novelraw Chapter 125 - 123: Deep Sea Titan 1v8! Chain of Order
Chapter 125 - 123: Deep Sea Titan 1v8! Chain of Order
Shi Ming’s memory was excellent.
The moment the Deep Sea Titan began to change form, he had already deduced its likely new state from the intelligence he’d gathered.
It wasn’t a difficult guess.
Among the twelve skill names, only one was related to chains: "Chain of Order"!
’Thank goodness.’
’It’s not the "Divine Hall of Time," which only has a 2% chance of appearing!’
As the Titan transformed, Wright, who had been on its head, sensed something was wrong a moment before Shi Ming could shout a warning. He drew his longsword and immediately retreated to a safe distance.
He had gathered a fair amount of intelligence over the years and vaguely knew that the Deep Sea Titan possessed a second form.
His original plan had been a powerful surprise attack—a single, fatal blow—to prevent the Titan from entering its second form if at all possible.
It now seemed that plan had failed.
But it didn’t matter. He had plenty of trump cards of his own! And Mr. Lei hadn’t even begun to exert his full power!
’The advantage is mine!’
The Deep Sea Titan’s eyes opened once more. Its once-swirling pupils now held a rare, majestic air. The arcane runes within them seemed to be the very embodiment of order and law as they coldly glanced at the ant-like creatures surrounding it.
The arcane runes etched across its body flared with a blinding light in the darkness, accompanied by the CREAKING sound of dragging chains...
The smell of rust filled the entire area.
Shi Ming felt as if he could hear a voice from some higher plane. It was bizarre and unintelligible, belonging to no known language, yet its meaning was still faintly discernible in his mind—
[Order, I grant deprivation!]
As the voice faded, many people suddenly discovered that they could no longer use their Awakened skills!
"What’s going on!"
"Did my power just disappear?!"
"I can’t use one of my A-rank skills!"
"Me too! But I only lost one skill!"
...
"Everyone, be careful! This sea beast’s skill seems to randomly disable one of its target’s skills for a period of time! Just hold on! It can’t last for long!"
The Ice-Forged Longsword in Shi Ming’s hand did not dissipate.
He dodged the Titan’s attacks while looking inward at his own condition.
’The Black Tortoise Shield is still there...’
’The crimson markings on my right arm are completely unaffected. I can use the Arm of Power at any time!’
’But my other skill, "Desperate Measures," which was still on cooldown, felt as if it had been wrapped in chains, completely locked away!’
’It can just ban a skill outright?’
’Good! It banned Desperate Measures. That skill’s cooldown was nowhere near finished, so it being banned has no effect on me.’
It had no effect on Shi Ming, but for the others, the impact was huge.
Reyno, in particular, was completely dumbfounded.
"This is bad! Captain Wright, I only have one skill! I’ll just be dragging everyone down here. I’m retreating!" Reyno, standing at the farthest point from the Titan, wanted to turn back to the *Tanyuan* without a moment’s hesitation.
Wright didn’t try to stop him.
However, escaping required the Deep Sea Titan’s permission!
The CREAK... CREAK... of chains sounded again, and Shi Ming once more heard that voice, which was like the sound of order itself!
[Order, I grant imprisonment!]
With the activation of the Chain of Order, it wasn’t just the Awakened’s skills that were affected. A seemingly insurmountable barrier appeared, isolating the surrounding waters. With the Deep Sea Titan at its center, an area one nautical mile wide had become its hunting ground!
There was no escape!
Reyno’s face turned ashen as he stood frozen at the edge of the confined area.
He only had one skill, and now that it was locked, he had become useless, possessing only his physical strength.
If he were to fight this sea beast head-on, he would likely be annihilated in an instant!
"Reyno, you don’t have to fight! Focus on protecting yourself! This imprisonment skill must also be temporary. Just hold on until it wears off!"
"Okay!"
The Deep Sea Titan’s rune-covered body had already begun its indiscriminate assault within its new domain. Power it had not called upon for many years now flooded its body, making it interested in "playing" with these little bugs before it for a while!
Devastating blows rained down, one after another!
Gradually, the group discovered that the Chain of Order had a third manifestation.
[Order, I grant restraint!]
If someone was touched by the arcane runes during the fight, the strange chain-like runes would "spread" from the Titan’s body onto theirs. The victim’s mobility would then be slowly restricted by the Chain of Order until the runes covered their entire body, making it impossible to break free. They would be left helpless, like a fish on the chopping block!
The incredibly reckless Iruka became the second victim.
Completely entangled by the arcane runes, he was about to be killed by the Titan’s attack when Yize exerted all her strength to rescue the man in the nick of time! She then threw him far away, to the edge of the barrier.
