Wrath of The Sea

How much volume of water could drown an entire mansion-sized dragon? Magnus was about to find out.

"DAZHBOG!" Magnus yelled at the golden dragon.

Hearing his name being called out, the god-possessed dragon was visibly stunned. It hadn't imagined this human could've known his name. He flapped the dragon's wings more intensely a couple of times, its eyes narrowing. It was as if the god wanted to ask Magnus a question. However, monsters, especially the non-humanoid ones, simply weren't able to speak. The only sign that the god was 'speaking' was the white-orange glow that kept flickering, as if it was conveying Dazhbog's emotions.

However, Magnus knew that even though the dragon couldn't speak, the god possessing it was more than able to understand what he said. So he continued, "You saw how I was struggling against Scoville, right? I was only able to survive because he chose a weak vessel! But if you, who have picked up such mighty creature to be your vessel, couldn't even give me the same trouble Scoville did, then what does that say about your capability?"

Magnus knew poking at the god's insecurity was the best way to keep his attention onto him. There was no way Magnus would let the bastard stray his eyes anywhere else, especially toward his friends and family.

Seeing that he had aggravated the god enough, Magnus felt assured he would keep his eyes locked onto him.

'TJ, Summer, I'll leave everyone to you,' Magnus 2.0 said before Magnus used [Gale] to launch himself into the air and toward a destination he already had in mind. It was a place that would prevent many casualties. While he was at it, he took the chance to flash a middle finger at the god.

The god was cultured enough to understand what the gesture meant. He grew more pissed. Without hesitation, he beat his wings and shot toward Magnus' flying form.

Seeing that the dragon was well on his tail, Magnus snickered. The god had the initial advantage of placing the portal right on Magnus' location. It was only fair that Magnus got to choose the next location, right? It was the only way for him to level the playing field.

Which made him grateful for the privilege he had of the geography of his hometown. It was really a good thing that he lived in Chicago. Because it wasn't a landlocked city. Which meant, a massive body of water was nearby. Which also meant that he wouldn't have to expend extra mana on conjuring water out of thin air.

Lake Michigan had all the water he needed.

It didn't take more than ten minutes for him to arrive near the shore. As he flew in a straight line, he witnessed how the views below became more and more grievous the closer he went to the epicenter of the earthquake that happened during the Prolog. Some buildings had turned into rubbles, some had been destroyed by the ones that toppled over. Vehicles were scattered about with their doors open and their owners nowhere in sight. Stores had been looted, the streets were cluttered with all kinds of junks, glass fragments littered the sidewalks and occasionally dead bodies could be seen strewn about.

Magnus also spotted a few Abyss portals along the way and noted down the types of creatures that came out of them. These creatures were now seen roaming the streets, mostly confused of what was going on, since the portals had only been very recently opened. However, he was able to pinpoint the specific portals he had planned for his Protagonists to explore. Hopefully, after this ordeal with Dazhbog was done and everyone was well-rested, he could finally put this plan of his into motion.

In the distance, his eyes finally landed on the ominous figure of the Arc Tower. It was actually not super tall, standing about a hundred meters in height. However, the black stones it was made of exuded an inexplicable and otherworldly Aura that felt so alien. It was so strong you could feel it from hundreds of meters away.

Magnus didn't know who had come up with the name, but there was a reason they were called Arc Towers. The Towers' ability to generate portals that would send people into another Realm symbolized a person's transition from one story arc to the next. Their crossing-over meant that they were ready to leave behind their original world and explore a new one.

This particular Arc Tower was erected right on the edge of Navy Pier, causing a mini tsunami along the shoreline of Lake Michigan upon its appearance. Magnus' eyes didn't linger on the Tower for long, as he had an angry god following after him. He shot past the Tower and zoomed across the Great Lake, creating a trail on the water below. A few hundred meters from the shore, he cancelled [Gale] at the same time as he casted a skill that would help him with mobility.

[Seafarer's Dance]!

The surface of the lake shifted as a swirl of water rose into the air. As the top of the water twister came in contact with Magnus' feet, its density increased around his soles, providing him with some type of solid footing. As solid as liquid could be, that was. This way, he was able to literally walk on water, while the twister would follow wherever he went as long as he didn't leave the lake. The mana consumption for the skill was one point lower than [Unbreakable], so he could theoretically maintain it for a while.

This wouldn't be his first experience battling an opponent above water. He opened Inventory, equipped [Wayward], and glanced at a box containing an ordinary-looking fire axe. However, the weapon was anything but ordinary. [Disaster] was what it was called. Along with a Title, [Master Waverider], the item was one of his rewards after defeating a huge sea monster.

[Disaster] was an unranked weapon, but not because it was trash. It simply couldn't be ranked, because in a way, it was a living weapon. The axe itself was not what made it special; it was the monster possessing it. Too bad Magnus was still unable to tame it and make it his Familiar.

As the dragon flew closer, Magnus raised his shield and activated his [Armor of Light]. He had also put on [Ocean's Tear] necklace to amplify his Mana. He was certain this battle would squeeze his mana dry.

Dazhbog didn't waste any time as he opened the confrontation with another stream of white flames. This time, Magnus didn't cast [Unbreakable]. He relied on his [Tidal Wave] to not only shield him, but also to limit the dragon's sight so he could get away. A huge wall of water erupted from the surface, stopping the fire breath. Splashes of water rained down like waterfalls, obscuring the dragon's view on Magnus' location, who had just created enough distance between him and Dazhbog. At the same time, he was finished preparing the skill [Lightning Shower], locking the dragon as the target. He might not have the lightning affinity-enhancing effect of [Forthright] at the moment, but [Frontier] was enough to make up for it.

