"Anyways…"

Razeal shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. A faint smirk tugged at his lips as he slid both hands casually into his pockets, turning his sharp gaze toward Antonio.

"So," he began in a tone that was both conversational and mockingly polite, "the one I just killed earlier wasn't your clone then… but your brother, huh?"

He tilted his head slightly, watching the Sea Lord son's..expression twist. "And all these creatures floating around us" he gestured lazily at the swarm of sea beasts encircling them, "they're your stepbrothers, right? Born from the same womb that spat ..I mean birth you out?"

His smirk widened into a grin, sharp and cruel. "I wonder how many stepfathers you've got, then?"

The words dripped with sarcasm, the kind of mockery that sank deep. It wasn't loud, but the deliberate amusement in Razeal's tone made it sting more than any scream ever could.

Antonio's face went stiff. His mouth opened slightly as if to reply, but no sound came out. His eyes bulging in disbelief at the sheer audacity of this man before him.

The level of disrespect was beyond comprehension.

"And also…" Razeal continued, his voice smooth but laced with the quiet venom of confidence, "you sure you really want trouble with me? Because, see…" he pointed toward the swarming army, "I don't think you'd want so many of your brothers to vanish.. the ones your dear father cultivated so painstakingly over all these years. Can't be easy making new ones, can it?"

His grin deepened, his teeth flashing faintly in the dim ocean light. "It'd be such a shame if all that effort went to waste."

Antonio visibly trembled now, standing on the head of the massive octopus, his hands curling into fists. His face darkened, and veins appeared along his temples.

Razeal's voice grew lower, colder ..like the calm right before a storm.

"Look," he said, his smirk unwavering, "you're not going to gain anything from stopping me now. But your losses…" His eyes narrowed. "…those would be enormous."

The silence that followed was deafening. Even the ocean itself seemed to pause.

Razeal let the words sink in, then continued smoothly, "You already know it, don't you? No matter how many of these creatures you spawn, I'll always be able to cut through them. Always.. Ofcourse if you won't beleive ill demonstrate to you again.. But at last what be use lf that.."

He gestured toward the open sea behind Antonio, where faint trails of blood and damage still rippled through the ocean surface from his last attack.

"I mean, the border of the Second Sea is what… fifteen kilometers or so away? Not too far. So unless you plan on burying me under millions of your poor, fatherless stepbrothers…" he shrugged, a dark laugh escaping his lips, "…I'm pretty sure there's nothing you can do to stop me."

A low, menacing chuckle followed.. the kind that carried the arrogance of absolute certainty. It wasn't forced. It wasn't fake. It was the natural sound of someone who had already decided that everything in front of him was beneath him... Villain laugh coming to him naturally now..

Antonio's lips twitched violently. His entire body shook. And then he snapped.

"AREEE YOUUU THREATENING MEEEE?!" His scream tore through the water like a shockwave, his voice echoing with hysteria. "Not only do you speak of me with such disrespect.. but you dare threaten me! And my fatherrrr?!"

He threw his head back and began to laugh a loud, wild, and unstable laugh that bordered on madness.

The sound reverberated around them, a manic chorus that made even the surrounding sea creatures shift uncomfortably, their fins twitching in agitation.

Maria and Neptunia exchanged glances .. both startled at first by the sheer volume of his laughter, and then by the words that followed.

Neptunia frowned faintly, her sharp yellow eyes flicking toward Razeal. He was standing completely still beside her, expression unreadable. But the faint curl of arrogant amusement at his lips said enough.

He's provoking him deliberately… she realized.

He's really fast.

Razeal's ability to analyze .. to deconstruct Antonio's entire ability from a few words and a few clues was really terrifying. The way he had pieced together the truth behind the relic, its nature, and its limitations, all within minutes… it was beyond sharp... Yeah he didn't said anything but from his words lf provocation to Antonio alone.. She could guess he understood the concept on it..

Neptunia bit her lip, her mind running back to her earlier interaction with him.. when she'd explained Antonio's abilities, but deliberately gave only half the truth.. Since well ofcourse he was a human.. And she wouldn't wanna give him.. something so importance and intelligence on a sea lord abilities.. So

She just told him enough to prepare him for the fight.. but not everything. Not the full, intelligence details.

Even so, with just fragments of truth and observation, he had deciphered almost most of it now after combining her words with Antonios.

How the hell does he do that?

Her thoughts were interrupted as Antonio's son manic laughter echoed again. The man's eyes were wide now, glowing faintly as madness replaced anger.

"You…" he said, still half-laughing, half-growling. "You think you can cross into the Second Sea, do you? You think you'll be safe there?"

He leaned forward, his grin spreading. "You really think that'll save you.. Because the Sea Lord of the Second Sea is an enemy of my father?.. Is that what's giving you the confidence that you'll be able yo run away.."

Razeal's expression didn't shift.

Antonio son's laughter slowed into a wicked smirk as he shook his head mockingly. "Not a chance.. Maybe before i might have.. But now.. Not atleast we brothers standing heree.."

