And the hole didn't end. It stretched far, far into the distance so far that their eyes couldn't follow where it stopped.

It looked like someone had taken a blade to the ocean itself, carving a wound that reached beyond sight.

Maria's mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. Her bow arm trembled. She blinked once, twice.. but the sight didn't vanish.

Neptunia's lips parted too, her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes reflected the faint light of the devastation before them.

The magnitude of the attack was unreal. The power behind that one throw.. behind a single apple was monstrous.

"How…" Maria whispered, voice barely audible. "How far does that go?"

Her words trembled as she spoke. She couldn't even see the end of the destruction. The tunnel carved through the sea stretched so far that even her enhanced vision failed to find its end.

The half-cut bodies of massive sea creatures floated near the edges of the devastation, their flesh still glowing faintly from the frictional energy that tore them apart. The sheer scale of it all was unimaginable.

And beneath them…

Even the seabed wasn't untouched.

A massive scar stretched along the ocean floor deep, wide, and smooth as though the sea itself had been sliced by some divine weapon. It disappeared into the horizon, fading into the infinite blue darkness.

"Just… what was that?" Maria asked her mouth still slightly agape. Her eyes were wide, reflecting the endless devastation in front of them. The hole Razeal had created stretched so far that she couldn't even see where it ended. The single attack.. that one motion had obliterated a massive portion of the sea lord's army. The sight was almost surreal.

"I would want to ask the same question too," Neptunia said quietly, her voice steady but her eyes unblinking. She had her bow raised, her body tense and ready to fire.. but after watching that display, her hands slowly lowered. There was no point. Whatever Razeal had just done, it was far beyond anything she compreheand.

Razeal didn't answer either of them. He didn't even look back. His focus was entirely elsewhere.

He glanced down at his right arm.. or what was left of it.

The skin was gone. His flesh was gone. What remained was the skeletal framework beneath, black and gleaming faintly under the faint oceanic light. His entire hand had been stripped away in the aftermath of his attack.

Maria flinched at the sight.

But Razeal himself didn't seem surprised.

He knew exactly why it had happened.. And Even knew it would..

Even though he'd released the apple perfectly, even though he had cut off his Flow Touch at the last possible instant.. the residual energy from the current still grazed him. The flow had brushed across his finger tip, and just that single contact.. just the faintest trace of it was enough to erase his entire limb.. And that too when most of force getting absorbed by his obsidian bones.

Still, before either of them could say anything, his body began to heal.

The black skeletal arm flickered faintly with energy. Veins formed, then tendons, then muscle. His hand reshaped itself, rebuilding as though time itself was being reversed. Within seconds, his arm looked brand new perfectly restored, no scar, no trace of damage.

Maria and Neptunia both stared, speechless once again.

Razeal, however, acted as though nothing had happened. He simply flexed his new hand once, testing its movement, then

He took the second apple from his other hand.

And Without a word, he turned his wrist, gripping it between his fingers in the exact same way as before. His posture didn't change. His expression didn't shift.

The only difference this time was that there was no hesitation.

Another deep breath. A faint hum of concentration. His eyes glowed faintly again that same deep, sharp awareness of the invisible currents around him.

Then, another whisper.

"Flow."

He moved his hand gently, his movements smooth, deliberate. Once again, he aligned perfectly with the unseen flow surrounding him feeling the endless threads of the ocean's energy weaving through the water. The pressure around them intensified.

Then. boom!

A deafening sonic explosion ripped through the sea, the sound wave shaking everything within miles. The second apple vanished from his hand, accelerated to impossible speed by the flow.

And again, an instant later ..another erasure.

A massive, circular burst of destruction appeared miles away, this time cutting through a different section of the enemy army.

The pressure wave hit them moments later, pushing water and silt in every direction, forcing both Maria and Neptunia to shield their faces and crouch slightly behind Razeal.

Their ears rang. Their chests felt the shock of the impact.

And still, the notifications began.

[+1 Million Killing Points]

[+1 Millions Killing Points]

[+1 Million Killing Points]

The system's voice echoed inside Razeal's head, mechanical and rhythmic an endless stream of death tallies, each one chiming in rapid succession.