However, just as he was about to cast the spell, the dragon was somehow able to locate him. With a roar, the dragon casted a spell that was similar to [Glowing Sun], but with an addition of fire element. A big explosion of light and fire took place above the lake. Magnus was caught off guard and apart from the partial protection provided by his shield, he failed to put up any defense in time. The explosion not only temporarily blinded Magnus, but the fire also managed to reach his body, sending intense heat that ravaged his flesh. Strangely, the injuries didn't hurt him in the slightest, which told him that even his nerves had been severely damaged.

After the explosion died down, Magnus was left with many third-degree burn wounds all over his face and his arms—parts of his body unprotected by [Mystic Deep]. His torn clothes were now stained with his blood. Fortunately, his [Armor of Light] had prevented even more damage to occur. If lower-level mortals were to be exposed with the same level of attack, their weaker bodies wouldn't last long enough to cast a healing spell.

As the [Armor of Light] automatically got to work to cure his blindness and regenerate his flesh as well as closing all the wounds, he moved away from the dragon, bringing the battlefield further from the shores.

It was time for counterattack.

He casted [Tidal Wave] again toward the approaching dragon before sending multiple [Thunderbolt] to add an electrocuting effect to the water wall. However, Dazhbog was smart enough to see what Magnus was up to. He abruptly halted midair and made a sudden turn upward.

Magnus clicked his tongue as he could hear the dragon scaling the height of his [Tidal Wave], only to appear above the water wall. The fluctuations in his white-orange glow conveyed his smug expression.

Knowing the white flames breath needed time to charge, Dazhbog opted to fire several white fire balls out of his mouth while accelerating toward Magnus.

The shield bearer was forced to move his water twister backward, while trying to avoid the fire balls. It turns out that some of the fire balls were able to curve around to avoid his shield and land a hit on his sides and behind.

It was not nice. He suffered even more wounds before the [Armor of Light] was done healing the previous ones. The overwhelming amount of light element infused within the fire added to the severity of the wounds. He could feel his Health plummeting.

He was being pushed further, and he could see the god was speeding up and preparing to use physical attacks on him. However, Magnus smiled. He had finished casting [Lightning Shower]. This would be his second attempt, and he knew he would succeed this time. He raised his axe, making the dragon cautious.

[Lightning Shower]!

The starry sky above the lake was suddenly covered in grey clouds. Yellow streaks could be seen gathering on a spot that aligned with the dragon's position. A second later, tens of lightning bolts rained down onto the dragon's body, producing a bright display of roasted giant lizard.

A moment later, a ground-shaking thunder could be heard throughout the areas near the lake.

*Boom!*

The thunder was soon followed by a pained roar coming from the dragon. Magnus witnessed the attack dealing quite a heavy damage on the monster's body. What made his smile wider was the fact that the wounds weren't healing. He was sure that all gods had healing skills of their own. However, they were only able to utilize it on a perfectly compatible vessel. At least that was the rumor he'd heard about.

The fact that both Scoville and Dazhbog weren't able to heal their vessels was because those bodies weren't compatible with their souls. Which meant they had an expiry date.

No matter how strong the dragon's body was, it was still a vessel Dazhbog had gained hastily. Now the dragon didn't have long before its body gave in, especially after receiving such a powerful attack from Magnus.

'Then why don't I hasten the decline of that body?' Magnus thought.

He decided to go all out now. He took a deep breath and channeled the affinity enhancing effect of his shield, axe, and necklace. [Frontier] alone had been designed to accommodate all four of his affinities—well, apart from his newly-developed light affinity. Raising his axe and steadying his grip on [Frontier], he casted what he considered to be his most mana-consuming skill.

First, came the earthquake. With the lake's bottom below Magnus as the epicenter, the ground shook violently. Initially, it only created ripples on the water surface. However, it soon turned into waves that crashed brutally with each other.

Then, came the strong and wild gales, churning up the angry waves even more. The wind drove the water into more vicious clashes of giant waves. It also stirred up the air around Magnus and the dragon. However, while the dragon struggled to stabilize its flight, Magnus wasn't at all disturbed. His water twister remained controlled, anchoring Magnus on a secure position.

After that, came the streaks of electricity in the air, charging the now-wrathful waves.

Seeing the development of Magnus' spell, Dazhbog tried to think fast. He ended up not bothering to waste time by casting a skill and dashed straight toward the shield bearer, intending to crush his skull.

However, the final phase had just come. The waves had grown too gigantic to remain separated. In the end, the once-clashing waves turned into one colossal wave that loomed over the approaching dragon. The monster now looked like an ant in comparison. Seeing what was in front it, the dragon subconsciously came to a halt and froze.

With the wind whipping his hair as well as his torn and bloody clothes, Magnus hacked his axe down, finally releasing the skill.

[Wrath of The Sea]!

The water titan, charged with hundreds of thousand volts of electricity, crashed down onto the dragon. Safe to say, Magnus didn't need to wait long before the death of the dragon's body instantly killed the portion of Dazhbog's soul that had been possessing it.

How much volume of water could drown an entire mansion-sized dragon? Like, a whole fucking lot.

Magnus couldn't enjoy his victory for long, though. He was positioned in close proximity to where the dragon had been devoured by the giant wave. Therefore, the huge splashes it created as a result as well as the wind that was stirred forcefully shoved him off his water twister and threw him hundreds of meters away. He crashed into the lake, plunging down the deep water and creating a trail of bubbles in its wake. Added with the fact that he was massively drained of both Mana and Stamina, he soon fell unconscious.

Just a distance away, the dead body of the dragon was sinking to the bottom, its once-glowing golden scales now battered with grievous wounds.

A moment later, the water finally calmed down and the lake went quiet as though nothing had happened.