Although the tension in the hall had eased slightly, the scent of danger still lingered in the air.
Laylo slept peacefully in the "Pool of Healing." The wounds on her neck had vanished, and color had returned to her cheeks.
Queen Neyra did not return to her throne. She stood at the edge of the pool, beside Kenji. Standing at nearly 2.5 meters tall, she towered over him, her presence overwhelming.
"Explain, 'Shadow'," the Queen said, her gaze fixed on Laylo rather than Kenji. "Why did iron 'fish' appear above my city? And why did you bring this girl here on the brink of death?"
Kenji took a deep breath. He still kept the hilt of his broken sword at his waist—a symbol of his defeat.
"Those iron fish were the Government's nuclear submarines. They were hunting us. We fled. And Laylo... she overused her power to save us."
The Queen smiled coldly.
"The Government? Those greedy ants from the surface?"
She waved her hand in the air. A watery screen materialized on the wall, displaying the view outside the Atlantean dome (the ocean floor).
There, buried in the sand, lay the flattened, crumpled remains of twenty nuclear submarines.
"Our 'Pressure Shield'," the Queen said nonchalantly. "When they approached our borders, I simply increased the water pressure by a hundredfold. They were crushed like paper. You were fortunate; because the 'Daughter of the Sea' sent us a signal, we pulled your ship inside the shield. Otherwise, you would have been part of that scrap metal."
Zero (Shiro) and Odin exchanged glances.
With a single move... Odin thought. She destroyed twenty nuclear cruisers. That's half the nation's entire fleet!
Kenji stared at the Queen.
"Thank you for saving our lives. But back to the question: Who is Laylo? Why do you call her the 'Daughter of the Sea'? Our parents were ordinary people."
Queen Neyra looked at Kenji with a hint of pity.
"Your parents may have been ordinary. But genes... they can sleep for thousands of years and awaken in an unexpected generation."
"Millennia ago, we—the Atlanteans—lived on land. Then the 'Great Cataclysm' occurred (likely the System's first arrival). We entered the ocean and evolved. But some of us remained on land and mingled with humans."
"In your sister... the blood of our First Queen has awakened. She doesn't just control water. She hears the Will of the Ocean."
The Queen stepped closer to Kenji. Her eyes were grave.
"And that is precisely why... She stays here."
Kenji froze.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me," the Queen stated firmly. "She will not return to your world. She is in danger there. They do not understand her power; they will use her as a weapon or kill her."
"But here... she will be a Princess."
The Queen looked at her own pale, translucent hands.
"I am aging, Shadow. Though my face looks young, my 'Core' is fading. Atlantis needs a new Heir, a new 'Heart.' Without an Heir, this city, this dome, this people... everything will die."
"Laylo is the Heir we have been waiting for. She will stay here, she will study, and she will take my place."
Silence descended upon the hall.
The 500 prisoners looked at Kenji. They knew that for Kenji, his sister was the most important thing in the world.
Kenji looked down at the floor. Then, slowly, he raised his head. There was no smile on his face. No sarcasm. Only cold fury.
"Are you leaving me no choice?"
"It is not a choice, it is a necessity," the Queen said. "You cannot protect her. You saw it yourself; even your strongest sword couldn't leave a scratch on my skin. You are weak. Your enemies on the surface are even more dangerous. Do not lead her to her death."
Kenji took a step forward.
The Royal Guard leveled their spears.
"I may be weak," Kenji said in a low voice. "My sword may be broken."
"But remember this, Your Majesty."
"Even with that broken sword, even with my teeth and nails, I will take my sister with me."
"She is not an object. She is not a 'Battery.' She is my sister. She decides where she lives. Not you."
The Queen frowned.
"Are you threatening me, human? In my own city?"
"No," Kenji said. He glanced at Rynna. Rynna slowly gripped the "Master Key" (The Black Cube) in her pocket. "I am simply stating a fact."
