Epic of Ice Dragon: Reborn As An Ice Dragon With A System
Chapter 1235: Coral's Resolve

Rose panicked, as Coral and her former Butler, now having transformed into a monstrous squid-like creature, began to fight intensively, shaking the surroundings wildly. She was confused, yet as her memories were quickly regained, she immediately realized this… her entire life as a princess was an illusion!

"That dream I had… Was it my own subconscious trying to tell me that this wasn't reality?!" Wondered Rose. "Haha… This feels so ironic, living as a princess my whole life here didn't filled my heart with anything but emptiness…"

"Rose! Have you snapped out of it?!" Coral wondered, as his gigantic coral-made fists continued clashing against the Deep One's Nightmarish Tentacles!

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAAASH!

"Yes! I am awake now, Coral! I don't know why I was so obsessed with a life like this… It is so… empty! So boring!" Rose said, suddenly throwing away her heels and breaking apart her annoying, pink-colored dress.

"P-PRINCESS! HE'S LYING! Don't believe HIM!" The Butler roared in fury, as he continued trying to attack Coral only to find all of his attacks being blocked by his incredibly strong armor made of Corals.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

"Just what are these damn corals?! They're so strong… they're not the same as those from before! What are these damned crystals growing out of the boy's body?!" The Deep One groaned internally. "This power… it didn't originated from his magic alone, but this feeling… It feels as if the very Stigma engraved on Rose was giving the boy its powers, which manifested… Wait, it can't be! How… How?!"

"You've figured it out already, Deep One?" Asked Coral with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Albert, or should I say, "Deep One", but I have no more interest in being a princess." Rose smirked back at the monster. She showed him her own Stigma. "I've realized I have nothing to fear against you when Coral and my friends are here with me, even less when I've finally gotten the hang of this!"

"Wait, stop! Don't you dare…!" The Deep One roared, his entire body distorted into a mass of tentacles and red eyes, leaping towards Rose. "Don't… YOU… DAREEEEE!"

FLAAAASH!

Rose's hand began shining brightly, as her Stigma started to break apart the Dream created by her own power over Mirages and Illusions. The surroundings quickly began shattering into pieces, as the whole world where she was started to tear apart.

"It was really true… this entire long dream was just an illusion…" Rose sighed, seeing everything tear itself down. The entire world she lived for many years in this Dream, it was all false, a lie.

"You really took a while to realize it." Coral sighed. "Benladra and Kate have been doing everything they could to save you, they even managed to send me here. Let's go now."

"Yeah, let's go!" Rose nodded.

"GRAAAAHHHH!"

However, the Deep One's very powers, which were sealed within the Stigma wouldn't let them go. Now that this Fragment of the Deep One was so close to being unsealed, he wouldn't simply let his only chance to slip off his grasp!

"YOU'RE… NOT… GOING… ANYWHEREEEEEEEE!!!"

A swarm of sea beasts emerged, made of darkness and nightmares, leaping into battle, and attacking Coral and Rose with everything they had.

"Coral!" Rose called, holding his hand.

Her Stigma began shining, transferring its powers towards his own Special Tattoo.

"I've got this!" Coral nodded, his eyes flashed with bright, golden light, as the corals he generated underwent an even greater evolution!

FLAAAAAASH!

"U-Unngggh…! W-What the?!" The Deep One muttered in shock. "T-This is impossible1 That Stigma… HOW?!"

Coral suddenly transformed, his small body became a titan made of stone and corals growing all around his body, of the colors of the rainbow, resembling bright jewels shining with countless colors. His appearance was like that of an ancient knight, filled with bravery and strength.

And on top of his shoulders, Rose sat relaxedly, finally realizing that her powers were incomplete all this time, and that they finally completed once Coral awakened his own.

"T-This can't be possible…! The Stigma… my powers sealed within… They created their own Guardian?!" The Deep One Fragment was completely flabbergasted.

Indeed, just as Sapphire and Drake had realized, the powers of the Stigmas, over thousands of years, have underwent an evolution. Perhaps because the last will of Aquarius remained within these Stigmas to hold the seal together, his own power as a "Guardian" was transferred into a new essence, a new ability.

And this ability created the [Stigma Guardians], special people, unrelated to the royal bloodline given the power of the Stigmas to shape their own magic into an ability that could help protect their destined Stigma Wielder. And perhaps Coral and Rose were the first successful creation of this wonderful power.

"Coral, you're huge!" Rose felt shocked. "Is this your true power?!"

"Yeah… well, partially. I still feel like I've got a long way to go. But let's try doing something for now!" Coral roared, as his gigantic fists began landing over the Swarms of Abyssal Nightmares.

FLAAAASH!

The power of Benladra's Spells and her own Spirit within Coral enchanted his power even further, as his fists began shining brightly, everywhere he punched, enormous shockwaves of purifying light spread around, completely annihilating the Swarms of Abyssal Nightmares!

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOM!

The Nightmares quickly began disappearing, as the endless darkness started to be purified, the surroundings slowly began shattering apart, helping the children get closer to the "outside".

However…

FLUOOOOSH!

More darkness kept pouring where that came from, endlessly!

"Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA! You cannot escape this power! After all, it is the very power you're using to fight me… As long you have that Stigma, I will always remain within this place! My power and my will! And I shall never stop until I reach my goal!" Laughed the Deep One, the darkness quickly continued to grow larger and larger.

"GET… AWAY!" Coral roared, as his gigantic body generated enormous spikes of corals and rocks, shaking everything and shattering the darkness into pieces, as if it were glass. His fists continued attacking the deep one, incessantly.

However, the monster kept regenerating, and regenerating…!

Was there really a way out?!