-----
As the battle between Drake and the Deep One began outside of the castle, Rose and her friends were quickly sent inside of the castle through a bubble made of Drake's Primordial Ice. The moment they reached the scene, the bubble immediately shattered into pieces, letting everyone walk around the castle's interior, which was falling apart.
"What part of the castle is this?!" Wondered Rose, looking around.
"Seems like we landed just in the corridor before reaching the Throne Room!" Said Coral.
"Papa said that the Throne Room is there." Said Benladra, with a tiny green slime on top of her head.
"Let's go!" Kate urged the others.
"Calm down children! We are the adults here so please stay behind us!" Yuki said, rushing in front of the four kids.
"Don't pretend you're a responsible adult now..." Pekora sighed. "I remember Drake said you were like four years old actually."
"W-Well, in monkey chinchilla years that's a LOT!" Yuki said angrily.
"The gate's blocked!" Tisha said.
In front of them, the gates to the throne room were suddenly blocked. Not by pieces of the castle or rubble, but by a dark force sealing the gates completely, and all the surrounding walls as well.
"W-What the heck?!" Yuki was surprised. "This power…"
"It is the Deep One's presence… He's even here?!" Rose cried.
"This guy's everywhere!" Coral groaned.
A single red eye surged from within the black gates, as several black tentacles started emerging constantly, filled with eyes and dark energy.
"You're not allowed in here, children." It spoke. "Now BEGONE!"
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
The tentacles immediately attacked before even waiting for a response from everybody else. However, although they were certainly strong, they didn't even lasted a single second against Yuki's claws, as she sliced them apart into pieces in less than a second!
"Oh yeah?!"
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Brilliant, slashing light sliced them all apart, and then, a powerful dragon breath from Benladra right behind her impacted the gates, completely blasting them into pieces.
"You BEGONE!"
BOOOOOOOMMMM!!!
CRAAASH!
The entire gate exploded into pieces, revealing a path towards the Throne Room, which was now encompassed in pure darkness…
"T-There's someone in there… There's a few people, I can sense them!" Said Pekora, leading the group as they rushed inside.
"Is the Queen here? Maybe… that other Stigma user we never saw?!" Wondered Rose.
"Most likely. The queen is also a Stigma user." Said Sapphire. "We have to save them! If they end up dying, their Stigmas will end up releasing the fragmented powers of the Deep One back to him."
"We'll help them, don't worry!" Benladra said with a nod.
"Nn! But first let's light up the place!" Said Kate.
"You girls are right." Pekora said, hitting the ground with her staff and generating a bright sphere of light. "[Shine]!"
FLAAAAASH!
The sphere of light pierced through the darkness, illuminating the ruined Throne Room. Revealing a terrifying scene, as the walls were completely covered on fleshy, black-colored slimy flesh, countless eyes glaring at them, and many tentacles.
It was as if the Deep One had completely fused himself with the entire castle. Perhaps because Drake interrupted his unsealing, a part of his own body ended here, and melded into the castle accidentally.
"W-What the?! This is right out of a horror movie that Drake has showed us before!" Yuki said in surprise, recalling some of the retro horror movies Drake recreated through Dream Magic by inserting his memories of watching them, so everyone could enjoy some of Earth's culture.
"Everything is flesh? The Deep One's presence is everywhere…" Said Sapphire, afraid. "This presence… Where is the Queen?! She's not here, but even deeper into the castle!"
"T-Then who is that?" Yuki asked, pointing at the creepy little girl sitting in the middle of the Throne Room.
She seemed to slightly look like Rose from a distance, but at closer inspecting, she had long and silky dark purple hair, with purple eyes that seemed tired and exhausted.
Her skin was incredibly pale, and her scales were dark purple as well, with a long sea snake-like tail behind her back and sharp tooths like those of sharks, alongside a sharp fin in her back.
A third, red colored eye opened in her forehead, glancing at the group. The girl's exhausted expression changed, becoming angered, gritting her sharp teeth at them.
And from within her, a dreadful, monstrous presence surged, slowly spreading a sea of darkness around her, as a gigantic black colored squid with a single red eye emerged behind her, its tentacles coiling around her.
"Intruders… The ones that stopped everything… Mother… said I must kill. I must kill anybody that steps here." She said with a furious voice.
"W-Wait, that girl…" Sapphire said. "That Stigma. She definitely is one of the four! And… her appearance, she must be Rose's relative."
"My relative?" Asked Rose. "But she's… completely possessed."
"Don't worry! We'll stop her and heal her." Said Benladra.
"Nn! As long as I can get close enough." Kate said. "I'll do it."
"She doesn't seem to be in the mood to sit and wait for us though…" Coral sighed.
SPLAAAAASH!
The dark seas surrounding the girl began waving around furiously, as countless tentacles emerged from the sea, and also hundreds of small squids!
"Kill them… Kill them all." The girl said, with lightless eyes.
SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!
Several squids appeared around them, but they were quickly slain as countless slashing attacks sliced them apart through Yuki and Benladra's attacks.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SPLAAASH!
Yuki suddenly grabbed Pekora, Sapphire, and Tisha, and jumped off from the sea of darkness, reaching the stairs leading below that were right behind the girl.
"You won't get there!!!" The girl roared furiously, the gigantic, Red-Eyed Abyssal Squid reached them in an instant, opening its sharp beak.
"GRUOOOOHHHH!"
CLAAAASH!
However, a gigantic Sharp-Toothed Piranha Queen caught the giant squid in midair, biting through its body and then pushing it down into the sea of darkness.
SPLAAAASH!
And then, another entity appeared, a giant made of corals, quickly restraining the giant squid once more, putting all of its strength.
"Go! We'll catch up to you later!" Rose said.
"I'll leave it to you then, kids!" Yuki said with a smile, rushing down.
She already knew they were very strong; they had proved their might before. Yuki, Pekora, Tisha, and Sapphire quickly ran downstairs, seeking the Queen's presence and the Blue Orb Fragment she was carrying with herself.
"NOOOOO!!!"
After seeing them going down, the little girl cried in fury, her entire darkness intensifying in power as the Red-Eyed Abyssal Squid grew three times in size, attacking the two Familiars restraining it and sending them away with powerful whips using its sharp tentacles!
CRAAAASH! CRAAAASH!
"GRUOOOHHH…"
The squid quickly floated above the girl, glaring furiously at the children.
"You… How dare you?! Now my mother will get angry at me! She will hit me again… And she won't let me eat desserts!" The little girly angrily said. "I hate you! I HATE YOUUUU…!"
FLUOOOSH!
Her darkness kept growing stronger and stronger, as if it was trying to encompass everything. Benladra stood in front of her friends while they struggled to resist the intense darkness in the girl's heart.
"Don't worry, I will share my desserts with you after we're done!" Benladra said, her hands shining brightly. "[Heaven's Light]!"
FLAAAAAAASH!
-----
This content is taken from free web nov𝒆l.com