"If Laylo wants to stay, she stays. If she wants to leave... even if you bring the entire ocean down upon us, I will take her."
The situation was on the verge of exploding.
Odin (The Strategist) quietly moved to Kenji's side and whispered:
"Kenji, don't let emotions rule you. We are in their territory. We need an alliance, not a war. Laylo hasn't woken up yet. We need to buy time."
Kenji took a deep breath. He composed himself.
"Fine," he said to the Queen. "Let Laylo wake up. Let her decide for herself. Until then... we will be your 'guests'."
"But," Kenji narrowed his eyes. "If you try to alter her memories or force her... 'Atlantis' will sink for a second time."
Queen Neyra saw the fire in Kenji's eyes. It wasn't the look of an ordinary man. It was the look of a predator that had seen thousands of battles.
Unexpectedly, the Queen laughed. It was a resonant, beautiful sound.
"Interesting. Very interesting. You are weak, but your spirit is unbroken."
"Agreed. You stay here until the girl wakes."
"Until then... I will allow you to repair your broken toy. Our smiths will assist you. After all, it doesn't suit us for the Heir's brother to walk around in torn pants with a piece of broken scrap metal."
The Queen returned to her throne and waved her hand.
"Quarter them. And keep an eye on them. This 'Shadow' seems very cunning."
Kenji knelt beside Laylo and held her hand.
Wake up soon, Laylo, he thought. We have unfinished business outside.
Location: Tokyo. Government Building. "War Room."
Silence usually reigned in this room, but today, pandemonium had broken out.
On the giant screens, the coordinates where Prison "Void" used to be were flashing red: [NO SIGNAL].
The Prime Minister slammed his fist on the table.
"Explain this to me! How?! How do the world's most secure prison and twenty nuclear submarines vanish overnight?!"
The Minister of Defense trembled as he read the report:
"Sir... satellites registered no explosions. Radiation levels are unchanged."
"According to the last telemetry data... our ships were simply crushed. The pressure at 8,000 meters depth instantaneously equaled that of 100,000 meters. It defies physics!"
"Our hypothesis is... it could be some new 'S-Rank Sea Monster' or a secret weapon from China."
"What about Kenji?" the Prime Minister asked furiously. "What about 'Shadow'?"
"He... he was likely on one of those ships or in the prison. Logically speaking, he must be dead. No one could survive that pressure."
The Prime Minister took a deep breath and loosened his tie.
"I hope so. If he is alive... heaven help us."
"Continue the tournament. We need to distract the public. We will announce that we have 'Won and eliminated the traitors'."
The Government didn't know that the "victory" they were celebrating was actually the final nail in their coffin.
Time: The Present.
Location: Atlantis. Royal Palace Garden.
Laylo opened her eyes.
She wasn't in water, but lying on a soft, moss-like carpet. Above, artificial sunlight filtered through the leaves.
Queen Neyra sat beside her. The Queen was feeding small, glowing fish from her hand.
"Awake, 'Daughter of the Sea'?" the Queen said without looking at her.
Laylo sat up. There was a strange lightness in her body. Even her breathing had changed, as if her lungs had expanded.
"Where am I? Where is my brother?"
"Your brother is safe. He's busy fixing his iron toys," the Queen said. "And you... are home."
The Queen turned to Laylo.
"Do you know why you could control the sharks? Why you could shatter the walls of 'Void'?"
"Because your heart is not that of an ordinary human. You possess 'Ocean Resonance.'"
"Your grandmother's grandmother... she was our runaway princess. You are of our blood."
Laylo looked at her hands in amazement.
"So, I am... a monster?"
The Queen laughed. This time, it was a sincere laugh.
"A monster? No. You are a Bridge. A bridge between the Land and the Ocean."
"Listen, child. I offer you a proposal. You can leave with your brother. But your power... it will consume you. If you don't learn to control it, the next time you use it, you will die."
"Stay here. I will teach you. Be my successor."
Laylo thought. She loved her brother. But she was tired of being a burden to him.
