Apocalypse Reset: My Crab Can Heal the World!

Clancy stands tall - titanic in size, his massive form casting a shadow over all of Dimartino.

The meteor is monstrous, a burning, spiraling cataclysm of fire and destruction. Its flames roar like the burnout of a dying god, and its heat warps the sky.

And only Clancy stands in its way.

The Kaiju Crab Emperor rears back, massive claws raised high, and slams into the meteor. The impact shakes the heavens. A deafening explosion ripples outward as the sheer force of his resistance stops the meteor’s descent - but only for a moment.

Clancy pushes.

Even his mighty, ocean-forged and transformed body can scarcely manage to hold it back. His claws dig deep into the molten surface, his shell steaming as waves of heat lick at his form, trying to consume him.

From above, Nazakiel watches.

The Sentinel hovers like a god of war, his arms outstretched, his expression twisted in cruel amusement. He scoffs. "Impressive."

Then his eyes burn blue.

In an instant, the sky erupts.

A barrage of flaming blue comets tears through the air, screaming toward Clancy. The first slams into his back. He lurches, but holds steady. The second strikes his shell. The third, the fourth, the fifth - they rain upon him, an endless bombardment of divine fury.

Clancy roars in agony. The sound shakes the entire kingdom from the onslaught.

All around, the citizens of Dimartino look out their windows, horrified - some others stand gathered in the town square, pointing and fretting over the scene unfolding above. It’s the end of the world - or at least, as close to the end as any of them could ever imagine.

This, coming from a town of people who were almost all monsters, zombies, vampires, and slaves a month ago.

The craters on his shell deepen, his glorious red carapace blackening from the relentless onslaught. But still - he does not let go. He can’t. His claws dig deeper, the molten rock burning into him, searing through his flesh.

"Yes!" Nazakiel bellows, eyes ablaze. "Burn! Suffer! Know your place, beast!"

More comets, each one larger than the last, pierce through the atmosphere. They collide into Clancy, driving him deeper and deeper into the ground. His legs tremble, his mighty shell cracks, and a low, pained click escapes him.

And yet - he does not let go.

Clancy is the King Crab.

Clancy protects Dimartino.

And most of all, Clancy protects Barnacles.

Barns watches below, fists clenched. "King…" he breathes. He finds himself on the verge of tears. The damage he’s taking - he doesn’t think his King will be able to shrug it off. He’s giving his all, but Nazakiel’s power is too much. It’s unfair.

But Clancy cannot fail.

Not here.

Not now.

The Kaiju Crab Emperor musters every last ounce of strength, every ounce of will, every last piece of himself.

And pushes.

His claws strain.

His muscles surge.

A wave of power erupts from within him. Suddenly, the crab glows with resplendent golden light, reinvigorating him and coating his shell in another layer of magicked armor.

The earth quakes beneath his might.

The meteor halts.

Then, in a single, incomprehensible act of strength -

Clancy heaves.

The meteor - this world-ending mass of death - is lifted.

Barns can only watch as Clancy, the Mightiest King of the Land Above, throws the meteor back toward the sky. The force of it sunders the clouds and sky. The meteor, its descent reversed, soars toward the heavens.

But Clancy isn’t done.

Not yet.

The ocean trembles.

The air grows thick with rising foam, an impossible, all-consuming tide building deep within the mighty crab. His pincers snap. His body quivers with the power of the ancients.

Then - he unleashes it.

A colossal, torrential blast of cleansing foam erupts from Clancy’s mouth, an unstoppable deluge of holy water, racing toward the sky like a comet of its own.

The foam strikes the meteor with divine fury.

For a moment - it seems nothing happens.

Then, suddenly, the fire dies.

The flames flicker out.

The molten rock collapses, dissolving, crumbling, disappearing as the purifying foam devours it whole.

The meteor is gone. Dimartino is saved.

Clancy’s body trembles.

His massive form sways. His shell is charred, his flesh seared, and his strength is completely spent.

Barns screams.

"Clancy!"

The King of Crabs falls.

A resounding crash shakes the earth as Clancy collapses, his gargantuan body slamming into the ruined remains of Dimartino Castle.

Barns is at his side in an instant, climbing the crumbling remains of his mighty friend.

Clancy’s breath is shallow. His massive eyes dull.

Barns’ heart pounds.

He’s never seen Clancy like this.

"BARNACLES…" Clancy grunts. "NOT…FINISHED. EVIL SENTINEL…MUST BE STOPPED."

Clancy raises his weak claws into the air. Power untold begins to surge through the air, changing the atmosphere itself. Whatever the King Crab is doing, it makes the air heavy - it becomes difficult for Barns to even stand under the intense gravity.

Nazakiel floats above, watching the crab incredulously. The Sentinel couldn’t believe that Clancy was able to repel the meteor, but it was no bother to him.

"I’ll just make another one."

Suddenly, the air twists - the intense magical pressure coming from Clancy collides with the force of Nazakiel’s imagination. As their respective powers surge through the air, it overwhelms - the air itself becomes supercharged with light, and hisses, groans from the churning powers that rise in defiance of each other. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"NEVER NAZAKIEL! SENTINEL NEVER DEFEAT DIMARTINO! NEVER!"

All over the kingdom of Dimartino, from the castle to the beaches, even as far as Ordella and the Pale Court, the ground begins to erupt with geysers of cleansing foam. The impossible amount that launches up from the depths would be visible to onlookers from outer space.

Nazakiel’s eyes dart around, watching the new ability unfold. Though he is not worried one bit - the cleansing foam of Clancy has no effect on him. Despite his wicked power, Nazakiel is still human. There’s no monstrosity within him to cleanse.

"What are you doing, crab?"