In the central square around the golden statue and the Nimue monument, the battle for Sweet Scylla's fate was still ongoing.

Alviss the brown-haired dwarf never wavered in the face of the countless Golden Garden Guild members coming for him.

By now, he had been stabbed, slashed, shot, you name it. His buffed up body was on the verge of giving out, just like his Body Manipulation Sign already had.

The only thing he was able to rely on now was his trusted legendary hammer, Amphy, but it could not continue to shoulder everything alone either.

THUD!

"Hah…"

Forced to hunch forward slightly, Alviss supported himself by grabbing on his left knee and letting out a long sigh in an attempt to catch his breath quickly.

While both the Golden Garden Guild members and the merfolk had quickly recovered after seeing the tall golden cathedral come crashing down, only the guild members were able to ignore the deafening explosion that followed it.

The enormous tide that broke apart and descended on the island like pouring rain seemed to paralyze the merfolk, forcing them to stand in utter shock.

It surely didn't help that dark clouds above the island created a glim and dark atmosphere, more so than usual for this continent. The rain wasn't stopping, but continued to act as a constant reminder of the day the folk of Sweet Scylla and the Undine Clan lost everything dear to them.

The day the Leviathan struck.

However, as they stood around, the dwarf was pushing himself to the limits to defend them.

Although they had weapons lying around them, the weapons Alviss had forged for the tritons, they could still not dare pick them up again.

Whenever the thought crossed their mind, their eyes would instinctively shift to the golden statue depicting their previous fierce leader, Rania Undine.

That is why the longer the fight took…

"Dammit! I… I lost?!"

"!"

Alviss quickly turned to face the voice he heard, his two pupils quickly constricting at the sight.

"Erik! You're finally up again!" Bakari, who had recovered himself, immediately beamed as if renewed with energy. "Let's finish them off together!"

"..."

"..."

Alviss and Erik exchanged a quick glance, both of them quickly coming to the same conclusion about the current situation.

The only difference was that Erik's awakening would vastly help one side, while the other side…

That's a member of the Elding Clan for ya… Alviss thought inwardly. They're tough as steel… This isn't goin' t' be easy…

"I'm taking charge!" Having gotten up on his feet, recovered his double-edged sword, and stretched his muscles, Erik ignored the trail of blood falling down his face, along with the piercing pain on top of his skull.

"Now we're talking!" Bakari shouted as he took a step back.

"Follow my lead!" The tall broad-shouldered man with the orange mohawk stepped forward and activated his Lightning Manipulation Sign once more. "Leave the dwarf to me!"

"..." Seeing at least a dozen members along with Erik ready to still fight, Alviss felt a bead of sweat trickle down his face as he tightened the grip on his beloved hammer.

However, the moment they charged…

"W-what is that?!"

"?!"

SPLASHH!!

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Liv's voice from behind Bakari quickly alerted everyone present, forcing them to look up.

"It can't be…!"

A sudden ginormous tide was threatening to sink the entire island, except, for some odd reason, it seemed unnatural and controlled as it slowly descended upon the central square.

With its appearance, the pouring rain had immediately stopped as the dark clouds began to move away from each other.

The shadow it cast on the island was much bigger in size, covering every single person watching it in shock.

The merfolk in particular had wide eyes as their eyebrows threatened to touch their foreheads.

For in front of them wasn't just a simply big tide, no. They could see beyond that, feel beyond that.

Sea animals of different colors and sizes, some of which had long since disappeared from Sweet Scylla's shores, were all now swimming inside the unnatural wave, traversing it as if they were in the deep sea.

That sight, however, didn't even begin to compare to the real miracle the merfolk were currently witnessing.

The translucent figure that was at the very top of the wave, hovering in front of it under the light of a new moonlight. Every single move from its body commanded the waters around it, making it all seem like a magical dance.

As it slowly descended along with the wave, its features became clearer and clearer with each second.

The female figure was so stunning and alluring that it left everyone speechless, their mouths half-agape. While the upper body was mostly exposed except for the chest area covered by what seemed like cloth made of water with complicated designs, the lower half was translucent and connected to the gigantic tide.

The long turquoise flowing hair danced like sea waves around the light blue watery crown hovering above the head. The ear fins seemed much bigger with a mix of blue and red fighting for dominance.

None of that however dared to take away from the face that exuded the beauty and majesty of the sea, one that would be too difficult to describe in words or depicted in drawings and monuments.

For that was the real thing, the real ruler of water, the lady of the lake and sea.

The merfolk were witnessing the rebirth of their deity, the return of Nimue.

"This… how can this be…?"

"What… am I looking at…?"

"Is this truly… real?"

"The great Nimue…?"

"?!"

THUD!

