Chapter 1521: Intense Battle
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The Avatar of the Original Nightmare Curse laughed, suddenly growing two naginatas with ease, sprouting another pair of crystal arms over his shoulders and absorbing the Nightmare Essence produced from all those his monsters had already killed.
"I might have lost against one brat, but it won't be the same anymore! I won't go easy! Hehah… HEHEHAHAH!"
The monster laughed, embodying all the nightmares and fears of Hanzo. His foe's appearance resembled the madman who had once stormed his village and slaughtered his family, a renowned family of swordsmiths from Japan's mountainside.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
They clashed, two giant naginatas against his single katana, explosions of nightmare flames erupting everywhere as Hendrick and Frederica watched from behind. They felt completely useless.
"What can we do? We're completely useless against that monster…!" Frederica cried. "That thing goes against everything we've ever known…"
"And yet, what else can we do?" Hendrick gritted his teeth, staring at the monster. "Even if I must sacrifice my life, as long as I can create an opening."
"Wait! Hendrick, what in the world are you implying?!" Frederica asked. "Nobody is going to sacrifice their lives. Many have died already! …I'll help, however I can!"
"Thanks!" Hendrick nodded. "Then let's go help him, even if our strength is nothing compared to theirs. I think we can still do something, anything."
As the two professors nodded, Hanzo continued fighting the monstrous Avatar of the Original Nightmare Curse. Their clash released shockwaves that split the paved floor and blew up nearby buildings.
"HAHAHAHA! HANZO! YOU'RE GROWING WEAKER! WHAT'S WRONG?!"
"Weaker? Rather, you're the only ridiculous bastard here. What exactly are you?!"
"I already told you who I was! I AM THE ORIGINAL NIGHTMARE CURSE! I HAVE COME HERE TO HARVEST THIS WORLD AND HUMANITY!"
"What?!"
"You were all destined to be my meals, my food! But that damned woman, Maria, and her stupid group stopped me, and now I am forced to lower myself to this point just so I can eat enough…!"
"Maria?! So she's fighting you right now?! Hah…! I see, you've come here to the surface, while she's fighting you down below, the Hollow Core!"
Hanzo, a detective before his Awakening as a Dream Warrior, quickly pieced together the clues. Maria and her friends weren't mysteriously gone. They had gone to fight this monster and possibly the Nightmare Demon King on their own and were apparently succeeding!
However, because the Avatar was growing desperate, he had run to the surface, possibly dividing himself, to absorb as much life, especially to eat Dream Hearts, gain power, and defeat Maria.
Hanzo was able to rapidly piece things together and figure out things that others would have a difficult time even thinking about.
And he suddenly smiled.
"Heh, I see… so you're actually desperate! You're desperate and you're losing, aren't you?!"
"DESPERATE?! I WOULD NEVER-"
"Hahaha! So you're just trying your best to act strong, while you're cowering in fear as Maria, our greatest student and perhaps the strongest Dream Warrior of this world, is beating you to a pulp, isn't she?!"
"S I L E N C E!!!"
TRUUUM!
The Avatar of the Original Nightmare Curse grew desperate, screaming angrily as his aura transformed into countless tentacles, attacking Director Hanzo while the director rapidly dodged and slashed them with his katana, evading the naginatas.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
However, he was still being pushed back, with attacks coming from every angle. He could hardly concentrate. At most, he could buy time, but perhaps that was for the best right now.
"You're losing your cool. It seems that despite saying you're a god-like being, you truly act like a child! Perhaps even the Nightmare Demon King was better than you?"
"I'LL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS, HUMAN!"
The furious Avatar roared, attacking Hanzo from left and right. Beams of nightmare light reached him, bombarding him with several explosive attacks, but Hanzo rapidly avoided the attacks and retaliated. As he fought against this opponent, he began to see something.
He had been rusty this entire time after reaching his wall, a wall he simply couldn't climb to his next realm. Until now, as he struggled and pushed himself to his limits, his katana glowed, the memories of his past and his own trauma reigniting its blaze.
However, he needed an opportunity, one he didn't have.
Until.
"{Eternal Frost Prison}!"
FLAAASH!
Out of nowhere, a gigantic wave of frost surged from the ground, rushing toward Hanzo and his opponent, engulfing them both in an explosion of ice. Hanzo barely managed to escape, but his foe was suddenly encased in ice, paralyzed.
"WHAT IS THIS?! WHO DARES…?!"
Hanzo's eyes widened, realizing that voice came from Frederica in the distance. He knew the monster would easily free itself, so he didn't waste a second, rushing down with his katana, suddenly regrowing a new armor but then concentrating his powers on his arms and legs, boosting his arm strength and leg speed.
"RAAAHHHH!"
The monster roared, beginning to unleash his aura as the ice began to shatter, but it was a second too late. Hanzo's katana suddenly absorbed all of his aura at once, swinging down as he stacked his aura a thousand times over.
"{Thousand-Fold Nightmare Blade}: {Abyssal Descent}!"
SLAAAAASH!
"UUUGGHHHH?!"
The Nightmare Avatar screamed in agony as his entire body was suddenly split apart. The energy accumulating within his two halves glowed brightly and then exploded, dealing even more damage!
BOOOMMM!!!
"UUUAAAGGGHHHHHH!"
The Avatar screamed, feeling a crack through his Soul Fragment. The worst had happened, and he was beginning to feel damage once more.
"AGAIN?! NO…! NO!"
He quickly regenerated, his pieces putting themselves together, as he attacked Hanzo, who had just landed on the floor, his body growing dozens of sharp spikes.
Hanzo had barely any time to catch his breath. His next technique could end this, but he didn't have the time.
…And yet!
"{Volcanic Dragon's Calamity}!!!"
Hendrick appeared from above, his gauntlets blazing with so much power they started gaining cracks and breaking apart.
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