[+1 Million Killing Points]

[+1 Millions Killing Points]

[+1 Million Killing Points]

It was almost deafening.

Even as his body stood calm, unmoving, the sheer volume of notifications thundered in his mind, flashing across his vision faster than he could read.

The numbers climbed relentlessly. Millions of kills. Millions more. Every passing second meant more creatures erased from existence.

Maria and Neptunia crouched lower behind him, trying to cover their ears as the sound of destruction rolled endlessly through the water. The sea itself seemed to scream under the force of the attack.. massive whirlpools forming where the explosions had struck, the water spinning violently as shockwaves tore through the deep.

Neptunia's fingers trembled around her bow, her expression tense. She couldn't even shoot. There was nothing left for her to hit Razeal was annihilating everything long before her arrows could matter.

Her gaze flickered to his back..

"Just what kind of weapon is that red thing?" Neptunia asked,

swallowing hard as she watched Razeal pull another red apple from inside his coat pocket. She had never seen an apple before so of course as there were none in the ocean.. and after witnessing those explosions not to say Razeal calling it a weapon, she obiouimisunderstood it. Maybe these apples were his weapon. So she asked directly. After all, Razeal's hand movements and posture didn't look like he was doing anything that could cause such power.

Razeal ofcourse didn't respond. His focus was still entirely ahead his senses completely immersed in the ocean's flow. He hadn't even heard her.

Neptunia seeing this then glanced sideways at Maria, looking for answers.. anything that could explain what she was seeing.

Maria sighed quietly, rubbing her forehead.

"Well," she said finally, her tone blank and tired. "That is an apple."

Neptunia blinked. "A what?"

"An apple.. And its not a weapon." Maria repeated. "Its well.. its a fruit. Something people eat."

There was a long, silent pause.

"A… fruit?" Neptunia asked, her brows furrowing as she tilted her head. "A thing to eat?"

Her voice was slow, cautious, as though she was genuinely unsure if she'd understood correctly.

"Yes," Maria said flatly.

Neptunia's eyes widened slightly, her gaze flicking between the weaponized fruit in Razeal's hand and the massive devastation stretching across the ocean.

"So… humans eat such dangerous things?" she asked, her tone completely serious.

The question made Maria blink.. then frown.

"It's not the apple that's dangerous," she said blankly, her voice dry. "It's him doing it."

Neptunia froze, staring at her.. and then realization hit her like a current of cold water.

Her mouth shut quickly, her expression stiffening.

Maria's eyes narrowed slowly, noticing the sudden tension. "Wait," she said, her tone sharp. "Did you just say humans?"

Neptunia's lips pressed together instantly. Her pupils darted away, refusing to meet Maria's eyes.

She cursed inwardly. Damn it.

She hadn't meant to say that. Again. Another slip of the tongue. Sighh... She sighed

Maria's expression hardened. "So you knew, huh?"

Her voice was quiet, almost calm, but her eyes said otherwise. "You already knew that the story Razeal made.. the one about us coming from the Seventh Sea.. was a lie, didn't you?"

Neptunia didn't respond. She just stood there. The silence stretched heavy between them, the distant sound of explosions fading into the background.

"Well…" Neptunia began, awkwardly rubbing her temple as she exhaled. "Would it be fine if I… apologize right now? Like how about just forgetting it that i ever say this."

She blinked a few times, her voice uncertain, almost sheepish as she looked at Maria.

Maria didn't say a word. She just stared at her, unblinking, expression flat and unreadable.

The silence stretched uncomfortably long.

"Oh, fine then!" Neptunia sighed dramatically, throwing up her hands slightly. "Forgive me for not believing in you guys' lies. It was my fault."

Her tone was sarcastic.. but also… oddly genuine. A messy mix of annoyance and Sighing.

Maria's brows lifted slowly, disbelief flashing in her eyes. "You're joking, right?" she asked, completely deadpan.

Neptunia froze, mouth half-open, realizing maybe that wasn't the best way to word her apology. She blinked, hesitated, and then sighed deeply, dragging a hand down her face. "Ugh…"

The air between them was tense but almost comical Maria standing there with her arms crossed, unimpressed, while Neptunia looked just.. depressed as her tongue slipped again.

