A Journey That Changed The World.

Chapter 865: The Deep Trench & Howling Forest [Kassandra, Demetra, Teuila and Hemeraʼs POV]

The four women dived into the darkness of the Deep Trench. The inky blackness obscured Hemeraʼs vision; she voiced her concern, ”How can we see down here? Itʼs so dark, and anything could be hiding down here.” ”Kass and I can see like its daytime. I think Teuila can as well due to being an Aquarian,” Demetra replied, her voice calm and reassuring. ”Youʼll be fine, Hemi. We will make sure youʼre safe while down here.”ʼ ʼHopefully, she is right,ʼ Hemera thought. ʼA sun elf shouldnʼt be in darkness like this.ʼ

Suddenly, Teuila zoomed past using her Aquarian magic, and her form blurred as she circled the Demon Shark girl. A thunderous roar echoed through the trench and reached their ears, causing them to stop swimming and glance around.

The tension was palpable as the four awaited in the trenchʼs oppressive silence. Suddenly, a monstrous shadow surged from the darkness, slamming into Kassandra. She reacted instantly, her battle instincts kicking in as she launched a fierce counterattack against the creature.

A fight erupted as a wild kraken attacked her. Kassandra retaliated fiercely; her strength was evident as she tore into the creature while fighting. Teuila struck with a Deep Sea Slash, slicing off two of its tentacles, while Demetra slammed into its body.

Despite the darkness, Hemera summoned her courage and unleashed searing beams of sun magic, burning holes through the Kraken. Minutes later, the relentless assault brought the creature down, their combined strikes proving too much.

Breathing heavily, the four exchanged glances, the camaraderie and trust between them solidified by their victory. Following that, they continued swimming through the darkness but soon started seeing luminous colors approaching them.

When Hemera and Teuila spotted the creature, it was a massive fish with black and red scales and glowing yellow eyes. The monster was at least ten feet long and looked vicious, but when Kassandra slapped it away like it was nothing. ”Damn Trench Fist, they swarm you but tend to stay away from powerful sea monsters that roam in this part of the sea,” the Kraken girl explained while complaining.

Kassandraʼs reaction to the new monsters made the other three girls laugh, but soon, they saw bright lights surrounding them. Demetra looked around and let out a deep growl as even more Trench Fish appeared, but Teuila acted first.

She rushed toward the monsters and cast a Deep Sea Bomb into the swarmʼs center. Seconds passed, and Teuila swam away from the fish, who tried to snap their jaws at her, but an explosion erupted.

It wiped out dozens of Trench Fish, signaling the others to attack. Kassandra lashed out with her massive tentacles and annihilated a large portion of the horde, just as Demetra went wild as Hemera cast Sun Blasts at the enemies.

The battle was a frenzy of lightning-quick attacks that surprised the sea monster as Demetra and Kassandra ripped them apart. Thatʼs when Teuila dived right into the center of the remaining Trench Fish and cast three more Deep Sea Bombs.

After doing that, Demetra caught the Aquarian in her maw before they fled the scene just as her bombs detonated. The four sped through the water until Hemera spotted something further down and said to the group, ”Thereʼs something down there; I can see it glowing.” Demetra stopped swimming, followed by Kassandra, whose black eyes followed Hemeraʼs hand and spotted it, ”Itʼs the entrance to the Underrealm where Mary and Lucrezia come from. We know not to travel down there due to the horrors lurking below.” ”Is the Ghost Leviathan down there?” Teuila questioned as she floated next to Demetra. ”No. This place should be its home, and maybe we should check the Western side of the Deep Trench,” the demon shark answered.

Hemera was the next to speak. ”How strong are they? And what do they look like?” ”Stronger than me, but not by much,” Demetra replied, her eyes scanning their surroundings. ”They resemble a long sea serpent with blue and white scales. Their glowing red eyes always give me the creeps.”

The Demon Shark girl looked back, ”Thatʼs why you and Teuila are here-to provide extra firepower so we can deal with the monster.” ”Are you two not worried? You will be fighting another Titan?” Teuila questioned with a concerned tone. ”No. Us Titans always fight to the death as it helps level up and get stronger,” Kassandra answered. ”This will be our toughest battle to date. So you two better help us as it could kill us without my effort, but we can take it down between the four of us and take the heart.” Afterward, the group pressed on, encountering and battling numerous sea monsters that saw them as potential meals. They swiftly dispatched any creatures that ventured too close, but the area around them soon fell silent. ”Iʼll scout this section of the trench,” Kassandra announced. ”The rest of you head west.”

