Ethan heard a sudden commotion coming from Amber’s direction.
The noise was distant at first, then ca a sharp crash as a wooden door was flung open.
A man in period costu burst inside.
"Don’t try to save ..." That was the last thing Amber’s voice carried through.
Then ca a sickening snap.
The final image burned into Ethan’s mind was of Amber’s foot crushing an eyeball.
A cold rage seized him, tightening every muscle. Hot breath hissed from his nostrils.
"Huh... is that him?" Regis, Dragon Child, and Starfall exchanged uneasy glances.
"You’ve seen him before?" Ethan’s eyes glowed faintly red as his gaze swept over them.
Regis nodded. "We saw him once on Crescent Isle. He tried to capture Blackie to use as a mount. He’s definitely strong. And back then... that was only one of his avatars. Otherwise, we would’ve stopped him."
"An avatar? Strong, you said? How strong?" Ethan’s voice ca out low and dangerous.
"That avatar was likely at the late stage of the Voidbreaker rank," Regis replied, his tone careful. "If that was just an avatar, then his main body should be much stronger."
Ethan’s expression darkened. A late Voidbreaker-rank avatar ant the true body was on a level few could face.
"I don’t care how strong he is," Ethan said coldly. "Even if he’s a god himself. If he’s touched my people, I’ll carve a hole straight through him."
---
The air trembled.
A deep rumble spread across the sky above Ethan’s head. The ground quivered faintly as an unfamiliar aura swept through the area like a cold tide.
Regis and Starfall stiffened, their expressions changing.
The others didn’t sense the aura, but the sudden roar from the sky made everyone look up.
"What now? Trying to hit again?" Ethan growled. "Don’t think I don’t know who you are. It’s not the first ti you’ve tried. Co on then, do it!"
Rumble...
Another rolling thunderclap shook the heavens, then slowly faded into the distance.
"Coward," Ethan spat. "Damn coward!"
He hadn’t sensed the aura, but he knew that sound well. He’d been struck by lightning before—once in the Sea of Death, again in the Spirit Realm. That sa unnatural thunder had echoed both tis.
Regis and Starfall exchanged a look.
"Your son’s got guts," Regis muttered.
"Indeed," ca the reply with a faint smile. "My son has swagger. Didn’t you see? Even the sky didn’t dare follow through."
They both chuckled under their breath.
"Shatterstar," Ethan said suddenly, "have you locked onto the signal yet?"
[Beep... Location locked and recorded!] ca the crisp, chanical reply.
"Good. Let’s move. Under the waves." Ethan spat out the words like a curse, then turned toward Ery Shaw.
Ery flinched. He was still rattled by Ethan’s earlier outburst. Every Energy User knew better than to provoke the heavens, yet this man cursed thunder itself without hesitation.
"Y-yes... yes!" Ery stamred. He dared not say anything else. All he could do was hope the people down there didn’t provoke him. Everything could be negotiated... just, provided he didn’t play tough.
Click-clack-clack.
The ch armor flowed over Ethan’s body like liquid tal, sealing him in a smooth sheath of steel.
"Wait for ," Ery called, turning to run back toward the island. "I need to grab my gear!"
"No need," Dragon Child said, waving a hand dismissively.
A sphere of water rose from the surface of the sea. It swelled upward, then parted in the center like an opening hatch, revealing a dry, hollow interior.
"If you’re worried about breathing, step inside."
"Oh..." Ery blinked, stunned, then walked forward.
The water sphere sealed shut behind him and slowly descended, carrying Ery down into the depths.
Ethan said nothing. His ch armor shimred to life, and with a surge of propulsion, he dove headfirst into the ocean. Dragon Child and the others followed close behind, their movents sleek and precise in the dark blue water.
Following Ery’s guidance, they descended deeper and deeper—five hundred ters, then a thousand—until their feet finally touched the seabed.
Ethan frowned. The ocean floor stretched endlessly around them, barren and silent. Where was the "giant city" Ery had promised?
He turned toward Ery, but before he could speak, Ery pointed ahead.
Not far away, the ground vanished into a yawning drop. A massive underwater ravine opened before them, the edges lined with jagged rock.
As they approached, Ethan noticed Dragon Child and the others gathered before a colossal stone. Joining them, he saw that it wasn’t just a rock—it was an ancient tablet, half-buried in coral and sand.
The inscription was incomplete.
[ETERNAL]
The single word was carved deeply into the stone. The lower half had broken away long ago, the missing fragnt lost to ti. Weathered symbols covered the remaining surface, eroded until they were nothing but pitted scars.
Ery’s mouth moved, but Ethan couldn’t hear a sound. Only Dragon Child, protected by her shimring water shield, caught his words.
When he finished, Dragon Child extended her hand. The water around Ery glowed faintly.
Ethan watched in silence as Ery’s hand changed shape—his fingers stretching, connecting with a thin mbrane until it looked more like a webbed fin than a hand.
Beneath the carved word [ETERNAL], Ethan spotted a faint handprint etched into the stone. Ery pressed his altered hand against it.
A low hum vibrated through the water. The engraving flared once with blue light, then faded back to darkness.
Nothing happened.
They waited. One minute. Two. Ten. Ethan’s patience began to wear thin. Just as he opened his mouth to speak—
A deep, echoing roar rose from the ravine below. The water shuddered.
Ethan spun toward the sound, eyes narrowing.
From the abyss, sothing enormous was rising.
A sea turtle—massive as a mountain—erged slowly from the depths. Its shell glead faintly under the dim light, and on its back was a luminous do that shone like a small sun in the pitch-black ocean.
Inside the glowing barrier, Ethan saw four silhouettes. Each one held a trident.
"Naga..." he breathed.
The figures stepped into view—half-human, half-fish, their bodies sheathed in glistening scales. They were roughly human-sized, but each wore a helt-like crest made of hardened scales, forming armor that seed grown rather than forged.
"Let’s go," Dragon Child said quietly.
Ethan realized she was translating Ery’s words.
Sure enough, Ery began to move, guiding his water sphere toward the glowing do on the turtle’s back.
But as they neared, the sphere slowed. The do’s barrier pulsed with light and gently pushed them away. Inside, the air looked dry—another pocket like Dragon Child’s sphere, but far more stable, as if it had been there for centuries.
Ery stepped through effortlessly. The do’s energy rippled around him, accepting his presence.
When Ethan and the others approached, two tridents crossed in front of them with a sharp tallic clang.
Ery turned and spoke rapidly to the four Naga. They listened in silence, then shook their heads. One of them pointed at Ethan, then at the three behind him.
"Only you can go in," Ery said finally, his expression tight with frustration.
Ethan gave a short nod. "Fine."
He stepped forward. The two Naga lowered their tridents, parting to let him through.
Ethan crossed the threshold and set foot on the turtle’s massive shell, the glowing do reflecting faintly across his armor as the deep sea stretched endlessly around them.
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