Damien was awestruck to see a large swan-like figure forming up in the sky that was definitely big enough, especially since it was more than a kilometer wide and was even making the area under it darker because of the sunlight being blocked.
The swan-like figure seemed to be forming from pure water, though, in reality, it was Irene's own ethereal energy that she had manifested outside.
The water swan looked quite beautiful but terrifying at the same time because of its humongous size and its glowing stark blue eyes, which were the same eyes as Irene's.
But it was the aura the water swan was giving off that intimidated people the most, especially the imperial army, who all felt as if they were being suffocated just by being under the presence of this mighty swan.
Just a look at its cold eyes was enough to make them feel paralyzed.
Who would have ever thought that such a beautiful harmless creature could also become a nightmare for them?
'An ethereal manifestation? Is this how it looks like…' Damien remembered Luna teaching him about this concept which was something only those who had reached the Profound Ethereal Realm could harness.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIt was nothing but something which a Profound Ethereal Realm cultivator could project their elemental seed's true power outside in the form of any object or thing they were most comfortable with.
In Irene's case, she was comfortable with projecting it in the form of a water swan. The main advantage in using this special ability was that it could be a great tool to be used for both offense and defense, and at the same time, their ethereal energy reserves would multiply temporarily, allowing them to fight longer than they originally could.
However, Damien knew that abilities like these always would have a price to bear, and that was the exhaustion of the ethereal core once the cultivator was unable to maintain the manifestation.
Of course, how much exhaustion the ethereal core suffers would depend on the cultivator but seeing Irene's water swan, Damien felt that she might be probably going all out since the thing only seemed to get more terrifying as seconds passed.
It was evident to everyone that her control over her water elemental seed and its strength was beyond their expectations.
The Xeton Emperor only slightly creased his brows seeing this large water swan staring at him up in the sky from afar and still had an indifferent look on his face even though the commanders and the generals before him were having their hands tremble at the sight of this water swan.
"Quickly charge up the formation!" One of the generals on the ground shouted to his men to quickly send another attack like the first one before anything could happen.
But before his men could even release the attack, the huge water swan in the sky opened its mouth as a large ball of water shot out from its mouth and struck one of the places where the imperial army was charging up the attack formations.
*BOOM!!*
"AAAH!!!"
Two thousand soldiers immediately got crushed to death, having their bodies turned to mincemeat by getting struck by what seemed like a large water ball but, in reality, weighed several hundred tonnes.
Even a huge crater formed on the ground as if a meteor crashed on the earth, and a mini earthquake occurred around the region as most of the imperial army almost lost their balance for a moment and had to quickly use their ethereal energies to hold themselves in place.
However, just a single disturbance was enough for all of them to stop charging their ethereal attack formations, and if they wanted to use it again, they would have to charge it up all over again.
But Irene wasn't planning to give them a break as her water swan released multiple humongous water balls, one after the other that fell on the earth like a comet shower, destroying the imperial army by crushing them from different sides.
"AAAAH!!" Cries of despair and horror echoed among the men of the imperial army as some even abandoned their positions and tried to run and escape from the range of the huge water balls by using their movement arts.
But even if these water balls looked harmless, the speed and strength at which they were falling on the earth were enough to send tremors down one's spine and break the will of any man in the army.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Y-Your M
"YAY!! Mother Irene taught those bastards a lesson!"
"She literally is godsent for our people."
"Sigh…if only I was strong enough to stand beside Mother Irene and fight with her…what an honor it would be. Even if I die, I can die without regrets…"
The Zirians couldn't help but rejoice as things had been looking pretty bleak all this while, and now they were finally able to witness a sight they never even dreamed in their sleep….A sight where they could see the Xeton Empire's imperial army falling apart, which was a symbol of the empire's might and pride. This was a sight even their ancestors once dreamed about, and they couldn't help but feel immensely proud of their leader.
The generals and commanders still regrouped their men and tried to counterattack and destroy Irene's ethereal manifestation. But all their attacks were being absorbed into the water swan as if it was nothing. It was as if they were hurling stones into an ocean, making no difference at all other than just ripples.
They couldn't help but feel as if they were just sitting ducks trapped within a fence. Even their Peak Heaven Ethereal Realm experts were unable to break down Irene's ethereal manifestation, and when they tried to combine their strength, Irene's attacks would immediately target them.
The golden armor commander who was floating behind the Xeton Emperor couldn't help but anxiously ask, "Y-Your Majesty…c-could you please…"
However, he stopped talking the moment he saw the Xeton Emperor taking a glance at him, making him feel a chill pass down his spine.