I understand you.
The necromancer, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess, wanted to command Shia like her army of corpses, but Shia was too massive a vessel for her to contain.
The divine power flowing from the vessel of souls and the overwhelming presence from the outside were all within Shia’s single body. Thus, the Mermaid Princess chose to fuse with Shia, and the result was quite successful.
Look.
She just took a hit from Cheon Danaa, didn’t she?
“If the entire ocean is your domain…”
However, Cheon Danaa wasn’t just going to sit quietly.
There’s no need to rush.
In a fight between Awakened Ones, the most basic thing is to establish your domain.
Snap!
When Cheon Danaa clapped her hands vigorously, the air bubbles around her expanded in size.
[Replication – Earth Master]
“I merely need to create my own domain.”
No, it wasn’t just the air bubbles.
Cheon Danaa’s hands replicated the atmosphere, including the ground’s space of oxygen and air. As the replicated ground expanded, the space where the sea once was began to vanish.
In simple terms, Cheon Danaa transformed the sea into land, centered around herself.
From that point, the scenery of the Deep Sea Palace started to completely change.
Though the ceiling was covered in water, the spot where Cheon Danaa stood became land for her.
The sky turned into the sea, and reversed land emerged, causing flowers to bloom from the ground. Well-kept, blood-red blood lotus flowers formed a forest, resembling a flowerbed.
‘If your curse permeated the entire deep sea, then simply create new land and remove the sea water.’
“What? What’s happening?”
“I’m struggling, I’m struggling!”
“It’s uncomfortable!”
“It’s hot!”
As Cheon Danaa’s domain continued to expand, the mermaids hiding nearby were instantly confused, crawling on the now-dried bottom of the ocean where the water had disappeared.
And, naturally, mermaids couldn’t move on land.
They couldn’t swim freely like in the sea; their mobility and movement were severely restricted.
“What else can you do now, besides flopping around like a fish out of water?”
By replicating land and the atmosphere entirely, the curse that had pervaded the entire sea vanished.
Cheon Danaa’s overwhelming magic and oppressive aura did not diminish in the least.
But it didn’t matter.
Crack, crack!
“Haaah…”
[Haaah…]
Shia was merely undergoing a simple mutation.
The tail that had flicked like a fin now sprouted legs, and the Mermaid Princess fused with Shia also grew human legs, able to stand on the ground that Cheon Danaa had replicated.
Though remnants of the mermaid, such as scales, still remained on her chest and thighs, by fusing with Shia, the Mermaid Princess adapted excellently to the newly formed limbs.
They fused into one another, sharing body and abilities.
‘It’s fine. I expected to grow legs. What I need to be cautious of is those tentacles.’
Cheon Danaa hadn’t anticipated that the mermaid would grow legs as well, but merely preventing the curse that consumed the seawater was an accomplishment in itself.
And as the seawater vanished, those tentacles that had consumed everything began to shrink in an instant, unable to maintain their massive mass.
With the widespread curse and debuff that gnawed away at her body now lifted, Cheon Danaa began to replicate her hands without hesitation.
As an opaque barrier unfolded around Cheon Danaa, her hands spread out like wings.
And just like that, the hands that had spread out dissolved into the surroundings.
By replicating the hands of an A-grade Awakened and using them as offerings, and then melting them down to feed new hands, new ones emerged from the corrupt malicious essence of darkness.
Those hands became nourishment for another hand, and the cycle continued, creating hands imbued with powerful magic, much like Shia’s tentacles.
She created 10 hands of S-grade Awakened.
And to assist her, 44 hands and hearts of the sacrificed A-grade Awakened.
Cheon Danaa resolved to end the situation with merely the 10 hands she had specially created.
She had no intention of waiting any longer.
Three hands sprouted from her back, touching the ground.
The hands with the ability to manipulate the earth and the telekinetic hand moved simultaneously.
With their movements, spikes of earth erupted from the replicated ground. As her fingers moved, the spikes sharpened even further, darkened by the infusion of magic.
39 earth spikes imbued with a crimson aura were created in mere moments, and Cheon Danaa nodded toward her target.
Boom! Bang!
The earth spikes immediately tore through the surroundings and hurtled toward Shia and the Mermaid Princess, the massive mass charged with mana slicing through the artificially replicated air.
“Let’s get closer.”
[Let’s get closer.]
Shia’s mouth opened to speak to the princess.
[Yes.]
“Yes.”
And the princess responded.
Their actions were swift.
Shia and the Mermaid Princess, still holding hands, slightly bent at the waist in unison.
And at exactly the same moment, they slammed the ground.
Boom!!
Like missiles being launched, Shia and the Mermaid Princess surged forward.
