Epic of Ice Dragon: Reborn As An Ice Dragon With A System

Chapter 2358: Oda Nobunaga’s Endless Castle [76]

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"Not moving? What's wrong? Tired already, my dear child? Then how about I end this?"

"..."

Triton closed his eyes, leaving Omoikane momentarily confused.

Where was the bratty attitude? He expected the boy to hurl insults.

But something deeper stirred within Triton.

Memories and words echoed through his mind and soul—his master's voice.

"You've got a terrible temperament, Triton. Honestly, it's your biggest weakness."

"What did you say?! I'm not temperamental, you stupid old man!"

"Haha, there it is. You're just like Amethyst... actually, you two are quite similar."

"I'm nothing like that idiot! Not even close!"

"Sure, whatever you say. But we'll work on that fury of yours. It's good to have strong willpower and motivation, and I respect that attitude—it's exactly what we need to face the monsters ahead. Still, you must learn not to let anger consume you."

"What? I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Heh, I figured. But only through a balance of rage and calm will you truly unlock the power of Dragons—especially the power of our Bloodlines and Souls."

"Really? How do I even do that?!"

"You'll know when the time comes. I'll train your body, soul, and mind until then. Triton, the fate of the world rests in our hands—even your small ones. Your power has a purpose: to protect everything you love."

"..."

Triton remembered those words. He still didn't like Drake much, but he had to admit—sloppy as they were, his words had reached him.

"I have to stay calm."

His eyes opened, golden and azure light surging from within. Omoikane smirked, his aura flaring as it shaped into hundreds of massive hands.

"{Myriad Mind Hands}! You think you're having some kind of awakening? Don't be ridiculous, you stupid child!"

"Calm down, channel, and focus my power..."

Triton gathered his power into his hands, then released it through his arms and legs.

FLAAASH!

As the giant hands closed in, the chains binding him shattered into fragments. A massive trident materialized in his right hand, which he drove into the incoming hands.

"{Divine Soul Ocean Gear Creation}: {Divine Soul Ocean Trident: Poseidon}!"

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

By naming the trident, Triton breathed life into it. It was no longer a mere construct—it became solid, powerful, and deeply connected to him, woven into his very soul.

"HMM?!"

Omoikane's eyes widened as Triton pierced through his psychic attacks, shattering them like glass, something no one had ever done before.

"He's destroying my psychic constructs with brute force? That's impossible! Physical force doesn't work against psychic energy! It can't... Wait, is it because he's... a soul?!"

What Omoikane hadn't considered was that Triton was indeed a soul. Within that soul was a mind, one that expanded endlessly across his essence. Because his soul was his body, his mind was his body too.

Despite lacking psychic powers, Triton's mind was so potent it could clash with psychic energy and break it through sheer force.

No... Omoikane was only beginning to understand. Triton's Soul Body radiated vast amounts of Psychic Energy, intricately fused with Soul Essence, so perfectly blended it was nearly undetectable.

"You're a monster, boy! A monster I must claim for myself!"

Omoikane laughed, his power surging as he trapped Triton inside a cube. Then another. And another. And another...

And another.

"{Thousand-Layered Perfect Psychic Cube}! This is the pinnacle of my Psychic Power! Can you break through all thousand layers?! Compress!"

The cubes began to crush Triton, pressing in from every direction.

"RAAAHHHHH!"

Triton roared, swinging his trident and fists, punching and piercing through the barriers one by one. But hundreds more closed in, crushing him again.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

He fought relentlessly, his body battered and weakened. Yet he gritted his ethereal fangs and surged forward, shattering one hundred cubes... then two hundred... three hundred... four hundred...

"H-He's actually doing it?!"

Omoikane was stunned. He intensified the pressure, flooding the cube domain with crimson eyes that fired beams to weaken Triton further.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Ugh! I need to move faster... but how? Should I release my inner Soul? No, that would weaken me. The magic might be powerful, but would it be enough?"

Triton began to think. He wasn't reckless anymore. He strategized, drawing on everything he'd learned from Drake's training.

He shattered dozens of cube walls at once, infusing more energy into his trident while dodging beams from every angle.

"Damn it! I have to do this—I must! I can't die here! This would be the worst death imaginable! I haven't even confessed my love to Eleanor! I want her to be my girlfriend... to have a family with her someday! I can't die here! I CAN'T! I have to see Mom again! My friends! The people of Aquarius!"

As Triton thought of those he loved, his aura surged, spiraling around him. Azure light erupted from his body, forming the outline of a massive, muscular entity—spectral, but rapidly taking shape.

This being empowered him. Triton felt faster, stronger, no longer alone. Someone was with him—someone dear, someone who had always protected him.

"W-What is that thing?!"

Omoikane gasped as Triton shattered every assumption the Wisdom God had made, powering up even further.

The more Triton focused on his bonds, the more this mysterious power grew.

Until...

"I have to do this for that stupid master too! I won't die here and disappoint him!"

FLAAASH!

"Eh?!"

Triton's eyes widened as a figure emerged behind him. At the same time, he felt something awaken deep within, a spark of golden light spreading through his body.

"T-This power...?! Wait, is this Drake's...? No... it's mine?!"

He couldn't believe it. After his golden transformation, he thought he couldn't access that power without Drake's permission.

But he was wrong. He had absorbed part of it and made it his own. Dormant until now, awakened by his resolve.

"Whatever nonsense you're trying won't work! Brains always beat brawn, child! My wisdom and intelligence are what make me strong! My Psychic Power is the embodiment of my superiority—over everyone! Even gods!"

Omoikane grew desperate. Triton was breaking through his domain. The furious Kami spread his hands, summoning hundreds of clones. Each poured psychic power into the formation, twisting it into a chaotic maze of hazards designed to slow and torture the boy.

Giant beasts emerged—Triton stabbed them with his trident.

Seas of soul-draining miasma crashed into him—he froze them solid and shattered them.

Swarms of mind-eating bugs descended—his ocean soul aura crushed them beneath its waves.

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