Yize pushed her skills to the limit, transforming from a human woman clad in beast pelts into a humanoid beast...
Iwami weaved about evasively, employing hit-and-run tactics that showcased the signature style of the Vortex People to its fullest.
Wright sheathed his longsword. His muscles tensed, and a thin layer of mist enveloped his fists, which were the size of sandbags...
Reyno constantly changed his position. With his only skill locked, he could now only rely on his physical strength to dodge the Titan’s potential attacks.
Iruka’s situation was even more pathetic. He lay at the edge of the barrier, golden arcane runes coiling around his body like real chains, making it impossible for him to move an inch. He could only channel his Spiritual Power to dissolve the effects of the powerful S-rank skill bit by bit. Fortunately, at over six feet tall, he was still just an immobilized bug waiting to be squashed in the Titan’s eyes, so it paid him no attention.
As for the old man standing farthest away, Elder Chuan, he was seething with silent fury!
One of his hidden skills had been sealed! Now, he was truly nothing more than a support-type Awakened!
’Dammit!’
’This damn Deep Sea Titan!’
An 8-on-1 fight, yet they were somehow losing ground! It even looked like they might be defeated!
"Wright, we have to end this quickly!"
The skill of Mr. Lei’s that had been sealed was an A-rank one!
’We can’t drag this out any longer! The longer it takes, the worse it gets for us!’
At that moment, he fully activated his primary S-rank skill, "Endless Purple Thunder." His human form vanished, and he completely transformed into an incarnation of lightning—thick, ethereal, and immensely destructive! The seawater around him crackled with fine arcs of electricity, forcing the other Awakened to keep their distance.
"Help me restrain this Titan for three seconds! I’m confident I can kill it in one strike!"
A clear voice roared from within the thick, purple bolt of lightning!
"Got it!"
"Yize, flank it! Mr. Iwami and Brother Shi, attack from the left and right! I’ll draw its fire from the front! Elder Chuan, provide support! Mr. Lei, you’re the main attacker!"
At this moment, everyone gave it their all.
They could worry about what came next later. Right now, they had to kill this sea beast first!
Claiming the final prize—bathing in its blood to Awaken—was no simple matter either.
A normal A-rank Awakening required soaking in the blood for at least an hour. An S-rank one required at least three! Moreover, there was only one spot available for Awakening. They would have plenty of time to fight over it later.
Shi Ming didn’t hold back either. He mobilized the majority of the ice-attribute Awakening Power in his body, focused his Spiritual Power, and fixed his gaze on the Deep Sea Titan.
He pointed from a distance!
A-rank skill! Ice Annihilation!
With a CRACKLING sound, the temperature of the seawater around the Titan instantly plummeted to an unimaginable degree!
The churning seawater began to freeze, forming a thick shell of ice around the Titan!
The ice shell couldn’t harm it, but it significantly slowed its movements, making it extremely agitated. It struggled violently, shattering the layers of ice, only for new layers to rapidly form in their place!
"Freeze!"
The frosty aura in Shi Ming’s eyes intensified to a new level!
Ice Annihilation placed a high demand on one’s Spiritual Power.
His Spiritual Power, with its unknown parameters, was now completely unleashed!
Suddenly! It was as if an ice bomb had detonated on the seafloor. Amidst a piercing freezing sound, the hundred-meter-plus giant Titan and the surrounding seawater were all solidified into a massive, jagged spike of ice! The ice was incredibly hard; even an S-rank sea beast would find it difficult to break free in a short amount of time.
The other Awakened also felt the extreme, frigid aura!
But thanks to Shi Ming’s deliberate control, the cold did not harm them.
"Well done, Brother Shi!"
Mr. Lei seized the opportunity. A colossal, pillar-like bolt of purple lightning struck down from above the Titan’s head, piercing through the S-rank sea beast’s body. Tree-like patterns of lightning were clearly visible within the glacier of ice before they rapidly erupted. The ice that had encased the Deep Sea Titan exploded, generating an unimaginably destructive shockwave!
BOOM!
The powerful electric current killed every microorganism in this section of the sea, turning it into a true dead sea!
Reyno, hiding in the distance, and Iruka, lying in a dark corner, were both zapped by the electricity, their bodies convulsing. For a moment, they nearly passed out.
Even though he had moved away at the first possible moment and was wearing armor forged from pure, insulating ice crystals, on top of having the formidable Defense Power of the Black Tortoise, Shi Ming still felt a slight numbness in his body.
’Mr. Lei’s full-power strike is truly terrifying!’