Chapter 117
After bursting through the surface of the sea, the terrifying waves slammed against Leon's shield, sending him flying. Looking up, he realized that the wave just now was only a precursor—a monstrous tsunami, over a thousand meters high, was racing toward them at breakneck speed.
Within the surging tsunami, countless sea creatures could be seen, including a colossal ocean beast over two or three hundred meters long, powerless as it was swept up by the waves.
Countless undercurrents within the tsunami resembled deadly water blades, bringing not only crushing pressure but also immense force. The creatures caught in it—those even slightly weaker—were shredded as if thrown into a tornado of razor winds. No, it was even more terrifying than that.
These sea beasts were squeezed by a horrifying force, ground into fragments—not sliced, but brutally crushed.
“Run! Run! We’re going to die, we’re going to die, we’re going to die…”
Young Parkinson clung to Leon’s shoulder, screaming in terror.
Leon’s expression shifted; he raised his Quad-Elemental Shield, bracing against the raging storm outside and rapidly ascending.
After climbing four or five hundred meters, Leon suddenly realized that behind the thousand-meter-high tsunami, an even larger, higher wall of water was following close behind.
Even with Eagle Eye, he couldn’t see the full length of this tsunami. The smaller waves were at least two thousand meters high, and the force rolling forth felt as if an entire world was bearing down.
This terrifying force was beyond anything any creature could withstand. Before, they’d been too close to the first tsunami to notice that an even greater one was looming behind.
At over three thousand meters altitude, the magical elements here had become utterly chaotic, and the fierce winds made it feel like a realm ravaged by supercharged spells.
The impact of water elements was like blades of wind...
As the monstrous tsunami drew closer, Leon felt the pressure intensify. It looked like an ordinary wave, but the force it carried was more terrifying than any wide-area Limit Spell.
Even after ascending to four thousand meters, the pressure only increased, forcing Leon to summon his Elemental Elf King Avatar for protection.
With the Elemental Elf King Avatar unleashed, the raging elemental forces around him instantly grew docile—at least, they couldn’t breach Leon’s defenses or sweep him away.
Watching the tsunami below tear through everything as it rushed toward the coastline, cold sweat broke out on Leon’s forehead.
There was a Limit Spell that could trigger a tsunami, but nothing of this magnitude. The scale was horrifying—at least a thousand kilometers wide and two or three thousand meters high. And the gravity here was several times greater than in the Northend World, with stronger laws, which severely limited the tsunami’s power.
If this tsunami hit the Northend World, its destructive power would increase tenfold, easily obliterating half the coastline. Everything within thousands of kilometers from shore would be leveled. In the face of such a magical catastrophe, any creature swept up would be torn to shreds.
The tsunami on the surface was fastest, but chaos from the depths was surely close behind. No wonder every creature below, no matter its size or strength, was fleeing for its life.
The closer you get to the coastline, the weaker those terrifying disasters in the sea become, especially below the surface. The water grows shallower as you approach the shore, and the reefs and terrain on the seabed gradually sap the force of these catastrophes. Most creatures with a bit of strength can escape to the coast and survive.
Leon hovered in midair, quietly watching the tsunami surge below. Behind it, smaller waves gathered into lesser tsunamis, following in its wake like ordinary waves.
Gazing toward the heart of the inland sea, chaos reigned. Space seemed warped, and the elements were on the verge of erupting into an elemental storm. At moments, Leon could faintly sense someone fighting deep within.
He probed the fluctuations around him—they seemed steadier now. Though still chaotic, the most troublesome part was the rampaging elements. With the Elemental Spirit King’s avatar, even the simplest elemental upheavals posed little threat. Leon didn’t need to raise a shield; the elements simply couldn’t harm him.
In fact, whenever those rampaging elements came within ten meters of Leon, they would automatically calm down. By the time they reached him, they behaved like ordinary elements.
At all times, the air was saturated with countless elements, but these peaceful ones were harmless—nothing to worry about, just like ordinary air.
