The heavy iron gate—crafted from a sunken giant ship—was as fragile as paper in the face of absolute violence. Accompanied by a teeth-grinding metallic shriek, the entire massive gate deeply caved in, twisted inward, then burst open with a crash.
Turbulent currents, carrying two massive bodies, tumbled and slammed into the depths of the main hall, revealing the corpses of two Sea People royal guards. Their deaths were gruesome—chests covered in thick scales completely caved in, as if struck head-on by an invisible giant hammer. They'd clearly had their lives extinguished in an instant, killed with one blow.
"What?!"
On the throne, Deep Sea King's cold, cunning yellow beast eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.
All the Sea People in the main hall were stunned. The royal guards—whose strength was second only to the three generals—had been rendered useless before the newcomer. Silently infiltrating the core of the royal court and instantly killing two guards of no less than initial Demon-level strength at the main entrance… the opponent clearly meant trouble.
*THUMP. THUMP. THUMP…! *
Heavy footsteps echoed like drumbeats from outside the shattered main gate, sounding exceptionally clear in the dead-silent hall. Each step seemed to land on the hearts of every Sea Person present, bringing an inexplicable fear stemming from the unknown.
Under the gaze of hundreds of eyes—some shocked and angry, some fearful—a dark figure slowly walked in. Ferocious, arrogant battle armor gleamed with cold light in the deep-sea ripples. Crimson eyes seemed to burn with destruction and death.
The newcomer was the Monster—Jack.
Though his mutated Zerg-derived Monster body wasn't naturally adept in water, his extremely vigorous life force meant that even if he held a rock and sank to the bottom for two and a half years, there would be no problem. But the strong never complain about their environment.
Under his clone's guidance, Jack had tracked down the Sea People's lair. Along the way, he'd easily cleared more than a dozen patrol teams and casually found a Monster ability that helped him adapt to the deep-sea environment.
[Ding! Contact with replicable target 'Sea People Elite'!]
[Successfully replicated R-level ability: 'Like a Fish in Water' Lv1!]
['Like a Fish in Water (R)'
]** : Special underwater adaptability, allowing free breathing and movement in water, and simple communication with aquatic creatures. Underwater movement speed is slightly increased.]
[Current ability slots occupied: 12/20.
]**
Though only a blue R-level ability, its practicality was its strong point. Jack immediately spent thousands of Origin Points to max it out and solidify it upon acquisition—which was why he could still move freely at ten thousand meters depth, just as on land.
Ignoring the surrounding Sea People glowering menacingly, he directed his gaze straight at the Fish King on the throne—who exuded a peak Demon-level aura.
"No need to come ashore. Your enemy is me."
After a brief silence, the entire palace instantly erupted into chaos.
"What?!"
"How arrogant—this guy!"
"This guy—how dare he intrude into the King's palace?! Who do you think you are?!"
"Kill him! Tear him to pieces and feed him to the fish!"
For a moment, the Sea People in the palace were furious, cursing incessantly. Massive creatures, each over ten meters tall, stretched their necks and opened their giant mouths filled with sharp teeth, as if they would devour the seemingly small human in the hall's center alive in the next second.
Jack's response remained calm. His crimson eyes scanned the entire scene with interest.
An invisible, terrifying pressure spread like a shadow. The Monsters in the sea slowly closed their mouths under the inexplicable weight. The atmosphere became eerily quiet—and only then did Jack re-focus his gaze on Deep Sea King, delivering his final ultimatum.
"Either submit—or die."
To date, Jack had exterminated quite a few Monster races, and his experience in this regard was already extensive. A highly concise, no-holds-barred ultimatum was enough to make any Monster leader with a bit of spirit instantly lose all reason and boil over.
Indeed, as his words fell, Deep Sea King first froze—then his yellow eyes instantly became bloodshot. His ferocious face twisted with extreme rage, as if he had suffered an immense insult.
"You… lowly land race… you damned insect!!"
His voice shook the seawater.
"YOU—ARE—SEEKING—DEATH!!!"
His furious roar transformed into tangible sound waves visible to the naked eye. The enraged King stomped his foot—the hard coral throne base shattered in response, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading wildly.
Deep Sea King's massive deep-blue body—like a torpedo launched from its tube—instantly tore through the water, shooting toward Jack. The water seemed to offer no resistance; instead, it transformed into propulsion, further boosting his strength and speed.
On the surface of that steel-forged giant fist, violent cavitation occurred from ultra-high-speed friction, tearing a narrow, deadly white vacuum trail through the seawater. Carrying a terrifying monstrous force capable of igniting underwater volcanoes, it slammed directly into Jack's face.
He wanted to crush this arrogant insect Monster—along with his pride—into a pulp.
Facing Deep Sea King's furious, thunderous blow, Jack stood his ground. He didn't dodge. He raised his fist to meet it.
*BANG—!!! *
As their fists collided, a dull explosion rang out—as if all the seawater in the entire space had been instantly sucked out. A visible white shockwave spread wildly from the center of the fist. All the coral pillars along the way shattered into dust. Even the palace dome—incredibly sturdy—showed large cracks. Sea People warriors nearby were sent flying backward as if struck by heavy artillery.
The weaker ones immediately bled from all seven orifices—internal organs ruptured. Cold seawater was instantly stained with large patches of shocking dark red.
An immense, boundless force—like a vast ocean—surged from the opponent's fist.
Deep Sea King's eyes widened. The bones in his arms emitted a strained crack, crack sound. His powerful, knotted arm muscles twisted into a braid in an instant. His massive body was forced back more than ten meters, plowing two deep furrows in the hard ground.
—How… how is this possible…!!!
A monstrous wave surged in Deep Sea King's heart.
In water, my strength and speed are greatly amplified. This is my innate authority as the overlord of the deep sea! Even if the three generals under me joined forces, they couldn't contend with me in pure strength!
Yet this inconspicuous insect Monster—barely three meters tall, the size of a general—has completely crushed me in a pure strength contest with almost humiliating overwhelming power.
In contrast, the ground beneath Jack's feet instantly exploded into spiderweb-like cracks—but his body remained standing in place, not retreating a single step.
As if taking Deep Sea King's full-power blow carried no burden at all.
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