"I have to go," Laylo said firmly. "My brother is going to war right now. I must be by his side."
"But... I promise. When it is all over, I will return. To learn."
Queen Neyra nodded with satisfaction.
"A word is a contract. I will wait."
Atlantis Center. The Royal Forge.
Kenji and the Master Blacksmith stood before a massive fiery furnace.
"Understand, boy," the Smith said, toying with a hammer in his hand. "Your 'Dragon Tooth' was hard. Too hard. That is why it broke."
" The law of the Ocean is this: 'That which bends does not break.' Water cracks stone because it is formless."
Kenji looked at the shards of his broken sword.
"So, I need a sword like 'Water'?"
"You need 'Living Metal'," the Smith said.
He took a black, glass-like container from a shelf. Inside was a liquid that pulsed like a living organism, a swirling mix of silver and black.
"This is 'Abyssal Mercury.' We will mix it with the 'Soul' of your sword (the Void shards) and your blood."
The process began.
This wasn't smithing; it was alchemy.
Kenji cut his hand and let his blood flow into the cauldron. The liquid metal devoured the blood, turning a deep crimson and black, and began to hiss and boil.
The Smith didn't give it a "shape." He simply cooled the liquid and handed it to Kenji.
Kenji extended his hand.
The liquid leaped onto his wrist and wrapped around it like a watch. It didn't absorb into his skin but solidified into a hard, black bracelet.
"Try it," the Smith said. "Give it shape in your mind."
Kenji closed his eyes. Sword!
SHING!
The bracelet flowed down in an instant, forming a long, black Katana in his hand, its blade radiating a violet glow.
Shield!
The sword expanded, transforming into a round, bulletproof shield on his left arm.
[NEW WEAPON: "ABYSSAL SHADOW"]
[TYPE: TRANSFORMER]
[RANK: LEGENDARY (GROWTH TYPE)]
"Awesome," Kenji said. "Now, no 'hard' armor can stop me. Thanks, old man."
The Portal Room. Logic and Technology.
Zero (The Pro-Gamer) and Rynna (The Admin) sat clutching their heads.
In front of them lay schematics drawn by Atlantean scientists and Kenji's "Master Key" (The Cube).
"This is illogical!" Zero said, frustrated. "Teleportation requires 'Coordinates.' But Atlantis and Tokyo are in two different dimensions. We are trying to connect to the main server from a different server without 'ping.' This should return an error!"
Rynna laughed. Her eyes were burning.
"Zero, you're thinking like a 'Player.' I am thinking like an 'Admin'."
"We aren't punching through dimensions. We are Merging them."
"The Master Key isn't just a key. It is 'Admin Rights'."
"We will give the System a command: 'The Gate of Atlantis and the Tokyo Arena are the same point.' The System cannot reject it because the command comes from an 'Admin'."
Kenji (with his new sword) walked in.
"Well, geniuses. Is my 'taxi' ready? The government thinks we're dead; let's not keep them waiting too long."
Rynna pressed the "Enter" button.
"Ready."
"Just one thing, Kenji. Passing through the portal will generate a massive Shockwave."
"When we appear in the Tokyo sky... we won't just 'appear.' We will shake the place to its foundations. All the windows will shatter, the electrical grid will fail."
Kenji smiled savagely.
"Perfect. That's exactly what I wanted."
"Quiet entrances are for boring people. Shadow always arrives with a bang."
They stepped outside.
In the palace square, 500 prisoners—now clad in light Atlantean "Hydro-Armor" and holding "Water Plasma" rifles—stood in formation.
Leading them were Odin and Kaito.
The massive Atlantean Ship (The Silver Bird) ignited its engines.
Queen Neyra watched them from the balcony. Laylo waved to her.
"All aboard!" Kenji commanded. "Our destination is the Tokyo National Arena."
"Objective: Smash the Government's 'Party' like a birthday cake."
The ship rose and dove into the swirling, violet Portal that Rynna had opened.