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing with manic confidence. "You'll never even get close."

But before he could continue his tirade, Razeal words cut through Antonio's voice

"So you're sure, then?" he asked. "You want to sacrifice yourself… and your stepbrothers… just to test if you can stop me?"

Antonio froze for half a second.

Antonio son's grin widened again ..slow and dangerous.

"ALRIGHT then," he said, his tone dropping with craze. "If you really want to PLAY this game…"

He stepped forward slightly on head of giant octopus..

"War it is, then."

"Let me show you…"

The grin that followed was chilling, almost inhuman.

"…just how far the Second Sea is from you.". He yelled.. crazily

Though Razeal looked at him up and down.. As if assessing him again.. What he gonna do

Antonio's son.. or rather, the other new brother that had appeared.. looked almost identical to the brother Razeal had killed moments ago. The resemblance was uncanny, almost eerie.

From the shape of his face to the cut of his jawline, even the faint veins pulsing beneath his pale skin.. they were exact copies. His body was lean but wiry, his muscles taut beneath the sheen of the sea. Like his fallen brother, he wore nothing above his waist, only a pair of dark, sea-woven pants clinging to him. Around his neck hung the same necklace.. a shell pendant tied with a thin black thread, swaying faintly with the current.

Even the way he tilted his head, the faint grin twitching at the corner of his lips everything mirrored the one who had died.

But Razeal's attention sharpened when the man's hand suddenly moved.

Without warning, Antonio's son reached up and unclasped the black thread around his neck. The shell ..smooth, pale, faintly glowing drifted in the water as he plucked it free and held it in front of him.

His fingers trembled slightly, reverently, as if he were holding something very important. Then, slowly, he opened it.

Razeal's eyes narrowed immediately.

From his angle, he couldn't see what was inside the shell at first, but his instincts told him it wasn't anything ordinary. The faint shimmer that escaped from its cracks looked almost alive.

"What is he doing?" Razeal muttered under his breath, his brows knitting together as he leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Antonio's son.

Then..

Antonio's son's eyes locked onto the opened shell, pupils dilating as he stared inside. His expression changed no longer wild or furious, but eerily calm, like someone looking for something.. or doing very concentrating work

Then, from the shell's hollow core, something began to drift out.

Tiny, almost microscopic shapes small, floating specks.. started escaping one by one. At first, Razeal thought they were air bubbles. But as his focus sharpened, he saw them clearly.

They weren't bubbles.

They were… sperm.

Or rather, they looked like it.. if sperm were crystalline, glowing, and pulsing with faint, multicolored light.

Thousands of them, glittering like tiny shards of glass, spiraled out into the water. Each one shimmered in a different hue blue, green, crimson, violet swirling like dust caught in sunlight.

"...What the hell?" Razeal whispered, his gaze narrowing further.

Those luminous specks began to scatter, spreading across the battlefield like a cloud of fireflies in slow motion. They drifted through the water, and then.. impossibly each one stopped.

Above every massive sea creature that surrounded them, a single crystal-like sperm halted mid-current and hovered just above its head, glowing brighter by the second.

And then

BOOM.

A wave of faint light spread outward.

Each glowing speck exploded softly, not in destruction, but transformation. In a blink, each one turned into a humanoid figure.

Razeal's eyes widened as dozens.. no, hundreds, and then thousands of new beings materialized across the field.

Humans.

No.. Atlantian figures.

Each one was unique, their features varied but their forms were unmistakably humanoid. They fell gracefully from their suspended places, landing upon the heads and backs of the great sea beasts beneath them as if born already knowing where they belonged.

Within seconds, the battlefield that had moments ago been filled with beasts alone was now populated with a vast congregation of Atlantians.. their skin glimmering with faint iridescence under the ocean light, their eyes opening in unison.

And when those eyes opened, they did not look confused.

They didn't gasp or panic or flail.

Instead, every one of them turned their heads toward Antonio's son.. silently, knowingly, as if already aware of their purpose and command.

Their movements were smooth, synchronized eerily perfect.

Then, in a unified motion, thousands of them pressed their hands together in front of their chests and fell to their knees, bowing deeply atop their beasts.

Their heads bent low, their palms pressed together in reverence.. as if praying.

"What…?" Razeal's eyes narrowed sharply, disbelief flashing across his face.

Did those things just transform into Atlantians? And they… already know what they're supposed to do?

His gaze drifted from one to another. Each newly created figure wore elegant garments that rippled lightly in the water ..woven fabrics, accessories, even jewelry.

They were clothed. Fully.

"How?" Razeal muttered under his breath. His mind spun rapidly. That doesn't make sense. If born from sperm.. Just as he saw now, how can they already be clothed? And why do they all look… Completely aware of everything.. as not just born?

"Where's the relica?" Razeal murmured. "Can it really do all this just from that shell… Or is that shell is relica?"

Neptunia, standing beside him, had been equally silenty looking at all this with frown as understanding what it is but cant.. as just why. But when she caught the puzzled, calculating look in Razeal's eyes, she exhaled softly ..realizing he was still trying to piece together what he was seeing.

