NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1524: The Petals Of Hope
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Back then, Maria had told them that there was a way for them to regain their power, but she never had the time to help them regain it as she was now battling an eldritch horror beneath the planet's crust, and without her guidance, they felt useless.
However.
The petals that fell from the skies suddenly landed on them.
Ming Lee grabbed one with her hand, looking at it curiously.
Katherine felt one fall on her head.
And Eduard looked at one that landed on his shoulder.
Although they knew this was the director's sacrifice, they also knew it wouldn't do anything for them.
However.
F L A A A S H !
Out of nowhere, these petals merged into their bodies, rapidly empowering them and filling their bodies with Dream Essence.
"W-Woah?!" Katherine cried. "What is this?!"
"I can feel something within me now!" Ming Lee said. "In my chest?!"
"I can't believe this! The Director's Sacrifice… it's creating a miracle!" Eduard gasped.
As the people around them watched in disbelief as these three students overflowed with power, their family members stood nearby, witnessing their children reawaken their resolve and strength. Eduard, Ming Lee, and Katherine nodded to one another.
Although it wasn't the same as before, and although a strange power related to Maria's Elements of Death and Phantoms flowed through them, the bond between her Undead and herself became a new part of their power. They knew this was it.
This was their chance!
The director's sacrifice, even now, was making their dreams come true. His love for his students and his aim for a bright future where the new generations would take over were as great as ever!
They glanced back at their parents, and although they were afraid of losing them, nobody could stop them. They knew these children were the only hope they had left.
The old generations were passing away one after another, as this great calamity left only the youngest talents to take over.
And through the sacrifice of their strongest, they knew this was their moment to act or die trying.
For their world's sake, for those they loved, and for their friends and family.
An event that had never happened before in any loop was now unfolding. Every student who once died miserably was now rising to the challenge.
The director, whose fate in every loop was unknown, had died in the very last loop, his death now permanent and unable to be reverted.
And yet this sacrifice forged a new future, a new timeline.
A new possibility.
The young heroes stepped forward, prepared for the worst, as they faced the hordes of Nightmare Monsters beneath the furious, resentful gaze of the Original Nightmare Curse.
Their battle was just beginning!
And yet, the monster above them couldn't stop screaming, frustrated, furious, annoyed, and in pain.
"TWO…! THAT MAKES TWO FRAGMENTS I'VE LOST! MY SOUL…!"
He screamed. Although he managed to force the director into his demise, Artorias was still alive somewhere else, moving toward his next target.
At the same time, the director's death didn't give him anything. The dream power he would have eaten went to everyone else, reinforcing the barrier, making everyone even stronger, healing the wounded, and even killing most of his army. So he had to spend even more power to create a new one.
"I CAN'T KEEP LOSING SOUL FRAGMENTS LIKE THIS! AND YET… and yet, if I don't do this, I won't be able to get any power…! I need the power to beat her or else…! No, I can do this…! I can…!"
His eyes spiraled with madness as the screams of countless agonizing souls resonated within his very being. He suddenly created four more Soul Fragment Avatars, barely managing to slip them through the reinforced barrier.
"They might be far away from one another, but if I can manage to reunite them and help them fuse back, it'll be as if the majority of my power went inside! Yes, I simply have to quickly reunite and combine them back! Hehehe… HAHAHAH!"
As the Original Nightmare Curse laughed, an explosion suddenly emerged from the seas, and a giant sphere of darkness, nightmares, and phantasmal flames appeared!
SPLAAASH!
"There you are, bastard!"
The roar of Partner echoed behind him as he saw the vampire girl and the rest of Maria's group with her, floating in the middle of that bubble she had sent to stop him.
"WHAT?! THEY'RE ALREADY HERE?!"
"Looks like we've finally found you, bastard!"
And Maria's voice echoed right after.
Yes, Maria!
She was using the powerful [Divine Myriad Soul & Body Egos (S Rank Privilege)], an evolution of her [Divided Egos (B Rank Privilege)] that allowed her to divide herself into even stronger Egos.
This Privilege grants the user the power to divide their own powers and abilities into different "Soul Egos" and "Body Egos" and fragment themselves, enabling them to act in several places at the same time, even to the point of being present in different worlds.
Soul Egos and Body Egos are different in that Soul Egos are ethereal and mostly composed of Soul and Divinity, while Body Egos are corporeal and physical, made up of the manifestation of powerful Skills. But thanks to the power of this privilege, both can combine to create a {Perfect Divine Ego}, a much stronger version of Egos that combines their power and creates new unique fused abilities between Soul Ego and Body Ego.
Of course, this power shouldn't be confused with things such as "Phantom Clones" or "Familiars," as this power considers the user's true and total power and divides it depending on the amount of Divinities they possess or "Body" related skills. It could be said that the power of the Original Nightmare Curse was similar to Maria's own powers.
This incredible Privilege allowed Maria to be in several places at the same time while still keeping her "main body" at mostly full power down below, fighting the Original Nightmare Curse's other half.
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