Before either of them could say anything else, a thunderous boom shook the water.

Then another.

And another.

And another.

A series of rapid sonic detonations rolled through the ocean like cannon fire.

"Four… five… six," Maria muttered under her breath, blinking as shockwaves rippled through the water.

Both she and Neptunia turned instinctively just in time to see what Razeal had been doing while they were arguing.

In the time they'd been talking, he'd already fired off several more apples.

Each shot came with that same deafening sonic roar.. each one carving through the endless horde of monsters like a divine blade.

The massive, towering wave of sea creatures that had once looked unstoppable… now looked shattered.

The water ahead was chaos broken legt out bodies, floating scales, and flashes of light scattered across the battlefield like debris after an explosion.

The once-solid formation of the enemy was gone ..their endless advance now fragmented and disorganized.

From where they stood, Maria and Neptunia could see gaps large enough to fit mountains through entire legions wiped away as if they never existed.

"Alright now…" Razeal finally spoke, his calm voice cutting through the rumble of collapsing currents. "It'll take some seconds before they fill those gaps up again."

He turned his head slightly toward them, his expression relaxed almost casual as if they weren't standing in the middle of an apocalyptic warzone. "Before they reach us again."

Both Maria and Neptunia followed his gaze.

Their pupils trembled at the sheer devastation.

The wave.. no, the army had been pushed back miles. The front line was gone, nothing but fragments of torn flesh and limbs scattered through the blood-dyed water.

Even the ocean floor bore the scars of his attacks long, endless trenches carved deep into the earth, glowing faintly from the friction heat still trapped in the sediment.

Maybe a few minutes. That's how long it would take for the massive army to reorganize and come charging again.

And that realization made maria shiver again.

Because in just a few minutes, this dude had erased what millions..

They looked back at Razeal, their expressions a mixture of awe

He turned fully now, facing them. His blackened skeleton arm still faintly steaming from regeneration shimmered before reforming into flesh and skin, brand new once again.

Both Maria and Neptunia were about to say something.. dozens of questions hung on their lips but before they could, Razeal spoke first.

"Oh, also," he said casually, looking straight at Neptunia. "I have a question."

"Huh?" she blinked, confused. "What?"

"If we defeat all of these here," he said, his tone almost curious, "when we go out from here… that Antonio guy won't be there, right? Or can he just take us back in again? Like" he gestured vaguely around them, "I don't know, but I've got a feeling that the guy we're dealing with right now isn't even the real one. Maybe it's just his son, or one of those weird ..son inheritance shit controlling a part of his army. So tell me.."

His gaze sharpened slightly. "Is there any way they can just summon us back here the moment we leave? Requesting this 'Ocean's Battlefield' or whatever it's called again?"

Neptunia froze mid-breath, caught off guard by how fast his brain worked even in a situation like this.

"Umm…" she started, lowering her head slightly as she gathered her thoughts. "Well… there are some ways to request the Ocean's Battlefield. But they're rare. Very rare."

Razeal crossed his arms, listening intently.

"You can't just… call it whenever you want," Neptunia continued, her tone careful, almost hesitant. "You need the permission of Mother Thalassa herself. The Ocean's Ancient Battlefield doesn't open for anyone.. it's something like a sacred domain. Usually, it only activates when the Mother acknowledges a war as 'worthy' of her attention."

"Then how did that Antonios son manage it?" Maria interrupted, her tone sharp, still bitter from their earlier argument.

Neptunia nodded, her expression darkening slightly. "That's the thing… He didn't do it alone. He had help. From the blood members of the Hundred Noble Families."

"The Hundred Noble Families," Neptunia explained. "They're the oldest and purest bloodlines of the sea. Recognized personally by Mother Thalassa. Their blood carries her blessing, her signature. Together, when they pray, their words reach her. That's why their combined prayer worked.. it forced the battlefield to open."

She exhaled, brushing a strand of yellow hair away from her face. "Normally, it would be impossible. Convincing even two noble houses to cooperate is nearly unheard of they're too proud, too powerful, too political.. Like in simple words very very strong influence.."

Razeal tilted his head slightly as unimpressed expression apeared on his face. "Strong influence, huh?" he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Strong influence, my ass."