The high-density magic inscribed within the earth spikes was a terrifying weapon all by itself, impossible to nullify with any half-hearted attack.
Since the hands created through sacrificing several arms possessed strength beyond S-grade powered individuals, when Shia and the Mermaid Princess effortlessly extended their hands forward, it shattered the rock like soft cheese.
They moved in perfect synchrony, continuously breaking the rocks apart.
As they swung their hands, the once-dominating earth spikes lost their form completely, leaving their skin unscathed.
At this moment, Hyung-An’s Princess was one with Shia, and Shia was one with her; they were of the same body and mind, sharing the same strength.
Originally, this was a sorcery used by a necromancer to absorb the power and soul residing within corpses to enhance her own body. Still, with Shia’s permission, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess temporarily received Shia’s strength.
Thus, she could use the solid body and legs, alongside the combat experience Shia had accumulated over 64 years in the previous world.
‘So this is the body of the Death Saint.’
It was strong.
It was solid.
For a moment, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess felt an intense jealousy toward Shia.
If only she had this strength originally… Maybe this reality wouldn’t have happened.
Of course, hesitation and contemplation were only for a brief moment.
The princess moved her body once again, following Shia’s will.
The 39 earth spikes shattered in an instant, and Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess, seemingly pleased with her new legs, started drawing figures on the ground with her toes.
“Ha.”
Despite the strong attack being crushed, Cheon Danaa merely shrugged her shoulders.
When Cheon Danaa snapped her fingers, mouths formed on the 10 arms.
[1001010000010101]
[O-PDFJ-FDN-Q]
[Spirits, I call your name; please entrust your life to me.]
[hdpa-daf-fq-wef-b-a-qr]
And at that moment, indescribable incantations flowed out simultaneously, as spears of lightning, swords of flames, and countless other powers filled her hands.
However, neither Shia nor Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess planned to let her fire those off peacefully.
Chakakakaka!
Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess grasped the sword of fire with her bare hands.
Shia seized the sword of lightning and the spear of ice.
Gripping an S-grade Awakened’s abilities without harm was remarkable, but Cheon Danaa had no plans to let her guard down against these two.
[Replication – Close Combat Mode Transition]
The slender replication arms near her took on a dark hue.
“Alright, let’s have a proper match.”
Whether you are my enemy, an obstacle, or a hateful essence residing within me, it doesn’t matter.
If it’s a hindrance, I will just clear it away.
Cheon Danaa steadied the blood that had rushed to her head.
And she replicated her entire magic, circulating it through her body.
Numerous hands, filled with abilities, targeted the two.
While the only defense against it was the white divine power, that was already more than enough.
Crack!
‘What kind of power is this…?’
In the first strike, one of the hands shattered.
To that, Shia and Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess smiled in unison.
“Pretty tough, huh?”
[Pretty tough, huh?]
Ha, you crush something in one hit and then say it’s tough?
You’re mocking me.
Though it was replicated arms, they possessed high-density magic created from S-grade abilities and other hands, and they couldn’t even withstand the punches of Shia and Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess before being shredded apart.
However, Cheon Danaa did not panic and immediately replicated new arms.
Crack!
Thud!
Crash!
Destruction.
Replication.
And then replication again.
Explosion, demise, and replication again.
Shia and the Mermaid Princess were not so fast that Cheon Danaa couldn’t keep up.
Being an originally range-type, it was manageable even though her capabilities were colossal.
Cheon Danaa’s newly replicated arms aimed for Shia’s blind spot, laden with fire and water, but they were obliterated by Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess’ kicking strike, distorting the replicated space itself.
With such overwhelming strength, the mermaid and the Death Saint were effortlessly deflecting all of it.
No, it wasn’t just deflecting.
Cheon Danaa was evidently being pushed back.
The sound of the air slicing and the immense pressure created a massive wave.
Fists, kicks, and tentacle rotations flowed together seamlessly, and Cheon Danaa was receiving all those attacks with her replicated arms.
Crack! Crack!
‘It’s heavy…!’
The first thing Cheon Danaa felt when switching to close combat was an unthinkable weight.
The overwhelming pressure pouring from her hands and the completely opposing divine power was shattering Cheon Danaa’s hands in countless instances.
By now, the S-grade Awakened replicated hands had reached 17.
With just one arm, she could capture any typical S-grade monster, and yet 17 of those arms were being crushed like mere disposable items without even being able to exert any specific power.
This was dangerous.
No matter how much of a guild master she was at the world’s largest guild, or how she claimed to be the strongest in the world excluding Yeonseo…
Even possessing such confidence, this was dangerous.
The fire that melts steel could not be used against her.
The lightning that kills a Black Minotaur, an S-grade monster, couldn’t do a thing to the already dead Death Saint’s body.
