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Chapter 264 - Chapter 264

The waters quickly grew darker, colder, as Helios, Kurai, and Thalen moved deeper into the oppressive trench. Shadows seemed to stretch endlessly below them, gradually devouring all remaining traces of the comforting light from above. Each movement deeper felt like stepping into the mouth of some waiting predator—patient, hungry, and profoundly malevolent.

 

Helios led cautiously, eyes sharp, senses extended outward into the abyss around them. His keyblade rested firmly in hand, though he felt the familiar uncertainty of his powers wavering. Each step forward felt heavier, as though the very water resisted their passage.

 

Kurai swam close beside him, her expression cool and unperturbed, though he noticed her attention was equally vigilant. "The energy here feels different. Heavier than usual darkness. It's almost like we're back in the Realm of Darkness."

 

"Yea I thought so too," Helios replied quietly, his voice low and wary. "Whatever is up ahead is more dangerous than we expected."

 

Behind them, Thalen hovered silently, eyes wide, watchful but restrained.

 

A sudden ripple brushed against Helios's senses. He raised a hand sharply, signaling them to stop.

 

"What is it?" Kurai whispered, narrowing her eyes.

 

"Ambush," Helios murmured. "Prepare yourself."

 

Before the words fully left his mouth, the shadows themselves erupted. A swarm of Heartless surged from below—twisted, monstrous shapes that shimmered with a sickly darkness, their movements frenzied and driven by unnatural hunger. Sea Neons and Screwdivers lunged forward, their corrupted forms distorted and swollen, empowered far beyond normal.

 

Kurai reacted instantly, launching a sphere of dark firaga into the swarm, erupting in steam-filled explosions that cleared an initial wave. Helios struggled, feeling his powers shift unpredictably between darkness and light, each attempted to use his power an uncertain gamble.

 

"Damn it," he muttered through gritted teeth, narrowly evading a Screwdiver's spinning trident.

 

"Get your control back," Kurai snapped, cutting viciously through another attacker. "Your current state is a burden and it weakens us."

 

Helios forced himself to focus, fighting against the dissonant turmoil within his heart. He raised Equilibrium and concentrated intensely, finally managing to unleash a fierce combination of fire and lightning spells, scattering a group of Sea Neons.

 

"More are coming," Thalen called out urgently from behind, struggling to maintain distance from the frantic battle. "They keep coming."

 

"Damn," Helios replied swiftly. "Push through, quickly!"

 

They surged forward together, Kurai aggressively clearing their path, her cold efficiency brutally effective. Helios supported her, each successful spell helping him regain balance and confidence.

 

Finally breaking free of the Heartless swarm, they found temporary refuge beneath a jagged coral overhang. Breathing heavily, Helios steadied himself, frustration evident in his eyes.

 

"Your powers are still behaving erratic," Kurai noted quietly, her gaze piercing. "You're hiding something important."

 

Helios glanced sharply toward Thalen, who lingered slightly apart, occupied with calming his racing heartbeat. Helios turned quietly back to Kurai, lowering his voice. "Not here."

 

She narrowed her eyes slightly, but nodded once in grudging agreement. "Very well. But secrets in battles tend to end poorly."

 

He knew she was right, yet this was not the time for explanations—not when every second counted spent here endangered their lives.

 

They moved onward, the oppressive darkness deepening further still, until finally the water around them grew utterly frigid, unnaturally thickened by malignant energies. Ahead, a faint, eerie luminescence illuminated the twisted structure of Ursula's lair—distorted stone and coral formations jutted out grotesquely, warped by the parasite's influence into unnatural spirals and menacing angles.

 

"Be ready," Helios murmured, glancing pointedly at Thalen. "Whatever waits inside won't give us second chances."

 

Kurai nodded curtly. Thalen steadied himself visibly, his quiet determination resolute.

 

Together, they entered the twisted domain, crossing through an entrance framed by jagged coral and pulsing shadows. Inside, darkness thickened almost tangibly, pressing in around them from every side. The air tasted faintly metallic, charged with dark energy, and faint whispers seemed to echo from every crevice, indecipherable yet deeply unsettling.

 

"Do you hear that?" Thalen whispered nervously.

 

"Just noise," Kurai replied coldly. "Distraction. Ignore it."

 

Yet Helios understood Thalen's unease clearly. This was not just darkness—it was conscious, malevolent, energy that was draining something from him. He summoned his willpower, silencing those whispers within his mind.

 

They emerged cautiously into a large central chamber. Ursula's presence was palpable—a corrupted force filling the room with raw, oppressive pressure. At the far side, Ariel lay motionless, bound tightly by tendrils of shadow. Guarding her fiercely were Flotsam and Jetsam, now even more grotesque and monstrously enlarged by darkness.

 

"Welcome," a voice echoed mockingly, deeply distorted yet unmistakably Ursula's. The sea witch emerged from shadow, her eyes empty pools of inky black. "I've waited eagerly."

 

Helios stiffened slightly, his grip tightening instinctively around Equilibrium. "Release the girl."

 

Ursula smiled coldly. "Of course. But first, you the one called Helios—let us discuss the matter of your loyalty."

 

Helios's heart skipped sharply. "What? My loyalty?"

 

Ursula laughed softly, cruelly amused. "I know about your dealings with Maleficent. Such clever schemes you weave, little emissary."

 

Shock rippled visibly through Helios. Ursula should have no knowledge of Maleficent or any outside force. His carefully constructed calm wavered dangerously. "How do you know this? Who told you about this?"

 

"Secrets are currency," Ursula mocked, her voice dripping venom. "And you've amassed quite a fortune."

 

Helios steadied himself quickly, refocusing desperately on the immediate situation. "Enough games, Ursula. Name your terms."

 

She smiled darkly. "Betray Triton openly. Deliver his trident to me. Do this, and I'll free the girl. Refuse, and you'll watch her die now."

 

The water chilled further still, every heartbeat echoing heavily in Helios's ears. Ariel's unconscious form was utterly vulnerable. Kurai stood rigid, assessing possibilities. Thalen hovered anxiously, clearly distressed by the impossible choice placed before them.

 

Seconds dragged out painfully, silence punctuated only by the faint pulse of oppressive darkness. Ursula waited calmly, sensing the torment her ultimatum caused.

 

Before Helios could respond, a sudden, furious current shattered the tense silence. Triton stormed into the chamber, accompanied by an armed battalion, his eyes blazing with unchecked wrath. "Ursula! Release my daugther immediately!"

 

Helios cursed inwardly, recognizing the critical mistake Triton had just made. Ursula's lips curled upward triumphantly.

 

"Ah, Triton. You're just in time."

 

She spread her arms wide, unleashing a torrent of thick, black, ink-like miasma. Instinctively, Kurai summoned a powerful barrier of darkness, shielding herself, Helios, and Thalen as the miasma surged violently outward.

 

Triton's army, however, was too late. Soldiers screamed briefly as the darkness overtook them, bodies stiffening immediately, eyes vacant, minds falling under instant possession. The corrupted warriors slowly rose, even Triton, now became a mere puppet to the parasite's whims.

 

Ursula turned her triumphant, predatory smile upon Helios. "And now, young emissary, the real test begins. Your move. However, I must warn you if you escape the girl dies."

 

Helios stood frozen momentarily, heart racing, mind desperately calculating options in the face of absolute chaos.

 

The parasite within Ursula smiled coldly, savoring the delicious despair radiating from its prey. Its plan had unfolded flawlessly.

 

The true confrontation had arrived, and escape was no longer an option. The darkness had finally closed in.

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