Neptunia blinked, confused. "What?"

"That guy can reproduce those 'noble bloods' in batches," Razeal said, his voice darkly amused. "Thousands. Maybe millions."

Neptunia had bad expression on her face feeling the shame. "Reproduce them….. Sighh."

"Yeah," he said, his tone casual, almost conversational. "The relic or whatev he's got can accelerate growth from a single sperm, right? So all those 'pure-blooded nobles' giving him their precious divine seed are basically handing him a copy of themselves. You don't even need a brain to see the problem here."

Maria's lips parted slightly to stop him, realizing where he was going with this

"He can just mass-produce those 'blessed descendants' over and over," Razeal continued. "And then what? Every time he wants to show off, he just makes them kneel, do that 'prayer thing' again, and boom battlefield summoned. Infinite attempts, infinite battles."

He tilted his head, sighing as if genuinely disappointed. "So much for noble families. Must be filled with the dumbest people under the sea. So fucking dumb."

Neptunia stared at him, silent, unsure how to respond.

Razeal chuckled lightly. "Seriously," he said, shaking his head, "don't they have even a single functioning brain cell among them? Giving your sperm to someone who can literally grow your kids into weapons and then use them as suicide soldiers? How do you even think that's a good idea.. Like i got it he is a fucking sea lord or whatever which is said to be a big thing but even noble families? Like really.."

"Well… that…" Neptunia started slowly, her expression tightening as she saw the way Razeal looked at her.. or rather, at her words. His expression practically screamed disbelief. He clearly was thinking no staying that the noble families were idiots.

She sighed, shaking her head as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "No, it's not like that. They aren't dumb."

"Well.. It's just… It was the Sea Lord. He's the smart one. A manipulative bastard, but a genius."

Neptunia continued. "You see, Sea Lord Antonio.. he's cunning bastard."

Neptunia sighed, crossing her arms and looking away for a second before turning back. "He hires women. Beautiful ones. The kind that could make even the most disciplined man forget his vows. He trains them, gives them everything they needs the resources and all the stuff.. and sends them into the houses of men he wants sperm from politicians, warriors, nobles Whatever... And once those women succeed in seducing them…"

She paused, her lips curling slightly in disgust. "…they come back with what he wants.. their sperm... Inside there bodies"

Maria blinked once. Then twice. "Wait… what?"

Neptunia nodded grimly. "Exactly what you're thinking. He uses those women to collect it. Then takes it out of them... And yeahh."

"That's how he got them all. The bloodlines. Every single noble family. The man's cunning was so terrifying that eventually, people stopped… well, doing things carelessly. Out of fear that one of Antonio's women might steal their seed. He made people paranoid of their own desires..."

There was a long pause.

Maria's jaw was slightly open. She blinked again, trying to even process what she had just heard.

"That's…" Maria muttered under her breath, still stunned. "That's one hell of a twisted genius."

Her expression shifted between disbelief and reluctant respect. "I mean.. who even thinks of something like that? Its fucking dark.."

In Razeal's head, a small familiar chime echoed.

[Host, I think you've finally found someone whose brain cells function on the same frequency as yours.] Villey voice almost sounded joyfull.

Razeal's expression didn't change.

[I still remember that guy you killed once.. the boss of those those church brats who used to bully you. What was it again? Ah yes. You manuplated him enemies to "send" a few special womens with AIDs and HIV, wasn't it? So he would die without fighting.. and well that was such an elegant solution.. And this seems no lesser then you.]

Villey tone was excited, teasing, as if genuinely impressed.

Razeal well didn't know what to reply.. It was actually best way for him that time.. He was just too weak.. And that dude was 4th ranked powerhouse strongest in that whole area even his enemy being only 2nd rank.. so he didn't had another way...So he just shook his head.. "Hmm," he muttered, ignoring Villey entirely. "Whatever."

He didn't need the System's commentary right now. He had other problems to deal with.

Neptunia, oblivious to his internal conversation, was still half-talking, half-thinking out loud. "So, see? The Hundred Noble Families aren't stupid. They were just tricked. The man was just too smart to use beauty as a weapon."