Demetra, Teuila, and Hemera nodded in agreement, veering toward the western direction. Kassandra, the Kraken girl, continued her vigilant search while slowly swimming through the darkness.

Born in the depths of the sea, Kassandra possessed a keen vision that enabled her to discern even the smallest creatures inhabiting the sea floor. As she scanned her surroundings, the scene evoked memories of the dense forests on the surface.

Despite searching for an hour, she found neither the Ghost Leviathan nor any signs of the massive Titan. With this part of the trench thoroughly scouted, Kassandra began to catch up with the other women.

En route, she noticed several Trench Whales leisurely gliding above her, oblivious to their surroundings. The sight stirred hunger in Kassandraʼs belly, prompting her to seize one of the creatures for a snack. *** [Hecate, Maeve, Nefertiti and Talilaʼs POV]

The four looked at the Tree Giant before them and guessed it was the leader. Nefertiti turned to Talila, ”Tali, use your mana arrows to pepper its body while keeping out of its reach. Do you have any explosive arrows left?” ”Ten, I have ten left, Nefi,” Talila answered before rushing off to the opposite side of the clearing they found themselves in.

Nefertiti turned to Maeve, ”You protect us if any monsters get closer while we strike it with our magic,” she said.

The orange-haired girl nodded before preparing herself by positioning herself in front of the spellcasters. After seeing this, Hecate and Nefertiti started casting Moon Beam and Arcane Blast as the Tree Giant leader.

When the magic struck the monsterʼs face and body, it stumbled backward while raising its arms to defend itself against the onslaught of spells. While they did this, it was suddenly hit by a flurry of arrows that exploded on contact, causing small fires to break out all over its body.

The three girls focused on the leader, but a swarm of additional monsters burst from nearby bushes, prompting Maeve to intervene swiftly. Vines shot towards her, and though she managed to slice through some, a couple coiled around her momentarily.

Drawing on her thunder affinity, Maeve channeled electricity through her body, burning away the entangling vines. With quick precision, she infused her blade with lightning, simultaneously casting Wind Armor to shield herself.

Resuming her assault on the smaller Tree Giants, each slightly shorter than her but with humanoid forms melded with tree-like features, Maeve rushed into them while ducking and weaving their attacks before retaliating.

With a swing of her sword, a streak of lightning shot out and hit one of the monsters. It was a chain reaction as the attack hopped from one Tree Giant to the other, causing them to fall to the ground with a thud.

After Maeveʼs attack, things changed as the leader swung its massive arms and headed straight for her. She quickly cast Wind Barrier, but it wasnʼt enough. She was hit and sent flying deeper into the forest.

The three remaining girlsʼ eyes widened in shock, but Nefertiti ordered, ”Talila! Go after Maeve while we finish up here.”

Talila nodded resolutely before darting into the forest. Meanwhile, the two remaining women continued their relentless spellcasting. The Tree Giant leader struggled under the barrage of attacks, its movements becoming increasingly labored.

Just as the two remaining women focused on maintaining their assault, the monster abruptly shifted its attention to Hecate, unleashing a spell in her direction. In her attempt to defend herself, the moon elf momentarily diverted her attention from the Tree Giant.

Seizing the opportunity, it closed the distance and delivered a powerful kick to Hecate, sending her sprawling. Nefertiti witnessed blood spatter from her mouth as the moon elf was forcefully propelled in the opposite direction of Maeve.

Witnessing the perilous situation, the succubus was consumed by anger, her emotions overwhelming her ability to maintain her disguise spell. Horns, a tail, and wings emerged, revealing her true form.

Undeterred, Nefertiti swiftly advanced, skillfully evading the Tree Giantʼs relentless attacks. Rising into the air, her eyes shimmering with an intense pink hue, Nefertiti locked her gaze onto the monstrous foe.

With unwavering focus, she unleashed her most potent spell, ”Arcane Storm.”

Instantly, a hush fell over the surrounding area as a storm materialized above the forest, its power crackling with arcane energy. Undeterred by her dwindling mana, Nefertiti focused her remaining strength on the Tree Giant.

She pointed her finger at the creature and directed the stormʼs full force towards it. Pink lightning struck the monster relentlessly, each bolt igniting a fierce blaze that engulfed it in flames.

The once formidable Tree Giant succumbed to the onslaught, reduced to ashes in moments. Exhausted and drained, Nefertiti collapsed to the ground, her breathing labored. Recognizing her critical state, she retrieved a mana potion and consumed it.