Chapter 1202: Surpass Your Limits Right Here, Right Now 2
Chapter 1202: Surpass Your Limits Right Here, Right Now 2
Although the existence of Techniques and Spells had been a staple in this world since the appearance of Nightmare Realms, usually, only Magic-type fighters could ever use Spells, as it required a staff, wand, or grimoire-type weapon.
Meanwhile, physical fighters were usually capable of using something similar, but using their weapons directly, named Weapon Techniques. It was the norm for both types to be unable to use the other's abilities like this.
But since a few years, such misconception had begun to rapidly deteriorate with the surge of new fighters capable of conjuring spell-like attacks, and magicians that began to specialize on a combination of weapon techniques and magic, usually using external weapons.
And now, Emily showed Alma that the misconception that the girl had thought her entire life was nothing but a lie.
Alma had always believed she could only use support magic, but that was far from the truth! "Look closely, Alma! I'm no longer just an armor or close combat-type fighter! I'm more than just that! And you too can change! What our weapons are doesn't mean we're locked on their original abilities!" Emily roared.
"{Thunder Dragon Breath}!"
A giant blast of golden lightning erupted from Emily's armored fists, reaching the Nightmare, the wailing woman-like nightmare screamed, using its claws, and trying to destroy the attack.
However, the lightning engulfed the Nightmare's arms, disintegrating them and then, piercing through her chest.
BOOOMMM!!!
The Nightmare gave a loud, agonizing scream.
"GYYYAAAAAHHHH!"
Half of its body quickly disappeared, the other half fell into the ground, covered on electricity and twitching in agony, groaning, and constantly growing arms with long red nails or lips painted pink.
"G-Graaggh... U-Ugly... I'm so... ugly..."
Alma was amazed, Emily almost killed such a strong Nightmare all on her own!
"Emily, that was awesome! You were able to unleash such a long-ranged attack, it was like a spell! Ah! Emily?!"
Alma ran towards Emily, noticing the girl's armor disappeared, she had grown exhausted, gasping for air as she fell into the floor.
"I'm fine... just... tired... I'm leaving the rest to you, Alma..."Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"Eh?!"
Alma gasped as she tried healing Emily, but she wouldn't wake up. This was a clear symptom of overusing a Dream Heart's powers to surpass a previously stablished limit.
It could sometimes make a person's Dream Heart shatter, but it seemed that Emily had barely managed to avoid such an outcome.
"Ugly!"
"Ugly! Ugly!"
"Everyone is ugly!"
"I'm the ugliest one!"
"Ah!"
Alma panicked as she saw the monstrous swarm of creatures that started coming out of the Nightmare that had almost been killed by Emily.
The only half that remained was the lower half, its squirming legs moving and regrowing, resembling a spider made of legs with long red nails.
To make things even more disgusting, the wound left behind didn't heal, but constantly regrew new flesh, which separated into aberrations made of fingers and toes, with sharp jaws
and eyes.
They ran towards Alma and Jonathan, while constantly screaming "Ugly!" at everything. Jonathan quickly started fighting, swinging his blade, and slashing them into pieces, his divine light easily turned them into ashes, but they kept coming endlessly.
"Alma, stay behind, I'll go finish off that thing, so they don't swarm everywhere!"
Jonathan called for Alma, yet she remained in silence.
"Alma?"
She was gripping her fists tightly, the shy girl, who had been bullied most of her life, but finally found real friends in Emily, Maria, and Sofia after entering the academy, seemed to want to change.
"P-Please... let me do it instead, Jonathan!"
"What?! But...!"
"Emily trusts me... She said that if I don't do it now, I'll never do it!"
"Alma..."
"She trusted me to do this so please... could you protect my back instead?"
Jonathan was a very soft man, seeing a young girl, that looked shy and indecisive before seemingly gain some confidence, he felt slightly happy as well.
He wanted to trust her, of course.
As a beacon of hope, and a hero that has led many people, he was very empathetic, immediately recognizing what Alma meant.
"Fine... I'll trust you, Alma! I'll take care of your back!"
"T-Thanks!"
Alma nodded, her staff gathering energy and then rapidly producing a large sphere of spiritual water, she closed her eyes, as memories flashed through her mind.
Memories of her when she was in school.
"Fat piglet! Fat piglet!"
"You're only good at healing! What else can you even do?"
"Your barriers break with a single hit! You call yourself a support magician?! Might as well use your fat ass as a shield, hahaha!"
"Your healing leaves everyone covered on water, it's really inconvenient! Also, shouldn't you get a bit more fit? If you'll go into a battlefield you need to stop being so fat!"
"Ugh, have you considered losing some weight? You really don't fit with us..."
Scorn, hatred, jealously, narcissistic people... she had gone through the worst of society, yet Alma remained strong, always moving forward, despite everything.
She grew up with only her grandmother, both of her parents had died in a car accident when she was only two years of age.
Her grandma, a support user that wielded a little cup that generated healing water, taught her a lesson she had mostly forgotten by now.
"Listen, Alma... the true power of someone's Dream Heart Weapon doesn't lie in their type, or even in their element," her grandma said. "It lies within their own potential, imagination, and will. If you want to become an offensive magician, the only thing stopping you... is you, dear. Believe in yourself. Keep training, one day... you'll do it. You're much more talented than
our entire family after all!"
"Grandma..."
Alma's eyes opened, glowing brightly with azure light, her staff glowed brightly, absorbing
her emotions and above all...
Her will!
"We've been through a lot together, haven't we, Undine?"
She glanced at her staff flicker a bit.
Alma smiled gently.
"I know you're a shy girl like me... but I also know that we got a lot of potential... all of this
magic power, let's use it to save people! Would you give me a hand?"
FLASH!
The sphere of water shaped itself, Jonathan, Sofia, and even the Partner reacted at the
enormous quantity of magic power.
A giant trident of flowing water was formed, overflowing with magical power!
"{Undine's Trident}"
FLASH!
The trident pierced through dozens of Little Nightmares, reaching the giant, regenerating
Nightmare and then, piercing its body.
And then, azure light engulfed everything. BOOOMMM!!!