Leviathan stopped.

The sudden stillness of her massive presence pressed against the air like weight.

It was like sea itself had paused to listen.

She turned those ancient eyes toward me, her gaze sharp and impatient.

Then her voice cut through everything, loud, demanding, stripped of patience.

"Why aren't you giving it to me already?"

The words were not shouted, but they didn't need to be.

They carried authority, irritation, and hunger all at once.

Hearing her voice that close, that loud, Elaris at my side jolted hard.

his body stiffening in instinctive fear.

I felt it immediately.

That reflexive flinch that comes when something far stronger reminds you of its power.

Before he could react further.

I reached out and caught Elaris by the shoulders.

My grip was firm but calm, steadying him the way you would steady someone standing too close to an edge.

I leaned in close and whispered, low and quick, "Everything fine."

My voice didn't match the tension in the air.

It was controlled, almost casual, and that alone seemed to anchor him.

Elaris exhaled slowly, her shoulders easing just a fraction, trusting me enough to stay silent.

Then I turned my attention back to Leviathan.

I looked at her and let a smirk curl across my face, slow and deliberate.

The kind that isn't rushed.

When I spoke, my tone was light, almost teasing, as if we weren't standing at the edge of disaster.

" You need to transform," I said, nodding toward her massive form, "to your humanoid form and come to get it from me"

I paused just long enough to let it land, then added, almost sheepishly,

"Because I'm scared of water."

The excuse was simple. Almost stupid.

And Leviathan's mind, ancient as it was, appeared just as simple in that moment.

She fell for it completely.

There was a shift in the air as her colossal form began to change.

The sea beneath her rippled unnaturally as scales folded inward, mass compressing and reshaping.

The transformation was slow, deliberate, and when it finished, where the sea serpent had been stood a woman.

She stepped forward, and water held her weight as if it were solid ground.

Each step was smooth, unhurried, and elegant.

Like she was walking across polished marble instead of the surface of the sea.

Her humanoid body was tall and commanding, built with quiet strength rather than excess.

Her skin carried a faint sheen, as though touched by ocean light.

Her long hair flowed behind her like dark waves caught in a gentle current.

She wore a regal dress, deep empress blue, the fabric heavy and flowing.

Her dress clinged and draped her in all the right places.

It moved with her steps, catching the light with subtle highlights.

Every fold and seam speaking of dominance and royalty.

The dress did not slow her. It made her presence heavier, more deliberate.

Her posture was perfect, chin lifted, shoulders relaxed.

Every movement she took felt controlled and graceful, like she had all the time in the world.

As she approached, I didn't take my eyes off her, but my hand moved just enough.

I gave the girls a secret sign.

It was small, quick, something only they would recognize.

A slight movement of my fingers, a tilt of my wrist.

The message was clear without words:

The moment this bitch enters my personal zone, she's screwed.

They understood instantly.

The girls nodded, each of them subtle and calm, and began to slowly move away.

No panic, no rush. Just quiet repositioning, like pieces sliding into place on a board.

They put distance between themselves and what was about to happen.

Leviathan continued her elegant walk across the water.

Meanwhile, I lowered myself slightly and coughed.

Not loud, not dramatic. Just enough to be noticed.

She stopped again, her brow tightening just a touch.

"What are you doing?" she asked, suspicion flickering across her face.

I didn't look up immediately. Instead, I hurriedly caught my knees.

Then bending forward as if the strength had suddenly drained from me.

My shoulders slumped, my breath uneven.

When I spoke, my voice sounded strained, thin around the edges.

"I feel weaker," I said, forcing a rough exhale. "From heatstroke."

For a moment, she just watched me.

Then she smiled.

It wasn't kind. It wasn't warm.

It was the smile of someone who believes the balance has tipped in their favor.

She thought I was weak. Thought the heat, the tension, the moment had finally caught up to me.

That smile stayed as she resumed walking, but something had changed.

Her guard dropped. Not completely, but enough.

I lifted my head just slightly, enough to see her closing the distance.

My lips twitched upward again, barely visible, and under my breath I mumbled, "Like this, idiot. Just come closer."

Ten inches.

That was all that separated us.

My body went rigid, every muscle locking into place.

I tensed my arms, and power exploded through my arm muscles.

And in a sudden and violent, like a dam breaking.

There was no hesitation, no second thought. The moment arrived and I took it.

My fist connected with her face.

Boooooooom!!!

The impact detonated through the air, raw and thunderous.

A massive shockwave ripped outward.

It was violent enough to tear sand from the ground and hurl it into the sky.

A huge vortex of sand formed midair, spiraling and roaring.

It blocked everyone's view in an instant.

The sound wasn't just a punch, it was like a class five tornado tearing through open land.

The air screamed. Pressure slammed outward in every direction.

The ground beneath us shuddered as if struck by a natural disaster.

The vortex twisted violently, swallowing sight, sound, and sense.

For a heartbeat, everything disappeared behind the storm.

Then her voice came through.

Leviathan's voice, raw with fury, tore through the chaos.

When she emerged from the sand, her face was twisted in pure rage.

Her eyes burned, wide and blazing, her features contorted with betrayal and pain.

The elegance was gone, replaced by something primal and furious.

Her lips curled back, teeth clenched, muscles tight with restrained violence.

"You liar," she snarled. "You will pay for this."

The words barely finished leaving her mouth when something massive slammed into me.

A huge tail whipped across my body, fast and brutal, sending me flying off the ground.

The force lifted me completely, tearing me away from everything.

I was hurled into the sky above the sea like a broken projectile.

The world spun.

Air rushed past me as I flew, weightless and helpless for a moment.

Pain exploded through my chest, sharp and deep.

I instinctively brought a hand up, touching my chest, feeling the damage beneath my skin.

My ribs were broken.

Even through the pain, I forced my eyes open and looked down.

Below me, Leviathan had already returned to her sea serpent form.

Her massive body coiled and surged through the air.

It kept rising unnaturally from the sea as she came after me.

Scales glinted in the light, her form cutting through space with terrifying speed.

Her jaws opened wide.

She was closing in on me in the sky, moving as if she intended to gulp me whole.

Her mouth stretched impossibly wide, darkness waiting inside, teeth like walls closing the distance fast.

The air vibrated with her approach, and the sea far below churned violently beneath her shadow.

I could hear shouting from below, voices blending together in panic and fear.

But... they sounded distant, muffled by the rush of blood and wind.

And then, suddenly, everything changed.

The jewel in my hand began to shine.

At first, it was just a glow. Then it intensified, flooding outward in blinding blue light.

The brightness was overwhelming, violent in its brilliance, expanding rapidly until it outshone everything around it.

The light spread across the sky, across the sea, across miles of space.

It was powerful enough to dominate a ten-mile-wide area.

Shadows vanished.

Colors were erased beneath the flood of blue-white radiance.

It burned into the air, into the water, into vision itself.

It was impossible to look at directly.

The light pulsed, strong and steady, swallowing sound.

It kept swallowing fear, swallowing everything else.

It didn't flicker or waver. It claimed the space around me completely.

It was like a mini sun had ignited in my hand.

A blazing core of blue brilliance, radiant and absolute, hanging in my hands.

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