"Yeah," Maria said quietly, still reeling from the explanation. "That's… a different level of manipulation. I never honestly thought of this."

Razeal didn't reply. His attention had already locked in where he wanted to be.

Neptunia caught the look. "Can you…" she began cautiously, "…do those apple attacks again?"

Her tone held a mix of h

excitement.

"Like, if you can use them again, we might actually be safe," she said, stepping closer, her gaze darting to the slowly reforming wave of monsters in the distance. The countless glowing eyes in the water were beginning to align once more, the scattered army regrouping. "But… can you really?"

Razeal turned his head slowly toward her, his gaze steady and expression calm. "Of course not," he said plainly. "It's… not that easy. I can't keep doing it forever."

"What?" Maria asked, her tone sharp. "Wait.. what do you mean you can't? It didn't even look that hard!"

Her words came out faster, her voice rising slightly. "You just.. threw a damn apple and everything exploded! Can we help? Is there something we can do?"

Razeal didn't respond. He just looked at her silently eyes half-lidded, expression unreadable.

Maria's frustration grew. "I'm serious. If there's a limit or something, we should know.."

Razeal said nothing. He didn't even bothered.

Maria stopped talking after a moment, realizing he wasn't going to answer. She crossed her arms, exhaling sharply.

"Well…" she tried again after a second, softer this time. "I just got worried, okay? Maybe you can't do it for some reason? Some limitation?"

She tilted her head, thinking. "Oh! How about you teach us that skill? We can try it too.. We might loose some arm or legs like can't regenerate like you but lossing limbs is definitely better then dying."

That finally made him look at her.

For a long moment, he simply stared.. eyes drifting slowly from her face down to her toes, then back up again.

Maria froze under his gaze, realizing belatedly how scrutinizing it was.

"…What?" she asked, awkwardly.

Razeal said nothing just shook his head faintly, dismissing the idea entirely, then turned back to the battlefield.

The dismissal stung.

"Okay, fine," Maria muttered, crossing her arms. "Guess that's a no."

Razeal ignored both of them completely now. He wasn't trying to be rude he just didn't have the luxury of distraction. His mind was already racing, analyzing, calculating.

The army was regrouping faster than expected. He could feel the shifting pressure of the ocean currents already. He'd probably have a few minutes before they launched again.

He didn't have infinite attacks left in him. Each use of Flow Sense drained his focus. And focus was his most dangerous limitation because one mistake, one slip, and his entire body could be torn apart by the very force he was trying to control.

He closed his eyes briefly, pulling up his System Panel.

The translucent blue screen flickered before him.

[Killing Intent (SSS) – (B): 96.75 million / 1 billion]

Razeal frowned slightly.

"Just that much?" he muttered quietly.

Even after all those devastating attacks, the number felt insultingly low.

Of course, it made sense most of the creatures he had annihilated were likely below Rank C. The System didn't grant points for weaklings. But still, it annoyed him.

"Too damn low." he muttered again under his breath, irritation creeping into his tone.

He clenched his fist, his dark eyes narrowing slightly.

He knew better than anyone.. he couldn't keep this up forever. His Flow attacks," Weren't limitless. Five, maybe six more, and his mind would start to split under the strain.

The Flow wasn't a joke. It demanded total synchronization total focus. And his concentration stat had dropped significantly since then. He wasn't in his full form.

Not even close.

He inhaled deeply, exhaling through his nose as he began thinking again.

He needed a plan.. a new strategy something sustainable.

Without it, he'd be buried here.

The waves of monsters were already drawing closer again, the faint shimmer of their bodies catching the deep-sea light like glittering scales of death.

The next wave was coming.

Razeal's jaw tensed. His mind began turning faster.. cold, sharp, methodical.

He had to find the perfect solution.

He didn't have time.

If he didn't.. he'd be fucked

----

Sorry for being late, guys. I wanted to give you all an extra chapter like I always do after hitting 60 golden tickets, but considering the type of chapters these were… I didn't. Anyway, it's 7.2k words, guys. I just turned those extra chapters into words.. otherwise, it would've looked bad.

Hope you all understand. Thanks for reading. Love ya 🤧Now I'm gonna sleep.. I'm fucking tired.

---

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.