Desperate Transformation and Unknown Factors

Following the powerful punch from Iblis, the Leviathor was sent plummeting toward the depths of the sea at a rapid pace. After a few moments, the sea beast managed to stabilize itself and prepared to swim back upstream toward the surface. However, it was then that blue pillars of light surrounded the nearby area and then rapidly got connected to each other enclosing the area. The Leviathor's bioluminescent markings dimmed somewhat as it sensed the constant influx of sea attribute energy suddenly decrease significantly. It attempted to control the sea beyond the barrier but found it could barely move the seawater.

"Whshhhh!" The sound of a whistle caught the Leviathor's attention, causing it to look upward. There, it saw Nero standing on top of the barrier, waving with his right hand, while his left hand held the sword Yamato, which provided energy to the barrier. Nero proceeded to explain the situation to the beast, with a smile on his face.

"Don't even try. Unless you possess higher-level space energy than me, breaking through my space barrier is impossible. Moreover, from outside, breaking the barrier is even more unlikely, as the space energy isolates this area, preventing any further influx of energy and contact with other sea soul beasts for aid." Nero's explanation made the beast further anxious as the major source of it's power was severed.

Observing the Leviathor's increasingly anxious reaction, Nero's smile broadened, and he couldn't help but express his thoughts. "I'm genuinely curious why the Space God is a first-level God in the God Realm. I mean, if it weren't for Yamato and the Sparda Bloodline, simply mastering the space law to its extremes would be sufficient for me to defeat those five God-kings. I can't help but wonder how lacking in competence the Space God in the Douluo God Realm must be to remain a first-level God despite having access to such a potent origin."

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In an undisclosed location, within an area enveloped in thick mist, a grey-haired man lounged in a comfortable position, his head resting on the lap of a captivating woman. Suddenly, he sneezed and promptly sat up.

"Who dares to remember me, the illustrious Space God?" the grey-haired man grumbled. "Don't let me catch you, for I will surely make your existence a living torment for disrupting the repose of a great god like myself." With his complaint registered, the man reclined once more.

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As Nero redirected his attention away from the trapped Leviathor, he gazed upward and spotted Iblis descending rapidly towards his position.

Refocusing his gaze on Leviathor Nero conveyed his thoughts to Iblis " After nearly besting it in a life-or-death struggle, seal his powers. Aria wants to research as to why does this creature has such great control." stopping for a second Nero continued, " No, the correct term would be dominance, why does this creature has such dominance over sea " Iblis nodded and headed inside the barrier.

Leviathor, in the midst of its frantic attempts to regain control over the sea, abruptly ceased its actions as its innate senses for beastly and sea energy sent a stark warning through its being. The sensation was akin to the arrival of the God of Death himself. With a sense of foreboding, it swiftly moved away and turned its gaze backward, where Iblis now enveloped in an immense, dense purple aura was standing with his shadow Greatsword in his hand. 

In an instant, Iblis materialized above Leviathor, and with a swift and forceful swing, his Greatsword was aimed squarely at the beast's neck. However, Leviathor, in a desperate bid to escape, utilized its control over the sea energy to attempt to evade the impending attack.

Yet, Iblis was not to be thwarted. Mid swing, his Greatsword transformed into a whip-like form, snaring Leviathor's midsection like a coiling rope. With another powerful motion, Iblis drew the stretched part of the sword rapidly back, creating deep, gaping wounds along Leviathor's abdomen.

Leviathor's agonized roar echoed through the surrounding waters as it writhed in pain. Unlike previous encounters where the immense sea energy would help alleviate the pain and hasten its regeneration, this time the creature experienced excruciating agony during the regeneration process. 

Iblis, now using his true voice, commented, "It seems you really enjoy being in Sea energy let's see if that is the case with magma." With that, he enlarged his sword and thrust it into the nearby crater. Yes, Iblis didn't randomly kicked Leviathor but chose this location intentionally due to the presence of a magma source beneath the crater.

Iblis retrieved his sword, which was now imbued with magma energy from the crater, and resumed his assault on Leviathor. As Iblis launched his rapid attacks, Leviathor made an effort to defend itself. However, the magma energy that enveloped Iblis's sword countered the creature's sea energy defenses, and Iblis's potent sword intent proved more than capable of piercing through Leviathor's defenses.

Leviathor, in an attempt to gain the upper hand, gathered a significant amount of sea energy within the enclosed space, creating a powerful whirlpool above Iblis. The beast intended to squeeze Iblis by exerting immense pressure on him, but Iblis, with the whispered phrase "Shadow Void," passed through the vortex as if he were a mere illusion.

