Ethel took advantage of his distraction, closing in quickly. She struck with her trident in a sweeping arc, aiming for his legs to throw him off balance. He sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the strike, and retaliated with a quick slash of his sword. She deflected it with the shaft of her trident, twisting the weapon to lock his blade. In an agile maneuver, she used the locked weapons as a pivot, twisting her body and bringing her elbow down toward his face. He ducked at the last second, disengaging their weapons and rolling to the side.

The Emperor rose and extended his arm, summoning a swarm of smaller, sharp-toothed fish that darted toward Ethel like arrows. She spun her trident again, creating a barrier of golden light that deflected the swarm. But even as she held them at bay, the Emperor lunged forward, his sword slicing through the water with terrifying speed. She barely managed to twist out of the way, his blade grazing her arm, leaving a shallow, glowing cut that shimmered in the depths.

Ignoring the sting, Ethel retaliated with a concentrated blast of golden energy from her trident. The beam surged toward him like a bolt of lightning, forcing the Emperor to dive to the side. He barely evaded the blast, the residual energy brushing against his arm, causing him to wince as it singed his skin. He gritted his teeth, his gaze fierce as he summoned a powerful current to push against her, creating a vortex between them that churned violently, pulling at everything around them.

They were locked in a test of will, their magic and physical strength both strained as they fought to overpower the other. Ethel channeled her energy to stabilize herself against the current, grounding her stance as she maneuvered closer, each step calculated to counter the pull of the vortex. She watched the Emperor's movements carefully, looking for an opening, and then—seeing him falter for a split second—she lunged, aiming the sharp tips of her trident at his heart.

The Emperor anticipated her attack, bringing his sword up in a sweeping arc to meet her strike. Their weapons clashed with a deafening roar that sent shockwaves rippling through the water. They pushed against each other, muscles straining, faces inches apart as they glared into each other's eyes. Then, with a surge of strength, Ethel forced him back, her trident spinning in her hands as she drove him toward the surrounding beasts that awaited her command.

With a mental call, she directed the giant octopus and the shark to close in, their massive forms cutting off the Emperor's escape routes. He glanced around, calculating his next move, and in a flash, he raised his sword high, releasing a wave of dark energy that scattered her summoned creatures. The sea beasts retreated momentarily, disoriented, but Ethel quickly commanded them back into formation, tightening her hold on them.

The Emperor raised his arm again, but this time, he summoned his own fish forces in a rapid counterattack, sending them toward her with deadly precision. The fish sliced through the water in a storm of flashing scales and teeth, forcing Ethel to focus on deflecting their attacks, each parry and block executed with lightning speed as she whirled her trident in intricate patterns. As she parried, she slipped a glance at the Emperor, realizing that he was closing in once more.

In a final burst of speed, she drove herself forward, slashing through his swarm of fish with her trident. The Emperor raised his sword, bracing for her charge, and their weapons collided once more. But this time, instead of pulling back, Ethel pressed closer, using the momentum to drive her elbow into his chest, causing him to stumble. He gasped, momentarily winded, but quickly retaliated with a sharp twist, bringing his sword around in a low swing that forced her to leap backward to avoid being struck.rip. They stumbled apart, both of them breathing heavily, yet neither ready to back down. The Emperor raised his sword, his eyes flashing with determination as he called upon a surge of oceanic energy, the water around him swirling with a dark, ominous light.

Ethel mirrored his intensity, her trident sparking with golden light that crackled and flared, illuminating the waters around them with a fierce brilliance. They both let out a final cry and charged at each other, their weapons poised for a devastating strike.

Ethel surged forward with newfound momentum, her forces of sea beasts rallying around her as they pressed the Emperor's armies of fish back with a relentless ferocity. Her trident, gleaming with golden energy, seemed to grow brighter with every strike, each swing pulsing in time with her heart, creating a halo that lit the depths of the dark sea. The Emperor, though equally skilled and determined, began to show signs of strain as he fought to hold back the tide of creatures she commanded.

Seeing an opening, Ethel darted in, slashing her trident down toward his side. He raised his obsidian sword to intercept, sparks of underwater light flashing as the weapons met. She twisted her trident sharply, causing his blade to shift off-center, and in a swift maneuver, she swung her leg out in a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at his chest. The Emperor anticipated her move, blocking the kick with his forearm, yet he staggered back slightly, the force of her blow reverberating through his body.

Ethel seized the moment, spinning her trident around in a feint before thrusting it at his shoulder. He dodged narrowly, twisting his body sideways, but she had anticipated his evasion. With a flick of her wrist, she redirected the trident mid-thrust, the prongs grazing his shoulder, drawing a thin line of shimmering blood. He grunted, stepping back, and retaliated with a horizontal slash aimed at her midsection. She sidestepped just in time, her body bending gracefully, and swung her trident downward, aiming to sweep his legs.

He leaped over her strike, landing nimbly and instantly countered with a high kick. Ethel blocked it with her forearm, bracing herself as his heel connected, sending a dull shock through her body. She gritted her teeth, using his own momentum against him as she shifted her weight and grabbed his ankle, twisting and sending him spinning through the water. The Emperor regained control mid-spin, landing a few paces away, but Ethel's forces were closing in from all sides.

The Emperor raised his sword, channeling a wave of dark energy that rippled outward, forcing her beasts to momentarily withdraw. His fish forces, though thinner in number, responded with renewed vigor, swarming around him in a protective shield. But Ethel, undeterred, focused her control on the massive shark and the colossal octopus, both creatures sensing her command as they converged toward him in perfect synchronization. The shark lunged first, its jaws snapping dangerously close to the Emperor, who deflected it with a slash of his sword, but he was immediately ensnared by one of the octopus's massive tentacles.

He twisted, driving his sword into the tentacle, the dark blade carving through the thick, muscular flesh. The octopus flinched, releasing him, but Ethel had already closed the gap between them. She thrust her trident forward with deadly precision, the golden tips aiming straight for his chest. The Emperor barely had time to raise his sword, blocking the trident at the last possible second. The impact forced him back, and he dug his heels into the sandy seabed, struggling to stay grounded as she pressed her advantage.

Ethel pivoted, spinning her trident in a series of rapid, whirling strikes that came at him from every angle. He parried as best he could, each block perfectly timed, but his movements grew increasingly defensive, his breath coming quicker as he fought to keep up with her unyielding assault. She sensed his growing desperation, her confidence bolstered as she increased the pace of her attacks, each thrust and swing backed by her connection to the creatures around them, who watched in silent obedience.

Desperate to shift the momentum, the Emperor raised his hand, channeling a powerful surge of magic that shot forward like a torrent of dark water, aimed directly at her. Ethel countered by spinning her trident rapidly, creating a barrier of golden light that dissipated the blast on contact. But even as she blocked his magic, he closed the distance with a swift, predatory leap, his sword slicing down in a brutal arc aimed at her shoulder. She ducked, feeling the blade pass just inches above her, and retaliated with an upward swing of her trident, the golden prongs nearly catching him under the chin.

He twisted his body mid-air, dodging the strike, but she was relentless. She brought her knee up sharply, aiming for his ribs. The Emperor blocked, bracing himself, but the force caused him to stumble. She seized the opportunity, stepping forward to trap his arm in a tight grip, wrenching his sword hand down and forcing him off-balance. He growled, his eyes flashing with frustration, and countered with a powerful headbutt. The sudden impact sent a shock through her skull, but she didn't let go. Instead, she gritted her teeth, twisting his wrist until his grip on the sword faltered, and she managed to knock the blade from his hand.

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