Thunderstorm Season and the Vast Ocean

Crack--!!!

Azure lightning pierced the thick night like a sharp sword.

In the fleeting light, everyone saw a colossal, indescribable creature slowly swimming within the high-altitude clouds.

The giant's body churned the thunderclouds, lightning connecting to its horns. In this moment, it was like the sole god of this region.

Roar!!!

The Cloud Dragon roared at the sky. The warm drizzle suddenly intensified, turning into a torrential downpour within a single breath. The pea-sized raindrops struck with painful force.

Only the area where Dawn was located was completely unaffected by this scene, which resembled a world-ending flood.

All the rainwater, like an evil spirit, avoided him. Even the flowing water on the ground parted on its own, not daring to disturb him.

This was special attention from the Cloud Dragon.

It was gradually mastering the thunderstorms in this area.

Gales mixed with rain lashed at them, making it impossible to open their eyes. The mold in the air was washed away by the torrential rain, dissolving into the water and falling silent for a short time.

Once the downpour stopped, the dissolved mold would be nourished by the damp environment and return with an even more terrifying presence.

However, Dawn would naturally not allow such a thing to happen.

He extended a finger and pointed at the parachutes scattered haphazardly in the sky.

Mista, still lost in grief, saw Dawn point to a spot and instinctively looked back.

Crack--!!!

Suddenly, the world lit up as if it were daytime.

Furious lightning tore through the darkness, illuminating Mista's stunned face.

At this moment, he forgot the danger, forgot where he was, and was completely immersed in the terrifying might of heaven.

The lightning tore through a large number of parachutes, completely carbonizing and annihilating the dangling limbs.

The surrounding mold suddenly receded. Mista was surprised to find that the mold on his hands had disappeared.

He flexed his palm and looked at Dawn, whose clothes fluttered in the wind, his eyes filled with reverence and gratitude.

Dawn had saved his life once again.

"Mr. Dawn, to possess the ability to control the lightning of nature... this doesn't seem like the power a Stand user would have."

Mista's mind was a mess. Before he could make another move, the ground suddenly opened like a zipper, and a figure emerged.

It was Bucciarati.

"Bucciarati, where's Abbacchio?"

Bucciarati didn't answer. He simply extended his hand, opened his five fingers, and purple clothing fragments appeared.

"Hey, hey... Bucciarati, you're joking, right? I was asking about Abbacchio..."

Mista took a step back, his mouth slightly agape, his face turning pale, unwilling to accept reality.

Lightning flashed across the sky, briefly illuminating Bucciarati's suppressed face.

"I've already killed the enemy underground. Now we must immediately take advantage of the torrential rain to eliminate the other enemy."

Bucciarati said in a deep voice.

"I'm already doing that."

Dawn didn't look back, merely directing the Cloud Dragon to continue bombarding the town that was about to become a ruin.

Peals of thunder echoed through the heavens and earth, purifying this defiled region.

Bucciarati's pupils contracted, and his eyes revealed shock.

Meanwhile, somewhere in a basement, Ghiaccio was anxiously waiting for a call from his partner, Secco.

"Damn it, what's all the commotion outside? Why isn't Secco answering his phone? This has never happened before."

Ghiaccio climbed onto the sofa and picked up the phone again.

Just as Dawn had surmised, Ghiaccio had divided his body into several parts and hidden them in high places or suspended them from parachutes.

His important upper body was hidden in the safety of the basement.

After receiving intel from Dawn, Ghiaccio didn't dare to confront him directly. With the Boss's help, he mobilized the organization's power.

Ghiaccio never cared if the enemy's Stand was powerful. As long as they were misled by him, even the strongest Stand user would be infected by the mold and die.

In his opinion, Secco was probably busy filming a video right now and hadn't noticed the phone, which was forgivable.

Bucciarati's team was facing a certain death situation.

"Victory belongs to me, Ghiaccio."

Ghiaccio called Secco again. The busy signal rang twice, but this time, the call went through.

"Secco, did you get their death scene on film? Hurry and bring it to me, I'll reward you with your favorite sugar cubes~"

"So, you didn't run away after all."

Dawn's voice came through the phone, startling Ghiaccio into slamming the receiver against the wall, sweat pouring down his face.

"This guy, this is Dawn, the one the Boss specifically ordered me to eliminate. Why does he have Secco's phone? Could it be that Secco already..."

Ghiaccio's mind raced, growing more terrified by the second. He was only left with his upper body now and couldn't escape at all. If he tried, he'd be discovered and killed without any chance to fight back.

"So what if you know I'm here? The security of this basement is something you can't break through. Even if you could, you wouldn't be able to find me."

Ghiaccio's confidence surged. He crawled over to pick up the phone and actually called Dawn back.

He planned to taunt him, enrage everyone, and then drag them all down with him here.

Ring~ Ring~

The call connected.

"Mr. Dawn~ How many companions do you have left? What a shame I won't get to see them die, or I'd be absolutely ecstatic!"

Ghiaccio paused as he spoke, seemingly hearing Dawn's reply.

"Ghiaccio, you'd better pray you have gills and can breathe like a fish."

What did that mean?

Ghiaccio's face darkened. Before he could ask, the highly secure basement suddenly became damp.

A drop of water seeped in through a crack.

Plink~ Plink~ Plink~

The sound of dripping water was like a piano, as if imbued with some inexplicable magic, continuously striking Ghiaccio's increasingly fragile nerves.

"What's going on? Is it raining outside?"

Ghiaccio had a bad feeling in his gut, and instinct drove him to act.

He crawled towards the basement exit and pressed the open button. Instantly, a surging torrent of water poured in.

"Bastard!"

Ghiaccio desperately grabbed onto a fixture and, with all his might, pressed the close button.

The security door slowly closed, blocking the water flow, but it couldn't stop the water droplets that were gradually seeping in.

Ghiaccio watched in horror as the water level in the basement slowly rose.

This slow, relentless rise, like a nail being hammered in bit by bit, tormented Ghiaccio, making him wish he could go out and fight desperately.

However, reason forced Ghiaccio to hunker down, trying to buy time.

As time passed, the water level in the basement gradually rose past Ghiaccio's neck, continuing to climb slowly but steadily.

His mouth, his nose, and finally, his eyes, filled with despair and a faint, almost imperceptible sliver of hope.

"No, I just need to wait... That's right! I just need to wait! The mold will kill them, and Secco will come save me!"

As water flooded his lungs, Ghiaccio, tormented by fear, finally remembered that Secco had already been killed, and no one would come to save him.

And what Ghiaccio had hoped for was destined not to happen.

Dawn unleashed one last torrential downpour. The thunderclouds in the sky gradually dispersed, and the soft moonlight shone down, illuminating the ruins of the town.

The entire town had practically transformed into a water city, with most of the low-lying buildings completely submerged.

The activation of [Thunderstorm Season] had undoubtedly taken a significant toll on Cloud Dragon.

Its size was far from its previous immensity, and its solidity had also greatly diminished.

Under Dawn's instruction, while in the [Thunderstorm Season] state, Cloud Dragon used lightning to wear down a large number of Notorious Bigs.

This was done to prevent itself from falling into a weakened state, which could lead to their rebellion.