Upon witnessing this, Leviathor appeared bewildered, and Iblis, ignoring the beast's confusion, coated his sword with the remaining Magma Law, Shadow Law, and Separation Law, then struck towards the creature. In response, Leviathor let out a resounding roar, causing Nero to feel the surroundings slow down. Understanding that the beast was using time related ability Nero shook his head as he and Iblis were immune to this level of Time control due to their Time Law rune.

As Iblis closed in on Leviathor, the sea beast also realized that its time manipulation attempt had failed. In a desperate move, as Iblis's sword was about to make contact, Leviathor's bioluminescent markings turned purple, and it let out a roar that caused it to disappear from its position.

Sensing the beast's new location, Iblis looked back, but he was momentarily stunned as Leviathor was now covered with a black, dark mist. Soon, the black mist cleared, revealing Leviathor in a transformed state. His blue scales were replaced with dark black scales, and his markings and eye color turned purple. In addition, four tentacles now protruded from his head, two on each side.

Iblis tried to move forward, but as soon as his shadow energy-covered hand touched the black aura emitting from the beast, it started corroding, causing him to step back. The beast's new appearance and the corrosive nature of its aura made Nero recall the abyssal nature of its species. " Iblis get out of the barrier, "  He shouted at Iblis who without hesitation exited from barrier. 

As soon as Iblis stepped out of the barrier, Nero condensed the barrier to only encompass Leviathor and executed Judgment Cut, creating a storm of slashes that enveloped the beast. From the outside, all that could be seen was Leviathor shrouded in Nero's Judgment Cut, followed by a massive explosion that left everything inside the barrier in darkness.

After the aftermath of the explosion subsided, Nero and Iblis noticed chunks of the beast's body floating in the water, which had turned as black and thick as tar. Nero decided not to remove the barrier but instead teleported it directly into his inventory. Considering the black, tar-like water and the "abyss" name in the creature's species, he remained cautious.

While Nero and Iblis teleported inside the ship, taking with them the creature's body pieces and the tar-like water to have Aria scan and analyze them. The illusion that Iblis created also dissolved making everyone on the ship head back to their rooms. 

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Unknown Location,

the endless expanse of black-tar-like water was shrouded by ominous thunderstorms. A powerful roar echoed across the ocean, heralding the appearance of a fearsome behemoth that bore a resemblance

" Lay down, you can have the revenge once the time comes "an eerie, distorted voice rang out from the sky causing the beast to calm down and became as docile as a kitten. After a few more roars, it retreated back into the depths of the ocean.

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Nero and Yuanen Yehui's room, Star Luo Ship

Nero, Yuanen Yehui, and Iblis were currently waiting for Aria's message, who was scanning and analyzing Leviathor's body pieces and the black tar-like material. A few moments later, a hologram emerged from the device on the table, which was Aria in her bionic form.

" So, what did you get after scanning the water and the creature?" Nero asked Aria.

Aria began, "To start with, this creature was a soul beast, at least partially, and didn't have any connection with Dragon God despite having a high Rank bloodline."

"What do you mean by 'partially'?" Nero further asked.

Aria clarified, "Apart from the soul beast bloodline, it had one more unknown bloodline, which was responsible for its transformation and the water turning into tar-like liquid. Perhaps it wasn't yet ready for the transformation, as your attack probably caused it to lose concentration in controlling its new power, resulting in it self-exploding. As for what the other bloodline was, I don't know, as after exploding weirdly, only a few strands of DNA of that bloodline were present in the body pieces."

Aria then further continued, " As for that tar-like water, it is still water but there is immense amount of corroding energy in it which probably caused Iblis's armor to corrode" 

"Could the Abyss be related to this creature in some way? Its species name did contain the word 'Abyss," Yuanen Yehui pondered, directing her question to Aria who heaved a sigh before responding, "I can't be certain. Firstly, I've never encountered or witnessed Abyssal energy, and secondly, it should be impossible for an abyssal creature to appear in this location."

" Since we don't have anymore lead on this creature just wait until we visit abyss or encounter something like this. There is no point is guessing aimlessly, " Nero stated to which Aria nodded and her hologram flickered before disappearing.

Nero then turned to Iblis and issued an order, "Iblis, go to the nearby 100,000-year soul beast lairs discreetly. There's a chance they might have information about this. Let's see what we can uncover." Iblis nodded and melded into the shadows, his form disappearing from sight.

With Iblis dispatched on his reconnaissance mission, Nero and Yuanen Yehui decided to put their wakefulness to good use. They assumed a cross-legged posture on the bed and began cultivating.

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