"I see."
His voice was deep, laced with quiet understanding as he nodded toward Princess Atlana.
He held Rose's hand beside him, lifting it slightly, feeling the warmth of her skin and how snugly their fingers interlocked. His voice was calm, almost careless, as he spoke.
"So... the Thalassphere Arx of the Atlantian Behemoth Tribes sensed the budding Heart of Thalassara. That's how you found this place, how you tracked . But why would your Thalassphere Arx feel so threatened by sothing so far away?"
…!
He said it smoothly, knowing the words would strike a nerve.
And they did.
Her expression darkened, growing even more solemn.
"Did you hear ?" She added, her tone unwavering. "Two of the Nine Supre Forces will descend upon everything you hold dear if you don't surrender the Treasure that made all of this possible."
Her gaze remained as cold as the water coiling around her, the pressure of it rising with quiet, crushing intensity.
Still, Achilles didn't flinch. His eyes never left the Princess as he continued.
"Since you ntioned two of the Nine Supre Forces… that must an you didn't co alone. There are other Atlantians and Phoenixes watching from afar, aren't there?"
…!
The question struck her like a blow.
For a mont, she trembled.
She believed she had control, power. But she didn't yet realize how little of it remained in her grasp.
And he would show her.
Before she could speak, he turned to Rose and said casually, "Rose, would you be so kind as to slap the cheeks of this Atlantian Princess?"
…!
The words felt like thunder.
Unreal. Disrespectful.
Atlana's eyes flared with fury. Her hand lifted instinctively, golden light flashing as a spear of brilliant energy shimred into being. The waters around them trembled with the force of it.
She was on the brink of stabilizing her power at the Celestbone Stage of Astral Core Ascension. She believed she stood untouchable. That Achilles was simply provoking her. That sending his woman to slap her was the peak of insult.
And yet…
Rose nodded coldly.
Erald flas ignited around her as she glided across the water, water that should have crushed her with pressure, and appeared within inches of Atlana's face.
The Princess stiffened, gripping her spear tightly as she turned a venomous glare toward Achilles, as if daring him to take responsibility for what would happen next.
"You truly think I will stand here while a lesser being strikes ? Would you really invite a war that—"
PAH!
Her words snapped in half.
The sound echoed through the water.
Pain blossod across her cheek, and for a long mont, her mind simply blanked.
Numbness. Disbelief.
She hadn't sensed the strike. Hadn't even seen it coming.
With her level of power, no one should've been able to get close without her knowing, without the water reacting, without her instincts tearing the intruder apart.
And yet… her cheek burned.
What…?
Her eyes lifted in stunned confusion, locking with the cold erald gaze of the Phoenix woman before her. A gaze that looked down at her like she was nothing.
"Lesser being, you said?"
Atlana blinked.
Rose's hand was already rising again, this ti, a backhand.
She saw it. She saw it clearly.
So this ti, she would stop it. She would react. She would move.
She told her body to act. She scread it in her mind.
But her limbs never moved.
Her energy never surged.
She stood frozen, helpless, even as the slap connected again.
PAH!
The backhand scorched across her skin, splitting it open. Blue-gold blood dripped from her cheek.
"What…?"
Her voice was a whisper. Her body, betraying her.
She looked down at her arms, her fingers, her legs.
Nothing moved.
No matter how many commands her brain gave, her body did nothing.
What was this?
Achilles watched her quietly, understanding the questions burning through her thoughts.
Why can't I move?
Why can't I summon my energy?
Why is soone weaker than striking , and I can't even react?
These questions surged in her mind.
Because Achilles had already burrowed deep into her essence. He had silently activated Draconian Pathogenicity V, a technique that now spread like fire through her core.
He had access to her mories, fragnts of her being unraveling in his grasp. And the things he was uncovering were astonishing.
Yet in front of him, Rose wasn't finished.
She remained composed, rciless, as she raised her hand once more.
PAH!
"I should keep my mouth shut?"
PAH!
"Lesser being?"
PAH!
"Hey. Focus here. I'm slapping an Astral Core Ascension fish woman. At least pretend to care."
PAH! PAH! PAH!
Each blow landed with cruel finality. Skin split. Fire sizzled. And all Atlana could do was stand there and take it.
Achilles spoke then, his voice low and unrelenting.
"You must be wondering why your body won't obey. Why your energy lies dormant. The answer is simple. The mont you consud the Primordium Evolutius Fruits… you surrendered your body, and your soul, to ."
…!
Her eyes widened. Her face, blistered and bleeding, trembled as she stared at him in disbelief.
But he went on.
"Yes, that incredibly pure Primordial Energy and Evolutius Energy, it doesn't occur naturally. I create it. I shape it. And because of that, I now have control of Princess Atlana. Let's see… from your mories… one of the three scouts sent from both the Everburn Aerie Continent and the Thalassphere Arx, am I right?"
…!
BOOM!
He felt it, the explosion within her mind.
Her thoughts were laid bare to him now.
Her shaken eyes t his, wide with horror.
"Yes. I can read your mind. Your mories. Your fears. I know where you live, beneath the sea. I know your father, your mother, your teachers from the Behemoth Depths. I've seen the Long Slumber. I've seen everything."
…!
"I've even seen the prophecy. The one spoken by your Sea Oracle. The one warning of the force that would rise from the Heart of Thalassara."
WAA!
Each word tore through her like a blade.
But Achilles didn't care.
He had control of a scout. And with that control…
He stepped closer.
Rose placed her hand lightly on Atlana's chest, her fingers curling, ready to slap again. But Achilles stopped her and asked softly,
"Atlana, tell . What do you think soone like could do… with a Princess from the Thalassphere Arx in the palm of his hand? What happens when I feed her false information? When I send her back to the other scouts waiting a few dozen miles away? When I use you to bind them too? And when you all report back to your continents…"
He smiled coldly.
"They'll think they're hearing from you. They'll move when you say move. They'll follow your lead. And every step they take…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Will be under my control."
Atlana's mind shattered under the weight of his words!
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