felt a pang of sympathy.

"Master, now is the time. Go wake Tethys."

"All right."

Serea's body gradually took on substance. From this moment, she was completely immersed in Tethys's mind realm.

She walked slowly toward the girl, calling out gently,

"Tethys, wake up!"

But her words had no effect.

"Master, it won't work. Words alone cannot awaken her. Recall the memory you just saw—there may be something there that can help."

"Something that can awaken her..."

Serea pondered, and then realization dawned.

"Dogsius, can you help me change my appearance?"

"Change your appearance..."

"To look like that mermaid princess just now."

"Oh! That's a great idea."

With Dogsius's help, Serea's spirit transformed into that of the previous mermaid princess.

It was worth mentioning that, in her Deep Sea Mermaid form, Serea did bear a certain resemblance to this princess.

"This should work, right?"

Serea approached Tethys, and now her voice matched Winnie's.

"Tethys, wake up."

At the sound, tethys visibly shuddered. No longer unresponsive, she slowly raised her head.

The instant she saw Serea, her sobbing ceased.

"Princess Winnie!"

Tethys' eyes widened, but she blurted out,

"Princess Serea, run!"

The scene shifted—the darkness faded, and once again the two stood in the seabed city, surrounded by nagas. The lead naga repeated,

"Hand over the holy relic, and you will have the honor of being my wife."

"Huh?"

Suddenly being "proposed to" left Serea thoroughly baffled, but glancing around...

Wasn't this the same scene as before?!

Time had rewound?

No, this was the consciousness space—the memory was simply repeating itself, and the reason for its reappearance...

Looking at the nervously determined Tethys standing before her, Serea muttered,

"She's unwilling to let the tragedy repeat, so she's caught in this cycle. In that case, if I can change the outcome, perhaps she'll be freed from her fear."

"That possibility can't be ruled out,"

Dogsius replied. Hearing that, Serea clenched her fists.

"Leave it to me."

"But, Your Majesty, there are so many enemies—how will you change this tragedy?"

"Easy..."

She snapped off the Deep Sea Relic and threw it aside.

"If you want it so much, come and get it!"

As Serea threw out the holy relic, the lead naga immediately chased after it.

"Let's go!"

She seized Tethys's hand and sped towards a gap in the ring of nagas.

With the relic in hand, the lead naga shouted,

"Don't let those two escape!"

The nagas swarmed after them; facing the hundred or so nagas blocking their way, Serea unleashed her power.

"Deep Sea Water Elemental!"

A black liquid surged forth, coalescing into a giant of black water wielding an ice crystal staff.

Frozen Hell!

A single spell restrained over a dozen nagas in ice, but they soon began to struggle. The frost wouldn't hold them for long.

That was all she needed. Using Water Flow Control, Serea accelerated, dragging Tethys toward the surface. Some nagas were delayed, but even more barreled after them.

There were...

Nearly a thousand of them! And their average level was twenty!

A spectacular sight—hordes of nagas in pursuit, Serea raced for the surface.

Splat! Splat! Splat!

Blades of water and ice, along with tridents, rained down. Serea realized the nagas didn't aim to kill her; after all, she was chosen by their leader.

"You can't run!"

The lead naga was still on their heels, but Serea only smiled.

"We'll see about that."

She surged toward the surface. Seeing this, the nagas grinned, for now they encircled from all sides; once at the surface, there would be no escape.

Serea sensed her Deep Sea Water Elemental destroyed behind her, but did not look back. The surface grew closer; she shouted,

"A little faster!"

She pushed Water Flow Control to its limits, but the nagas closed in.

"Princess, leave me behind. I'll cover your retreat."

"Impossible! The one thing I can never abandon is you, tethys!"

Saying this in Winnie's tone, tethys's eyes brimmed with tears.

"Princess Serea..."

"Here we go!"

Just as they were about to reach the surface, a sheet of frost formed across it.

Ice Barrier!