Even if it froze her in ice, it would be easily shattered away.
But was she scared?
No, absolutely not.
Did her mana run out?
Just replicate it again.
Her arms were broken?
Just make them again.
If her abilities didn’t work?
Just adjust the power and try again.
Was it painful?
She could just endure the pain from her destroyed replicated arms, hands, eyes, mouth, and heart.
Thus, the unending exchange of blows continued.
“Oh?”
[Oh?]
As several arms were broken and regenerated, Shia and Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess realized at some point that Cheon Danaa’s arms no longer shattered from their attacks.
Just as expected from the second strongest in the world, it seemed she had analyzed and adapted to the might that Shia and Hyung-An’s Princess were embodying.
It wasn’t just once.
They kept striking, hammering down, colliding, and engaging with no cessation, but Cheon Danaa no longer lost her replicated arms.
Cheon Danaa thought.
These two’s attacks were becoming increasingly familiar.
With the hit area being as small as a human’s limbs, simply concentrating the magic for defense in those areas wouldn’t lead to a lethal injury.
Of course, the very essence of Shia and Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess was still incredibly rapid, severe, and dangerous.
Had it not been for the replicated arms, her head or heart would have surely faced peril long ago, but even amidst the pain, Cheon Danaa smiled.
The power Cheon Danaa had and the exchanges she had experienced weren’t entirely in vain.
Even with her defenses, those attacks imbued with powers and magic left Shia and Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess with minor scratches.
While getting scratched here and there didn’t nullify the attacks, it proved that successfully breaking through her defenses was still very much achievable.
“Haaah…”
[Haaah…]
Realizing that their physical attacks were no longer affecting Cheon Danaa, Shia and the Mermaid Princess took a slight step back, entering a temporary lull.
They understood that the arms which had been shattered in one blow could hold firm this time, indicating that further attacks were rendered pointless.
Physical attacks…
Those data breaks had, indeed, lost significance now.
Boom!!!
“Ugh!?”
Thus, they prayed.
And cursed.
[Miracle – Blessing of the Dead]
The moment Shia and the Mermaid Princess cupped their hands together to pray, Cheon Danaa realized a curse of aging and frailty began to press down on her entire body, something she hadn’t felt before.
“This widespread debuff, this ability is… urg…!”
Earlier, she thought she had wiped the sea clean and obliterated it.
“I thought the curse was gone…”
She had thought only a liquid as easily tipped over as the sea would rid her of a curse with ease.
But that wasn’t it.
“Did that girl not even start the curse?!”
Upon becoming the Death Saint, as soon as Shia did that, a broad curse would trigger including the vicinity.
That curse only applied to those identified as enemies by Shia, including the curses of aging, slowdown, and frailty, manifesting exactly the opposite of the miracle of great healing.
However, initially, Shia hadn’t intended to maintain that curse.
After becoming the [Death Saint], she would cast that curse only once, and that would be it for any further continuation.
But if physical attacks were ineffective… Shia would have no choice but to resume casting her curses.
What?
Did she need the sea to cast her curses?
That the curse could not be reapplied once cast?
No.
The curse cast by the Death Saint would persist indefinitely.
Cheon Danaa’s assertion of creating land and displacing the water only meant that Shia had simply not maintained the curse any longer.
‘Arms rot away…’
The replicated arms created through her abilities were decaying rapidly.
They could not maintain their powers.
Cheon Danaa’s arms cursed by the Death Saint began to explode in a flash. It wasn’t only the replicated arms; Cheon Danaa’s own body faced the same fate.
Cheon Danaa felt the death of this body.
By mere curses alone… just through curses was she reduced to this state.
Her body, corroding in an instant, made Cheon Danaa collapse, and Shia and the Mermaid Princess leisurely approached her.
Their hands raised above Cheon Danaa’s head.
[Miracle – Destruction of the Sanctified]
“Miracle – Destruction of the Sanctified”
○○○○
The replicated surroundings of air and earth completely crumbled.
The ocean that had covered the skies reverted to its original deep-sea form.
As the Deep Sea Palace returned to its original state, Shia and Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess released their grasp, and the place where the pure white legs had once been returned to her original mermaid tail.
“………….”
Sister.
Sister…
I have avenged you.
The human who slandered you and coveted this sea…!
At long last, at long last…!
‘But why do I not feel fulfilled at all?’
I had thought that if I took revenge, if I destroyed the one who had harmed my sister, it would feel good.
But there was no feeling at all.
What on earth was happening?
[What is it that you desire?]
The mermaid held her breath upon hearing the voice echoing in her head.
“….!”
What had once resided within Cheon Danaa was searching for its host.
