Outside the ritual plaza, where prayers rose like ocean waves, Hermes and the boy recently teleported to his side gazed in awe at the true miracle.
They saw the Angel of Dreams' wings and the figure ascending through storm and thunder.
Holding the Book of Dreams, his Sage Robe billowing in the tempest, Truman's gloved right hand sliced forward, as if cleaving space itself.
"This is an angel?!"
"Yes, a true angel."
…
Truman tread upon the storm, standing atop the tidal surge, facing the Queen of Calamity hidden within the lightning.
"Your Highness Cohinem, I didn't expect our first meeting to be under such circumstances," Truman said, ignoring the thunder coiling around him, offering a greeting.
"War! It's your choice!" Cohinem glared coldly, the storm intensifying, thunder growing fiercer.
She wasn't entirely wrong… The giants proposed cooperation, while Truman and Sasrir deliberately steered the tides of history.
The elves, naturally, wouldn't wait for their foes to form a true alliance, hence this war.
"Yes," Truman admitted. "The elves' time to exit has come."
His words made Cohinem's gaze colder. She seized a bolt of lightning, wielding it as a spear, and hurled it at Truman.
Boom!
The thunderstorm grew more ferocious, threatening to engulf Truman.
Unfazed, Truman reached into the historical fog with his right hand, pulling out a familiar figure.
The projection had deep blue, seaweed-like hair and angel wings that stirred wind and thunder with each flap.
Wind Angel, Leodero!
Having worked with Leodero for centuries, summoning his projection was effortless.
The moment Leodero appeared, the sea stilled. The towering tsunami, hundreds of meters high, froze mid-air.
Cohinem frowned at Leodero's arrival, unable to guarantee her control over calamities could surpass his!
"Hmph, just a historical projection," she scoffed, undaunted, waving her hand. The tide pressed forward, wind and thunder coalescing rapidly.
"Stop!"
Truman's soft command echoed as Leodero extended both hands, clashing with Cohinem's power.
Storm against storm, thunder against thunder, even the sea's Beyonder creatures split into factions, battling fiercely.
On the sidelines, Truman didn't idle. He targeted Cohinem's spirit threads directly!
Cohinem's form faltered, her thoughts mechanizing, retreating under Leodero's assault.
"Disperse!" Seeing herself in danger and unable to quickly overpower Leodero's projection, Cohinem roared.
Her cry was divine wrath, its rank crushing Leodero's projection, shattering it instantly.
Truman, facing that pressure, felt a jolt, reminiscent of the Elf King's roar in the Giant King's Court. His control over the spirit threads snapped.
Storm pathway Sequence 5 "Ocean Songster" "Song," but one affecting Truman was no simple feat.
"The Elf King's power?" Truman realized it was natural for the Elven Queen to bear the Elf King's favor.
"I wish for success in my next theft!" Truman gripped his right hand, placing it to his lips, making a wish.
Then he fulfilled it.
Truman reached out, his luck surging, the "Trojan Horse of Destiny's" theft potent enough to steal "Tsunami" from Cohinem.
The Cowardly trio's abilities combined were formidable!
Truman's eyes seemed to flash with endless storms. With a thought, the boundless tide retreated a kilometer.
Cohinem sensed trouble when Truman reached out, but "Theft" was hard to counter, and her ability was stolen.
"Lightning Storm!" Cohinem made the right call, unleashing endless lightning storms to crush Truman!
At sea, the Storm pathway's buffs were overwhelming, blinding white lightning forcing Truman to teleport-dodge.
He didn't dare turn into an information stream; the storm's lightning could disrupt his form.
But he soon counterattacked, wielding the towering waves against Cohinem!
Yet Cohinem's majestic gaze stilled the ocean, reclaiming control.
This was the sea's authority, far surpassing the mere "Tsunami" ability.
Truman's mouth twitched, feeling as if he'd foolishly challenged the Elf King!
Cohinem shared the Elf King's authority!
As the waves surged again, Truman switched to defense, raising his hand. A "Spatial Barrier" formed, a wall hundreds of meters high and kilometers long.
Boom!
Silver lightning struck the barrier, its destructive aura threatening to pierce space.
Crash!
Endless waves slammed the barrier, jarring Truman, breaking his spatial control.
He teleported away as the waves accelerated to terrifying speeds, their amassed force unstoppable even by space.
The barrier shattered, the waves relentless!
Truman's hand now held a thorn-wrapped doll, its eerie eyes fixed on Cohinem.
A curse's power spread, taking hold. For a moment, Cohinem's state faltered, her form flickering between rabbit and elf, with other curses taking effect, even the sea resisting her.
This was Truman's Sequence 1 "God's Sin," crafted into a mystical item.
Yet, this Sequence 1 item had little effect on Cohinem; the curses couldn't turn her into a harmless rabbit.
Blazing lightning flared, dispelling all curses.
"Insufficient rank?" Truman hadn't anticipated this but soon understood, stowing the doll.
Cohinem's base rank was Sequence 2, an angel tier Truman could easily defeat.
But she bore too many blessings and gifts from the Elf King, wielding authority exceeding Sequence 1!
Truman wasn't fighting the Queen of Calamity now, but the Elven Queen.
His major divine skills seemed inadequate.
He didn't even dare use "Theft" again.
Stealing the Elf King's blessings or abilities would be a curse for him, inviting the Elf King's wrathful thunder.
And Leodero's historical projection couldn't withstand a higher rank's pressure, collapsing instantly.
(End of Chapter)