Her gaze flickered to the kneeling Atlantians. She hesitated for a moment, then decided there was no point holding back anymore.

"It's the Sperm Preservation Method," she finally said quietly, her voice calm yet cautious.

Razeal turned to her, one brow raised. "The what now?"

"It's… a preservation method used by Sea Lord," Neptunia explained, her tone steady but serious. "He can transform all of his creations into these sperms forms again for easier carrying a way to maintain and protect their essence. Think of it as… storing his army in a smaller, more manageable form until he needs them again."

"So basically," Razeal muttered, his eyes narrowing, "it's like putting his army into portable form.. but with extra steps."

She gave a small nod. "In a way, yes. It's part of his relica function. These humanoid forms were just sealed to be used in very simple terms."

"Preservation method…" Razeal repeated, nodding faintly as his expression shifted to one of deep contemplation.

He looked back toward the endless rows of kneeling Atlantians. "Then what are they doing now?" he asked, eyes narrowing again.

Neptunia frowned slightly, her own uncertainty visible for the first time. "That…" she admitted, "…I'm not sure."

She studied the Atlantians closely, her gaze scanning their postures, their expressions, the strange reverence in their faces. Their skin tones ranged across the entire spectrum some pale as moonlight, others deep and bronze, their hair colors dazzling under the dim ocean glow. Silvers, violets, teals, and even flaming reds.

And then she saw it the there some rare physical features.

Her eyes nerrowed slightly. Really?

Her lips parted as a soft murmur escaped before she could stop herself. "The… True Hundred Noble Families of the Sea…"

"Huh?" Razeal turned toward her immediately, catching her whisper. "What's that supposed to mean?"

These well.. All of these people have one thing in common They are from.. True Hundred Noble Families of the Sea…" Neptunia said again..

And what is that again?

Neptunia blinked "They're…Well.. They are the noblest families of the ocean the ones who were directly recognized by Mother Thalassa herself.. So given this tittle as such.."

Thalassa? Razeal frowned, his head tilting slightly. The name was unfamiliar to him. "Now whats that supposed to mean?" he asked, glancing toward Neptunia.

"Mother Sea," she corrected flatly, her voice firm but laced with an unmistakable hint of judgment. Her eyes flicked to him, sharp and disapproving, as though she found his ignorance offensive.. Even a human should know this right? She thought but again just explained while shaking his head. "She is the origin of all oceans. The first consciousness of the deep. Every sea, every current, every creature flows from her... Even every Relica.. Ofcourse mythical ones... Able to become living because of Mother Thalassa"

Razeal raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by the tone. "Oh… I see," he said quickly, holding his hands up in mild surrender. "I'll ask about that later then. But for now.. what are they doing?"

"I don't know," Neptunia replied, her voice quieter this time. Her gaze remained fixed on the scene before them.. the thousands of newly formed Atlantians kneeling in perfect unison upon their sea beasts, hands clasped together as their lips moved silently in prayer. The sound of their voices was faint at first, like a low hum traveling through the water.

Why would they do this?.. Hmmm

But then it grew.

The faint murmur became a chant, synchronized and haunting. The rhythm pulsed through the currents, vibrating in the bones of anyone who could feel the sea's breath.

Razeal's eyes narrowed. The energy in the water had begun to change slowly twisting, like something vast and ancient was stirring beneath the surface.

Neptunia's ears twitched. She leaned forward slightly, listening more intently. Her eyes widened suddenly as she made out the words of their unified prayer.

"Wait…" she whispered, her face draining of color. Then she froze.. realization striking her like a tidal wave.

"Oh no" she gasped, her voice cracking as she turned sharply toward Razeal. "Gooooo, stop them!" she shouted, her panic breaking through the composed edge of her tone.

"They're praying to Mother Thalassa! The Hundred Nobles.. together they're requesting for the Ocean's Ancient Battlefield!"

Her words rang through the water like an explosion.

Razeal didn't know what that meant.. but from her voice alone, it was clear it wasn't good.

"Stop them! Now!" Neptunia yelled again, already pulling an arrow from her quiver. Her hands moved in blur as she drew back the string and fired toward one of the kneeling figures perched on a massive shark's head.

Razeal moved at the same time, his instincts kicking in even without understanding. He darted forward.. His palm away from one's neck..

But before either of them could land their attacks..

A slow, cruel smile spread across Antonio's son's face. "Too late."

The words dripped with satisfaction.

And then the water around them shifted.

A massive swirl erupted from the ocean floor, twisting violently upward. The currents roared, spiraling into a vortex that consumed everything in its pull.

The sea itself began to rise, twisting, boiling.. dragging all of them into the center.

At the very heart of it.. Razeal's group stood in the eye of the storm. Once again..

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Happy Halloween, my beautiful creatures of the night if you feel a chill, that's just me thinking of you...🖤🎃

Happy Halloween guys 🤣🤣

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