It was the nagas' shaman. The temperature plunged, as if to trap them in ice crystal.

But the naga shaman did not dare kill them, so...

Blood Frenzy!

Her form shifted. Activating Blood Frenzy, Serea's fishtail turned to legs, and using the burst's momentum, she charged at the ice.

Blood Spring! Blood Manipulation!

A surge of blood battered the ice; fractures spread. Then came—

"Clark!"

A rumble split the sky.

"Clark is here!"

Boom!

A stone spear shattered the cracked ice, opening a hole. Serea dashed through, pulling Tethys with her.

"Got you two!"

Clark snatched Serea and Tethys up in his hands, stomping the ice.

Catapult Jump!

Unfurling vast wings, a blood-red spell circle let Clark soar straight up into the sky.

Seeing this, the nagas were dumbfounded.

What kind of power was that? Since when did the mermaids have such a monster?

Slack-jawed, they floated to the surface to look at the soaring Clark. They hurled tridents and blades of water, but Clark either dodged them or took only superficial scratches.

When Clark rose a thousand meters, they could only stare helplessly upward.

"See you around!"

Serea waved at the "suitor" naga below, who shouted furiously,

"I WILL catch you!"

The voice faded. With Serea and Tethys in tow, Clark flew far away.

"Princess Winnie..."

Now that they had escaped, tethys cried out in relief, but turning to the sea, she murmured,

"The holy relic..."

"It doesn't matter anymore. Nothing's more important than you, tethys."

Serea said, embracing Tethys as Winnie. Though there was some deception involved, this was all so Tethys's fear would finally fade.

"Princess Serea..."

Held by her "princess",

Tethys felt a peace she had never known before.

"It's all over. There's nothing more to fear. So..."

Wake up, tethys!

Crash!

The vision shattered. Dizzy and lightheaded, Serea opened her eyes to the gently rippling surface of water.

Splash!

She sat up, half-submerged in the Spring of Life.

"Serea!"

Seeing Serea awaken, nora hurried over. Little Mo was also squirming atop Serea's head.

"Ah! Please... get that thing off of me!"

Sticky... slimy... squirming all over...

"Huh?"

Puzzled, little Mo was scooped up by Nora and held in her arms.

"How's Miss Tethys?"

"She should be..."

Before she could finish, tethys opened her eyes, rubbed her aching head, and sat up. In her blurry vision, Serea's outline appeared, and it left her a bit stunned.

"Looks like she's all right now."

Serea said, when suddenly Tethys leapt up to hug her.

"Princess Winnie!"

"Um... It's me, Serea."

Hearing this, tethys's blurred vision cleared, and realizing it was Serea, her excitement faded.

"So it's... just Serea..."

The girl sounded disappointed. Serea understood: dreams are only dreams, and reality does not change. As long as Tethys had recovered, that was what mattered.

And...

They had found a clue to lifting the "Deep Sea Relic"'s seal—this trip was not in vain.

Staring at Serea up close, tethys's mind filled with images from the mind realm.

"Nothing is more important than Tethys..."

Princess Winnie's face and Serea's features began to merge in her memory. For a moment, tethys wore a sweet smile.

"???"

"Serea saved me."

"So you know!"

"Yes."

Tethys said meaningfully, making Serea embarrassed.

Getting caught deceiving someone with Winnie's identity...

"Thank you, Serea, or this time would have been a disaster."

"Is... is that so."

Serea scratched her head awkwardly.

"Miss!"

Nora threw herself over, tackling Tethys and nuzzling her head into her chest, sobbing.

"Miss, I thought... glub... would never... glub... wake up... glub... I'm so glad!"

Hearing Nora's tearful, broken words, tethys patted her head.

"Don't worry. I'm all right now."

Watching the two, Serea fell silent, but then something seemed to come to her.

"Right. Tethys, about the enemies that attacked you before—do you know anything about them?"

(To be continued....)