In an instant, the entire Undine Clan present knelt down in unison to the descending deity.

"Great Nimue! Please… Please save us!"

"Great Nimue! I beg of you to rid our enemies from our beloved home and free us!"

"Great Nimue!-"

"Enough."

"?!"

A simple word from the deity stopped the onslaught of prayers and requests, along with any attempts at attacking from the enemy.

A single look from her glowing light crimson eyes stopped them in their tracks, the turquoise aura overflowing from her body above them eliminated any thoughts of fighting back.

Alviss and the others could immediately recognize the presence in front of them, not only did they feel it in their bones, but the Nimue monument present was enough to put it all together.

"!"

However, upon closer inspection, the merfolk noticed something else, something that shouldn't be possible.

"It is time to wake up, people of the Undine Clan!" The translucent deity spoke, sending its voice all around like rippling waves. "It is time for you to reclaim your freedom with your own hands!"

"...!" Lamia, the current leader of the merfolk, got up on her two feet and walked forward while looking up at the figure commanding them. She had naturally noticed the same thing as the other merfolk, perhaps even faster than them. "I can't believe it…"

"..."

"Riana…?"

**👑**

"Kojiro!!"

On the cliff behind where the golden cathedral once stood, under the pouring rain, a figure had risen from the shadows to confront the swordsman barely standing on his two feet.

The man wore a ripped black cloak which seemed too ancient to be worn casually. It covered his entire body, revealing only his face.

However, just in Kojiro fashion, even half of his face was covered by his light brown hair. The only difference now from back when he was in the Kage Clan, was the simple fact that his left eye was clearly visible. Only his right eye, along with the birthmark above the eyebrow, were now hidden.

And just like back then, his blackened eyes highlighted his blood-red irises with a faint glow.

To top it off, it seemed like he had new markings across the bridge of his nose and going up to the sides of his eyes.

Seeing him made Lawkey immediately stand on edge, forcing his body to be battle ready as he tightened the grip on Eclipsed Dawn.

"Relax, I'm not interested in fighting you when you're like this." Kojiro strolled forward casually, not even bothering to take out his sword. In fact, he held up both hands revealing no weapon on either side of him. "Our duel will have to wait a little longer for now."

"..." Lawkey narrowed his eyes without changing his posture. Thinking back on all the times Kojiro had hinted at his involvement, Lawkey couldn't help but be curious. "Why are you here? Why are you helping these people cause pain and hurt on another clan?"

"That's the first thing you're going to ask? Fine." Kojiro relaxed his arms as he came to a halt. "I'm part of the Golden Garden Guild now. I have a deal with the Coin Masters."

"Deal? What deal?" Lawkey pressed for an answer.

"That's not for you to know." Kojiro shrugged his shoulders, then walked closer to where Zoran's body lay on the ground. "I was surprised to see you here, helping these people. Didn't Sensei teach you what happens to those who try to help others on this continent? I'm sure he has, you were his favorite after all."

"... He didn't have any favorites, and you know it." Lawkey shot back. "I was just new and needed to learn more."

"Hah, you think he's just going to let anyone live under the same roof as his daughter? Don't get it twisted. He knew very well who I was, what I was-"

"He tried to help you, didn't he?"

"..." Kojiro stood for a moment, then looked down at the body beneath him. "Nothing has changed… At the very least, you managed to take this asshole out, despite everything that happened here."

Noticing the change in tone, Lawkey didn't press the issue and played along. If he could, he wanted to avoid fighting in his state.

And maybe, just maybe, he might be able to talk things out properly this time.

For Sasaki, and the rest of them in the Kage Clan.

"They called for your help, didn't they? Why didn't you help them?" The exhausted swordsman asked.

Both Nast and Zoran had called out for help at the end. Although Nast had received help from the siren traitor, he had clearly expected more.

They all expected his help by calling him, but Kojiro didn't heed their calls.

"Oh, please! Hearing this guy go on and on about his dumbass goddess all the time was going to make me puke." Kojiro waved his hand in front of his mouth as if reenacting the action of puking. "You did me, and the world, a service by shutting him up."

"..." Lawkey furrowed his brows slightly. Something didn't quite add up, the person he remembered wouldn't act like this, nor would he care about trivial matters like that. "Are you sure you didn't just want to help this clan?"

"Why would I? I don't care what happens to them, I don't go around getting close to people." Kojiro poked Zoran's body with his foot a couple of times, then turned to face Lawkey again with narrow eyes. "You came here, got close to these people, and then what?"

"..." For some reason, Lawkey felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

"Once again, they died, while you alone survived." Kojiro raised his voice slightly as he stepped closer to the edge and motioned to the sea.

"Isn't that what your involvement always does?"

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