Julian Solo gazed at the golden trident suspended in his bedroom.
His fingertips unconsciously caressed his shirt cuff.
An inexplicable tremor rose from the depths of his heart, as if an boundless deep sea surged within his soul. This divine artifact was clearly calling to him, a familiarity like an innate instinct, flowing through his blood to every limb!
He unbuttoned his suit, tossing it casually onto the nearby sofa, his steps drawn by invisible threads, walking toward the trident one step at a time.
The closer he got, the stronger the resonance from his soul became.
The main shaft of this trident was not ordinary metal, but meticulously carved from a crystal with an indigo glow flowing within it, adorned with intricate and complex patterns, possessing an ancient and mysterious beauty.
A faint blue pulse encircled the shaft, each flicker resonating with his heartbeat. This trident contained enough energy to overturn heaven and earth.
The three sharp blades at the head of the trident, pointing directly at the sky, seemed forged from flowing dark silver stardust.
Julian Solo clearly heard the roaring sound of waves crashing against rocks in his ears, carrying an unstoppable, majestic momentum.
A voice whispered in his ear.
"Hold it, hold the trident, reclaim the authority of a god..."
Julian Solo, as if possessed, extended his right hand. The moment his palm touched the shaft, a pure golden divinity surged into his arm.
His light blue eyes suddenly became as profound as the deep sea, and countless fragmented memories, like a tide, overwhelmed his human consciousness.
In the abyss of the surging deep sea, he wore an intricately styled Sea Emperor Divine Cloth, holding the Sea Emperor's golden trident, his majestic divine body standing atop towering waves.
With just one glance, the roaring tides transformed into billions of water spears, tearing through the sky.
"Repent, you sinners! Let the ocean purify the earth!"
Athena, clad in her radiant golden Divine Cloth, stood unyielding, holding her divine shield with slender hands. The golden light flowing across the shield's surface froze the world-ending tsunami into a suspended curtain of water.
Twelve Gold Saints charged out from behind her like golden meteors, clashing with the seven Marina Generalss. The earth groaned under the impact, and seawater was swept into the sky by divine power... The fierce battle lasted for seven days and seven nights!
Finally, he hurled the trident with formidable force, its tip piercing through space and time, aiming directly for Athena's brow!
The divine shield vibrated with a thunderous roar, and the olive branch patterns on its surface transformed into tangible vines, tightly coiling around the trident's shaft.
Immediately after, the Staff of Nike pierced his chest. His divine body cracked inch by inch in the divine light, and golden divine blood stained the entire sea.
"Sea Emperor!"
The seven Marina Generalss let out pained roars.
"Stop, how dare you?"
But they were tightly entangled by the Gold Saints, outnumbered, and could only watch him fall.
Athena drew a pottery jar inscribed with runes from the void—it was the Athena's Jar.
The mouth of the jar, inverted like an abyss, swallowed his disintegrating divine body and roaring soul whole.
"Slumber now, for the day the tides return will be the beginning of your atonement!"
The moment the jar sealed, the tsunami abruptly ceased, and a fine rain drizzled down, as if weeping for the fallen Sea Emperor.
Julian Solo snapped back to reality, his face unknowingly streaked with tears.
He gripped the trident tightly, his knuckles white from the force. The ancient legend of the great flood destroying the world now had an answer.
Sea Emperor Poseidon, who unleashed a catastrophe due to humanity's ignorance and greed, yet also pitied living beings, leaving Noah's Ark to preserve the human race.
But now, humanity's desecration of the ocean has escalated. Industrial wastewater dyes clear waters black, fishing nets entangle the limbs of sea turtles, and uncontrolled fishing pushes countless species to the brink of extinction.
This cradle of life is being destroyed by human hands, transforming into a foul-smelling tomb.
"So that's it..."
Julian Solo's eyes turned completely golden, reflecting the surging angry waves.
"The earth must return to purity. This world does not need greedy humans."
Having just met Saori Kido, he, now with his Sea Emperor divinity awakened, clearly understood that Saori Kido was the current reincarnation of Athena!
His previous defeat was because he was on land, which was Athena's divine domain.
But this time, he had an excellent opportunity. As long as he brought Athena into his divine kingdom, even if she was the Goddess of War and Victory, she would have no chance of turning the tables!
Julian Solo murmured in a low voice, each word like ice.
"In the name of the Sea Emperor, I issue a divine oracle: I will recreate the ancient great flood to purify this sinful earth!"
Before he finished speaking, the golden trident was slammed heavily onto the ship's deck!
Boom!
The dull thud seemed to strike the world's pulse.
Instantly, lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the deep-sea cruise ship. Ink-black storm clouds enveloped the sky at a visible speed.
The seawater, like subjects bowing, rushed toward the giant ship in ever-higher waves. The world's largest cruise ship, the Ocean Crown, swayed violently in the raging storm. The crystal chandeliers on the deck flickered on and off, emitting a dying hum.
Inside the cabin, men and women who had been dancing moments ago screamed and scattered. Champagne towers crashed down, and crystal glasses shattered across the floor.
Seiya, Shiryu, and the other Bronze Five quickly shielded Saori Kido, but were horrified to find an invisible force field sealing the entire ship. No matter how they unleashed their Cosmo, they couldn't take Saori away, as if they were sealed in this sea area.
A massive whirlpool, a thousand meters in diameter, split open the sea surface. Deep, bottomless darkness churned with faint blue electric light, dragging the Ocean Crown down like a toy.
Hyoga punched, unleashing the Aquarius ultimate technique with all his might.
"Diamond Dust!"
But his ultimate technique was completely swallowed by the endless dark abyss!
"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"
"Rozan Rising Dragon Force!"
Seiya, Shiryu, and others struck the edge of the whirlpool with all their might, but their fist winds were shredded by the violent currents the moment they touched the whirlpool!
"Miss Saori!"
Seiya roared, but could only watch as the entire ship was swallowed by darkness, along with all living beings on board, plummeting to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Saga, in the Pope's Chamber of the Sanctuary, was standing in the Stargazing Tower, observing the celestial phenomena at night.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted. Tears, clear and crystalline, slowly seeped from the corner of the goddess statue's eye, rolling down her marble cheek.
This was an unprecedented ominous sign.
Saga's sea-blue long hair fell over his shoulders, concealing the gravity in his eyes.
He tried to call out to the goddess with his Cosmo, but received only a dead silence in response.
"What exactly happened..."
He murmured to himself, an ominous premonition spreading through his heart like a tide.
Li Yu was sent to investigate the Hydra incident, and the goddess took the Bronze Five to a banquet. The two mainstays of the Sanctuary were now simultaneously missing.
If Li Yu were here, with his insight, he would surely see through this bizarre change, wouldn't he?
His position as Pope was ill-gotten, and many Gold Saints paid lip service to his commands. Now, when he wanted to send someone to investigate, he found he had no one to use.
Saga clenched his fists, his knuckles white.
The sky above the Sanctuary was covered in dark clouds, as if accumulating centuries of wrath, about to completely unleash itself and wash away all the sins of the earth!