Seeing Leon still preparing to fly deeper, the little fat one clung desperately to his robe, wailing in terror—his face was nothing but fear.
"We’re going to die! We’re going to die! I don’t want to die—let’s get out of here…"
The little fat one screamed miserably, his voice shrill like a terrified child. Leon covered his ears and gave him a gentle slap, but the little fat one's eyes remained wide, shrieking nonstop.
This time Leon used a bit of force—smack! The slap flattened the caterpillar-like body, eyes bulging from their sockets, nearly dead from the blow. The screaming stopped abruptly.
Leon released his grip, and the little fat one's body instantly puffed back to normal, finally coming to his senses. He clung to Leon’s robe, trembling all over.
Leon sighed helplessly. Now he understood—the little fat one had been scared witless, only now reacting with frantic screams as the atmosphere calmed down.
"Don’t go any further, you’ll die—really die! It’s been calm here for ages. The chief said when things get rough, anyone who approaches will die…"
The little fat one wore a mournful expression, shivering as he tried to persuade Leon not to go on.
Leon hovered in midair, sensing the occasional battle fluctuations ahead, his brow furrowed. By his estimation, the battlefield was still thousands of kilometers away. Yet even from this distance, the ripples of combat had such a powerful effect here. Whoever was fighting must be far beyond Sky Rank.
To get involved in a battle at that level—even the aftermath could kill him. Leon didn’t dare approach recklessly.
"Does fighting happen here often? When those people came before, how did they cross this inland sea?"
Leon couldn’t afford to be careless. Here, even if he knew some things were just dreamlike illusions conjured by the Realm of Nightmares, getting killed meant real death. At least here, nothing was fake; under the rules of the Realm of Nightmares, everything was terrifyingly real.
The little fat one still looked miserable, shivering uncontrollably.
"The chief said when those outsiders and those annoying vampires came through, it was calm here. The sea creatures didn’t even show up on the surface—there wasn’t any fighting at all.
But the chief also said that every so often, battles break out here. It’s been that way forever. When fighting erupts, no one dares get close…"
Runes spun in Leon’s eyes, and his Mana Harness surged to its limit. Suddenly, the Mana Harness pulsed, as if it had detected something unusual. For a moment, its power skyrocketed tenfold, and Leon’s vision became startlingly clear.
In the distance, two enormous shadows collided and dodged, their battlefield spanning over a thousand kilometers. The fight raged above the inland sea, the waves below crushed by the terrifying aftermath. The surface formed a colossal depression, expanding and contracting as if breathing, sending monstrous waves outward and shredding everything on the seabed to fragments.
But Leon only glimpsed this blurred scene for an instant before the Mana Harness returned to normal, as if it had all been an illusion.
Leon’s face was grim. Even that fleeting vision made it clear—there was no way to force his way through. To reach the deeper world, he’d have to cross this inland sea, the only path allowed by the rules.
There was no way to detour. Those two gigantic shadows dominated the center of the inland sea; even skirting the edge of the battlefield would risk being torn to shreds.
"Fatty, how long do these battles last? When do they ever stop?"
The little fat one perched on Leon’s shoulder, looking up anxiously. He started to say something else, but Leon glared at him, and he immediately gave a straightforward answer.
"I don’t know. The chief said every time, they smash the sea to pieces, then it recovers. After a while, they show up again and shatter it all over…"
The little fat one’s voice grew softer and softer, while Leon’s expression grew darker.
Smash this inland sea to pieces? A sea with a diameter of over ten thousand kilometers, shattered?
Before the little fat one could finish, Leon already knew he couldn’t wait any longer. Those two fighting inside were far beyond Sky Rank—maybe even close to godlike.
Judging by the battle’s ripples, it would take years to shatter this inland sea. But there’s no time to waste—if he waited years, all he’d find on his return would be endless undead.
From what Fatty said, this place cycles over and over every so often.